Please use in your church bulletin

Holiday Celebrations
Lessons and Carols
The Annual Service of Lessons and Carols at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 950 Hart Road, Batavia, will be held Saturday, December 3, at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. This service prepares hearts and minds for Christmas by following in Scripture and song the story of salvation. For more information visit ImmanuelBatavia.org or call 630-879-7163.

Family Christmas Event
Trinity Green Trails, 2701 Maple Avenue, Lisle, invites you to a Family Christmas Event, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. pn Sunday, December 11. Children and parents will have the opportunity to complete crafts, play games, decorate and eat snacks, act out the Nativity drama and complete a service activity. To conclude the event, Christmas Carols will be sung in the Worship Center. For more information, visit tlc4u.org/familyholidayevents.

Christmas Concert
St. John's Lutheran Church and School cordially invites you to their Annual Christmas Concert, Glory to God, Sunday, December 11 at 6:30 p.m., 505 South Park Road, LaGrange.  The program will include a variety of sacred music and familiar carols.  For further information, please call 708-354-1690 or visit www.sjlagrange.com.  Print flyer

Christmas Music Festival
The 12 Days of Christmas - just what does that song mean? A few hundred years ago, this carol was written as a sort of "code" of our faith, with each gift signifying one of God's great gifts to us. This year's Christmas Music Festival at Trinity, Lisle, takes a look at this Christmas Carol, and reveals what our God gives to us. Held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1101 Kimberly Way, Lisle, Sunday, December 18, at 3 p.m. For more information visit tlc4u.org/holidayworshipschedule.

St. Paul Lutheran Church, Aurora, is inviting junior high and senior high youth groups to a Blacklight Dodgeball Tournament on Sunday, January 29, 4-8 p.m., at 55 S. Constitution Drive, Aurora. The cost is $10 per student which will help offset the cost of the event. Any church that is interested should email Andrew Tutwiler for waivers and sign-up sheets or with any questions. The host group, St. Paul Student Ministry, would love to have as many students as possible.

Join area Lutherans at March for Life Chicago on January 15, 2017. Meet on Federal Plaza (50 W. Adams Street, Chicago) at 1:55 p.m. under the LOVE AFFIRMS LIFE banner - look for people wearing RED Lutherans for Life hats or ride the bus leaving from Trinity Lutheran Church, 1101 Kimberley Way in Lisle, at 1:15 p.m. (free will donations will be received to cover cost for the round trip bus ride). Call Kris Blackwell at 630-234-1491 to reserve your seat on the bus. Space is limited. Print flyer   Print bulletin insert

An Epiphany Music Feast (Madrigal Dinner)
St. John Lutheran Church, 305 Circle Avenue, Forest Park, is celebrating the season of Epiphany, at 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 22, 2017, with an Epiphany Music Feast. An opening concert will precede the elaborately costumed six-course banquet. Due to limited seating, you are encouraged to purchase your tickets now. Seats are assigned on a first come-first serve basis, in the order that the tickets are sold. Tickets are $25 and by reservation only. For information contact Paul Lindblad at 847-420-9200. Print brochure

Your gifts to the Northern Illinois District LCMS designated "GivingTuesday" will allow our sister new-start, Crosspoint Lutheran Church, in Lakewood, to radically increase their support of at-risk students attending West Elementary School in Crystal Lake. This is New Starts...New Believers' 2016 GivingTuesday project and gifts will be matched dollar for dollar. Make your gift right now by going to nidlcms.org, click on "Donate Now" and be sure to put your gift amount on the line for #GivingTuesday 2016. If writing a check is still your style, make checks payable to NID LCMS, memo it GivingTuesday and mail it to: NID LCMS, 2301 S. Wolf Road, Hillside, IL 60162. Visit www.nidlcms.org for more information.

CUC Enrollment Opens in March for New DBA Program
Concordia University Chicago's College of Business will open enrollment in March 2017 for its first classes in the new Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) degree program. Students may select from two specializations: Leadership and Innovation, or Healthcare Administration. The program will be delivered both in-person and online. For more information go to the university website: gradschool.cuchicago.edu/academics/doctoral/doctorate-in-business-administration.

Positions Available at St. Matthew, Hawthorn Woods
St. Matthew Lutheran Church and School, 24500 North Old McHenry Road, Hawthorn Woods, has the following open positions:
Admissions Counselor - Candidates should have a background in marketing, technology and communications. The admissions counselor will be working with the Board of Christian Education and school leadership to promote St. Matthew in the congregation and community as well as recruit enrollment for the school and Sunday School.
Director of Youth Ministry - Candidates will work closely with the Ministerial Staff and Board of Christian Education, Board of Deacons and Administrative Staff in the development and expansion of the youth ministry at St. Matthew. Experience in youth ministry is preferred.
For additional information, job description and clarification, contact Douglas Duvall at duval@stmatts.net or 847-438-7709.

FREE On-line Subscription for Issues in Education
Issues in Christian Education explores questions of interest related to the educational mission of the church via invited writers in articles, editorials and book reviews published by Concordia University Nebraska. This periodical will no longer be printed but remains available and free via email. In this 500th year of the Reformation, here is an easy way to monitor themes and views about teaching in the Lutheran tradition. The subscription form is at issues.cune.edu/subscribe/ and the partner site is TwoKingdoms.cune.edu.

Tips for Reaching the Unchurched at Christmas

• Unchurched are most receptive to visiting a church on Christmas EVE.
• Include traditions they will expect: carols, candles and Silent Night.
• Promote starting December 1; maximize your church Facebook page (boost it!).
• Use a very simple registration card and ask ALL to fill it out: name, email, guest or member, prayer request.
• Offer multiple services for greater attendance; lean toward informal and shorter.
• Staff should plan to take time off after Christmas, not before, and definitely not missing Christmas services. Go out of your way to greet and welcome non-members.