We are currently taking orders for our 2014 Primary Election Voter Guide. The non-partisan IFI Voter Guide helps voters know more about the positions of candidates who are seeking your vote on March 18, 2014. Release date for the Voter Guide is scheduled for mid February but we are now taking bulk pre-orders. 

Take ACTION: To pre-order by email click HERE. You can also call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.

Suggested Donation: $25 for 100.

Hopefully all of your friends, neighbors and fellow church congregants are registered to vote (registration deadline is Feb. 18th). Help educate Illinois voters by distributing IFI’s 2014 Voter Guide. These Voter Guides are non-partisan educational pieces that report the positions of candidates on important issues such as life, marriage and other issues that directly affect your family. These Guides do not endorse or oppose any candidate or political party and are legal for distribution in churches under IRS guidelines. 

The IFI staff will be busy contacting churches to encourage them to engage in the civic process. Many have already committed to distributing the Voter Guide. However, Illinois is a very large state and we need your help to get the IFI Voter Guide into every church that is concerned about the direction our state and nation are heading. Would you ask your pastor if your church will take the IFI Voter Guide? 

If you are able to help please click HERE to let us know. Whether you want to take the IFI Voter Guides to your church, set up a distribution point in your area or be the contact person for your city or county, we need your help.

Spread the Word!

Do you have friends or acquaintances who could benefit from IFI’s informational emails? If you do, please forward this IFI email to them and encourage them to join our e-mail list! 

It is only because of concerned citizens like you that we are able to continue promoting pro-family values in the Land of Lincoln. 

Thank you for helping us to reach more families!

February 18th is the last day to register to vote for the upcoming March 18th Primary Election.

Registering to vote is the first step to engage in civic life and become a good steward of your God-given responsibility of self-government. A new law now allows any Illinois citizen who will be eighteen by the November 4, 2013 General  Election Day to register and to vote in the March 18th Primary Election.

The process for registering is easy and convenient, but unfortunately, millions of Americans choose not to take the time. It’s estimated that from 35 percent to 50 percent of Americans are not registered to vote.

It’s even worse among self-professing Christians. Research shows that only about 60 percent of Christians are registered to vote, and of those, only 60 percent actually vote. This means that only 36 percent of Christians actually vote!

Registering Voters is Easy!

Just think about how many people you know who have moved and need to re-register. Think of how many young men and women you know who are turning 18 and can vote for the first time this year. Consider engaging citizens who have not voted in the past to become actively involved in impacting our nation’s future!

IFI has created a free voter registration packet containing all of the information you need to conduct a drive. Please consider holding a voter registration drive at your church, local school or library. Sign up to help with voter registration drives in your area!

Just 2 Simple Steps:

1. Click HERE to download and print out the Illinois Voter Registration Application. Make as many copies as you think you will need during your registration drive.

2. Mail the completed application(s) to your local election authority. Click HERE to look up the mailing address. If you are unsure of your election authority, please feel free to contact us. Call (708) 781-9328 during normal business hours, or email us anytime and we will be glad to help!

Voter Registration Kit Resources:

• Voter Registration Application
• Constitutional Protections for Pastors
• What Churches Can and Cannot Do
• How to Conduct a Voter Registration Drive
• Election Schedule and Registration Deadlines
• List of Illinois Election Authorities

Voter Registration Bulletin 

• Bulletin Insert Option #1 
• Bulletin Insert Option #2 
• Bulletin Insert Option #3 
• Bulletin Insert Option #4 

Voter Registration FAQ’s

Q. I’ve moved. Do I need to register again?
A. Yes. The easiest way to register again is to just follow the 2-step process above.

Q. My name has changed. Do I need to register again?
A. Yes. The easiest way to register again is to just follow the 2-step process above.

Q. I am 17 years old now, but will be 18 on the date of the next General Election. Can I register?
A. Yes. You may register now for an election as long as you will be 18 years old on the date of the immediately following General Election. Just follow the 2-step process above.

Q. I sent in my form two weeks ago, but I haven’t heard anything back yet. Did it get lost?
A. You should receive confirmation 4-6 weeks after your original submission. If you do not hear from your County Clerk by then, give them a call. Click HERE for a list of County Clerk offices.

Q. I am a pastor or a church leader. Can I encourage the members at my church to register to vote and hold a voters registration drive?
A. Yes. Voter registration drives are not considered political activity. Although certain limitations are imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax code and campaign laws, churches and pastors are able to engage in nonpartisan activity, particularly voter registration and voter education. There is no legal restriction whatsoever on the ability of churches to register voters or provide them candidate survey information, like the material provided in the IFI Voter Guide.

Many already have grown weary of the political season, but now is not the time to grow weary! This year is shaping up to be one of the most critical ever for issues that affect our families.

The philosopher Plato said it well when he wrote, “The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves.”

To request your IFI Voter Registration Kit, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328 or email us HERE.

Happy New Year to you and your family!

