The Annual Conference

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori Dear Ravenswood Fellowship family,   As we go through a hard situation under the pandemic, The Northern Illinois Conference is also working through changes with many challenges. Everyone has said that this is a difficult time, this is true. However, I want to think in a different way. Due to everything moving online, we have a better chance to know about our conference events.          Here is Bishop's call letter for the annual conference.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bishop's  Annual Conference Call Letter  I pray that you are safe and in good health. We have all been through a difficult year with the major disruptions that the pandemic has caused in everyone's life, including our congregations and annual conference, for the last six months. As a result, we were unable to hold an in-person annual conference session in June. But now I am hereby calling the 181st session of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference for Saturday, November 14. We will meet online from 10 am to 12 noon and then again from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. Online registration will open on October 12. Registration is required to receive a link for the November 14 online session. The legislation will be posted online at umcnic.org/ AC2020 on October 14 and I would ask you to review it carefully in preparation. Our theme for the annual conference, conceived over a year ago, couldn't be more pertinent after these last six months: Y Church! As we have experienced church in some new ways, we grieve what we've lost (not being together, the fellowship and the in-person gatherings that we took for granted)—and yet we've learned some new ways of being church (online worship that has reached beyond our regular worshiping congregation, renewed small groups and mission outreach in many settings, etc.). I hope that you will take time to think about "why church" in terms of what it really means to be the church. Rev. Rich Rubietta, who has been a NIC "Circuit Riding Musicianary" for 20 years, is working with our worship team to help provide meaningful moments of music throughout our annual conference session and worship. Almost a year ago, I chose Rev. Young Seon (Christina) Kim's secondary school in Tanzania as the Bishop's Appeal. Rev. Kim is a member of our annual conference and is a missionary with the General Board of Global Ministries. She hopes that we will be able to help her complete construction on the secondary school that she has been building over the last year or more in time to open in 2021. Please visit umcnic.org/ bishops appeal to view several videos about the school as a way of energizing your congregation's generosity. Since there can be no baskets at the doors, you are invited to make a gift during the registration process or send your gift postmarked by November 2 to Northern Illinois Conference, PO Box 5646, Carol Stream, IL 60197- 5646 and put "Bishop's Appeal" in the memo line. While the business of the annual conference will take place on November 14, we will surround it with our other traditional services that we highly encourage you to view either as they premiere or once they are posted on the website after AC2020. Highlights of this year's annual conference include: On October 1, 8, and 22 at 10 am, we will be led in Bible study via webinar on our three strategic goals—Discipleship, Anti-Racism, and Vital Congregations—by Rev. Junius Dotson, General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries (formerly the General Board of Discipleship). Watch the weekly NIC e-News for the registration link. Our opening service of lament and hope, known as our Memorial Service, will premiere on Thursday, November 12 at 7 pm. We will remember the clergy, clergy spouses, and lay members to the annual conference who have died since AC2019 as we also lament so many losses due to COVID-19. And yet this will also be a service of hope. Mr. Woody Bedell, the NIC Director of Benefits and Human Resources, will deliver the message. Woody is an active member at Libertyville UMC and teaches adult Sunday school there. We are planning to live-stream the Commissioning and Ordination Service from Barrington UMC Friday, November 13 at 4 pm. All precautions will be followed, including allowing only a very small number of participants and attendees by invitation only, as we keep the guidelines set forth by the State of Illinois. We want to make this important milestone on these candidates' journey into ministry truly special even though it will be so different from what any of us would have imagined just months ago. The Retirement Service will premiere on Saturday, November 14 at 4:30 pm following our annual conference session. With both the retirees and candidates for commissioning and ordination, we will provide information ahead of time so you may contact them personally with notes of encouragement and support as they make this transition in their lives and ministry. I truly wish that I could see you face to face for my last annual conference with you, but nevertheless, we will worship and work together in these few hours online. Please make every effort to be present for the worship services as well as the annual conference session. Keep safe and love your neighbor: wear a mask, wash your hands, engage in social distancing, and don't leave home if you don't feel well! Sincerely, Bishop Sally Dyck  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Donna (2020 Ravenswood Fellowship UMC Annual conference representative person) and I will register and participate in the Annual Conference this year. Also, you can watch the live-stream as a gallery. This is a good chance to know more about our conference.  