The ELCA has faithful campus pastors, chaplains, and parish pastors that serve colleges and universities in Illinois and throughout the US. Support the young adults in your congregation by sending a list of their names and the school they are attending to Pr. Diane Dardon who will pass their names on to the appropriate campus pastors. You can offer support from the church to your young adults wherever they may be!

Jr Hi/Middle Schoolers are invited to a LOCK-IN, October 3-4, 2008 at Lutheran Campus Ministry at NIU 401 Normal Road, DeKalb, Il 60115. Contact: dianedardon@gmail.com. Sponsored by Lutheran Campus Ministry at NIU and Northern Illinois Synod Lutheran Youth Organization. Find out more here.

Mark your calendars: the Synod-wide Reformation and Ordination Service will be October 26 at 4 pm. at Zion, Rockford. All are encouraged to attend.

Plan to attend: Ken Medema will be in Rockford on Saturday, November 1 to lead a workshop called "The Offering as Worship."  All are welcome, and especially invited are the stewardship leaders and worship and music leaders of your congregation.  

Ken Medema will perform concerts on Sunday, November 2 at 3 pm at Our Savior's, Rockford and at St. Matthew's in Princeton on November 30.

Plan to attend one of this year's NI Synod Mission Gatherings: Caring for God's Creation Where I Live, which will be held in each conference this fall. Find out more including dates and locations.

The Diakonia Program equips people to teach, empower and befriend the needy in our midst, feed the hungry and witness to the power of the Gospel. For further information about this two-year theological program for lay people, please contact Doug Liston at 815-331-3000, dliston@premmag.com or go to www.nisynod.org/ministries/diakonia.htm .  

Plan to attend one of this year's NI Synod Mission Gatherings: Caring for God’s Creation Where I Live, which will be held in each conference this fall. All but one of the Mission Gatherings will be from 7-9 pm. Everyone is invited to attend one of these interesting and informative events, but congregation council members and other congregational leaders are especially encouraged to attend an event at a convenient place and time for them.Tuesday, September 30, New Life, Bolingbrook; Thursday, October 9, Bethany, Crystal Lake; Tuesday, October 14, St. John's, Peru; Tuesday, October 21, Immanuel, Rock Falls; Sunday, November 9-4-6 pm-Bethany, Woodhull; Tuesday, November 11 , First, Freeport; and Thursday, November 13, First, Geneseo
 
Travel with hosts John Califf & Pr. Jeff Clements for a tour of the Sights & Sounds of the Holy Land February 2-11, 2009 (with an optional extension to Jordan February 11-14, 2009). Visit Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives and the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square in Bethlehem. Walk in the Garden of Gethsemane, pray at the Western Wall, share communion on the Sea of Galilee, and more! Find out more here. Presiding Bishop Hanson's video from Synod Assembly, God's work. Our hands. is available on the ELCA website, and a link to that page is now on the front page of our website www.nisynod.org . Also, there you will find a link to the Assembly Bible Study videos by Diane Jacobson. 

At this year's Synod Assembly, Dr. Diane Jacobson, Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary, led the two excellent Bible study sessions. You can now view these Bible studies online, or request that a DVD copy be mailed to you. A small donation is suggested to cover expenses of reproducing and mailing the DVDs. Contact Karin@nisynod.org to request your copy.

The NIS Rural Ministry Task Force invites you to take a survey to help them better understand the needs and opportunities of rural ministry.There are two survey links, one for lay and one for clergy.  Pastor survey or Non-Pastor Survey. Contact Pr. Jonathan Black, Rural Ministry Consultant NIS, at jlblack@oglecom.com 
with questions.

The ELCA News Service wrote a press release about our own NIS Green Team. Read the article here.

Photos and Highlights from the the 2008 Synod Assembly are online at www.nisynod.org/assembly

In an attempt to make it easier to find information on the synod website, the beloved WT Annex has been replaced.
Now you can find all NIS News & Events at www.nisynod.org/events.
All Churchwide News & Events are at www.nisynod.org/events/churchwide.html
All Continuing Ed opportunities are at www.nisynod.org/events/continuinged.html
All News & Events from Other Organizations are at www.nisynod.org/events/otherorg.html
All Bulletin Board items, including Vacancies, are at www.nisynod.org/bulletinboard.
New items this week will continue to be featured in Walking Together
Questions and feedback may be directed to your NIS Communication Director.

