News
published 1/30/2018
Bishop Frank J. Beard has announced the appointment of the Rev. Stan Irvin and the Rev. James Barnett as conference superintendents, effective July 1.
Irvin will be serving as Cache River District Superintendent and Barnett will be the new Vermilion River District Superintendent, succeeding the Rev. Roger Russell who is retiring and the Rev. Leah Pogemiller, who has served seven years as superintendent.
published 2/20/2017
A Pulaski County Circuit Judge has ruled in part that the Illinois Great Rivers Conference has a cause of action to recover the property occupied by Ohio Chapel UMC, but ruled the Conference has yet to show a cause of action for personal property related to the breakaway congregation.
published 1/23/2017
Rev. Dickey, at age 101, was the last surviving clergy member of the former Methodist Protestant denomination, which, with the Methodist Episcopal Church, North and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, united in 1939 to form The Methodist Church.
published 12/12/2016
Bishop Frank J. Beard visited the Cache River District recently, visiting Jesus es el Senor UMC in Cobden and the Hispanic Ministries’ Joe’s Mall and the Bald Knob Cross near Alto Pass.
published 11/4/2016
Bishop Frank J. Beard is asking that the Illinois Great Rivers Conference set aside the week of Jan. 22-28, 2017, as a Week of Prayer for the Way Forward Commission and its work.
published 11/1/2016
Online registration is now open for Covenant Keepers 2017 which will be Jan. 30-31 at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in East Peoria.
Registration and more information can be found at: www.igrc.org/CK2017. Registration is $30 per person and includes a Monday noon luncheon.
The theme for this event is: CK2017: Keepers of the Covenant.
Keynote speakers for the event are Dr. Jay Carter and Dr. Sandra Whitacre Herron.
published 10/24/2016
Retired pastor, the Rev. Mary Erwin celebrated her 100th birthday Oct. 3 at the care facility where she lives in Marion. While the 100th birthday is a milestone in and of itself, Erwin was a trailblazer for women in ministry as the Illinois Great Rivers Conference found out when she was presented a Certificate of Completion for the Five-Year Course of Study in 2006. What makes this trailblazing was that she completed the Course of Study 51 years earlier – in 1955 – a year before women were granted ordination rights by the General Conference.
published 9/26/2016
It appears that another round of scam threatening letters is going around regarding employment posters. These letters look very "official" and threaten the church with dire consequences if you don't buy their posters. Churches are not exempt from posting requirements, but ALL the posters you need are available for FREE download from the Illinois Department of Labor.
published 9/26/2016
The general secretary of the General Council on Finance and Administration has sent out a follow-up letter in an attempt to clarify matters for local churches as it relates to insurance coverage.
published 9/26/2016
Clergy salary and benefits costs for 2017 have been posted on the IGRC webpage at www.igrc.org/numbersfor2016. These will be helpful to you as you prepare 2017 budgets and Charge Conference forms.
published 9/26/2016
General Board of Global Ministries missionary Jacques Umembudi will be itinerating in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference Oct. 24-Nov. 7.
Umembudi, program director of Wings of Caring aviation ministry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is supported by six IGRC churches and will be open to additional engagements while in the IGRC.
published 8/22/2016
The shell of a new dormitory has been erected at Beulah Camp where the former 65-year-old dormitory was demolished. The stone blocks were used for the footings of the building as well as being used for pillars for 14 new cabins. The second-story floor of the old dormitory was cut into sections to provide flooring for the new 16 x 20 foot cabins and the roofs are also sections of the old dormitory roofs. These new buildings are being used for classrooms and some are available for purchase. ...
published 7/22/2016
MOUND CITY -- A decision is expected some time in September from a Pulaski County judge on whether the Conference's case against a breakaway congregation can proceed. Counsel for the conference and for the former Ohio Chapel UMC will submit briefs summarizing their arguments for a decision by Judge James Thurston. A two-hour hearing was held in Pulaski County Circuit Court Thursday concerning a motion to dismiss the complaint made by the church. During the hearing, testimony was offered by two...
published 6/10/2016
The following churches were recognized as Five Star Churches for 2015. To become a Five Star church, follow the guidelines that are given in the 2016 Five Star Challenge booklet. Certificates are given at Annual Conference to all Five Star churches. If you have any questions, contact Bunny Wolfe.
published 11/12/2015
A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference against a breakaway congregation that declared its independence in March, but the judge left open the possibility of the conference refiling its suit after “connecting the dots” in a case involving the denomination’s trust clause.
published 10/29/2015
Retired pastor Rev. Earl Dickey gathered with family and friends to celebrate his 100th birthday Sept. 8. Earl wasn’t the only centenarian that week. Marie Mitchell, widow of Rev. Carl Mitchell, also celebrated her 108th birthday in September. Rev. Mary Erwin celebrated her 99th birthday Oct. 24.
published 10/29/2015
A hearing has been set for Nov. 10 at 9 a.m., in Pulaski County Circuit Court on a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference against Ohio Chapel Church, a breakaway congregation that declared its independence from the denomination in March.
published 8/10/2015
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference filed a lawsuit Aug. 6 seeking to keep property now used by a breakaway congregation. The lawsuit, filed in Illinois’ Pulaski County Circuit Court, asks for a permanent injunction that would bar the church from “occupying, possessing or otherwise exercising control over the real and personal property.”
published 8/10/2015
Disciplinary paragraphs relating to The United Methodist Church's Trust Clause.
published 8/10/2015
What is at stake and what are the legal implications from the current lawsuit between the Illinois Great Rivers Conference and Ohio Chapel Church in the Cache River District.
published 8/6/2015
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference has filed suit against one of its member congregations which declared its independence from the denomination in March.
The lawsuit was filed today in Pulaski County Circuit Court against Ohio Chapel Church, formerly known as the Ohio Chapel United Methodist Church, based in Grand Chain in the Cache River District.
published 2/25/2011
Two superintendents are returning to familiar geographic territory while a third finds his assignment as being very compatible to his ministry, as Bishop Gregory V. Palmer has announced the appointment of three superintendents to the IGRC Cabinet, effective July 1. Revs. Leah Pogemiller, C. Douglas Rorex and Roger Russell will assume superintending responsibilities in the Vermilion, LaMoine and Cache River districts respectively. Pogemiller will succeed the Rev. J. Keith Zimmerman, who has ...
