Events and Resources for LCMS Churches and Church Workers in Northern Illinois - March 1, 2016  
 


 
Reminder: Learn How the Vitality Program Works
Vitality™ provides Concordia Health Plan members with the tools to help make healthier choices that fit into your daily life. A program to help Concordia Health Plan members learn how it works will be held Monday, March 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church (school entrance), 9035 Grant Avenue, in Brookfield. Snacks will be provided. Please register no later than noon on Monday, March 7, by sending an email to Steve.Gruenwald@concordiaplans.org.
Please use in your church bulletin
Parenting Workshop
St. John Lutheran Early Learning Center (ELC), 7214 South Cass Avenue, Darien,  will present a FREE Parenting Workshop open to the community on Monday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m.  The topic will be "Parenting Styles and Their Impact on Children" with featured speaker Dawn Lantero. For more information, call 630-324-6582, or email elc@sjlcdarien.org  Print flyer
Please use in your church bulletin
Luther North 2016 Spring Scholarship Auction
"An Evening in Paris" will be held Friday, March 18, at 6 p.m., Ridgemoor Country Club, 6601 W. Gunnison, Harwood Heights. Join friends of Luther North for dinner, open bar, and live and silent auctions. For more information and tickets, visit luthernorthcollegeprep.org/events.
Rural and Small Town Mission Webinars
Don't forget: LCMS Rural & Small Town Mission provides free monthly webinars on topics important to congregations in town and country settings. Up next is "Sharing Christ in a Hyper-Connected World" with Faith Spelbring, Lutheran Hour Ministries, on Thursday, March 24. Past webinars are archived on the RSTM website as a free resource to use at your convenience. For more information visit lcms.org/rstm or contact the RSTM office at 888-463-5127 or rstm@lcms.org.
Please use in your church bulletin
Artist Series Final Event

Chicago Bronze, a 15-member English bell choir, will perform Sunday, April 3, at 3 p.m. Performances will take place at St. John's Lutheran Church, 215 S. Lincoln, Lombard. An informal reception with refreshments will follow. Admission is free; a free-will offering will be received, and the public is most cordially invited.
Please use in your church bulletin
Christ Academy Registration

Registration is now open for Christ Academy High School (CAHS) and Phoebe Academy High School (PAHS) 2016 on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana. The academy events are opportunities for young men and women to dig deeper into the theology and practice of the Church.
Dates:
Phoebe Academy High School: June 19-25
Christ Academy High School (Two Weeks): June 19-July 2
Christ Academy High School (Alpha): June 19-25
Christ Academy High School (Beta): June 26-July 2
Learn more at www.ctsfw.edu/ChristAcademy, www.ctsfw.edu/PAHS, email ChristAcademy@ctsfw.edu or call 800-481-2155.

Do You Know Someone You Would Like To Encourage Toward Becoming a Pastor or Deaconess?
One way is to tell them about the Prayerfully Consider Visit which takes place on the campus of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 31-April 2. During this three-day event they will have the opportunity to experience daily life at the seminary. There is no charge for this event and all on-campus housing and meals are included. For additional information go to 
www.ctsfw.edu/PCV, email Admission@ctsfw.edu or call 800-481-2155.
2016 District-Wide Youth Gathering - CRAVE
Trinity Lutheran Church, 405 Rush Street, Roselle, is hosting its 2016 Gathering for high school youth from across the district on Friday and Saturday, April 8-9. Activities include worship, a powerful drama skit, videos, a special speaker and prayer stations. The featured band is 7eventh Time Down. A service project will again be a part of CRAVE. Contact Mark Novacek for additional information. Follow them on Facebook at The Gathering 2016Price: $40 per person (students AND leaders). Registration forms and payment due at check-in of event.
Print registration form
Print parent consent form
Print agenda
Please use in your church bulletin
Attend Sabor Latino Benefit Banquet for San Pablo

