The Lord will care for us with His abundant grace through Word and Sacrament! A new year launches, and a mother and newborn child will find hope and love through our new maternity home. A new year launches, with rich opportunities to be a community of faith which welcomes people from all languages and cultures to the joy of Christ’s salvation! This year begins with plans underway to further God’s kingdom work in Belize! This year begins with the promise that His Spirit will bear the fruit of faith in us as we “Shine” out His Gospel together in our local neighborhoods. The Lord who declares, “Behold, I am making all things new,” [Rev. 21:5] has given us a new year to receive Christ’s grace and to grow in being Christlike to our neighbor! To Him be the glory.

Communicators and Admission Directors Meeting

Our next meeting will be held Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School, 111 W. Olive St., Arlington Heights, IL 60004. We will be discussing website optimization. Feel free to bring along anyone from your organization that is involved with your website.

Our presenter is Sarah Chang. Sara is the founder and lead designer at SDG (sdgdigitaldesign.com). With over 18 years of writing and communications experience, Sarah's passion is to help you effectively put your best foot forward in digital spaces.

In order to best prepare for this meeting, Sarah would like to know any questions, concerns, or challenges you may have regarding your websites in advance. Lunch will be included so please confirm who is attending by January 3, 2024 in order to have the correct number of lunches prepared.

You may RSVP with your questions for Sarah and attendance to ann.ciaccio@nidlcms.org.

Parish Professionals Meeting

The Parish Professionals group is a great way for DCEs, Deaconesses, DCMs, youth leaders, etc., to connect, build relationships, and get super ideas from one another. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.. We will meet at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 101 S. 6th Ave., St. Charles, IL 60174. We will have lunch, fellowship, and finish our discussion on the 10 Timeless Axioms of Emotionally Healthy Leadership podcast by Pete Scazzero. We hope to see everyone there! Please RSVP to Alex at Alex.Brice@stmarkslife.org by January 15, 2024. 

Save the Date - RSO Gathering

A special gathering for LCMS Northern Illinois District Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs) will be held February 20, 2024 at Concordia University Chicago for an encouraging gathering focused on strengthening our partnerships.

This is an opportunity to support one another in our shared mission as we express the love of Christ by serving our communities. Watch for details in the near future.

Save the Date - "Hustle with Heart"

It might be early, but planning begins. Save the date for the August Back-to-School Worship and Keynote. On Wednesday, August 7, 2024, we will meet at St. Peter Lutheran Church and School in Schaumburg for our gathering. This is a great opportunity to worship, reconnect, and be inspired as the new school year begins. Our speaker will be Dr. Bernard Bull. He serves as the president of Concordia University Nebraska and will energize us with his keynote titled, “Hustle with Heart."

Save the Date - Parish Professionals Retreat

Save the date for a Parish Professional Retreat! We will gather in the LCMS Central Illinois District with workers from the Northern, Central, and Southern Illinois Districts from September 26-28, 2024 for a time of worship, learning, fellowship, and respite. The location is Camp Cilca (Central Illinois Lutheran Camp Association) in Cantrall, Illinois. Anyone who serves in a youth ministry role is encouraged to attend (pastors, DCEs, DFLMs, deaconesses, rostered workers, contracted workers, and volunteers).

Our keynote presenter, Dr. Dave Rueter, serves at Our Savior Lutheran Ministries in Livermore, CA. The theme focuses on "Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry." Watch for more details in the near future and plan to join us.

Million Dollar Life Match Grant Trainings

On January 10, 2024, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) Office of National Mission (ONM) will offer two online training sessions for LCMS congregations and districts interested in applying for a Million Dollar Life Match grant. The training sessions (at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m) will provide helpful guidance in completing the grant application process. The 2024 application window will open on January 1, 2024, with applications due February 15, 2024.

To learn morning about the Million Dollar Life Match program, visit lcms.org/life-grant.

Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance Service

A Service of Remembrance will be held Monday, January 15, 2024, 10:00 a.m. at Resurrection Lutheran Church 9349 S. Wentworth Avenue Chicago, IL 60620. All are welcome.

Top Ten Biblical Archeology Discoveries of 2023

Each year new and exciting archeological discoveries are made which increase our understanding of the biblical world and shed more light on the text of Scripture. Come learn about the top ten discoveries in biblical archeology of 2023 and what they tell us about the Bible. Pastor Phillip Fischaber will present on these fascinating discoveries on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran School, 2000 18th Ave, Sterling, IL 61081.

Rev. Phillip Fischaber is senior pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Walnut and pastoral advisor to Christ Lutheran School. He also serves as adjunct professor of Hebrew at Concordia University Chicago. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, OH where he also holds an M.Phil. As part of his Ph.D. coursework he dug at Tel Dan in Israel.

Pastoral Retreat

LCEF invites you to for a pre-Lent pastor retreat, January 25, 2024, hosted at St. John Lutheran Church in Wheaton. This time of year, we are all short on rest. Yet, it is something we all need. Have a day which is different from all your other days as a pastor – where you are nothing but given to. The day together will include food, drink, friends, the Holy Supper, opportunity for private confession/absolution, and plenty of time in quiet for praying, reading, and reflecting. Come and think about nothing else except how much Jesus loves you. Share again, with Christ and your colleagues, the joy that first drew you into the Holy Ministry.

Upcoming LWML Events

The NID Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) has scheduled a Young Women & Young at Heart Winter Retreat for January 19-21, 2024 at Walcamp Outdoor Ministries and Retreat Center in Kingston, IL.

Save the date for the Lutheran Women's Missionary League Northern Illinois District Convention! This year's convention will be held September 21, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Tinley Park, IL.

NID Parish Nurse Network 

The NID Parish Nurse Network Education Information Booklet for 2024 is now available. The NID Parish Nurse Network offers several educational opportunities each year. These are for the purposes of networking, spiritual growth, professional development, and to be able to support our three ministry opportunities. Include are the dates, times, and locations.

Get trained to serve as a LERT volunteer

Help your community in times of disaster. Get trained to serve as a LERT volunteer.

Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) is providing LCMS disaster response training for Lutheran Early Response Teams (LERT). Should a disaster strike, these teams would be put on call and may be asked to deploy in 72 hours or less to the disaster site. This training will prepare a team member for credentialing and will focus on the safety, work, and ministry of Lutherans as Early Responders.

The registration cost for new LERT volunteers is $35.00. As a refresher to update your ID, the cost is only $15.00.

Make Connections

Looking for opportunities to connect with others in your field? Northern Illinois District networking groups are opportunities to help church workers (especially those that are not pastors or teachers) connect, build relationships, and gain skills for the Lord’s mission. Would you fit into one of these groups? Check out our list of networking groups at nidlcms.org/networking. Email the District Office at office@nidlcms.org to let us know you are interested in receiving these newsletters with meeting dates or subscribe to publications at nidlcms.org/subscribe

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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