April 2025
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16, “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
The LCMS Northern Illinois District (NID) will shine a spotlight on service from April 4-13, 2025. Throughout the District, groups of two or more people will give witness to the love of Jesus through acts of service to their neighbors and communities. NID Lutherans will join with others from their church, school, small group, ministry group, family, and more to serve together through projects of their own choosing.
Shine! is a community service initiative which began in the LCMS Missouri District in 2021. The people and congregations of the LCMS Northern Illinois District have hosted Shine! events of their own since 2023. The types of projects to be considered are only limited to your imagination!
Sue Green is the District Services Coordinator for the LCMS Northern Illinois District. She also serves as the Shine! Coordinator for our District. As of this writing, Sue shared that 70 NID ministries have projects officially registered, although additional registrations are still coming in!
When asked what some of the highlights have been for her over these last three years, Sue said, “It’s been so encouraging, and fun, to see God’s people sharing the love of Jesus with those around them! Each ministry has a unique way of serving their communities, and it’s been a delight to see the variety and creativity of service projects.” She also shared, “I’ve seen the smiles of the recipients of these acts of service. And I love hearing how the participants feel fulfilled – sharing the love of Jesus through actions they’re comfortable doing. It’s something everyone can do! I heard from one project coordinator that the group who participated in their event has grown closer to each other thanks to their shared service.”
Ken Manon, from Immanuel Lutheran Church in Lindenwood, shared, “Each year we have participated in the Shine! event with the same project. There are five roads that come into the Lindenwood community, and we have a roadside clean up day to pick up the trash along those roads. We reach out to the community and the school to solicit participation. The routine is to meet at the church for snacks, water, instructions and rules. People form groups and we deploy to each of the roads to pick up trash. The aluminum cans are kept separate and are given to the school toward their continuous collection fundraiser.”
Of course, Immanuel would always love to have even more volunteers participate in such a project, but Ken seems pleased to have had different groups of people volunteering each year. They’ve also been blessed with beautiful weather each year so far!
Diane Goers, from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Chicago Heights and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Steger, shared that there have been different projects developed for each year they have participated in Shine! In 2023, they made “Thank You!” snack/sweet trays for police, firefighters, and public works employees in Chicago Heights, South Chicago Heights, and Steger. In 2024, they partnered with Phil’s Friends to decorate special “get well” cards for their over 5,000 patients. This year, they will be assembling Easter baskets with healthy snacks for first responders, postal workers, police, and firefighters.
When asked to share some of the results she has seen through their events in connecting with the community, offering acts of service, and bringing the love of Jesus, Diane said, “Our congregations have come closer as we join together to discuss, assemble & distribute the trays. Each year we get a few more volunteers. It’s a great fellowship time.”
The Northern Illinois District office is the hub for selecting dates, offering registration information, and encouraging congregations and ministries to be creative in the ways they choose to serve their communities through Shine! events. However, it’s truly the people of the NID coming together: in their local small groups, and also collectively, in serving as the hands and feet of Jesus. Through this initiative, they can share the love of Jesus with those nearest to them. Sue shared, “The mission field is all around us, and the workers are few. I’m thankful for all the ministry partners who gather around the common goal of sharing Jesus with their local mission fields.”
Please find more information about Shine! on our website: nidlcms.org/shine. Registration for this year’s event will remain open through April 13, 2025. However, if you have an event you will be hosting AFTER the official Shine! dates of April 4-13, 2025, we’d still love to hear about it!
WITNESS: Encouraging personal witnessing, congregational engagement with their community, support of our NID partnerships and missions, and sharing in a world mission field together.