Endure

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."  Hebrews 12:1-3

Welcome back to school and the 2024-2025 academic year! What a joy to know that God is blessing the beginning of another year where Jesus will be shared each day in our NID schools and ministries. Your work is not wasted.

There is always a lot of energy and enthusiasm as the new school year begins. I remember never sleeping the night before the first day – just so much excitement and anticipation of what the days ahead would bring! Then the days pass and the energy level is sometimes drained. Yet, God provides the stamina and direction.

As we read in Hebrews 12, may we always remember to focus on the race set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. He encourages us on and gives us all we need to serve Him each day. Find joy in the journey, for Jesus has won it for you! Do not grow weary, but be thankful you are surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses." These are each a gift from God to hold your hands up, like Aaron did for Moses. Be filled with the joy and peace of the journey.

During this year, find intentional ways to be reminded daily how very much God loves you as His chosen child. We will remember the three pillars of the NID: Word, Wellness, Witness. Be in God’s WORD each day, privately and with your students. Make WELLNESS a priority so you are able to serve well. Take each opportunity presented to be a WITNESS to your faith in our Savior.

Have a terrific school year!! There are many blessings ahead!

Serving the Master Teacher,

Lois Stewart

Mission Facilitator for Schools

Meet Your New NID Administrators

The Northern Illinois District is blessed with dedicated and faithful leaders in our schools. I would like to start the year by sharing a welcome to the new leaders in the NID:

James Baerenklau (Interim - Trinity, Lombard), Tanya Calendo (Immanuel, Palatine), Kim Epting (Trinity, Roselle), Paul Feddersen (Interim - Zion-Concord, Bensenville), Carole Fiesman (Immanuel, Crystal Lake), Cheryl Gieseke (Interim - Immanuel, Belvidere), Tiffany Gurgel (Interim - Trinity, Tinley Park), Holly Hackelberg/Renee Hull (Co-interim - St. John's, LaGrange), Patricia Jackson (Immanuel, Hillside), Mikala Perino (Interim - St. Paul, Aurora), Brian Porter (St. Paul’s, Bourbonnais), Carrie Smith (Rockford Lutheran Elementary, Rockford), Miriam Ulrich (Interim - Cross, Yorkville).

We also welcome a new preschool director, Justine Pitstick (Lord of Life, Elburn).

Please keep all administrators and their staff and schools in your prayers throughout this year.

2024-2025 School Theme

Three Districts Worship and Learn Together



From Monday, June 10, 2024, through Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the annual Illinois Lutheran Administrator Conference was held at Trinity Lutheran School in Bloomington, Illinois. What a blessing it was to have administrators from all three Illinois districts meet together for worship, fellowship, and learning. To God be the glory for the blessing to work together! Plans are underway for the summer 2025 conference to be held in the Southern Illinois District. 

Giving Thanks for Lutheran Education



What a joy and blessing to gather on August 7, 2024, at St. Peter, Schaumburg for our annual Back-to-School Worship and keynote address. We give thanks to St. Peter for hosting our gathering. Many thanks also to Bernard Bull, President of Concordia University Nebraska, for his inspiring keynote about "Hustle with Heart."

Welcome to the new NID Workers

To God be the glory for all workers in the NID! We welcome new school administrators, teachers, Directors of Christian Education, and Pastors. We pray God’s richest blessings upon each as they serve with us here in northern Illinois. Here are many of the new NID teachers. They attended an informational meeting after the Back-to-School worship service to learn more about the District. 

The Center for Christian Education at CUC Announces the New Teacher Institute



Built upon Concordia University Chicago's rich tradition of teacher preparation, the New Teacher Institute, hosted by the Center for Christian Education, supports educators in their first through third years of teaching and shares successful classroom strategies so they feel confident in their new roles.

This fully online mentoring program is rooted in Carol Pelletier Radford's foundational work, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive support systems for beginning teachers to foster their growth and success within the educational system. Attendees will attend monthly sessions between September 2024 and April 2025. For more information, or to register, please contact Dr. Anne Thies at anne.thies@cuchicago.edu or click on the link found HERE. Registration is now open, and spots are filling up quickly!

Congratulations

The NID is thankful for each of our schools. from small to large, which teach Jesus each day. I continue to lift them all up in prayer as plans for the coming school year begin, and they focus on Word, Wellness, and Witness.



Congratulations to: St. Peter, Arlington Heights; St. Paul, Aurora; Open Arms, Glenview; Walther Christian Academy, Melrose Park; Zion, Marengo; and St. Paul, Mount Prospect for completing their reaccreditation. To God be the glory for their faithful work and dedication! 

2024 Educators Conference 

The registration link for the October 18, 2024 Educator Conference is open for schools to start that process. Everyone received an email with the link on August 9, 2024. We are looking forward to uplifting worship, fellowship, and a lot of great learning! 

