DISTRICT CONFERENCE 2026

Mark your calendars! The 2026 Illinois/Wisconsin District conference will take place Nov. 6-7 at Polo (Ill.) Church of the Brethren 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. 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. 

Annual Conference moderator Dennis Beckner (whose wife, Beth, is originally from the Franklin Grove area and grew up attending Camp Emmaus!) will be joining us for the event and leading an equipping session focusing on congregational renewal as well as a worship time on Saturday.

Business this year will include the 2027 district budget, the slate of those nominated to district positions, and polity related to congregations that decide they no longer wish to be part of the Church of the Brethren, as well as reports from various agencies, organizations, and district teams.

An exhibit area featuring various denominational and district organizations will be available. Based on the feedback received, activities for children and youth will not be offered this year at the conference, although National Youth Conference will be highlighted during the sharing time.

Lunch will be available on Saturday for $20 per person, with Tuscan chicken and vegetarian options.

A service project will assist the local Lifeline Food Pantry, which has been an important outreach ministry for Polo Church of the Brethren. Started in the early 1970’s out of a resident’s garage, it has grown over the years to continue to support the growing population of food insecure families and individuals. Currently the pantry serves about 100 to 115 families a month feeding around 400 individuals. Changes in SNAP benefits and the increase in inflation continue to add new people to its client list. Most clients are employed unless retired or disabled; the majority are seniors or families with children. The food banks which were previously relied upon as the main source of supplies have less and less food to offer, forcing the pantry to buy a lot of its food. This year it added five raised garden beds along with beds at the Polo church to grow as much produce as possible.

The following items are needed: Toilet paper; any canned meat; juice; shampoo; body wash; deodorant; laundry soap; canned fruit; sugar; canned soups; spaghetti sauce; canned vegetables; ketchup; mayonnaise; cheese of any kind. Those attending conference are encouraged to bring some of these items to be collected as donations to the pantry.

Before the official conference starts on Friday, 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. with a lunch break.

There is no official conference hotel this year. Instead, those attending who need lodging are encouraged to make direct reservations with one of the area hotels; the nearest are in Dixon, Rock Falls, or Oregon, along with some possible options near White Pines State Park.

Watch for more details in the weeks ahead!