Be Filled with Joy

 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 

All of the things listed in Romans 12:12 describe the Christian life. As we put our faith and confidence in our Lord and Savior, we can rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be faithful in prayer. Because we have learned what Jesus went through for us, we find comfort and peace in this passage. Jesus is joy! Jesus lived a life of patience with and for other people. He suffered much for us and was patient through the trials. Jesus sought quiet places to pray and be with His Heavenly Father in that quiet.

May we also go to that quiet place to spend time with our Lord and Savior. It is there we find peace, comfort, hope, and joy in the midst of our daily struggles. God is faithful and will be in our joys and sorrows. 

As we continue our walk through Lent and draw closer to the Cross on Calvary, may we focus on the words of Luke 14:27 where Jesus says, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” Therefore, we know we will have struggles because we live in a sinful world, but Jesus overcame the world. Take heart, Jesus holds you. Be the disciple God called you to be and serve faithfully. You will be blessed. When with Jesus, we expect burdens and can count on His faithfulness.

As we place our faith and trust in God, we can all be thankful that God holds us in the palm of His hand and gives us what He knows is best for us. So, when trials come, step back and trust God’s plan is perfect.

Stay in the Word. Take care of yourself to be Well. Use your words and life as a Witness. "In All Things," God is faithful.

Surround yourself with people who listen, pray for you, and speak the best words!

Remember each day – Christ loves you and holds you close.

Serving the Master Teacher,

Lois Stewart

Mission Facilitator for Schools

National Lutheran School Accreditation Deadlines

All accredited schools will soon receive an invoice for the Annual District Accreditation Fee which is due April 15, 2025. Checks should be made payable to "LCMS Northern Illinois District" in the amount of $150. Failure to submit this fee jeopardizes school accreditation.

DO NOT SEND THE CHECK TO THE DISTRICT! 

Send all payments to:

Keith Wilharm

NLSA Coordinator - NID

207 N. Walnut St.

Elmhurst, IL 60126

Also, Cumulative Annual Reports are due April 15, 2025. No report is due from schools hosting a Validation Team visit in 2024-2025. Reports must be mailed to keith.wilharm@nidlcms.org. Failure to submit the report may lead to revocation of accreditation.

Please contact Keith with any questions.

Activity Highlights

There are great things happening around the NID in our schools. Just recently two events took place: a Knowledge Bowl hosted at Immanuel in Batavia and a Spelling Bee hosted at Immanuel in Elmhurst.

The schools participating in the Knowledge Bowl were: Immanuel, Batavia; Trinity, Tinley Park; St. Peter, Schaumburg; Cross, Yorkville; Immanuel, East Dundee; and Bethany, Naperville.

The schools participating in the Spelling Bee were: Immanuel, Elmhurst; Trinity, Tinley Park; St. John’s, Lombard; and Zion-Concord, Bensenville.

Save the Date

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 is the date set for the fall Back-to-School Worship service and keynote. Our keynote presenter will be Rev. Ryan Peterson. He serves as the Senior Director and Church Relations Officer, Donor Relations at Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mark your calendars now so you will be with us when we gather at St. Andrews in Park Ridge. Watch for information and details in the future.

Save the Date

School Administrators, this is for you!! 😊Mark your calendars for the third annual Illinois Lutheran School Administrator Conference (ILSAC). Our host this year will be the Southern Illinois District. The conference will be held at Zion, Litchfield. The dates for the conference are Monday, June 9, 2025 through Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Watch for details in the near future. Here is the group from last summer. We learned a lot and had great worship and fellowship! 

SHINE! 2025

We are getting ready to celebrate our outreach to the community with Shine! 2025. It is a joy and blessing that, as fellow believers, we have the opportunity to step out in service to our communities. What will your school, or classrooms, or groups, or families do this year to serve? There are so many ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The dates for Shine! this spring will be April 4, 2025 - April 13, 2025. Please find details and registration information HERE.

Additional information: The LCMS Northern Illinois District (NID) thanks God for your faithful service to our Lord. As a token of appreciation for the ministries already registered, and to encourage additional participants to register their Shine! project on the NID website, your District will give out two “seed grants” to Shine! ministries who have fully registered their project!

Two fully-registered projects will be randomly selected for a $250 and a $500 NID seed grant to encourage their ministry’s further engagement with their local community by developing a “Shine! follow-up” project. The two winning ministries will be contacted with the good news by our Shine! Coordinator, Sue Green. The names of the grant recipients will be posted on our Shine! webpage on Friday, April 4, 2025.

Don't delay! Get your project registered!

CUC Music Opportunity 

First Steps in Music (™) is a research-based, curricular framework combining the development of singing and movement skills in order to maximize musical aptitude in young children, typically grades PreK-2. The eight-part “workout” is designed to encourage musical independence and creativity through joyful activities and experiences shared with others while developing the prerequisite skills needed for notational literacy: singing in tune, keeping a steady beat, and developing sensitivity to expressive elements of music. 

First Steps is a developmentally appropriate music education framework for instruction with techniques that provide pathways to meeting students where they are in their musical development, no matter the age or ability. See the link below for more information.

Parish Professionals

The Parish Professionals gathered on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at Concordia University Chicago. Currently serving Directors of Christian Education met with CUC students in the DCE program for conversation and lunch. It was a great time for students to learn from serving workers as well as having the opportunity to ask questions. 

Youth Lead

We congratulate and pray God’s blessings on Maddie Ditmarr (Immanuel, Freeport) upon her election to the LCMS Youth Lead Executive Team.

Youth Lead allows like-minded teens to connect and grow in their faith. Serving on the Executive Team will allow Maddie to be at the forefront and help others to grow spiritually in their faith. Serving on the Executive Team these next three years will also give her the opportunity to network and assist in many areas. 

Please Update



It is time for all LCMS Rostered Commissioned Ministers to update their Commissioned Ministered Information Form (CMIF). Please access the form at http://cwu.lcms.org and use your password. The Education Office does not have your password, so if you do not have it, you will need to reset it. If you cannot remember your Worker Identification Number, please contact the Education Office (708-223-3110).

Early Childhood, Elementary and High School Administrators

The school year always brings opportunities to serve, learn, and grow together. We are blessed with conference opportunities where we come together as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 

We are looking forward to the April 5, 2025 event which includes professional development and a "Wheels on the Bus" tour of three NID early childhood centers.

Registration information is below Please register by April 2, 202. If you have any questions, reach out to Lois (lois.stewart@nidlcms.org).

The final Leadership conference for this school year will be held at Concordia Chicago on Monday, April 28, 2025. The theme will be focusing on generosity (time, talents, treasures, and gifts of service). This will be led by members of the Dynamis Ministry team. Plan to learn how to encourage staff and families to be more generous and use the gifts God has blessed them with. 

Hearts for Jesus

What a blessing to support a ministry with our Hearts for Jesus donations.Was this your February chapel offering focus as we support the building of the new playground in Belize?

You may send checks to the District office:

LCMS Northern Illinois District, Attn: Lois Stewart, 1107 Monroe Ave., River Forest, IL 60305-1427

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