CONGREGATIONAL/LOCAL NEWS

Canton will hold its annual trivia night with questions, food, and fellowship Feb. 18 beginning at 4 p.m. Participants can form teams or come as an individual. Bring a favorite snack and beverage (bottled water provided for all) and prepare for an evening of fun. Monical’s pizza will be provided (donations invited). To participate, contact Robin Henry at robinhenry514@gmail.com or 309-338-0951. … Canton has chosen "And Jesus Said" as its church theme for 2026.

Chicago First on Jan. 18 held its annual special Martin Luther King Jr. Day service via a joint worship time with its building partners. The guest speaker was Sherri Bevel from the Addie Wyatt Center for Nonviolence Training. The worship time was followed by a potluck meal. … The congregation is also planning a special weekend May 9-10 to celebrate its centennial. Watch for more details.

Naperville collected a special offering of more than $200 for Heifer International recently. It will be doing a special offering for One Great Hour of Sharing in March.

Peoria First is assembling snack packs for students at the local Hines Primary School (grades K-4) on Feb. 9. The congregation has committed to doing the snack packs once a month all school year as a community ministry. Each batch contains more than 400 packs with 11-12 items each. Extra snack packs, and boxes of NutriGrain and microwave popcorn are taken to the school office for those children who miss breakfast or are in after-school care. School supplies and other items for Hines are also collected through the year.

For fans of offbeat food product marketing, the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile will be visiting Chatham (12-2 p.m.) and Girard (3-5 p.m.) on Feb. 14, and Springfield (12-5 p.m.) Feb. 15.

Mark your calendars! The 2026 Illinois/Wisconsin District conference will take place Nov. 6-7 at Polo Church of the Brethren. Program & Arrangements Committee has begun working on plans. Watch for more details in the months ahead.

Brethren Press has informed customers with standing orders for the Church of the Brethren Yearbook that it will not be published for 2025, and their standing orders are suspended for the time being. The 2024 edition is still available to purchase from Brethren Press, go to www.brethrenpress.com/product_p/year2053.htm. The Yearbook office was moved from Brethren Press to Mission Advancement. More information about the Yearbook is expected to be made available by the Mission Advancement office.

Ecumenical representative Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford (Highland Avenue) represented the district at Ecumenism Metro Chicago’s prayer service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on Jan. 24 at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church in Chicago. The service’s theme was “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). At the close of the service, representatives of the church bodies in attendance signed joint statements of actions grounded in the organization’s declaration, “To care, protect, and preserve God’s gift of creation, for all of the earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1), affirming the Paris Agreement on climate change. The two statements “proclaim our Christian resolve to Protect Children, Grandchildren, Future Generations by Adopting Climate Change Mitigating Strategies and Protect Children, Grandchildren, Future Generations by Providing Clean, Safe Drinking Water…. These statements are a clear public witness of EMC’s Declaration that ‘taking decisive restorative action is a moral and religious imperative.’” Find out more at https://eia.archchicago.org/ecumenical-relations/ecumenism-metro-chicago-emc.