We fully realize that 2014 will be an important year for our state and nation. New challenges and opportunities await us. As always, IFI will be advancing a pro-family policy strategy designed to protect human life, defend religious freedom, and counteract the forces that tear apart our families. I hope you will stand with us.

Pray First of All!

1 Timothy 2 tells us to pray for “all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quite life in all godliness and dignity.” I invite you to join me and the staff at IFI in committing ourselves to praying for our state and federal lawmakers. With our state and nation in financial crisis, our government officials will be making many tough decisions in the coming months. Let’s start the new year by committing to covering them with prayer all year long!

Psalm 9:9-10 tells us, “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.” 

Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” In ancient times, strong walls and towers were security for citizens fleeing invaders.

Today, we may not fear literal invaders, but, indeed, we are concerned by our culture that has been saturated with dangerous lies and ominous agendas. Our homes and schools are threatened by “assaults” of promiscuity — heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and transgender. Our culture, media, and even legislature are driven by an ideology that runs counter to biblical truth. It has even affected our worldview and our churches. Still, we take hope!

May God bless you with a happy, healthy, Christ-centered New Year! 

Introduce IFI to your friends, church or civic group

Serve as a contact person by receiving information from IFI and distributing it to others or posting it on bulletin boards. You can keep current by signing up for IFI E-Alerts and IFI E-Newsletters and be registering and checking in on our Take Action center.

Host a gathering of friends for a private evening with the IFI team.

Staff members are available to speak at your church or group function about IFI’s work at the Illinois Capitol, with parents working against liberal indoctrination at their public schools, and a variety of other issues including marriage, fatherhood, and current family policy initiatives.

I hope you are all celebrating a joyous end to 2013 in the company of family and friends. As the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, not only do we close the 2013 chapter of our lives but also our financial books here at IFI.

On Saturday I wrote, “In the media and the churches, in the halls of government and in government schools, we will fight for faith and family in the midst of intolerant ‘progressives’ who are deeply hostile to the very existence of traditional faith and beliefs about family. Your partnership in prayer and financial support will enable us to represent your values in the public square on life, sexual morality, and religious freedom.”

Those are not just words. On the day that article was published, I delivered a message to a convention of Chinese Christians  in St. Charles, Illinois. I talked to the attendees about the importance of political involvement and about our obligation to shape the culture.

Your donation today makes it possible for this important work to continue through the Illinois Family Institute. Your donation makes us stronger for the work God has for us in 2014.

Please consider giving online by clicking HERE.  We simply cannot do it without you.

Ideas matter enormously, and ideas matter most when embodied in action.

Alfred North Whitehead observed that “Ideas won’t keep. Something must be done about them.”

It is my honor and privilege to work with a powerful thinker and writer, Laurie Higgins. On the same day I published the email I mentioned above Laurie wrote:

“It isn’t enough for homosexuals to have their own offensive annual parades every June in every major city dedicated to celebrating deviance. And it wasn’t enough to ruin Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for families with a live performance from a play that celebrates cross-dressing. No, it seems their goal is to ruin every public event for families by publicly celebrating perversion.

Inquiring minds want to know if Christian leaders would remain similarly (and oddly) silent if the sin being celebrated were consensual incest or the enslavement of other humans? What should Christian leaders do when a biblical truth is dragged into the public square and into the political scene? And what should Christian leaders do when their flocks are being deceived by the pervasive dissemination of lies, including even the dissemination of lies to our littlest ones–lies which are darkening their minds and molding their hearts. If the church does not participate in exposing these lies, which are confusing even adults, who, pray tell, will?”

Your donation right now will make it possible for us to continue to do something with these ideas in 2014.

Stand with us!

Take this opportunity to join a growing number of Illinoisans who have made a monthly financial commitment to IFI. Your monthly commitment helps us better plan and evaluate what we can afford to do several months into the future. This is especially important as many of our initiatives must be planned months in advance. It’s easy to set up a recurring contribution by credit card or electronic funds transfer by completing this mail-in form or by calling the office at (708) 781-9328.

On behalf of the entire IFI team, Happy New Year!

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Help us begin 2014 strong for the upcoming battles–Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  

You can also send a gift to P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL  60188.  Remember, according to the IRS, year-end gifts must be postmarked by December 31, 2013.

Dear Pro-Family Friends,

You’ll be happy to hear that The Illinois Family Institute has achieved our goal to raise $50,000 late yesterday — one day earlier than expected!  The response to this challenge match has been fantastic and encouraging.  THANK YOU to all who contributed!

But we don’t have to stop there!  Any donation given or mailed by December 31st will benefit IFI’s critical work and ministry in 2014.  

IFI has been your voice for traditional family values for more than 20 years. We have never been afraid to stand up and speak out in the public square for the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country is based, no matter how “politically incorrect.” Though the year is ending, the battle will surely continue into 2014 and beyond. Will you continue to serve with us in this battle?

Please consider giving online by clicking HERE.  We need you more than ever.  We simply cannot do it without you.

