Ministry Leadership Development Team, Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m.

Church Revitalization and Development Team, Jan. 17, 9 a.m.

Council of District Executives winter meetings and intercultural event, Miami, Jan. 28-Feb. 1

Leadership Team in-person retreat, Starved Rock Lodge, Oglesby, Ill., Feb. 8, 2-5 p.m.

2026 Illinois/Wisconsin District conference, Nov. 6-7, Polo (Ill.) Church of the Brethren

[all meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted]

December Newsletter

The last “Escape to Emmaus” activity day of the year at Camp Emmaus will be “Earth Tones: A Creative Songwriting & Poetry Workshop,” Dec. 13, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. (cost $15). Watch the website for news on upcoming events in the series. The activities are open to all ages. See more and register at www.campemmaus.org. 

A large group, including some youth who came for a weekend retreat, took part in Camp Emmaus’ fall leaf-raking day on a very mild Nov. 15 to make quick work of all the leaves in the camp’s main programming area. The camp continues to have groups using its winterized facilities through the year. 

Camp Emmaus has announced its 2026 summer camp dates:

May 22-25: Memorial Day Family Camp

June 12-14: Counselor-in-Training (CIT)

June 13-14: Elementary Camp

June 14-17: Target Sports Camp

July 5-11: Senior High Camp

July 12-18: Survivor Camp

July 19-23: Intermediate Camp

July 24-26: Young Adult/Young at Heart Camp

July 26- Aug. 1: Middle School Camp

August 6-8: Women's Camp

September 4-7: Labor Day Weekend Family Camp

Learn more at www.campemmaus.org. 

From Camp Emmanuel: “We had a wonderful 77th year at Camp Emmanuel! Thank you to our camp managers, directors, counselors, and volunteers for all your time and hard work. You are the ones who keep Camp Emmanuel running and make it possible for us to fulfill our mission of sharing God's message and love with children of all ages through the beauty and wonder found in nature. Campers - We hope you had an amazing time with us and will return next year to see old friends, make new ones, and continue to have fun and grow in the Lord.”

Camp Emmanuel has also announced its revised 2026 schedule:

May 29-31: Women's Camp 

June 5-7: Pre-Junior Camp 

June 7-13: Middle School Camp 

June 16-20: Junior Camp 

June 25-28: High School Camp 

July 10-12: Mommy and Me

July 13-17: Day Camp 

August 7-9: Men's Camp 

September 4-7: Family Camp 

Learn more at www.campem.com.

The 2025 Church of the Brethren Outdoor Ministries Association (OMA) national conference took place Nov. 16-20 at Inspiration Hills near Burbank, Ohio, with the theme “Campfire Conversations.” The keynote speaker Travis Troyer was from Off the Wall Discipleship. Also from OMA, the organization has a new t-shirt and hoodie fundraiser to help raise money for environmental grants. The gear comes in several different styles and colors. The front features a modernized version of the classic OMA logo, and the back lists all the OMA camps. Go to www.bonfire.com/2025-oma-shirt-fundraiser.

The 2026 OMA “InsideOut” camp curriculum will be titled “In the Wilderness.” An introduction to the theme notes: “Wilderness is a time or place where we encounter what is new, strange, scary, lonely, unknown or mysterious. The wilderness is a wild and beautiful time and place where we can discover the sacred within each person and all creation. … The wilderness reveals our strengths, growing edges, and potential as God equips us for the unknown still to come. The wilderness awaits us all, and God meets us there.” The annual InsideOut curriculum is a partnership between the Church of the Brethren and a variety of other denominations for use in outdoor ministry. Learn more at https://insideoutcurriculum.com/. 

NYC 2026: The Church of the Brethren National Youth Conference 2026 will take place July 18-23, 2026, at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado. The theme for NYC 2026 is “Light Within Us,” based on Matthew 5:14-16. Youth who have finished 9th grade through their first year of college (or age equivalent) are invited to attend with adult advisors. This will be a week full of fellowship, worship, service projects, recreation, and so much more! Registration opens Jan. 5; visit www.brethren.org/nyc for more information. The cost of NYC is $625 for early bird registration, $650 for regular registration, and $675 for late registration. For any questions, reach out to Rachel Johnson (rjohnson@brethren.org). Harold Rose (Canton) attended the recent NYC preview event in Colorado if you have questions about the site (read more at NYC 2026 Advisor Preview: A time for connection, growth, and planning – News), and Christy Waltersdorff (York Center) coordinated NYC at Estes Park back in the 1980’s!

