December 2024 Current

LOCAL CHURCH NEWS

Carbondale First new site of Boys and Girls Clubs BY BRANDY WILCOXEN The Southern

cafeteria-kitchen area. Russ Williams, board chair for the BGCSI, said the church has had the educational space for several years, but had not yet found a consistent use for it. “They added an education addition about 10-12 years ago, and have some really nice facilities there,” Williams said. “We’re starting with a small number there, but I believe they have the capacity to grow and add more to that.” Williams compared the new site favorably to the old Carbondale location, where the building required frequent repairs more than a century into its life. “[The church] is a great downtown location that everybody knows about,” Williams said. “It’s a very modern location opposed to where we were before.” Carbondale councilman LaCaje Hill, an alumnus of the BGCSI, expressed his pride on behalf of the council and the city government for the club’s reopening. “I sit on the city council as a proud product of the Boys and Girls Club,” Hill said. “When Glenn [Poshard] called me and asked for support, I said ‘I’m going to stop you right there. I’m all in. My answer is yes.’ ” Hill also led a brief moment of silence for John Cherry, who was instrumental in bringing the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to the city back in 2004. Cherry died on Oct. 20. Kathie Fralish, longtime board member for BGCSI, presented a plaque to Jo Poshard, the wife of Glenn Poshard, who led the fundraising campaign to reopen the clubs. This included donations of $50,000 each from the Carbondale and Marion city councils. The plaque was the Champion of Youth Award for Boys

CARBONDALE – The much-anticipated return of the Boys and Girls Clubs to Carbondale came on Friday evening, as the community was welcomed into the First United Methodist Church to see the club’s new site in the city. LaShonda Hubert, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois, cut the ribbon to commemorate the reintroduction of the BGCSI to Carbondale after being closed for more than a year. She thanked the hard work of the volunteer board of directors for keeping the organization alive during its hiatus. “They have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, even when the doors were closed, to keep connecting with the community, with donors, partnerships,” Hubert said. “This day would not be possible without them.” Jim Barnett, pastor at First United Methodist Church, spoke highly of the mission of the BGCSI, saying he wishes it was around when he was growing up. “It’s exciting to see the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois becoming reactivated and engaging with youth and children in our community, because that makes all the difference in the world in their lives,” Barnett said. First United Methodist Church is the new Carbondale site for the BGCSI, replacing the former Carbondale Community High School, which has since been demolished, in that role. The setup features several classroom spaces on the upper floor of the church, and access to a library of books in the wing. Downstairs, the Clubs will also have access to a gymnasium for physical activity and a

Photos courtesy of Springfield: Grace

and Girls Clubs of America. It reads, “Presented to Glenn Poshard in recognition of a lifetime of care for and support of young people, especially the members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois. Your dedication, leadership and guidance inspires our success.” Jo Poshard, accepting on behalf of Glenn Poshard said, “He poured his heart and soul into this. He is so happy that we were able to do this. And I say we, and that’s all of you.” Jo Poshard also read a message on behalf of Glenn, who was away watching his grandson Tucker compete at the AAC Championship cross country meet in Wichita, Kansas. “I am thankful for the many board members who dug in their heels and refused to let the Boys and Girls Clubs fail,” the message read. “I am thankful for all the donors who believe in the clubs and want it to be there for them.” For more information on the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Illinois, visit its website at https://www.bgcsi.org . (Reprinted with permission from the Nov. 2 issue of The Southern Illinoisan newspaper, www.thesouthern) Photo by Karina Neill Photography The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Boys and Girls Club of Southern Illinois at Carbondale First UMC.

SPRINGFIELD GRACE HOSTS COMMUNITY DAY

We must also thank All Weather Courts for honoring the memory of Sonya Massey by lining our court free of charge and shading an area of the court purple, which was Sonya’s favorite color. Special mention must go to local artist Tony Picasso, who provided the lettering for our court. We thank our vendors, sponsors, and partners for their time and talents in making Community Day the blessed day it was. Thanks also to Pastor Michael Madden and the Cotton Hill UMC for their presence and support. All had a wonderful time. Grace was grateful to be a blessing to our community. We look forward to coming together next year!

items, toiletries, diapers, and more to our attendees. Both young and young at heart enjoyed our bounce house, foam machine, and playground area, music from a DJ, not to mention the many baskets that were shot on our refurbished basketball court. A special moment that must be mentioned was when we had the honor to dedicate our basketball court in memory of one of Grace’s beloved parishioners, Bobby Hall. We were blessed by the presence of his beloved wife, Deb Cooper, and his son, Xavier Hall, who both received certificates of recognition on behalf of Mr. Hall’s lasting legacy. From now on, our court will forever be known as “Bobby Hall Court.”