Blessings  MORI  Give on PayPal Give on PayPal Community Info & Links Bible Study  Pastor Mori is writing the Bible study lessons and a Leader's Guide on the Gospel of Luke and the loneliness. During the pandemic, we have been isolated and faced with an uncertain future. As we live with the crisis, people have lost the chance to form relationships with other people and we have been forced to deal with our own loneliness. The Bible lesson will focus on how the Bible teaches us to handle our loneliness. I have invited you to two demonstration sessions and will ask for evaluations when the Bible study ends. This is part of my ordination process.  Please sign up for two sessions of Bible study. The links are here:  Session 1 October 01 Thursday 7:00-8:00 PM Zoom online  Session 2 October 08 Thursday 7:00-8:00 PM Zoom online         October 03 Saturday Japanese Garden Prayer: Pet Blessing  A Blessing of Animals, in many congregations, witnesses to God's and the Church's love, care, and concern for creation. As we recognize our mutual interdependence with God's creatures, the Church's witness of stewardship of creation is strengthened.   The tradition of pet blessing originated from the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. This year Ravenswood Fellowship UMC has invited a Franciscan priest from St. Peter's in the Loop Church to share in our pet blessing.  Pastor Mori and the Franciscan Priest bless pets.       Date and time: October 03 Saturday, 10:00 AM  Place: Hermitage side of Ravenwood Fellowship UMC   Walking Group  We have had such nice weather for walking. We meet on Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 am at the Martha Washington Apartments, 2324 W. Irving Park Road. We walk for 30 minutes and wear masks and maintain social distance. No need to rsvp, just show up. Let's walk together!  If you have a question please contact Donna Sagami -Email October Worship Bible Reader  Please sign-up for October Bible Reader. Here are the sermon series and Bible scripture. The sign-up link is here.     2020 Ravenwood Fellowship Church Conference Save the date! The Church Conference season will look very different this year with most Conferences taking place through Zoom video conferencing. Ravenswood Fellowship UMC's Church Conference date is Sunday, November 15, at 12:00 PM. The SPRC meeting is at 11:30 AM. Click here to access the 2020 online forms for the committee chairs. Pastor Sabbatical Vacation  From Sep 24 to Sep 30, Pastor Mori will be on sabbatical vacation. On Sunday, Sep 27, Cody Johnson will be leading our worship and preach. Rev. Alka Lyall will be our emergency contact pastor during Pastor Mori's vacation. (Broadway UMC : 773-348-2679 )    Meeting Announcement Advisory Council Meeting  Sunday, October 04, after worship via Zoom.    Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration October 12, from 1:00-2:30p CST The Northern Illinois Conference Anti-Racism Task Force and the Committee on Native American Ministries are jointly planning three events in the coming school year (2020-2021) in the fall, winter, and spring. This is part of the Task Force's Justice Generation initiative which involves United Methodist teens in a year-long service-learning/action journey promoting racial justice. The fall event is a virtual celebration of worship, learning, and discussion via Zoom in honor of Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, October 12, from 1:00-2:30p CST.  UNITED METHODIST TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS ARE WARMLY INVITED and can register for this event by clicking here.  After Covid-19 Updates. Read about the Phases for Re-Opening here. Is that document too long? Read the summary version here.   COVID-19 Assistance Program  -The Illinois Emergency Mortage Assistance Program.  This program will begin accepting applications on Monday, Aug.24, for those who meet the requirements. More Information is here  -ComEd's Customer-Assitance Package.   This program helps customers affect the pandemic with grants up to $500 to more flexible payment options. More information is here.                                                                                                                                                  Links for Worship.  Join Zoom worship by going to this link at 10:30 AM on Sunday: https://zoom.us/j/806489040. Or call in at 1-312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 806 489 040).  Let's boost our worship! Please sign-up for Worship Bible Reader. October Worship  Bible reader sign-up here. October Bible Scripture here Young People's Bible Study. Ages 12-18 are invited to join the Zoom discussion of Jesus stories at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 828 2305 3546, One-tap mobile+13126266799) Want prayer? During our Prayers of the People, we will read your prayer requests. Submit your prayer requests here.  Download. Get your bulletin here. Having trouble? Try logging off and logging back on to Zoom during the video. Or simply log off and call in.  Missed last week? Check out the Facebook Live video on our page here.  Give on PayPal Our mailing address is: 4511 North Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Contact us at: ravfelumc@yahoo.com (773) 561-2610 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

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