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

Hearing on proposed congregational withdrawal policy, Oct. 17, 10:30 a.m.

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

Leadership Team reorganizational meeting, Polo, following district conference

Ministry Leadership Development Team, Dec. 2, 6:30 p.m.

Potluck Experience Planning Team, Dec. 3, 7:15 p.m.

2027 District Potluck event, April 17, 2027, Cerro Gordo (Ill.) Church of the Brethren

[all meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted]

October Newsletter

Before the official conference starts on Friday evening, the district Ministerial Leadership Development Team will offer a workshop around the theme of discipleship led by Josh Brockway of the denomination’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation office. Cost will be $20 per person, including lunch. The workshop will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday (Nov. 6) with a lunch break. While clergy are especially encouraged to attend (and can receive 0.5 CEU's for participation), all are welcome. To register, please contact the district office at iwdde@outlook.com and send your name and congregation; checks should be made payable to the Illinois/Wisconsin District CoB and mailed to the district office at 1S 071 Luther Ave., Lombard, IL 60148.

The 2026 Illinois/Wisconsin District Conference will take place Nov. 6-7 at Polo (Ill.) Church of the Brethren (401 S. Congress Ave., Polo, IL) with the theme “Kindled Anew.” The conference will begin with worship and an ice cream social Friday evening, continuing with business, an equipping session, and lunch on Saturday (optional). Jocelyn Watkins (Peoria First) will serve as moderator and Sharon Rice (York Center) as moderator-elect. They will also serve as the speaker and worship leader, respectively, for Friday evening’s worship. Conference will conclude late Saturday afternoon. 

 

A NEW online Registration is now open for DELEGATES and NON-DELEGATES by clicking one of these links:

DELEGATE District Conference Registration

NON-DELEGATE District Conference Registration

 

Please note:

• You may pay by credit card through PayPal or by indicating you will send in a check. Follow the instructions on the form to mail the check. 
• Cost for Non-delegates is $15 per person, not including meals or lodging. 
• Cost for Delegates is free after assessment is paid. See more information below. 
• An optional catered Saturday lunch is available for $20 for all attendees. 
• Please register by Oct 31.

Delegate registration is covered by each congregation’s district assessment, up to the allotted number of delegates; this assessment must be paid in order for delegates to be seated. For any questions about delegate registration or assessments, please contact the district office.

Camp Emmaus had to move its Camp Celebration Day and Lunch to Saturday, Oct. 3, due to inclement weather. In addition to lunch at the pavilion, the day include an auction, a look back at summer highlights, and opportunities to enjoy the camp.

Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) Unit 340 held its orientation at Camp Emmaus in midSeptember. Camp Emmaus manager Randall Westfall, former BVS director Dan McFadden, and district executive Walt Wiltschek did activities and sessions with the group, which also visited the denominational offices in Elgin and worshiped at the Dixon congregation on Sept. 20. The volunteers, their home congregations or hometowns, and project sites are: Mia Benjamin of Antioch Church of the Brethren and Boones Mill, Va., serving at SnowCap Community Charities in Portland, Ore.; Rabea Elisabet Degand of Ennepetal, Germany; Noah Elledge of Paderborn, Germany; and Zippora Pötschke of Radebuel, Germany, serving at La Puente Home in Alamosa, Colo.; Hope Gandy of Spring Run Church of the Brethren and McVeytown, Pa., serving at Camp Koinonia in Cle Elum, Wash.; Sonja Queck of Leipzig, Germany, serving at Innisfree Village in Crozet, Va.; Leokadia Rossmanith of Dresden, Germany, and Caroline Uekermann of Braunschweig, Germany, serving at Project PLASE in Baltimore, Md.; and Silas Benevento Zahner of Harrisonburg, Va., serving at Fundación Brethren y Unida, Ecuador. BVS hopes to return to Camp Emmaus for another orientation in the future. (Photo courtesy of BVS)

Look for information on future events at www.campemmaus.org.

Note that Camp Emmaus no longer has a PO box. All mail should be sent to the camp at 3011 W. Camp Rd., Oregon, IL 61061.

Camp Emmanuel is now closed for the season. Find more at www.campem.com.

The 2026 Church of the Brethren Outdoor Ministries Association retreat will take place Nov. 15-19 at Camp Harmony near Hooversville, Pa. The retreat brings together Brethren camping leaders of all levels to gather for professional growth, faith formation, and outdoor ministry community development. The theme this year is “Torchbearers” (Matt. 5:14-16). Keynote speaker will be Jolene Regetta, a licensed professional counselor, former public school teacher, and life-long camp servant. The retreat will also include workshops, Bible study, meditations, games, meals, and more. Cost is $215 for OMA camp members, $240 for non-members. Learn more and register at Annual Retreat – Outdoor Ministries Association.