If you have been reading our emails and website, I don’t have to tell you how emboldened our adversaries have become.  Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen them ramp up their attacks on the values we hold dear.  They have absolutely no tolerance for Christian businessmen and women who own and operate bakeries, bed & breakfasts, photography studios, and floral shops.  They must be punished.  So they are sued for refusing to participate in same-sex ceremonies, which they consider immoral.

Counseling students are expelled from state universities for choosing not to counsel unmarried couples on how to engage in sinful relationships.

Personal modesty and the safety of children are being tossed overboard as public bathrooms are being opened to gender-confused people. All this because elected officials are more concerned about pandering to a radical lobby than they are about defending common sense.

Christian ministries and employers are being told that they must underwrite the costs of drugs and devices that destroy human life in their own health insurance plans. All this because of government officials who are unwilling to protect the religious liberties and conscience rights of American citizens.

While prayer and bible reading are outlawed in our government schools, evolution, naturalism and humanism is taught as “science.”   Instead, students are being politically indoctrinated to tolerate and even celebrate what the Bible calls sin. 

Many neighborhood libraries defend having unfettered access to Internet pornography, even though perverts surf graphic sites in full view of children and families. 

Media firestorms erupt when high profile Christians express an opinion in favor of natural marriage.  Chick-fil-A’s Dan Cathy and Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson were targeted for boycotts and smear campaigns by multi-million dollar organizations devoted to advancing the LGBTQ agenda.  

Maybe I missed something during the Robertson brouhaha, but not once did I hear or read a political pundit in the media address the glaring double standard that, in my opinion, was the elephant in the room.  Why is it that A&E had the right to suspend Phil Robertson because they don’t agree with his religious views, but Christian bakery owners/photographers/florists cannot do the same for same-sex ceremonies they don’t agree with?

And why is it that when Robertson paraphrases 1 Corinthians 6: 9 & 10 and addresses sexual morality, liberals indignantly claim that homosexuals shouldn’t be compared to drunkards, prostitutes and bestiality.  Well, why aren’t they equally concerned that the greedy and slanderers are being compared to adulterers and fornicators?  

I can think of two reasons.

First, the greedy, drunkards, prostitutes and slanderers do not have a multi-million dollar lobby, so there is no one to issue a press release and feign outrage.

Secondly, they need to manufacture an emotional response in hopes of gaining the sympathy of the public.  Robertson wasn’t comparing homosexuality with bestiality any  more than he was comparing homosexuality with slander.  He was merely listing a number of sins — which included heterosexual and homosexual sins. 

The fact is we are all sinners in need of God’s grace and we all need to ask for His forgiveness.  We all need the Savior.  But if we as a society start calling evil good, how will the world know about sexual morality?  How will our culture know that sex outside of marriage — one man, one woman, offends God?  

If we call evil good, or stand silently by as the rest of the world calls evil good, healthy and normal, how will they know how they have offended a Holy God?  How can they turn and sin no more?  

If we are not willing to clearly declare the truth about sin we are guilty of affirming it.

Illinois Family Institute will not remain silent.  We are proud to be pro-family.  That is what we are here to do.  We will continue to boldly speak out about the truth of the sanctity of life, the importance of marriage and the role of the natural family regardless of cultural trends and political agendas. Thankfully, there are many who are partnering with us. I hope you will continue to stand with IFI in 2014 as we strive to challenge the Goliaths of our day.

Please consider a generous contribution to IFI right now, as we depend heavily on year-end donations. Once the General Assembly returns to Springfield, they will get back to work wanting to fulfill promises to the liberal special interest groups. Your financial support in 2013 was crucial, and your dedication to our common mission is critical to our continued success.

Please consider giving online by clicking HERE. 

With your help, we will continue our efforts to uphold marriage, family, life and liberty in the Land of Lincoln.

Your support will take us above and beyond our year end goal, and will be added to the promised $25,000 match that a few donors are sending in now.  Yesterday’s donations put us over the top.  Thanks be to God.

Here are some ways you can give your tax-deductible donation:

• Contribute online HERE. 
• Give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Deb Schloemer, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.
• Mail your year-end gift. Send to: Illinois Family Institute, P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL, 60188
• We also accept credit card donations over the phone at (708) 781-9328.

Please join with us in praying that God would provide the resources we need to move boldly into next year! 

Thank you, God bless you and Happy New Year,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Help us begin 2014 strong for the upcoming battles  – Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.

“I will not give or back off from my path because you conquered death, Father, so we are not worried about all the repercussions.” That’s a portion of Phil Robertson’s prayer from this past Sunday as reported by Fox News.

We’re standing with Phil and not backing off either. We will continue to be a consistent and powerful voice for faith and family in the Land of Lincoln, for these remaining days of 2013 and on into the 2014 General Assembly session as long as we can count on you to stand with us. 

Thank you to all of you who responded to my last message, and to all who have contributed to our year-end campaign by mail, online or by phone!  We are making progress toward our goal, but still have a ways to go.  If everyone reading this email would give $25, we would easily surpass our goal of raising $50,000 by the end of the month. From now until midnight December 31st every gift to The Illinois Family Institute — up to $25,000 — will be doubled.  (All donations are tax-deductible.)