You are invited to support Iglesia San Pablo, Aurora, at a Sabor Latino (Latin Flavor) Benefit Banquet in Batavia. It will be held Sunday, April 10, 5-8 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 950 Hart Road, Batavia, Illinois. Please RSVP to the San Pablo church office, 630-820-3450, by April 1. Print flyer
International Student Ministry 2016 Equipping Conference
The Equipping Conference, Thursday, May 26, through Saturday, May 28, encourages and equips those who lead and serve international student ministries. Sponsored by International Student Ministry, Inc., the event offers motivational speakers (including NID Mission Facilitator Rev. Keith Haney and Pastor Tim Bayer from St. Mark's, St. Charles), Bible study, interest sessions and time for networking and fellowship. It will be held at Lady of the Snows, 442 S. DeMazenod Drive, Belleville. For Information, visit www.isminc.org, email sminc@isminc.org, or call 715-677-4877. Print flyer
Monthly Educational Event
NID Parish Nurse Network will have its monthly educational event at Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 2001 N. Alpine Road, Rockford, Illinois, Saturday, March 19, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $30 and continuing education units have been applied for. The topic is "Health and Theological Literacy." Hostess is Jody Fuchs. For information email NID Parish Nurse district representative Pat Couch.

Annual Conference

The 24th Annual Concordia Conference for Parish Nurse and Congregational Health Ministries is May 25-26 at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon. Print brochure

Parish Nursing Survey
The linked survey from Concordia University Wisconsin is for anyone working in parish nursing or health ministries. They are gathering information for educational purposes. Please print, complete and mail in.
Please use in your church bulletin
Luther South Multi-Year Reunion

The Luther South Multi-Year Reunion Committee has planned a multi-year reunion August 19-21. Many plans have been put in place to come together to renew and establish new friendships. All Luther South alumni are invited to participate in this fun-filled weekend. Visit their Facebook group, 2016 Luther South Multi-Year Reunion, for more information. Print agenda and information sheet
More Than Giving - A Conference on Stewardship
This conference, sponsored by the LCMS Office of National Mission and DOXOLOGY:  The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel, will be held  August 19-20, at the Chiara Center, 4875 LaVerna Road, Springfield, Illinois. Presenters will provide a sound biblical and theological foundation while offering practical stewardship solutions for churches large and small. For information and to register, visit doxology.us/events/il-insight-more-than-giving. Registration cost is $85.  Discounted lodging is available at the retreat center, or at three local hotels. Registration closes August 4.
Need Funds for a Life Event?
Open a Lutheran Church Extension Fund Family Emergency StewardAccount®. The Family Emergency StewardAccount is an investment with interest compounded and paid monthly. There are no monthly maintenance or membership fees, so saving for those inevitable events is simple.
For information on LCEF,  contact Vanda Toner at 708-223-3117 or Vanda.Toner@lcef.org.  Print flyer    March 2016 Rates 
2016 LCMS Youth Gathering - District Event Registration
Registration is now available for the District Event as well as T-shirts for the 2016 National Youth Gathering. 

The Northern Illinois District Event will take place on Monday, July 18. Our district will have a private show by Nathan Kepner and Morgan Tsu-Raun, the comedians, illusionists, and circus artists  of "The Crescent Circus." The event costs $15 per attendee. If you bundle the District Event with the district T-shirts, the total cost is $20 per person.

All registrations will be online this year for congregations, using Google Form. Registrations for the event and the shirts will be accepted through April 30. Print flyer. For more information email NIDNYG16@gmail.com or visit ni.lcms.org/youth-ministry.
Taxes and Ministers
The 2015 Taxes and Ministers manual from LCMS is a resource on tax issues for ordained and commissioned ministers. Click the highlighted text above to download; if you have trouble accessing, request a PDF via email, office@ni.lcms.org.
RESOURCES* - In Touch with a Changing World
*The following resources are for information and not intended to endorse any idea or practice. Hopefully they will help us understand more of what is going on around us. NID Rostered Church Workers are invited to submit articles or resources for consideration.
A Burden That Builds
The sounds of construction are more than the sounds of hard work.  They are the sounds of a life being built.  A family being born.  Of hope and of good health and the stewarding of God's resources.  Constructing means action and planning and progressing to something else, another season, another chapter of life. Read more 

How to Quickly Learn More about Church Communications
Context and validation. Those are two of the most powerful reasons to invest time in building up a personal learning network. It's a concept perfected by educators, but it's a necessity for any church communicator looking to expand their toolkit. Here is a short list of Facebook church communication learning groups:
Source: concordiatechnology.org/blog
FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE
Church Workers:
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. 

Rostered workers need to do contact updates in three places:
1. District Office
2. Online on your SET or LEIF profile
3. Online on your LCMS Rosters and Statistics profile
LCMS Northern Illinois District, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162
Phone 888-708-LCMS          Email
nidnews.org          ni.lcms.org

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