Churches Doing Well

News From The Episcopal Office
1
Appointments
In consultation with the Cabinet of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, Bishop Jonathan D.
Keaton appoints the following:
Cathy Jean Clark to Tremont, Associate
Pastor, ½ time, Illinois River District, effective
July 1.
Janice Ringenberg to Bradford Leet-Boyd’s
Grove, Illinois River District, effective July 1.
Dean Reeverts to Walnut Grove, ¾ time,
Spoon River District, effective July 1. He
is being appointed as a clergy member of
another denomination.
Howard Ross to Oquawka-Biggville-
Gladstone, ¾ time, Spoon River District,
effective July 1.
Nicole Ross Bishop to Quad Cities Chyrsallis
Community, Spiritual Director, ½ time, Spoon
River District, effective July 1.
Chet Travis to Knoxville, ½ time, Spoon River
District, effective July 1.
William G. Pyatt to Bethalto, Mississippi
River District, effective July 1.
Lisa Wiedman to New Baden, ¾ time,
Mississippi River District, effective July 1.
Kimberly A. Allen to Coulterville-Tilden,
Mississippi River District, effective July 1.
Becky Barrow to El Paso, Vermilion River
District, effective July 1.
Judith Doyle, interim pastor to Hanna City-
Trivoli, Illinois River District, effective April 13.
Stacy Tomich to Marshall Trinity-Dunlap, ¾
time, Embarras River District, effective July 1.
Kimberly Stuby to East Bay Camp, Minister
of Mission Expansion, Vermilion River District,
effective May 16.
Edward Davis to Mansfield, Iroquois River
District, effective July 1.
Lynette DeAtley to Eagle Valley Charge
(Bluffs-Naples), LaMoine River District,
effective July 1.
Don Jackson to Jacksonville Grace, LaMoine
River District, effective July 1.
Sheila Kelly to Camp Point-Centennial
Ebenezer, LaMoine River District, effective
July 1.
Judy Williams to Robinson Otterbein-
Hutsonville, Embarras River District, effective
July 1.
Robert Cook to Taylorville First Associate,
Sangamon River District, effective May 1. He
will also continue to serve at Mt. Auburn.
Thomas Wright to Illinois City-Pine Bluff, ¾
time, Spoon River District, effective July 1.
John Ray to Buckeye-Owaneco-South Fork,
effective July 1. He is a clergy member of the
Missouri Annual Conference.
Tony Loyd to United Parish, LaMoine River
District, effective July 1.
Dean A. Beals to Carlyle First, Mississippi
River District, effective July 1.
Jeffrey Haley to Loraine, Spoon River
District, effective July 1.
Joseph Richard to Vienna First, Cache River
District, effective July 1.
Kimberly G. Hagedorn to Lebanon First,
Mississippi River District, effective July 1. Rev.
Hagedorn is a clergy member of the Texas
Annual Conference.
Keith A. Michaels to East Alton First,
Mississippi River District, effective July 1.
Amy Holman to Bushnell-Avon-New
Philadelphia-Point Pleasant, Spoon River
District, effective July 1.
Lyren Haney to Chaplain, Wesley Village, ½
time, Spoon River District, effective July 1.
Randy McGeehon to Prairieview Parish, lead
pastor, Sangamon River District, effective July
1. This is a new charge alignment.
Sally Hamon to Prairieview Parish:
Associate, ¼ time, Sangamon River District,
effective July 1.
Kent King-Nobles to Normal First, lead
pastor, Vermilion River District, effective
July 1.
Kathy King-Nobles to Normal First,
associate pastor, ¾ time, Vermilion River
District, effective July 1.
Charles Kurfman to Divernon-Pawnee-
Thayer (new charge alignment), Sangamon
River District, effective July 1.
Molly Spence-Hawk to Cissna Park-Rankin,
Iroquois River District, effective July 1.
Gregory Boylan to Manito UMC, Illinois
River District, effective July 1.
Jonathan Brashear to Trinity UM Parish
(Cabery-Cullom-Kempton), Vermilion River
District, effective April 1.
Douglas Stewart to Chief Chaplain,
Belleville Memorial Hospital, Mississippi River
District, effective March 21.
Shelly Forrest to Mackinaw UMC, Illinois
River District, effective July 1.
Supply not appointed
Matthew Hanson to Abingdon, Spoon River
District, effective April 1.
David Meader to McDowell, Vermilion River
District, effective July 1.
Amos Dillman to Bement, Iroquois River
District, effective July 1.
Matthew Stevens to Prairieview Parish,
¾ time Associate, Sangamon River District,
effective July 1.
Kent Bangert to Prairieview Parish, ¼ time
Associate, Sangamon River District, effective
July 1.
Change of status
David Baker, discontinuation of
appointment, Cornell, Vermilion River District,
effective March 31.
Robert L. DeBolt, discontinuation of
appointment, Hanna City-Trivoli, Illinois River
District, effective April 12.
Matthew Woodcock, discontinuation of
appointment, Island Grove, Sangamon River
District, effective June 30.