BY REV. DR. CARY BECKWITH Springfield Grace UMC SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Grace UMC hosted its Third Annual Community Day Oct. 12. The ministry/ outreach event seeks to bring together both church and community in a day of service, information, education, fun, and fellowship. Our goal was to embody the love of Jesus Christ and to also show our surrounding community that Grace is more than just a building in the neighborhood, but that we are a vital part of the fabric of the community. Our campus was buzzing as vendors and sponsors provided much-needed resources such as household

Central District hosts Going Beyond simulcast in two locations BY ALLYNN WALKER AND LINDA HARROD On two Saturdays – Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 – at two different locations, the Central District sponsored the Going Beyond simulcast. Belleville Union, her teaching, she focused on the theme from Psalm 27, reminding us, “The God of the universe came to meet with you today,” as more than 80,000 participants around the nation met in person or joined the simulcast online. Karen Shields from Cotton Hill said, “I liked what Priscilla

said about the 5P’s of reading Scripture; 1) position yourself to hear from God, 2) pour over the passage what does the Scripture say, 3) pull out the character of God what does this tell me about the character of God, 4) pose the question and the Holy Spirit will bring the answer and 5) have a planned obedience to what God is saying to me through the Word.” Priscilla’s teaching for the day centered on the six trials that Jesus endured on His way to the cross. In each one He is questioned and mocked and mishandled. She challenged us to consider that each trial is a mirror for us. Each trial is an opportunity for us to put our own selves on trial. Let the Holy Spirit ask us some hard questions about how we treat Jesus, how we relate to Him. She challenged us and inspired us in our walk as disciples of Jesus. The simulcast offered an opportunity to reach our churches and our community, enhance the Central District’s women’s ministry, enrich the lives of the women who attended by providing trustworthy Biblical teaching.

Cotton Hill, Island Grove and O’Fallon First UMC’s joined hands to host the event. The speaker Priscilla Shirer, author, teacher and graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. Priscilla’s for the one-day simulcast was

Watseka First UMC celebrates 175th Anniversary of Methodism Watseka First United Methodist Church celebrated its 175th anniversary of Methodism Oct. 6 and 115 years of the church building at 301 S. Fourth St. Pastor Sylvester Weatherall was the guest

speaker, Sherrill Stichnoth provided special music, and many of the church family (both present and former members) attended the morning service and the following dinner. During the morning service World Communion Day was celebrated and the church building was rededicated. The Watseka Methodist Church was first organized by circuit rider Rev. U. J. Giddings in 1849. The first church building was erected in 1851. Second and third church buildings were on South Third Street in 1862 and 1891. The present building of Bedford limestone was completed in 1909 at 301 South Fourth Street, Watseka. During the 175 years of serving God and the community fifty-eight pastors have been a part of the congregation. Pastor Darla Holden has been with the congregation since 2022.

ministry, Going Beyond, equips

believers through preaching, teaching, books, Bible Study resources, and conferences; and even noted films like War Room, I Can Only Imagine, Overcomer and the recently-released film The Forge . The theme for the simulcast was “Experiencing the Truth of Scripture and the Power of Prayer.” As Priscilla began

Photos courtesy of Linda Harrod

United Methodists in the Peoria area gathered Oct. 25 at Forrest Hill UMC for a Crew Neck Sweatshirt event. Representatives of the various churches and representatives of the Peoria School District were on hand to provide winter gear for students at Von Steuben Middle School. Photo courtesy of Aletha Weatherall

Photos courtesy of Harrisburg First UMC Harrisburg First UMC held its Consecration Sunday and Fish Fry on Oct. 20 with Bishop David Bard and South District Superintendent Stan Irvin. Bishop Bard preached about true greatness and what that means for us as Christians as we are called to serve with love, humility and greatness. Rev. Irvin invited those in attendance to make a pledge to the church for 2025 as well as praying over the pledges which encompass our very lives. After the service, more than 100 enjoyed a fish fry and all the fixings.

Pictured are Current Pastor Darla Holden, Sharon and Jim Ward, Soni and Steve Knapp, and Jeff Clifton who were part of the celebration.

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