December 2024 – Winter Ministry Update
Stronger Together: A Call to Gather and Be Sent
Whether you are a layperson or a pastor, whether your congregation is large or small, whether your school is in an urban or rural area, we are all coworkers for the Kingdom of God. This is our time to be the Church. We are united in our shared mission, called to spread His love, and then sent into the world as co-workers of the Kingdom.
Our theme, Stronger Together, captures the blessing of who we are as a Church. Our Lord gathers each of us around His Word and Sacraments to receive His blood-bought gift of redemption. He then sends us together into His world to proclaim that good news to all! We are blessed by pastors, teachers, deaconesses, and church lay leaders who pour their hearts into Kingdom work each day in the places they serve.
But why is it so important to attend our Northern Illinois District convention in March? Attending the convention is vital, because it’s more than just a gathering—it is a time for us to come together as one body of Christ, united in purpose and mission. It provides an opportunity for meaningful fellowship, allowing laypeople and church workers alike to build stronger connections, share ideas, offer support, and go forward in Kingdom work. Whether you are serving in a congregation, a school, or another ministry, your presence matters. You matter. Together, we shape the future direction of our shared mission.
The convention is also an opportunity to engage in worship and receive encouragement as we join with brothers and sisters from across the District. It is a time to be spiritually refreshed, as we study His Word together and reflect on how God is using us, not just as individuals, but collectively, to be sent out into His Kingdom.
It is not just about today; it is also about tomorrow. We are equally grateful for those who are preparing to be the next generation of church workers. Their energy, enthusiasm, and dedication are inspiring, and we are called to support them as they are sent on their journey. Such support will, in part, be accomplished through our convention offering for Workers of the Word: Today + Tomorrow. As we gather in March 2025, let us be reminded that this is our time to come together as a District, to be the Church, and to embrace our calling as coworkers for the Kingdom. With gratitude for the past, dedication to the present, and hope for the future, we are stronger together.
We serve together. We are sent together. We are stronger together.
Convention Bible Verse – Colossians 4:7-17
Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas. Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
More information about the 61st Convention of the Northern Illinois District of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is available here.