If you haven’t already contributed, there’s still time to have your year-end gift doubled!

Would you prayerfully consider a donation of $25, or whatever amount you can afford?

Your support will allow IFI to tackle the challenges of 2014.  No donation is too large or too small. Any donations received online through midnight December 31st or postmarked by December 31st will be matched. We rely completely on individual contributions to fund our work and ministry.   We need you to stand with us to keep us going in 2014.

You can also mail your tax-deductible donation to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, IL  60188 

If you agree that The Illinois Family Institute shouldn’t back down either, please prayerfully consider a year-end gift of $25 or more.  

Remember, all gifts received by midnight on December 31st will be doubled.

God bless you again for all of your prayers and financial support over the years. We know that as a grassroots organization we are entirely dependent on your generosity and support. And we are so grateful for it!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director 

P.S. We need you to help us reach our goal of raising a total of $50,000 by the end of the month – Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  You can also send a gift to P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL  60188.

What’s next?

That’s the question the citizens of Illinois should be asking themselves. Now that our state lawmakers have decided to redefine marriage, legalize “medical” marijuana and teach “comprehensive” sex-education to young children in our government schools,  what’s next?

Let’s put aside for the moment the fact that our state lawmakers didn’t listen to us–we the people–in their feckless decisions. As for same-sex “marriage,” they decided to make the decision without us, our input or our approval, caving in to the political pressure of Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and the multi-million dollar homosexual lobby. But as frustrating as this is, what is of more concern right now is what will happen next?

Well, the day after the Illinois House voted to redefine marriage, we may have been given a preview of things to come. As I was waiting to be interviewed by Tony Sarabi of Chicago’s Public Radio (WBEZ), I listened to him interview Tracy Baim, the publisher and executive editor of Windy City Times, a homosexual Chicago newspaper.  During the interview, she revealed that the true goal of the radical LGBTQ agenda is to silence and punish any moral opposition to their lifestyle–even pastors and priests:

...the problem with Religious Freedom [and Marriage Fairness] Act is that there are all these exemptions on religion, and believe me, I don’t believe that a church should be forced to perform a same gender wedding.  But if you continue down those exemptions after a legitimate church what happens is you have other people that say on religious grounds that they don’t want to serve people, they don’t want, literally, to serve them at their breakfast counter or serve them in their B&B, or provide wedding photography. And while that is really an emotional issue, and I can understand why the right-wing is very upset about B&B owners being sued, we have to look at this through historical lens–and that is so offensive that people could just decide who to serve and who not to serve based on characteristic of who they are, including their religion. [emphasis added.]

Baim continued:

…this new law that just passed yesterday has a whole series of things in it that are questionable of what is a religious institution. So they bent over backwards to try to be accommodating , but in many ways it is a violation of–well it will be played out in court–of what really can be considered.  So can a club, like the Rotary or the Kiwanis or whatever say based on their religious beliefs they don’t want to do something.  Well they can say they don’t want to serve someone who is of a different race or who is Muslim, etc. So it will be interesting to see how this will play out…  [emphasis added.]

Five law professors who favor same-sex “marriage” identified Illinois’ law (SB 10) as the absolute worst in the nation in protecting religious liberty and freedom of conscience, and still Baim and other radical activists in her community will not rest until all exemptions are eliminated and all opposition is punished.

Baim demonstrates an utter lack of respect for religious liberty, which, unlike “sexual orientation,” is actually included in the U.S. Constitution. Religious beliefs and conscience objections to being involved with an activity–not a person–but an activity we believe is immoral is irrelevant to activists like Baim. All rights are subordinate to their purported right to engage in homosexual acts. Our First Amendment civil rights to freely exercise religion be damned.  

That is exactly what is happening in Colorado where a Christian-owned bakery was ordered by a judge from the Colorado Civil Rights Commission to make cakes for same-sex ceremonies or face fines. The baker didn’t refuse to serve homosexuals. He refused to participate in a ceremony that celebrates a union that his faith teaches is an abomination to God. Baim is either dishonest or ignorant when she claims that people of faith will seek to refuse “literally to serve” homosexuals, or “to serve them at their lunch counter.” There is no evidence that Christians seek to refuse to provide lunch to homosexuals at their lunch counters or to sell them donuts on their way to work. Some Christians refuse to use their gifts to provide goods and services for activities (e.g., weddings, civil ceremonies, or sleepovers) that violate their religious convictions.  

And remember how many of our “tolerant” liberal political officials treated the religious views of Chick-Fil-A’s CEO Dan Cathy when he dared to speak in favor of natural marriage? His company was threatened with being blacklisted and forbidden to do businesses in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel went so far as to say that “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago’s values,” (a strange claim in light of the fact that he worked for Obama when Obama opposed same sex “marriage”).  Elected officials in Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington DC said the same thing: Chick-Fil-A was not welcome because the owner holds a traditional view of marriage. 