JUNIOR HIGH SUNDAY is Nov. 1 with the theme “Your Life: God’s Direction.” Resources are available at https://www.brethren.org/yya/jrhigh-resources/.

The 2027 Powerhouse Midwest regional youth conference will take place Feb. 19-21 at Columbia City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren. The keynote speaker will be Beth Jarrett on the theme “Everyday Hallelujah.” More details will be available in the months ahead.

National Youth Conference (NYC) 2026 worship resources are available online, free to download. The worship resources include most if not all of those used during the twice-daily worship services during the 2026 NYC, such as prayers, calls to worship, scripture readings, reflections, and more. Also available is an NYC playlist of the songs from NYC 2026, posted by Messenger magazine. Links take visitors to the playlist on either YouTube or Spotify.

“Let the Children Come to Me: Protecting Children from Militarized Violence” (Mark 9:36-37) is the theme for the next youth Christian Citizenship Seminar (CCS) sponsored by the Church of the Brethren’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry office. The 2027 CCS is planned for April 17-21 in Washington, D.C. The $525 registration fee includes all event programing, lodging for five nights, and two dinner meals. Each participant is to bring additional money for most meals, sightseeing, personal expenses, and public transportation fares. Participants will be staying at the Steinbrook Center. Online registration opens Dec. 1, at 12 p.m. Register and pay in full by Jan. 31 to receive a free t-shirt. A non-refundable deposit of $325 is due within two weeks of registration. Intercultural scholarships are available. For questions contact Becky Ullom Naugle in the Youth and Young Adult Ministry Office at bullomnaugle@brethren.org or 847-429-4385.

Brethren Disaster Ministries opened a new rebuilding site Aug. 30 in Buncombe County, N.C., expected to remain in operation through May 15, 2027. Working in partnership with Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders, Brethren Disaster Ministries will serve qualified families identified through the organization by making home repairs and constructing new homes in the ROOTS Community Land Trust, a 50-home affordable housing initiative in Black Mountain, N.C., for families displaced by Hurricane Helene. Many lost not only their homes but also the land beneath them or rental housing they can no longer return to. Learn more about volunteering at www.brethren.org/bdm/rebuild/volunteer.

Brethren Disaster Ministries regularly updates information for rebuilding volunteers here. BDM has been notified of a cancellation for the week of Dec. 6-12. Any interested persons wishing to sign up for that week can contact Kim Gingerich (kgingerich@brethren.org) at the BDM office or Lynn Evans at the Buncombe County project (bdmhelenerecovery@gmail.com).

Rick Koch, our district disaster coordinator, has said he plans to step down from that role at the end of this year. If you would have interest in serving, or know someone who might, please contact the district office.

The Illinois/Wisconsin District Potluck Experience, a sort of district conference without business, is held in the district every other year. The day features worship, educational opportunities, and a delicious potluck meal. Cerro Gordo has agreed to host the 2027 event on Saturday, April 17. It will run from approximately 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Nate Polzin of the denomination’s Discipleship and Leadership Formation office will be the keynote speaker and will also lead a workshop. Further planning is under way. Mark your calendars, and plan for a day of worship, workshops, and good food and fellowship! Watch for more details in the coming months

The 2027 Annual Conference will be held later than usual, July 28-Aug. 1 in Daytona Beach, Fla. Dennis Beckner, pastor of Columbia City (Ind.) Church of the Brethren will serve as moderator, with the theme “Growing Faith.”

Registration opens March 10. Costs are $350 for delegates and $175 for adult non-delegates in advance and $425 and $120, respectively, on-site. The conference hotel will be $190/night with tax, not including parking. Individual virtual registration will tentatively be $220 for the full conference. Find more information at www.brethren.org/ac. 

The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board appointed a committee to consider recommendations related to the future of Annual Conference. The task emerged from the “Breaking Down Barriers—Increasing Access to Denominational Events” study completed in 2025. Committee members are Torin Eikler, Cindy Laprade Lattimer, Rosanna Eller McFadden, and Rhonda Pittman Gingrich. The committee is exploring the format for future Annual Conferences and would like to hear what would help you participate in the future, especially if you have not participated in-person in the recent past. Two virtual listening sessions have already been held, but another will take place Nov. 3 at 1 p.m. Central. Each session lasts one hour. Registration is required here.

 

• Official IL/WI Channel
• Older Content

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 the district office, iwdde@outlook.com, or call 630-576-0276 ext. 800 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!

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.