February 21, 2019
Let Let’s Praise and Worship
“ Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100

What a beautiful and meaningful psalm! It is not hard to understand. As forgiven and redeemed children of God, we have the privilege, as the psalmist writes, to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” What an uplifting reminder, that when we join in corporate worship with fellow believers, God works through all of us individually and collectively to strengthen the body of Christ.

It always uplifted me to arrive at church and see the smiles of my students and their families as we gathered for worship. I believe it also encouraged them to see their teacher in worship with them. In worshiping together, God builds a unique cohesiveness that joins us not only in corporate worship, but in other settings such as school and activities out in the community.

God has called each of us into a place of ministry where we are blessed to impact the lives of children with the love of Jesus each and every day. I encourage you to join the family of believers in your congregation for worship and praise to our Savior. Jesus went to church for Himself and for us to fulfill the Law of God. We go in joyful response.

Serving the Master Teacher,
Lois

Corporate worship attendance and gathering with fellow believers is an integral part of our Call to serve a congregation.
Here are the latest opportunities to strengthen your faith, connect
with the community, and flourish in our life together.
CONFERENCES - MEETINGS - EVENTS
Early Childhood Meetings Focus on Letting Children Fail…Life Lessons to Learn
The next Early Childhood meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, March 13 and Thursday, March 21.
On March 13, the East Region will meet at Trinity Lutheran School in Lombard. On February 28, the West Region will meet at St. John’s Lutheran School in Country Club Hills. Both events begin at 4:30 p.m.

You may go to the NID Early Childhood network blog at preschooldirectors.blogspot.com.
2019 School Safety Conference
The School Safety Conference this year will be held on Wednesday, April 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The location is Monty’s Elegant Dining Hall, 703 South York Road, Bensenville, IL 60106. You may see details attached. Register here.
2019 Illinois Essay Contest
Any Lutheran student or student in a Lutheran school, grades 6 through 12, is eligible to participate in LFL's Essay Contest. Essays and the Teacher/Pastor information should be submitted digitally using Microsoft Word to
[email protected] by March 15, 2019. For more information print flyer.
Hearts for Jesus - Rebecca's Garden of Hope
Hearts for Jesus is an annual opportunity in the LCMS Northern Illinois District to support a mission outreach. We are excited to partner with ‘Rebecca’s Garden of Hope’ this year. ‘Rebecca’s Garden of Hope’ is a RSO of the LCMS.
 
Listen to how you can help.
Your church or school can help by sending donations directly to LCMS Northern Illinois District, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162, Attn: Lois Stewart or through our secure website page at bit.ly/CongOffering . For information about this RSO visit rebeccasgardenofhope.com . Maybe, through prayer, your congregation would like to start a tutoring center for the children of your community. What a great way to share the love of Jesus!
RESOURCES
Will you be willing to step up and be the advocate for your school?
If you missed the information meeting on Empower Illinois, we have the resources for your school available on our website at www.nidlcms.org/state-tax-credit-program.
Leadership Meeting from February 4
If you have any more questions or comments from the presentation on ‘School Viability’, please email Lois and she will get responses to share in the next newsletter.
National Lutheran Schools Week Celebrations
Watch for a video showing the wonderful celebrations our NID schools had during National Lutheran Schools Week!
National Lutheran Schools Accreditation
Please remember that you should be starting to prepare your Cumulative Annual Report (CAR). The new due date for 2019 is April 15. This new due date supersedes that date on your report form. The CAR must be emailed to Keith Wilharm, NLSA Consultant by April 15. An invoice - attached here - for the $125 NIS accreditation fee which is also due April 15.

The invoice will be attached to the next three school newsletters.
Articles and Podcasts from LEA
We are thankful for the support from LEA with excellent articles and podcasts. Here is a list of some suggested items you may want to explore.
Some articles that inspired me are:
  • 'Emotional Concussions in Kids' by Linda Jacobs for ChurchLeaders
  • 'Tighter Home-School Bonds Improve Student's Social and Emotional Skills' by Sarah D. Sparks for Education Week.
  • Visit www.LEA.org to find the following Podcasts at Resources>LEA Podcasts & Webinars>Podcasts & Archived Webinars
School Support Fund Invoice
Please consider contributing at least $1.00 per student to the NID School Support Fund. This fund helps offset the many services which cost the district, but are provided free or at a greatly reduced cost to schools. Some have asked for an ‘invoice’ to provide for accounting purposes. You may print that from here.
CHURCH WORKER UPDATES
Update CMIF Information
We are heading into the time of year when schools begin searching to fill vacancies they will have for the coming school year. Please encourage your Rostered workers to update their CMIFs so search time might be reduced for schools looking to extend calls.
Reporting Retirements
If you have a Rostered Worker retiring at the end of the school year, please have them contact Keith Wilharm at 708-223-3112 or [email protected]. We will need to know the worker’s name and retirement date.

If there is a Rostered Administrator retiring at the end of this school year, please contact Lois Stewart at 708-223-3110 or [email protected] . PLEASE let Lois know about this retirement by FEBRUARY 28, 2019.
Upcoming Vacancies
If you will have a vacancy to fill for the 2019-2020 school year, please contact Lois Stewart (See entry above) with information so it can be posted in the NID website.
FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE 

Church Workers:
Update Your Contact Information Online . All rostered and non-rostered church workers are asked to please update their NID contact information when there is a change of email, address, phone, etc., or if new in the district.

PARTNERS IN MINISTRY







For Information on LCEF contact Vanda Toner at 708-223-3117 or [email protected]. Facebook.com/lcef.nid

LCMS Northern Illinois District
2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162
Phone 888-708-LCMS
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