We have been warning our subscribers for years now:  The end goal of the radical LGBTQ agenda isn’t “marriage equality.” The end goal is to silence any and all moral opposition to homosexuality. And they plan to use the heavy hand of government to censor and punish conservative and Judeo-Christian views on sexuality and marriage. How long before they tell our churches, our ministries and our families that our values are not their values? It’s coming faster than you realize.

Further, if the government redefines marriage for homosexuals, it must continue to redefine marriage for other groups or risk being guilty of the same kind of discrimination of which natural marriage supporters stand accused. So, what will be the next legal battle facing marriage?

Already efforts are under way to legalize plural unions in order to protect the “rights” of polygamists and polyamorists. Late last week, a federal judge in Utah struck down part of a Utah law that outlawed plural marriage. This is the logical and inevitable next step after eliminating sexual complementarity from the legal definition of marriage. After all, it is far more radical to jettison sexual complementarity from the legal definition of marriage than it is to jettison the requirement regarding number of partners. 

These “alternative lifestyles” further reduce marriage to any group of people that want to live together and have sexual relations. They also place the desires of adults above what is best for children while ignoring recent studies showing that kids are better raised in a home with a mother and a father.

Now more than ever we need you to stand with the Illinois Family Institute in defending the Judeo-Christian worldview. As we actively defend the traditional, conservative values upon which our country was built, we recognize that we can’t do it without your support.

The attacks our values face are many. They are well-funded, well-organized attacks aimed at destroying our shared values–values that are essential to the continued health of the nation. But we have something that our opposition doesn’t: the majority. Our numbers are far greater than theirs as recent studies continue to show a strong support for natural marriage, life and religious freedom.

Though our adversary is well-funded, politically connected and speaking loudly, we the people have greater numbers that can make an incredible impact if we stand together. Will you commit right now to stand with the Illinois Family Institute in defending our shared values from the attacks of a few people that want to fundamentally change our country?

Whether you can commit to sending a one-time gift, become a monthly donor or help underwrite the cost of specific needs we have right now, every person, and every effort makes a difference.

Please stand with the Illinois Family Institute by donating right now!

Now is not the time to sit back and wait for someone else to get involved. Now is the time to stand up and become a proactive force in defending the values we cherish. Imagine what could be accomplished if you, your family and your friends each decided to get involved. The momentum we could create would be an unstoppable force.

IFI will be leading the charge in 2014 educating voters throughout our state with our Voter Guide, standing up to those seeking to attack the family, continually standing for innocent human life and opposing those seeking to undercut our family values in our government schools.

Our mission at Illinois Family Institute is to stand for biblical, Judeo-Christian values, and in doing so, help bring Illinois back to a state in which religious liberty flourishes, families prosper and every human life is valued. Your support by the end of the year will ensure that we have the resources necessary to fulfill our mission in 2014.

I want to remind you that we have a $25,000 Year-End Matching Grant offered by a group of generous benefactors.  Any donation given or mailed by December 31st will go toward this matching challenge and will be fully tax-deductible, lowering your 2013 tax burden.

Any donation received by (or postmarked on) December 31st will be matched. If you contribute $50 IFI will receive $100, if you give $1,000 we will receive $2,000 and so forth.  No amount, whether a monthly or one-time gift, is too small or too large. We appreciate all of your donations more than we can possibly say.

Please partner with us and make a tax-deductible gift today.

May God bless you and your family this Christmas season.

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director 

P.S. Help us reach our goal of raising a total of $50,000 by the end of the month – Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  

You can also send a gift by mail to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, IL  60188

I am pleased to announce that in an effort to help us raise $50,000 by the end of December, a number of generous donors have offered to match donations to IFI all the way up to $25,000 dollars! So between now and December 31^st, you can double the impact of your giving!   

Click HERE to give online.

As we approach the end of 2013 and reflect on perhaps our busiest year to date, I cannot help but think what a tragic year it’s been in public policy for conservative people of faith.  There were historic disappointments this past year, and we had front row seats to watch as Illinois slipped further down the proverbial slippery slope.

Despite relentless attacks on the natural family, we continue to trust that God is at work in our lives, in our communities, and in his church. This year more than ever, I am grateful to have all of you as a partners in this fight.

“We are hard pressed on every side,
but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair…”
~2 Corinthians 4:8

There will be tremendous opportunities for continued impact and real change in 2014. It is only through your support that we are able to work tirelessly to promote pro-family views. We must continue to stand up to the attacks on our civil rights of speech, religion, and parental rights. The challenges facing Illinois are serious. Untangling the mess our feckless lawmakers have put us in will be difficult, and we have no reason to expect that the attacks against the fundamental truths concerning life, marriage, faith, decency, and the natural family will cease or diminish.  

It is clear that the Illinois Family Institute is needed now more than ever.  

In the media, in churches, in the halls of government, and in places of business, IFI will boldly speak out for faith and family in the midst of a state dominated by out-of-touch politicians, corrupt bureaucrats, far-left media pundits, and agenda-driven educators who are deeply hostile to the truths about faith and families.