NEWS
From The Episcopal Office
Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton
I’m seeing miracles
Last month, I wrote an article entitled Looking
for a Miracle. It focused on completing our
$1 million campaign for the Africa University
Endowment Fund at Annual Conference. When
completed, eight students at Africa University will
receive scholarships annually.
At the Bishop’s Open Golf Tournament April
22, a record-breaking 122 golfers from across the
conference participated. Why so many people came
out is anybody’s guess. Advertising, responding to
an invitation, a beautiful day and our worthy cause
helped. Yet, a communal spirit beyond esprit dé
corps ruled the day. Our time together felt like the
fulfillment of Psalm 133:1: “How good and pleasant it
is when God’s people live together in unity.”
I’m seeing miracles.
As we gathered for the noon start, I exchanged
greeting with the female manager of the Golf Course.
It was her first day back to work. Chemotherapy over
the past two or three weeks had sapped her energy.
Getting back to work for a half day and seeing one of
her familiar church groups raised her spirits.
As Bunny Wolfe and I listened to her sharing
about her latest medical challenges, the Spirit said
“Pray.” So we held hands and prayed as golfers
swirled around us. When we finished praying, a
male golfer had joined our circle saying, “he heard
Deaths
Kathy Moore Howell, former executive
director of Kumler Neighborhood Ministries,
died April 23.
She served for 25 years at Kumler Ministries,
where ministries grew from a food pantry
to include a children’s mentoring program,
pharmaceutical program, emergency
prescriptions, baby layette program, Christmas present assistance
and crisis closet that provided clothing.
An advocate for the poor and needy, Howell testified before the
Illinois General Assembly on poverty issues and worked with groups
throughout central Illinois to start programs in their community.
She was a founding member of the Central Illinois Foodbank and
the Illinois Hunger Coalition.
Condolences may be sent to her daughter, Jennifer (husband Steve)
Allen, P. O. Box 161, Ashland, IL 62612.
(Martha) Imogene Dillman, widow of the
Rev. Craig Rhorer Dillman, died April 13 in
Charleston. She was 97.
She and her husband served local churches in
the area that now comprises the Illinois Great
Rivers Conference, and in Missouri. They retired
from Hume in 1982. He died in 2007.
Condolences may be sent to a son, Boyce Dillman, 3878 18th St,
Charleston, IL 61920.
Norene Ball, a former local pastor, who served
Oakford UMC from 1982-1991, died April 11.
She was 68. A complete obituary may be
found by visiting: http://www.pantagraph.
com/news/local/obituaries/norene-ball/
article_856f74a1-70be-5e80-aa03-
849f86541beb.html
THE CURRENT
us praying and stopped to listen.” I had not expected
to pray for healing the Golf Tournament. But
opportunity knocked. So, we turned to the worker of
miracles with a prayer of faith. Help me pray for her
and all the sick and shut-in. Prayer changes things.
Sunday morning, April 24, my travels took me
to Salem UMC near Toledo. Under the leadership of
District Superintendent, the Rev. Dr. Scott Grulke
and Pastor Jeremy Harminson, we dedicated a brand
new facility.
Ensconced behind the new building is the old
church erected in 1885. It served the community of
Toledo and environs for 131 years. A recent growth
surge in worship attendance of 50 maxed out the
1886 facility. A new building was needed desperately.
But the small congregation could not afford it.
So God worked some miracles. More than six acres
of property adjacent to the 1885 facility was donated
to Salem UMC to build a church. Two of those acres
included a cemetery. The gift of property spurred
church leaders to dream of a new million-dollar
facility. God moved again. Another former member
contributed 75 percent of the “project cost.”
Sunday, April 24, I saw the result of those
miracles and heard about another. On Easter Sunday,
more than 150 people poured into the new building
MIRACLES CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Helen Brawner, a former lay member to
annual conference from Peoria First, died April 1.
A very active member of Peoria First UMC,
she also served on the Conference Board of
Pensions.
A full obituary may be found at: http://www.
legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=helen-brawne
r&pid=179512153&fhid=11505
Joan Loucks Eckert Hutton, widow of Rev. James B. Hutton and
mother of retired clergy member Rev. David Hutton, died March 31
in Charleston. She was 94.
Together with her husband, the Huttons served local churches
in the former Central Illinois Conference retiring from Annawan
Fairview in 1983. He died in 1992.
Condolences may be sent to Rev David Jonathan Hutton, 1002 E
1100 North Rd, Tower Hill, IL 62571-4137.
Esther White, widow of Rev. Paul E. White,
died March 21. She was 85.
Together with her husband, a pastor of the
Church of the Nazarene, they served churches
in the former Central Illinois Conference and
later the Illinois Great Rivers Conference before
retiring in 1999. Following retirement, they five
additional years at Pleasant Hill, Hamburg and Ransom. Rev. White
died in October 2015.
A full obituary can be found at http://www.never-gone.com/Me
morials/?m=aHP82eUDKvmqYsP8kw4iyw%3d%3d
Condolences may be sent to the family at 6314 N. Talisman Terrace,
Peoria IL 61615.