If your email address has recently changed, please send your new address to karin@nisynod.org.

Does everyone in your congregation receive Walking Together? Spread the news! Everyone is welcome to find out more about how the NIS is making Christ known across Northern Illinois. Forward this email to a friend using the link at the bottom, or add their email address to the mailing list using the link below.

There are very few things that most individuals can do to save the Synod thousands of dollars, but this is one. If you are an eligible participant in the ELCA health plan and you haven't completed the Health Risk Assessment yet, please do it today. Not just to save money, but to make positive changes that will lead to a better, healthier life.

Would you like to e-Connect with LOMC? Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center has launched an e-newsletter chock full of great information about their year-round events and activities. To subscribe, send an email to lorifagan@verizon.net

Rural Ministry Synod Consultant, Jonathan Black invites lay leaders and clergy in rural settings to find resources for ministry through the Rural Ministry Task Force website at www.nisynod.org/rural .

A supply pastor list is available at www.nisynod.org/resources/supplypastors.htm

A substitute organist list is available at www.nisynod.org/resources/organist.htm . If you are a musician looking for work, please add your name to the list at the same site and check the Annex for many congregational musician job openings!

2008 Wellness Benefits Basics What you need to know ...

• The ELCA Board of Pensions is going to pay you to take the confidential Mayo Clinic health risk assessment and pursue health improvement activities.

• Take these steps and it will credit up to $300 into your 2008 personal wellness account (defined legally as a health reimbursement arrangement).

• If your spouse is covered by the plan and participates, you'll get another $300 credit. Use these dollars to reimburse yourself for eligible health care expenses like deductibles and copayments.

• If 75% or more of the members and spouses receiving ELCA PPO Benefits in our synod take the health risk assessment, our entire synod's congregations and organizations will receive a 2% discount on health plan contributions for 2008.

• This discount applies starting the month after our synod reaches the 75% goal. The earlier we reach 75%, the more we'll all save on 2008 health contributions.

• Remember, the health risk assessment is confidential. The Board of Pensions will not share personal health risk assessment results or participation information with employers or synod offices.

What you need to do ...

• Read the member toolkit coming by mail this fall from the Board of Pensions.

• Register on the Mayo Clinic EmbodyHealth web site.

• Take the health risk assessment.

• Pursue health improvement activities online.

The Synod maintains an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with VMC Behavioral Healthcare Services. The EAP is available to all rostered leaders as well as all salaried congregational and synod staff, and all of the immediate family in these different categories. For those covered by the ELCA Board of Pensions, it is a supplemental benefit. However, for those without such coverage, VMC provides a full range of benefits that are a wonderful gift to offer the synod. Please share this information with the appropriate people in your congregation and consider making use of this gift! Here is the information on how to reach VMC, our EAP provider: 800-843-1327, www.vmceap.com Login: Northern Illinois Synod Password: 8008431327

Upcoming Events

9/18 Mission Gathering Grace, Loves Park

9/22-24 Professional Leaders Conference

9/28 Southwest Conference Foods Resource Bank Harvest Festival

9/30 Mission Gathering New Life, Bolingbrook

10/3-4 Middle School Lock In at LCM @ NIU

10/6-7 Money Leadership for Rostered Leaders retreat 

10/9 Mission Gathering Bethany, Crystal Lake

10/21 Mission Gathering Immanuel, Rock Falls

10/26 Reformation & Ordination Service,
4pm, Zion, Rockford

10/29 "Care for Returning Veterans"

11/1 "The Offering as Worship" with Ken Medema 

11/1 - Green Congregation Training Workshop 9 am at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Center

11/14 Mission Gathering St. John's, Peru

12/1 Spiritual Re-formation retreat at LOMC

2/2-11/2009 Tour of the Sights & Sounds of the Holy Land