Please help support IFI’s important work & ministry. 

As we enter the New Year, our immediate focus will be on producing and distributing the popular IFI Voter Guide to help voters across the state make informed decisions about candidates running for governor, Congress, and the General Assembly. The primary election in March and the general election in November will be on the front burner here in Illinois 2014. Your support of IFI will help extend our reach far and wide. 

But more than that, end-of-year gifts help to carry IFI well into the next year. This funding coupled with your prayers and words of support affirm to us that the work of IFI is valued and vital to pro-family efforts in Illinois. 

The rules of the Year-End Matching Grant are simple. Any donation we receive from now until December 31st will be doubled up to the $25,000 limit (donations postmarked Dec. 31st will count). If your tax-deductible donation is $50, we will receive $100; if you give $100 we will receive $200 and so on. If you have the ability to give us a $1,000 or larger donation, that too will be matched. If we receive $25,000 in donations by the deadline we will qualify for the full grant, thus raising $50,000 in the last three weeks of the year.

The Year-End Matching Grant is IFI’s most popular giving program and provides for a major portion of our operating budget. Your willingness to double your donation by giving to IFI today is what makes it possible for us to continue to fight for our values here in the state where we live, work, and raise our children and grandchildren.  

As we seek the good Lord’s guidance and direction in our work and ministry to bring a Christian perspective to public policy (which, by the way, is constitutional), we ask that you stand alongside us prayerfully and financially.  Illinois families are worth it.  Your family, children, and grandchildren are worth it.

Faith, family, freedom: No other organization in Illinois fights for them like IFI. It’s why many of you have given to us in the past. And it’s why I hope everyone reading this email will answer my plea by doubling your donation to the one pro-family group in our state who can take the fight to our opponents.

It’s what we do. It’s why we’re here. But we cannot do it without your help! Please double our ability to fight for you by giving today to our Year-End Matching Grant Campaign Drive.

Click here to double your tax-deductible donation to Illinois Family Institute!

There is so much more we need to do to create a family-friendly Illinois that will be a blessing to our children and grandchildren. At this time of year, when we normally raise a major portion of our annual budget, will you help us continue to fight for the future of the family?  We want to restore a pro-marriage and pro-family culture to our state for the sake of our children and generations to come. By giving today, you can help make it happen.

Please consider how you can help us begin 2014 from a place of strength.

Click HERE to give online.

We appreciate all that you do, and ask for your continued prayers and participation. Thank you for your support! We look forward to partnering with you in 2014 to stand courageously and winsomely for the values we share.

May God bless you during this Advent and Christmas season.

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director 

P.S. Help us reach our goal of raising a total of $50,000 by the end of the month — Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.  You can also send a gift to P.O. Box 88848, Carol Stream, IL  60188.

The board of directors and staff of Illinois Family Institute extend our heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supporter our organization and the pro-family cause over the last year, and we wish you and your families a most wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday.  

“In everything give thanks,
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
~1 Thessalonians 5:18 

In the 19th century, Henry Morton Dexter wrote an amazing poem about the First Thanksgiving. It combines these concepts and ideas, and could be another tidbit for you to recite this year at Thanksgiving: 

We had gathered in our harvests, and stored the yellow grain,
For God had sent the sunshine, and sent the plenteous rain;
Our barley-land and corn-land, Had yielded up their store,
And the fear and dread of famine, oppressed our homes no more. 

As the chosen tribes of Israel, in the far years of old,
When the summer fruits were garnered, and before the winter’s cold,
Kept their festal week with gladness, with songs and choral lays,
So we kept our first Thanksgiving in the hazy autumn days.

Some Background on Thanksgiving

The biblical doctrine of giving thanks is at the root and origin of this truly American holiday. God declares in His Word that we are to give thanks “in everything.” We certainly are not to approve of everything, and thus this does not mean we give thanks for every event that occurs in our lives or all that happens to us. However, in the midst of every circumstance, every trial and all that comes to us, knowing God has allowed it all for our good, we are grateful, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. 

Giving thanks is being grateful for who God is in the midst of everything. Its focus is on God and who He is, not on what we think we deserve. The entitlement mentality is reflected in our nation now more than ever. But God is good and we are sinful. We deserve judgment, but receive much mercy. When we realize who we are and what we deserve in contrast to who God is and what He has given us, we are grateful in the midst of whatever circumstance may come our way. 

When the Pilgrims arrived in November of 1620, they brought with them the biblical doctrine of giving thanks. They gave thanks to God in the midst of difficulties (banishment, jail, persecution and loss of material possessions, storms at sea, and being blown off course to Cape Cod.) They gave thanks to God in the midst of death when half their company died the first winter. They gave thanks to God in the midst of drought (in 1623) and especially thanked God when it rained “gentle showers.” 

They also gave thanks to God during their three day harvest festival, probably in the month of October, 1621, which is the origin of our modern Thanksgiving holiday.  The 51 surviving Pilgrims were joined by 90 Native Americans for this three day feast. They ate seafood, fowl and native wild turkey along with venison. Only four adult women had survived to host a dinner of 140.  

