Church of the Brethren :: Illinois and Wisconsin District

NATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE

The Church of the Brethren National Youth Conference 2026 will take place July 18-23 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 opened Jan. 5; visit www.brethren.org/nyc for more information. As of mid-March, about 500 youth and advisors had registered. 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).

The NYC service project this year will involve making fleece tie blankets to donate for children’s hospitals, in partnership with Fleece and Thank You. 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.

*Currently, six congregations (Canton, Highland Avenue, Naperville, Neighborhood, Peoria First, and Springfield First) have reported that they expect to have youth and advisors attending this year’s NYC. If you have members planning to attend and have not yet informed the district office, please do so as soon as possible. We will not have enough participants to do a bus, so congregations are working on local transportation options, likely flying to Colorado. The district Leadership Team is working on approving scholarships to aid the attendance of our youth participants.

NATIONAL YOUTH SUNDAY

National Youth Sunday 2026 resources are now available online at www.brethren.org/yya/national-youth-sunday. Resources are focused around the theme of National Youth Conference, “Light Within Us,” based on Matthew 5:14-16. The suggested date is Sunday, May 3.

YOUNG ADULT CONFERENCE

This year’s Church of the Brethren Young Adult Conference will take place May 22-24 at Camp Blue Diamond in Petersburg, Pa., with the theme “Identity in Community,” from Romans 12:4-5. It is open to all young adults age 18-35. Registration is open; cost is $250 through April. Discounts are available for first-time attendees who are 18, or for current BVSers. Intercultural and travel scholarships are also available. Learn more and register at Young Adult Conference – Youth and Young Adult ministries.

Our district Annual Conference briefing will take place Saturday, June 20, 10-11 a.m., via Zoom. All are welcome, but delegates are particularly encouraged to attend. Watch for more details in the coming weeks.

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 has provided a theme statement at 2026-Annual-Conference-Theme-Statement-updated.pdf. Don will be joining our district for the spring clergy gathering in late April.

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 opened to the public on March 4. All five daily worship services during the Conference will be available both in person and online free of charge to all registrants and non-registrants.

A special discount is being offered for congregations that have not been represented at Annual Conference since 2019. The Program and Arrangements Committee is providing this registration discount for in-person attendees (delegates and nondelegates). The discount will only apply to advance registration for in-person attendance at the full Conference. It will not apply to onsite registration. To take advantage of this discount, contact the district office for more information. The special rates are $75 for non-delegate registration and $150 for delegate registration, plus fees.

Attendance for the virtual portions of the Conference are offered at no charge this year, thanks to generous contributions from Living Stream Church of the Brethren and Pacific Northwest District. This gives people who cannot attend in-person the opportunity to engage in business, a number of Equipping Sessions, and the Wednesday evening concert featuring Brethren musicians—all virtually. Those wishing to participate virtually still need to register to gain access to the streaming platform. Virtual attendees are encouraged to make a donation to the ministry of Annual Conference as an expression of appreciation. Donations can be made at www.brethren.org/giveAC.

Annual Conference organizers have announced the preachers for the five daily worship services to be held during the Conference. Each worship service will focus on a theme and symbol from the Church of the Brethren’s biblical heritage. Speakers will be asked to reexamine and reappropriate historic Brethren themes for our time. They include moderator Don Fitzkee, Sunday evening; Beth Jarrett on Monday evening; James Washington on Tuesday evening; Becky Zapata on Wednesday evening; and Caleb Kragt on Thursday morning.

The Nominating Committee of the Standing Committee of district delegates to the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference has announced the ballot for the 2026 Conference, topped by Amy Gall Ritchie of North Manchester, Ind., and Gilbert Romero of Glendora, Calif., as candidates for moderator-elect. Complete biographical information for all nominees is online at www.brethren.org/ac2026/business/ballot and will be printed in the Conference booklet.

From the Annual Conference usher coordinator: During worship we need volunteer ushers to help receive offerings and record attendance. Congregations in the Fort Wayne area will usher at Sunday’s worship, while Manchester University students and alumni will do so Tuesday. While an important role in our worship services, ushering requires very little time and does not take away from participating in the rest of the worship service. You will be able to sign up when registering for Annual Conference and/or at the usher table when you arrive and check in for the conference. Once you have registered for conference, please follow the links to sign up to volunteer as an usher. You can also reach out to usher coordinator Angela Finet at angelafinet50@gmail.com with your congregation name, and your affiliation (if any) with Manchester University. Please use “AC usher” in the subject line. She can also be reached at 717-916-4694.

Find more details and register at www.brethren.org/ac2026.