This is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Child who provided a reset for all things. His life makes it possible for all to live fully. And because He arrived amidst such terrible circumstances, we can be amidst terrible circumstances and still find a way through them. Darkness has served at times as the condition from whence light arrives.

November 14–16 marked a milestone for our conference as we held our very first Public High School Retreat at Camp Akita. Nearly 30 public-school and 8th graders from across our conference came together for three days of worship, friendship, and powerful reminders of how God is moving among our youth. What a blessing it was to see the Holy Spirit working so clearly in their lives.

When you get the Holy Spirit, you get Jesus.  Ask, and you shall receive. To get the Holy Spirit, we must ask for it every day, and every day, and every day. That was the emphasis of Pastor Dwight Nelson at the Illinois Conference Prayer Retreat that drew 88 people to Camp Akita on October 3 to 5.

With a radiant smile, Laura Lucio stood on the small stage before a hundred women who had gathered from across Illinois—and even as far as Texas and Tennessee—to worship, connect, and grow together in East Peoria. Appointed as the volunteer Women’s Ministries Coordinator in 2024, one of Laura’s first goals was to plan a statewide retreat. A year later, that dream became reality: The Unseen.