At the 2017 session of the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference, a Campaign called “Our Conference, Our Kids” was launched. This campaign is a challenge to raise $2.5 million to endow the spiritual life programs at each of the Conference’s five child welfare agencies – The Baby Fold, Chaddock, Cunningham Children’s Home, Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House and Spero Family Services (formerly the United Methodist Children’s Home).
The campaign is critical as the lack of a state budget has resulted in payment delays to the five agencies for services they have provided. As budgets get tighter, tough fiscal decisions must be made in order for the agencies to stay afloat.
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference is taking the spiritual life of children “off the table” by endowing the spiritual life programs at each of the five agencies. The endowment will be used to finance this vital ministry that transforms the lives of children and youth, many of whom come from the counties within the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.
HOW WE CAN GET INVOLVED?
If each congregation in the IGRC donates the equivalent of one month of apportionments for each of the three years of the campaign, it will be fully funded.
Our Mission Committee had taken up the challenge to raise $4500 for “Our Conference, Our Kids.” Our fundraising efforts will begin with our December Mission Minute and will continue through the next year.
On February 11th, we will have a Mardi Gras celebration at noon. We’ll be asking other groups in our church to have fundraisers in 2018. Please consider how you might get involved.