In addition, NYC youth participants are invited to create and send in various worship elements built around the NYC theme. The plan is to use these worship elements as part of the worship services during NYC, which gives youth the opportunity to help shape what worship looks like. Find the submission form at https://forms.gle/UP9Y5et17G1FANdz5. Contact Rachel Johnson at rjohnson@brethren.org with questions.

*If your congregation is considering sending youth and adults to NYC next summer, please contact the district office so we can begin to compile a list for possible transportation options. Thus far, we have heard from Canton, Highland Avenue, Naperville, Neighborhood, and Springfield First that they expect to have youth attending. 

FaithX: FaithX will offer seven short-term service trips in 2026, along with the option for custom-designed trips for families, congregations, or districts. To prioritize senior high participation in National Youth Conference (NYC) this coming July, the program will offer fewer youth trips. Four trips will be available for junior and senior high youth (Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania), an older adult trip to Camp Ithiel in Florida will take place in February, an adult international trip to Northern Ireland will be offered in June, and the We Are Able trip will be offered in Michigan in July. Additional information, trip descriptions, and registration links can be found at www.brethren.org/faithx. Registration is now open for the older adult trip, and registration for summer trips will open on Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. Central Time.

Our prayers continue for those affected by the devastating hurricane this fall in Jamaica, where Naperville pastor Dennis Webb has numerous friends and family members. The Naperville church has been coordinating a response of needed supplies in cooperation with the Caribbean-American Family Network. Contact Naperville at napervillecob@gmail.com for more information.

Brethren Disaster Ministries is continuing work this year at a rebuilding site in Letcher County, Ky., with new builds and repairs of homes damaged during the July 2022 flooding event. Seth Long, Executive Director, was featured on a Nov 4 podcast talking about the work on HOMES Inc. in the community. You can listen here: https://www.christianapp.org/news/podcast. Our district is assisting with a team in Letcher County this week (Dec. 7-13).  In 2026, our district’s volunteer week will shift to the summer, late August/early September. A group of nearly 100 disaster response volunteers also served in Johnson County, Tenn., from Sept. 21 to Nov. 15 to aid in the recovery from Hurricane Helene. 

For those interested in volunteering with Children’s Disaster Services, several trainings are available in late winter/spring 2026: Feb. 20-21 in Beaufort, S.C. or Bradford, Ohio; Feb. 27-28 in Glendale, Ariz.; or March 14-15 in La Verne, Calif. Registration, including all meals, curriculum, and overnight is $55 for early bird, and $65 if sent less than three weeks before the event. Participants in the 25-hour training, which includes a simulated shelter experience, learn to provide comfort and encouragement to children by offering the healing young children need in traumatic situations. Learn more and register at https://www.brethren.org/cds/training/. 

With the closure of the Material Resources program in New Windsor, Md. (where the Brethren Service Center offices will remain), the Church World Service Kit Depot location at the Elgin office is also closing and will no longer be a location that receives kits. Learn more at cwskits.org/cws-kits-end-of-the-year-updates. It appears the nearest drop-off location to our district now is the CWS Service Annex in Elkhart, Indiana. There is also a location in Boone, Iowa, near Ames. Kits can also be shipped to one of the remaining depots.

May 22-25 - Memorial Day Weekend June 12-14 - Counselor Training (CIT) June 13-14 - Elementary Camp June 14-17 - Target Sports Camp July 5-11 - Senior High Camp July 12-18 - Survivor Camp July 19-23 - Intermediate Camp July 24-26 - YAAYAH Camp July 26- Aug. 1 - Middle School Camp August 6-8 - Women's Camp September 4-7 - Labor Day Weekend

May 29-31 - Women's Camp  June 5-7 - Pre-junior Camp  June 7-13 - Middle School Camp  June 16-20 - Junior Camp  June 25-28 - High School Camp July 10-12 - Mommy and Me Camp July 13-17 - Day Camp August 7-9 - Men's Camp September 4-7 - Family Camp

The 2026 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference will take place June 28-July 2 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, at the downtown Grand Wayne Convention Center. The schedule is altered this year, running from Sunday to Thursday. Equipping sessions will be added Sunday afternoon, and Tuesday morning will feature a time of “sparking, serving, and stirring,” as Conference officers anticipate a lighter business agenda. The theme is “Imagine!” Don Fitzkee will serve as moderator. Don recently provided a theme statement at 2026-Annual-Conference-Theme-Statement-updated.pdf. We are working at having him visit the district in spring 2026.

