Mission Facilitator Mike Zimmer, LCMS Northern Illinois District, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162

Phone 708-223-3112 Email: Judy Wolf Website: ni.lcms.org

Events and Resources for Schools and Educators in Northern Illinois
October 20, 2016

Radical, Closed Minded, Right Wing Christians
"No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matthew 11:26b+ 27. ESV
If you watch American politics it is easy to see that we have become a nation that promotes the lie that all roads lead to heaven.

Passages like Matthew 11 would even suggest to many in our society that Christians are xenophobic, sheltered, closed minded and we live in the Dark Ages. In a land where we are free to choose any faith or no faith at all, the idea that there is only one way to know God by those of us who believe, is certainly not a populist idea. If only we were enlightened!

In Lutheran schools we get to teach the rest of the story; that is, that knowing Christ truly means knowing unconditional love. No other religion reconciles the problem of perfect God and sinful man without human efforts. If God IS love then there is only one way. Christ fulfilled the law and it is only by faith in Christ that mankind can stand before God.

As citizens in this free land we can choose to quietly co-exist with society, become militant about our views, or save our beliefs for Sunday morning. But, Christ has called each of us in our vocations, to love as He first loved us.

Treasure the unique gift of Christ's unconditional love. Tune out society's call to pluralism by staying in His Word and coming to the Lord's Table. Then share Christ's love with those whom God has put in your daily walk. All of this while calling upon the Holy Spirit to do His life saving work as you share the love of Christ.

God's peace,
Mike Zimmer

Discussion Questions-

How have you seen challenges for Christians in the U.S.?
How can loving others with unconditional love open conversations about Jesus Christ?
How can we better prepare our students to stand on God's Word in this pluralistic society?

For use in staff meetings, print devotion and discussion questions.

CONFERENCES, MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Early Childhood Network Meetings
The next west region NID Early Childhood meeting will be hosted by Alpine Academy, 5001 Forest Avenue, Rockford on Thursday, October 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The topic for the evening is "Faith Integration". Please bring your ideas, interest, and application of this topic to the meeting. Please email Scott Dabson or call 815-277-8894 if you will be able to attend this meeting. Print the brochure for a complete list of all upcoming network meetings.

NID LCMS Communicators Network Forming
All parish communicators are invited to attend the kickoff meeting for a new district-wide NID LCMS Communicators Network on Thursday, November 10, 10 a.m. at St. Peter Lutheran Church, 202 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg.

This is a great resource for Admissions Directors and others who are communicating your church and school ministry to the church and community. The goal is to discuss needs as church communicators, set goals for a network group, and provide resources down the road. RSVP by November 7 to Mary Bahn. Lunch is provided FREE by LCEF for the kickoff meeting. To receive group emails, subscribe at office@ni.lcms.org with your name, congregation name and city, and email. Join the Facebook Group at NID LCMS Communicators Network.

Honor Band Festival Invitation
Your school and students are invited to take part in the 14th Annual Illinois Lutheran Honor Band Festival - for Lutheran school band students in 6th - 8th grade, Friday, March 17, 2017, at Concordia Lutheran Grade School in Peoria, Illinois. Registration is due October 14, 2016. Email Eric C. Hipple, Fine Arts and Band Director. Print flyer and registration

ADMINISTRATION

New Free LuthEd Website
Encouraging, Connecting and Informing Lutheran Schools. Be sure to use www.luthed.org for national school news and resources, Portal questions, NLSA, CMIF, CWU and LSCS information and so much more.

Lutheran Legal League
The Lutheran Legal League is made up of actively practice attorneys throughout the United States who are members of a Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod. League members practice in nearly every area of law including, purchasing property, employment law issues, landlord-tenant issues, estate planning, intellectual property, eminent domain, etc. Watch their video or visit their website at lutheranlegalleague.org.

What About State Recognition Updates, GATA, Blood Borne Pathogens?
To learn more about these topics, join ICNS.

Heads Up About Concussions

Learn more about emerging legislation and best practices on this important topic from USA.gov.

Concordia Publishing House Resources
At the September Leadership Conference, Melissa Smith shared some resources from CPH which may be helpful to Faith Milestones.

This newly updated "new releases" link is constantly updated to show what has just come out in every category: cph.org/c-2394-new-releases

Online catalogs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Single-product landing pages are here:

pedagogy.cph.org Great in the college classroom or for professional development in all schools.
books.cph.org/gorydeaths Middle schoolers will love this new release.
books.cph.org/messengers-discovered This book now has a whole list of blog posts and resources on how to teach it in several settings.

Keep an eye out for Energizing Your Children's Ministry! It is set to release in October. energizing-your-childrens-ministry

NLSA National Fees
Schools accredited by NLSA should have received the 2016-17 Annual Fee Invoice. This $450 fee is due to the synodical office by January 1, 2017. Late fees will result and may lead to accreditation revocation.
(Note this fee is different from the $100 NID fee. Invoices for the NID fee will be sent in May, 2017.) If you have questions, or if you did not receive the invoice, email Keith Wilharm.

FROM THE DISTRICT OFFICE

St. Paul, Mt. Prospect Earns Blue Ribbon Award
Congratulations to the staff, parents and students of St. Paul Lutheran School in Mt. Prospect for receiving the high distinction of Department of Education Blue Ribbon Award for Excellence. Providing excellent education to the community is not only a good recruitment tool to the community but a reflection of good stewardship of the gifts that come from Christ.

Statistical Report Due November 1
Please email Judy Wolf if you have not yet completed your statistical report for Synod and need further assistance.

Are You Saving Enough to Retire Comfortably?
Lutheran Church Extension Fund's (LCEF) Individual Retirement Accounts can help. LCEF offers a Traditional IRA (contributions may be tax deductible*) and a Roth IRA (contributions grow tax free*). To learn more about LCEF's Traditional or Roth IRA, call 800-843-5233.

LCEF is a nonprofit religious organization; therefore, LCEF investments are not FDIC-insured bank deposit accounts. This is not an offer to sell investments, nor a solicitation to buy. LCEF will offer and sell its securities only in states where authorized. The offer is made solely by LCEF's Offering Circular. Investors should carefully read the Offering Circular, which more fully describes associated risks. Neither LCEF nor its representatives give legal, accounting or tax advice. Consult a tax advisor as to the applicability of this information to your own situation. UMB Bank n.a. serves as the custodian of the LCEF IRA program.

*Contact your tax advisor for more information.

LCEF District E-Newsletter
Get all of the lastest LCEF news and information. Subscribe to the LCEF e-newsletter.

You can follow all of the latest at Facebook.com/lcef.nid. For information on LCEF, contact Vanda Toner at 708-223-3117 or Vanda.Toner@lcef.org. October 2016 Rates

Prayer Guide: October - December 2016

Church Workers:

Update Your Contact Information 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.