Curriculum Mapping

Many NID schools attended the Curriculum Mapping workshop on June 6, 2024 which was offered collaboratively by the NID Education Office and Concordia University Chicago College of Education. It was a terrific day of learning, as curriculum updating is an on-going process in our schools. Many thanks to Dr. Anne Thies and Professor Jared Stiek from CUC for leading this great session. 

Lutheran Annual Request Form

All Rostered Workers in the Northern Illinois District should have received an email from LCMS Rosters and Statistics in St. Louis with the form to update your information that goes in the "Lutheran Annual." Please complete and submit that form by September 1, 2024, to be included in that publication. The Education Office does not have individual worker passwords. If you do not have that, please contact Rosters and Statistics.

School Administrators

Watch your email for a reminder to complete the annual Statistical Report for Rosters and Statistics. This is your annual reporting form. The information that you share is very helpful in research for our District and across the LCMS. Last year we had 96% reported. That was great, but I know we can get 100%!!

Early Childhood Consultants

The NID Early Childhood Consultants have been busy this summer planning a great calendar of events for the coming school year. Many thanks go out to Amy Cimarusti, Cathy Gruenwald, and Doreen Peterson for being true blessings. 

Early Childhood, Elementary and High School Administrators

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

Since many Early Childhood Directors are not able to leave their schools during the day, we have decided that all Early Childhood Directors will be encouraged to register for and attend the conference dates scheduled and attend with the elementary and high school administrators. The topics chosen will benefit early childhood as well. It is important that Directors meet with the principals for networking and fellowship.

The first Early Childhood Educator Zoom took place on Saturday, August 17, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. This Zoom was to bring everyone together for devotion, reintroductions, and an update on the exciting things planned for this school year. See upcoming planned events/dates for the year HERE.

The first Elementary and High School conference will take place on Monday, September 9, 2024 at Concordia University Chicago. The online registration email was sent out in August. All registration will be done online. If you are using Title finds to cover the cost, please let me know (lois.stewart@nidlcms.org).

The September 9, 2024 topic will focus on motivation and mindset. Rev. Gabe Kasper will be our guest presenter. Pastor Kasper serves as the Lead Pastor of University Lutheran Church at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He will give insight and suggestions on the pathway to having necessary conversations with respect about world views. "How do we balance our LCMS identity, yet have respectful conversation?" You will also have the opportunity to meet the new NID administrators and reconnect with friends. Please plan to stay for lunch.

Please print a copy of the attached parking pass. It must be displayed in your front window.

Hearts for Jesus

We are blessed to be a blessing. It is with great joy that I am able to share that your dedication and support of the 2024-2025 "Hearts for Jesus" project blessed the Belize Mission Society with a contribution of over $7,000.00! That generosity will assist in supplying nutritious meals for the children in the village of Georgetown. This is an expansion of the feeding program.

The "Hearts for Jesus" focus this school year will be a starting point as donations are taken to construct a new playground at St. Alphonse School in Seine Bight. The playground is located right next to Christ Lutheran Church where the message of Jesus is proclaimed in Word and deed. We get to be good neighbors and then speak of the Living Hope we have in our Savior. We get to connect the community with the mission. Word, Wellness, and Witness are all part of the daily walk in Seine Bight where Jesus is the center.

Lutheran Education Association

The LEA staff is a tremendous blessing to us as we serve various ministries in the NID. The services and opportunities they provide for teachers is wonderful. Please take a look at the attached flyer about the Lutheran Junior Honor Association. It is a great way for you to connect your students.

LJHA was designed by Lutheran educators for Lutheran schools. Join with schools from New York to California, Texas to Wisconsin and form your school’s chapter today. For more information and to join, go to https://www.lea.org/lutheran-junior-honor-association-ljha/. Questions? Contact Denise Rice, Director of Educational Resources for LEA at denise.rice@lea.org.

Parish Professionals

To God be the glory for the Parish Professionals that serve in the NID (Directors of Christian Education, Deaconesses, Parish Musicians, just to name a few)! I will serve as the coordinator of the group this year as Alex Brice serves with David Meier as National Youth Gathering coordinators for the NID.

Watch for emails each month with event information. The first meeting for the group will be Thursday, September 19, 2024 at Trinity Lutheran Church and School, 405 S. Rush St., Roselle, Illinois 60172. We will gather for an opening devotion at 11:00 a.m. and finish up about 1:30 p.m. If you have any questions, please reach out to me at (lois.stewart@nidlcms.org).

If you haven’t already done so, please secure your copy of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer for our book read.

Parish Nurses

The Parish Nurses serve in a variety of ways in their own congregations and across the NID. If you have a Parish Nurse in your congregation, please encourage them to connect with this group. Have them contact me (lois.stewart@nidlcms.org) for more information.

They will meet next on Tuesday, October 17, 2024, starting at 10:00 a.m. The event will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4247 183rd St., Country Club Hills, Illinois 60478.