The Annual Conference office recently announced that advance registration for delegates will be $350 and for non-delegates $175. Onsite registration is $425 and $210, respectively. Daily fees are also available for those not attending the full week. A virtual registration option will be available for $220.

The three official conference hotel options will range in cost from $128 to $135 per night plus tax, with a discounted daily parking fee of $8. Annual Conference registration and housing will open to the public on March 4.

Watch for more details at www.brethren.org/ac. 

The Nominating Committee has extended the deadline for the submission of both nominations and nominee information forms for the Annual Conference ballot in 2026. Nominations will now be accepted through Dec. 10. Nominee information forms should be submitted by Dec. 17. Nominations are still needed for all positions, but especially for the Mission and Ministry Board, Area 5 (Pacific Northwest, Idaho/Western Montana, and Pacific Southwest Districts, although nominations from Pacific Southwest District are ineligible since that district is currently represented by two board members). Go to www.brethren.org/ac.

 

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There is a Speakers List for the Illinois/Wisconsin District. Persons included in this document have accepted the invitation to be available to preach during worship services or for other special events as indicated. Hopefully you will find this tool useful and valuable when the need arises for inviting a guest speaker.

The speakers on this list are all credentialed ministers, either licensed or ordained. We would like to expand the list to include more credentialed ministers as well as interested laity. If your name is absent from the list and you have interest in serving as a guest speaker, please inform the district office. We would also welcome the names of persons you might suggest for inclusion on the list.

Since this is a new venture, it is likely we may need to provide more information than is included. Your input as to how the list can be improved would be welcomed.

Please share with the District Office any questions, comments, or concerns you may have.

Grants available through the district include the following:

1. Mission and Mortar: Sustaining and developing ministry (mission) within congregations, as well as maintaining property (mortar), is sometimes hindered because of inadequate financial resources. The Illinois/Wisconsin District, whose mission is to support the growth and development of member congregations, desires to financially support congregations that are in good standing with the district and have specific needs. More information can be found here.

2. Being Jesus in the Neighborhood: Congregations can apply for $100 in seed money to start a new outreach project or initiative in their local communities, or to expand an existing one. These should be projects that intentionally engage with the neighborhood immediately around the congregation or, for those in rural locations, with the town or area around the church. Each congregation receiving a grant will be asked to share a little about their project at district conference. More information can be found here.

3. Emerging Missions Fund: To facilitate the growth and establishment of new faith communities, this grant is available for church and ministry planting initiatives. New church and ministry plants are encouraged to apply by contacting the district office and/or the CRDT.

Supporting Your District

The Illinois/Wisconsin District is active in a variety of ministry and mission efforts, both directly and indirectly. Continuing these efforts requires resources in the form of time, tools, knowledge, and especially finances. Consider making a contribution to the district’s general fund or one of its special funds (disaster relief, youth, emerging ministries, etc.). Look for the donate button at iwdcob.org, or send your checks to the district office: 1S071 Luther Ave., Lombard, IL 60148.

All ordained ministers, licensed ministers, and congregations need to keep the District Office informed of changes in contact information. Changes include: phone number, cell phone number, email address, mailing address, and congregational email or website. Please email Peggy Moylan, peg.district@gmail.com, or call 630-644-4259 with your updates. Your effort will save valuable staff time trying to track down these changes. Other information to share: changes in key leadership positions at the church or the death or serious illnesses of minister, retired ministers, or spouses. Help us serve better!

Do not wait to begin to log your Continuing Education Units. The 2025 Five-year Ordination Review process for ALL ordained ministers will launch in 2024. Ordained ministers are required to produce verification of 5 CEU credits for this five-year period. It is your responsibility to secure certificates, letters or verifying documentation regarding CEU credit. Retired clergy are exempt from this requirement with the exception of those retired clergy actively involved in Interim Ministry.

CEU Notation: The district does not grant CEU credit for personal study and/or self-designed experiences you have had and/or books you have read. It is the minister's responsibility to secure a CEU certificate, Letter of Verification, and/or authentication document for completed training, seminars or workshops, or learning experiences offered by the presenting organization. This verification should always state the number of hours of the training - 10 hours of training equals 1.0 CEU credits. Please take personal initiative to become a life-long learner and increasingly effective minister of the Gospel.

The Gifts Discernment and Call Committee seeks your help. We are commissioned to call active, informed, and committed members of congregations or fellowships from within our District to positions of service. These persons, both pastors and lay members, are to be called from all parts of the District and to represent the diversity among us. Our committee's knowledge of members eligible and capable to serve is limited. Therefore, we make this appeal for assistance.