Mark your calendars for an extraordinary workshop led by Roy Oswald (formerly of the Alban Institute) on Monday, December 7, at Trinity, Moline. In this time of great stress for leaders of the ELCA, this workshop will provide some tools and time to help professional leaders address that stress. Thanks to some cost sharing, participants can attend for merely the cost of lunch - $12. (As you may know, Roy's multi-day workshops normally run in the $300-$500 range.) December is a busy time, but it is hoped that the cost and the topic will make it worth your while to devote this time. Roy will speak on Leadership and Balance: What congregations deeply want from their clergy is leadership  Not the authoritarian style but the open and vulnerable style.  One that contains lots of relational intelligence. Yet, many clergy are so exhausted and burned out by taking care of everyone, that they do not have time or patience for that type of leadership. In this workshop, Roy will discuss not working more or harder, but working with the type of self-care that restores vitality and lends credibility to a leadership style. We will explore working smarter not harder, plus giving our congregation the kind of solid leadership that helps move it forward. To register, contact Nancy Corey ncorey@nisynod.org or 309-794-4004 and send your fee to Illowa Lutheran Coalition, 639 38th St. Rock Island, Illinois 61201

   

             

Hungry for a change in menu? Hungry for quiet, candle lit  moments?  The Third Annual Advent by Candlelight, sponsored by NIU Lutheran Campus Ministry, will be December 4, at Bethlehem, DeKalb, and will feature authentic Guatemala cuisine, beginning with appetizers at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 and a program celebrating Advent immediately following dinner. Students from the campus ministry program will share their musical gifts and talents, interspersed with reflections on the Advent season. The cost is $30 per person with the majority of the costs supporting campus ministry at NIU. In addition to attending Advent by Candlelight, your artistic gifts are welcomed--the tables are decorated by individuals, families or congregational groups who love to share their artistic talents...the only requirement to decorating tables is that candles are in abundance...all other artistic flairs or holiday decorating is welcomed. To reserve your tickets to the event or to sign up to decorate a table (or tables!), please contact Pr. Diane Dardon, 815-756-7700.

The Spirituality Formation Committee of the Northern Illinois Synod invites rostered leaders to a one-day Spiritual Retreat: The Spirituality of Jesus. The infrastructure of Grace Mon., 12/7 at LOMC, 9 am to 4 pm. Download a registration form to find out more or contact Nancy Corey at ncorey@nisynod.org .

Annual NIS Ski Trip - Martin Luther King Jr. Day, 1/18/10 at Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galena. Download a flyer or contact Mary Lasits 815-756-4169.