In October 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving to be Thursday, the 26th of November that year.  The proclamation declared, in part, that Americans should observe a day of “public thanksgiving and prayer” devoted to “the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

Washington was very dedicated to showing thanks — to Divine Providence, to his wife Martha, to his troops, to the Continental Congress, and to his fellow countrymen.  There are many very positive character traits that we assign to him — unflinching integrity, bold and decisive leadership, undying loyalty, and incredible humility – and perhaps chief among them was his reputation for thanking others and giving credit to those who deserved credit.  Read and/or print the entire proclamation HERE.

The origin of giving God thanks in the midst of difficulty was rooted in the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast, described in Leviticus 23:34, took place for a week in October, and involved feasting and giving thanks to God for your provision though mixed with suffering.  (See also Deut. 16:14-15)  It has also been called the Feast of Ingathering (or harvest), the Feast of thanksgiving, and the pilgrim feast (due to the wandering of the Israelites). It was a celebration of joy mixed with suffering and the abundance of water in the midst of drought.  

These are things Christians would do well to remember today as we giving thanks to God Almighty for His goodness, mercy and love to us! 

From IllinoisReview.com

WHO:  Illinois Family Institute
WHAT:  Defend Marriage Lobby Day
WHEN:  Wednesday, October 23, 2013, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. CDT
WHERE: Illinois State Capitol, 401 S. 2^nd Street, Springfield

Contact: David E. Smith (708) 781-9328

The Illinois Family Institute, along with the African-American Clergy Coalition, the Catholic Conference of Illinois and churches across the state, will hold an important Defend Marriage Lobby Day on Wednesday at the state Capitol to encourage lawmakers to protect and strengthen marriage instead of undermining it through Senate Bill 10. 

“Children need both a mom and a dad. Both are fundamentally important,” said David E. Smith, executive director of Illinois Family Institute. “Intentionally placing children in motherless or fatherless homes is a terrible violation of children’s rights and needs. Marriage promotes healthy, natural families for the common good today and for future generations.” 

“We are also very concerned that people of faith have absolutely no conscience protections in SB 10,” Smith added. “We should be free to live and work according to our beliefs. Forcing people of faith to surrender their deeply held beliefs in order to keep their jobs, maintain a state contract (like Catholic Charities), or run a business or ministry is wrongfully discriminatory.”

To learn more about the Defend Marriage Lobby Day, please click HERE.

Please watch this 2 minute video and send it to like-minded friends to encourage them to join us for our second Defend Marriage Lobby Day at the Capitol on Wednesday:

INSTRUCTIONS — PRIOR TO ARRIVING IN SPRINGFIELD 

• Know the name and office address of your state representative. CLICK HERE  

• Bring picture ID to go through security.  

• We suggest that you bring a lunch, snacks and drinks.  

• Wear comfortable walking shoes.  

• Looking for a ride to Springfield?  See bus locations below. 

INSTRUCTIONS – UPON ARRIVAL IN SPRINGFIELD

1.)  After passing through security, go to the north hallway in the Rotunda. If you know your state rep, proceed to the tables on the west side of the hallway to pick up your information packet and button.  If you do NOT know your state rep, proceed to the tables on the east side and computer volunteers will assist you.

2.)  Take signed letter, found in your information packet, to your representative, Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge).

3.)  Attend any of these scheduled event:

• 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM     Prayer Rally at Lincoln Statue (2^nd St)
• 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM        Visit your state rep & 2 other leaders
• 11:00 AM – Noon              Marriage Rally in the Rotunda
• Noon – 1:00 PM                 Special Music in the Rotunda         
• 1: 00 PM – 3:00 PM         Marriage (Jericho) Prayer Walk

BUS LOCATIONS

Buffalo Grove area

St. Mary School
10 N. Buffalo Grove Rd (intersection of Lake-Cook & Buffalo Grove) in Buffalo Grove
Contact Fred Sturgeon – (847) 344-8791 or Ted Valenti – (847) 910-2009
Leaving at 7:15 AM (school bus) and returning from Capitol at 2:30 PM
Cost per person $20

Chicago area

Israel Methodist Community Church
7616 Cottage Grove, Chicago
Departing at 6 AM and returning from Capitol at 2:30 PM
Contact Dr. Crawford, Pro-Life Pro-Family Coalition, (773) 960-5656 or (773) 483-1131
Cost per person $10 (includes lunch)

Queen of All Saints Basilica
6280 N. Sauganash Ave. in Chicago
The bus leaves at 5:30 AM 
Contact the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Respect Life Office, (312) 534-5355
Cost is $25 which includes lunch

St Thomas More Church
2825 W 81st St, Chicago
Contact Kathy at (773) 436-4444
Call for cost and departure details 

Salem Baptist Church
752 E. 114th Street in Chicago
Departing at 7 AM and returning from Capitol at 2:30 PM
Contact LaNiece at (708) 227-3189

