April 2026
It’s time to celebrate Shine!
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 is once again coordinating a District-wide servant event that will provide our members opportunities to give witness to the love of Jesus through acts of service to their neighbors. Shine! dates for this year are April 10-19, 2026.
NIDnews.org was able to speak with Sue Green, NID District Services Coordinator, about the history of Shine! and to find out more about some of the projects area congregations, school, and individuals are coming up with to serve their local communities.
The Shine! servant event idea originally came from the LCMS Missouri District. This is the 6th year for them to host events throughout their District. Sue shared, “After the enthusiastic response of the constituents of the Missouri District, District President Lee Hagan invited other district presidents to participate. President Buss thought this event would fit in beautifully with the Witness Pillar of the NID, and he’s all about our congregations and schools being in the community to share the love of Jesus.”
The NID began hosting Shine! events just one year later.
What exactly is Shine!? As shared above in regard to Matthew 5:16, it is an opportunity to SHINE the light of Jesus with others. Projects don’t need to be complicated or overly elaborate, and the process isn’t intended to feel intimidating in any way. As Sue put
it, “Just listen to what the Lord puts on your heart.”
Projects are really only limited by your own creativity. Some previous ideas include preparing birthday kits for food pantries and homeless shelters, preparing and delivering hygiene kits, completing spring yard work cleanup in community areas, hosting a community blood drive, preparing soup dinner kits for food pantries, making no-sew tie blankets, preparing thank you cards and snacks for first responders, and hosting a diaper drive. This is just a small sampling of the ways in which the people and ministries of the LCMS Northern Illinois District have found ways to serve.
When asked what the goal of Shine! is, Sue commented, “I feel one goal of Shine! is to show our school and congregation members that sharing Jesus isn’t scary. Jesus said we should let our light shine, and that will look different for everybody since everybody has different gifts. My prayer for Shine! is that people would feel the joy that comes with following Jesus and serving others. We’re created for service!”
Anyone can find a way to help others and share Jesus!
It’s also not too late to register! The District would love to know what it is our people are doing and encourages groups to send photos and follow up with how the project went. You can register your Shine! event here. A link for uploading photos after your event is available on that same page. Do the April 10-19, 2026 dates not work for you? You can host a Shine! project at any time!
A 4-session Shine! Bible Study is also available for use. You can find that here.
We pray God’s blessings on the many projects and events being planned for the upcoming weeks and beyond.
How is God calling you to serve your neighbors and SHINE His light?
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