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Video Invitation: Installation Services

Join your sister congregations as we celebrate our life together and receive encouragement in our calling as Lutheran Christians. Special joint hour long services will be held on May 18, 2025 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 310 E. Main St., East Dundee, IL 60118 at 2:00 p.m. and at Bethany Lutheran Church 1550 Modaff Rd., Naperville, IL 60565 at 5:00 p.m. on that same day.

NID Communicators & Admission Directors Network Group Meeting

Please join us for our next NID Communicators and Admission Directors Group gathering  Tuesday, June 3, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. via Zoom (Contact Ann for Zoom link)

Speaker: Seth Hinz

Topic: From 2019 to 2023, Seth served as a Certified StoryBrand Guide, implementing Donald Miller's proven narrative marketing framework to help churches and ministries clarify their message. This experience with the StoryBrand methodology continues to shape his approach to helping organizations identify their unique value proposition, understand their audience's needs, and create compelling narratives that drive engagement and mission advancement.

The StoryBrand framework revolutionizes organizational communication by positioning the audience - not the organization - as the hero of the story. This methodology draws from timeless storytelling principles, helping organizations clarify their message by identifying themselves as a guide who helps their members and/or ministry partners overcome challenges and find a path forward. For ministry organizations, this approach is particularly powerful as it aligns with biblical narratives where God sent His Son to redeem the world and additionally worked through faithful guides to help His people overcome obstacles and experience transformation. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Parish Professionals Retreat

Please save the date for the Parish Professionals retreat this fall! The retreat will be held November 3 - 5, 2025 at the Shallowbrook Farm Retreat and Conference Center in Bradford, IL (LCMS Central Illinois District).

If you choose to stay at the farm, the three LCMS Districts in Illinois (Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, and Southern Illinois) will cover the cost of your housing. If you choose to stay at one of the nearby hotels, you will be expected to cover your own housing cost (average of $99 to $119 per night). The registration fee for the retreat will be $75.00.

Our keynote presenter and workshop leader will be Rev. Dr. Jeff Leininger (First St. Paul Lutheran Church, Chicago). He will be presenting on his book Callings for Life. There will be plenty of personal retreat time as well. Please put these dates on your calendar and make plans to join us! More information and registration details will be passed along when they are available.

Save the Date: Back-to-School-Worship

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 is the date set for the fall Back-to-School Worship service and keynote. Mark your calendars now, so you will be with us when we gather at St. Andrews in Park Ridge. Watch for more details in the future.

2025 Save the Date!

The 2025 Lay Leadership Summit will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at Walther Christian Academy.

This summit is designed to bring together lay leaders from all parts of the District to:

• Worship our Lord
• Build one another up in our given talents
• Provide best practices for effective service
• Provide practical application across a number of disciplines 

This year's keynote presenter will be Rev. Dr. Chad Lakies, Vice President of Ministry Engagement with Lutheran Hour Ministries.

Our 2nd annual Lay Leadership Summit workshops will have options ranging from best practices in congregational administration to the latest in healthy small church ministry ideas. There will also be a special Sunday School and Family Ministry track for lay members who serve those vital areas of congregational life.

Watch for early bird registration information in early June! Early bird and group registrations will be $25/person.

Save the Date: The Katie Event

The Katie Event is an annual opportunity for LCMS Northern Illinois District pastors' wives and widows to gather for a day of fellowship and learning.

The planning committee for The Katie has secured a speaker and will work on the rest of the days' details in the coming months. Please get this date on your calendar so that you don't miss a wonderful opportunity for joining in community with one another!

We hope you will be able to join us on Saturday, October 4, 2025!

If you have never attended The Katie before, please consider it. If you know of other pastors' wives or widows who have not yet attended, encourage them to do so! There will be many more details to come.

East Region Pastoral Conference

Save the Dates: October 20 - 22, 2025

Location and Accommodations: DeKoven Center, 600 21st Street, Racine, Wisconsin, 53403

Speakers: We have two great speakers lined up, the Rev. Dr. Scott Bruzek and the Rev. Dr. "Ike" Nicholson. 

Pastor Bruzek will present on Beauty in Word, Liturgy, and Eucharist to start us off.

Pastor Nicholson will present on and be part of a big discussion on urban ministry challenges. Part of our urban ministry discussion will be a larger presentation by staff from the NID. We may also have some extra guests from Synod too, stay tuned. We are going to roll up our sleeves and have some tough talk about concerns and challenges in our urban churches and the pastors that lead them.  

New Here?

Find out how we assist ministry staff and lay leaders in order to strengthen and support our churches, schools, and ministries.

Join us in Chicago for our Open House

Worship Anew is coming to Chicago from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, 2025 for an Open House at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 111 West Olive Street, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. All are invited! 

• Hear a special presentation about estate planning, including creating a Christian Preamble. 
• Listen to a special devotional message from Pastor Thomas Ahlersmeyer, one of our regular pastors.
• Learn more about our ministry from our team. 

Mission Festival

Zion Lutheran Church, 11007 Book Road - Naperville, IL 60564, will be hosting a Mission Festival on Pentecost Eve, June 7, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. The focus will be on Lutheran missions to South Africa. The preacher and keynote speaker is the Rev. Anthony Oliphant, Pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Elmhurst, and member of the Board of Directors for the Saint Philip Lutheran Mission Society. A banquet of South African food will be provided. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required for the banquet. 

Vocatio

High school students interested in attending Concordia Seminary, St. Louis or who are considering vocational ministry are invited to Vocatio: High School June 21-27, 2025 on campus. This weeklong retreat provides prospective students the opportunity to explore God’s calling and direction as they experience life as a seminarian.

Concordia University Chicago, River Forest: Director of Human Resources Download flyer

St. Matthew Lutheran Church-Hawthorn Woods, Illinois Early Childhood Director Position Full Time Position Beginning July 1, 2025 The salary range would be $42,000-$47,000 plus full Benefit Compensation through Concordia Plans. For Further Information contact Douglas Duval, Campus Administrator 847-707-1676 or duval@stmatts.net.

FREE Resources from Lutheran Heritage Foundation

The Lutheran Heritage Foundation has a wide variety of resources available to share the Gospel with Asian immigrants in languages like Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Vietnamese, and Hmong (Blue and White). From the Book of Concord and the Small Catechism to children's Bible storybooks, these resources are FREE for our LCMS congregations. Visit LHFmissions.org to see what LHF can send you!

The LCMS Northern Illinois District is congregations, schools, and ministries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, spanning the northern 24 counties in Illinois. Filled with living hope in Christ, Confessing, Praising, and Advancing His Kingdom through Word, Wellness, and Witness. Our website can be found at nidlcms.org.

Contact:

Ann Ciaccio

Director of Communications

708-223-3118

ann.ciaccio@nidlcms.org

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