Crystal Lake area

St. Thomas The Apostle Church (176^th & Oak St.) in Crystal Lake
Departing @ 6: AM and returning from Capitol @ 2:00 PM
Contact Phil Weyna, McHenry County Right to Life, (815) 861-5847
Cost per person $30

Hobby Lobby in the parking lot
6250 Northwest Hwy  Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Departing at 6:00 AM and return to Crystal Lake at 6:00 PM
Register at www.truthexchange.net
Questions: Email KathyBarnette@TruthExchange.net 

Southern Suburban areas

Faith Church at 100 – 81^st Ave. Dyer, IN 46311
Departing at 6:30 AM (church van(s)) and returning from Capitol at 12:30 PM
Contact Bob Hofstra, (708) 257-7772
Cost per person – TBA

Stone Church
10737 Orland Parkway, Orland Park, IL  60467
Departing at 6:30 AM and leaving Springfield at 2:30 PM
Contact Wayne Matulis at (708) 473-4116
$25 per person

Calvary Baptist Church
17430 94th Avenue in Tinley Park, Illinois  60477
Departing at 6:00 AM and leaving Springfield at 2:30 PM
Contact Sharon Hammond at (708) 396-9877
No Cost

Libertyville area

Marytown – 1600 W Park Ave. (Butterfield Rd & Rt 176) in Libertyville
Departs from Marytown at 6:00 AM and returning from Capitol at 2:00 PM
Contact Bonnie Quirke, Lake County Right to Life, (847) 644-8456
Cost per person $35

Lincolnshire area

Sedgebrook Retirement Community
800 Audubon Way (directly east of Barnes & Noble)
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Leaving at 6:00 AM and  returning from Capitol at 3:00 PM
Contact Phil Wertz (847) 415-2514 or at (847) 828-5828
Cost per person $30

O’Fallon area

WalMart at 1530 W US Hwy 50 in O’Fallon
Departing at 8:30 AM (school bus) and returning at 4:00 PM
Contact Ken Brosh, (618) 540-5960
Cost – $13 per person 

Western Springs Area

St. John of the Cross Catholic Church
5005 S. Wolf Road in Western Springs
Contact the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Respect Life Office, (312) 534-5355
Cost per person $25 which includes lunch

Wheaton area

Wheaton Wesleyan Church at 1300 S President St, Wheaton
Departing at 5:30 AM and returning from Capitol at 3:00 PM
Contact Dick Norton, (630) 260-1135
Cost per person $34

Freeport area

East Gate Christian Center
1650 S. Armstrong Ave. in Freeport
Contact Pastor Steve Barr at (815) 541-5898
Cost per person: $5

If same-sex “marriage” becomes the law in Illinois,
the ramifications for our children will be disastrous.  
We cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.  
(Revelation 3:15-17) 

PARENTS of children in public schools will lose the right to be the sole determiner of what their children learn about homosexuality and when they learn it. 

CHILDREN will be taught in public schools that when they grow up they can marry a man or a woman. Since the legalization of same-sex “marriage,” teachers in Massachusetts have become emboldened to teach grade school children about homosexual sex. Don’t believe it? Listen to this NPR audio of Massachusetts’ teachers in their own words after same-sex “marriage” became the law. (LINK to audio, or LINK to transcript.) 

CHILDREN will be taught that traditional beliefs about what marriage is are hateful, bigoted, and ignorant.

CHILDREN will be taught implicitly and explicitly that mothers and fathers are interchangeable and that mothers or fathers are expendable.

CHILDREN who are waiting to be adopted are already being placed in motherless and fatherless homes in IL, and this will only increase. Soon after Illinois legalized civil unions, the state severed its contract with Catholic Charities of Illinois and the Evangelical Child & Family Agency because they refused to place children in same-sex households.  When will adults come to the aid of innocent children who depend on adults to protect them? 

CHILDREN need, deserve, and have a right to both a mother and a father. Social science research consistently demonstrates that children with both a mother and father fare better than do motherless or fatherless children. Mothers and fathers bring critical and different components to child-rearing. Purposely placing children in fatherless or motherless homes is tragic and will have negative consequences for future generations. Most societal ills can be traced to the breakdown of the natural family. Redefining family and marriage to include two people of the same sex will only further weaken marriage, family, and ultimately society.

Please charter a bus or fill your church van (and let us know if you do) to attend the Lobby Day at the Capitol.  Do something while there’s still a chance. Don’t wait until it’s too late! 

Sending a Bus? Let us Know! Need a Ride? Click Here for Bus Locations. Check back often for updated bus list. 

Schedule for October 23rd:

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM   Prayer Watch at the Lincoln Statue 
(east side of Capitol)

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM   Marriage Rally in Rotunda

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM   Prayer Watch in the Rotunda

9:00 AM – 3:00 PM   Visit your state representatives

DOWNLOAD a two minute video clip HERE to play at your church to help promote this important event.

Click HERE to support the work & ministry of IFI.