Prairie Association

2025 Illinois Conference Annual Celebration &
TPIRC Education Summit

For Such a Time as This: Faith in a Time of Upheaval
October 30 – November 1, 2025
First Congregational United Church of Christ, DeKalb

Join us for a powerful three-day gathering of worship, workshops, fellowship, and visioning for the future of the Church. Special guests include The Many and the Rev. Dr. Ozzie Smith.

The business meetings will be hybrid and you can participate online via Zoom, however participation may be limited. The link, meeting ID, and passcode will sent prior to the event. The worship services will be livestreamed to our Conference YouTube channel and Facebook page.

EVENT COST:
The cost this year is $50 per person and includes lunch on Friday and Saturday as well as the banquet dinner on Friday night. The optional trainings on Thursday are an additional $25. Information on the trainings can be found below.

Full Event – $50 per person
Retired UCC Clergy – FREE
MIDs (1/2 Price) – $25
Virtual Only – FREE

REGISTRATION, SCHEDULE, TRAININGS, & WORKSHOPS:
Click here to register online. The deadline to register is Thursday, October 16th. This is a hard deadline for meals. You can register at the door, but meals are not guaranteed.

There are optional pre-event training opportunities on Thursday, October 30th including Boundary Training, Bias Awareness Training, and UCC Polity (non-MIDs). You can add these trainings to your registration for an additional $25.

Also on Thursday – there will be a special discussion time for Committee on Ministry (COM) members with MESA. These discussions are free to attend, but registration is required. Registration for these events is being done separately. If you are a COM member and would like to attend one of these discussions, sign-up here.

Click here for the event schedule and for information on the Thursday trainings as well as descriptions for the Friday workshops. There are two blocks of workshops on Friday. The descriptions are not included in the registration process, so make sure you take a look at the options before registering and making your choice.

HOTEL INFORMATION:
Hampton Inn
663 S Annie Glidden Rd, DeKalb IL 60115
Tel: 815-748-4323

Rooms are $199 per night + tax. All reservations must be place before September 30th.
Check-in time is 3 pm. Checkout time is Noon.

Make your reservation online here. The link is the primary method of securing a reservation under the group block. Please note, you can adjust the stay dates at the very top of the web page by clicking on “Edit Stay.” There are minimal rooms available for Wednesday and Thursday evening. A credit card is required to make the reservation.

Rooms Available in the Block:
Wednesday – 15 Kings
Thursday – 15 Kings, 10 Double Queen
Friday – 50 total rooms – mixture of Kings and Queens

QUESTIONS?
Call 708-344-4470
Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

VOTING MEMBERSHIP – FROM CONFERENCE BYLAWS

1. Every local church which has standing in an Association of the Conference shall be entitled to representation in the Conference by one voting lay delegate, and in addition thereto, each such church shall be entitled to representation by one voting youth delegate (a person at least 14 years of age, but not older than 22). A church of 800 or more members shall have one additional delegate and one additional youth delegate. Delegates shall be chosen by each church, and unless otherwise ordered by the church shall serve for a term of two years or until their successors are elected, except that a delegate’s term of office shall terminate upon removal from membership in his/her local church. Each church may appoint or elect one or more alternate delegates, one of whom shall be designated by the church as its voting delegate in the event the regular delegate cannot be in attendance at the annual or special meetings of the Conference.
2. All ordained, commissioned, and licensed ministers who have standing or recognition in an Association of the Conference shall be voting members at the annual meeting or special meetings of the Conference.
3. The members of the Conference Council shall be members of the Conference during their term of office.