IFI’s Annual Banquet is getting closer! This year we are hosting our special fall event at the Carlisle in Lombard on October 29th, and we still have ad space, sponsorships, table hosts, and individual seats available.

We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer as our keynote speaker for our October 29th gathering.

Dr. Lutzer served as the Senior Pastor of The Moody Church for 36 years. He continues to share the good news of the Gospel and how it relates to current cultural issues on radio programs and podcasts in more than 1,000 outlets in the United States and around the world.

Dr. Lutzer has been an outspoken champion for pro-family and pro-life issues, and his award-winning books have not shied away from what some would call controversial. Some of our favorite include The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent, When a Nation Forgets God, The Church in Babylon and his most recent, We Will Not Remain Silent. And we cannot overlook the Christian Bookseller’s Gold Medallion Award winner, Hitler’s Cross.

If you are interested in joining us for a great night with Dr. Lutzer, then there is no reason to hesitate in purchasing your banquet tickets today! We have limited seating and are getting close to the limit. So don’t wait!

Faith, Family and Freedom Fall Banquet
“We Will Not Be Silenced”

with special guest, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer
Friday, October 29, 2021
The Carlisle
435 E Butterfield Rd.
Lombard, IL

Secure your tickets or table now – click here or call (708) 781-9328.

Program advertisements & banquet sponsorships available.

Your attendance and support is essential to our success!

->Click HERE for an event flyer<-

Dear Pro-Family Warriors,

Once all the mail was opened after the Labor Day Weekend, I am excited to report that we met our summertime matching challenge! The full $80,000 match has been reached and will be added specifically to our ongoing work to educate, encourage and exhort church leaders, parents and grandparents about exiting the government schools.

THANK YOU for your tremendous support!

I am so grateful for the generous donors who made this matching challenge possible. It is comforting to know that many of our supporters share this “Rescuing Our Children” vision and are willing to back this vital project. We must work toward what is good and true—for this generation and the generations that will follow. That, in turn, will lead to a better Illinois—spiritually, culturally and politically.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see Illinois become a place where God is honored, religious freedom flourishes, families thrive, and human life is cherished? It begins with us, our children and our grandchildren. There are simply no quick fixes to this cultural morass that the Left has fostered over decades. A better tomorrow requires our investments today. With God going before us, I am confident that we could transform the culture.

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them,
for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
~I John 4:4~

Thank you for your support, prayers, words of encouragement, and for the confidence you place in us.

To God be the glory!

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 876
Tinley Park, IL  60477

Follow Dave on Twitter – @ProFamilyIL
Please “like” the IFI Facebook Page – Pro-Family Illinois
List to the weekly Spotlight Podcast

Illinois Family Institute is pleased to welcome Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer to our Fall Banquet as keynote speaker to share his wisdom, faith, and biblical and cultural insights, much of which he has written about in his two most recent books: “The Church in Babylon” and “We Will Not Be Silenced.” His message to serious Christians living in a deep blue state is sure to be timely and compelling.

As Pastor Emeritus of Chicago’s Moody Church where he served as senior pastor for 36 years, he has gained much wisdom and knowledge. He understands the times in which we live and has written and preached clearly about the challenges we face in the culture today. His leadership, encouragement, and exhortations are perhaps more important now more than ever in our nation’s history.

Dr. Lutzer is an award-winning author of more than 50 books, including: Rescuing the Gospel, He Will Be the Preacher, The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent, One Minute After You Die, When a Nation Forgets God, and Christian Bookseller’s Gold Medallion Award winner, Hitler’s Cross.

Dr. Lutzer and his wife Rebecca live in the Chicago area. They have three grown children and eight grandchildren.

You will not want to miss this opportunity to hear directly from a Christian leader who I’ve (audaciously) termed to be “Chicagoland’s favorite pastor.”

Faith, Family and Freedom Fall Banquet
“We Will Not Be Silenced”

with special guest, Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer
Friday, October 29, 2021

The early bird special is $60 per ticket. After Sept. 20th, tickets are $75.
Tables of 10 are also discounted before Sept. 20th! 

Secure your tickets or table now – click here or call (708) 781-9328.

Program advertisements & banquet sponsorships available.

Don’t Delay – Early Bird Specials Expire on Sept. 20th!

Your attendance and support is essential to our success!

->Click HERE for an event flyer<-

We want to thank you for your response to our summertime matching challenge, which was offered to help fund our “Rescuing Our Children” initiative. This Matching Challenge was launched in mid-July and will end on Labor Day, and we are happy to report  that we have raised just over 50 percent of our goal so far.

We still need to raise approximately $20,000 over the next four weeks in order to realize the full matching challenge.

Any donation given or mailed by September 6th will go toward this challenge
and will be fully tax-deductible, lowering your 2021 tax burden.

Rev. Ceasar LeFlore, the Field Director of our Public School Exit initiative, put together this short two-minute video to appeal to our supporters to help us take advantage of this amazing matching challenge opportunity. Please watch or listen to his request:

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

• Contribute online HERE.
• Give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Colleen Garcia, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.
• Mail your gift to: Illinois Family Institute, P.O. Box 876, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
• We also accept credit card donations over the phone at (708) 781-9328 during normal business hours.

Thank you for considering this matching challenge. Your financial support and prayers are what makes our mission to protect and preserve life, marriage, family and liberty in Illinois possible.  THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

Don’t delay, please donate today!

Illinois Family Institute is working diligently on our “Rescuing Our Children” initiative, which we began this year. Late last year, the board of directors and staff met to discuss the culture, Illinois politics, our faith, and the opportunities to “boldly bring a biblical perspective to public policy.” The opinion was unanimous. Government schools are (and have been) undermining Judeo-Christian values, principles and standards and teaching students ideologies and philosophies that run counter to the Word of God. From mandating “LGBTQIAP” indoctrination in government schools to forcing teachers to accept and promote controversial “progressive” theories on race and sex in the classroom.

We cannot ignore this situation any longer, as it grows increasingly hostile to our faith with each passing year. Our children are at risk.

Therefore, our “Rescuing our Children” initiative is focusing on getting pastors, church leaders, parents, and grandparents to understand the urgency of getting children out of the government school system. We believe that the godless ideologies our children are being indoctrinated with is a crisis.

We must go on the offense. We must be pro-active. We must expose those places where children are being harmed and speak out on their behalf. We must reveal the truth about what is happening in far too many of our government schools. We must confront the harsh reality of both academic failure and anti-Christian, anti-American brainwashing.

Partnering with the national group Public School Exit, we hope to educate, equip, and exhort the body of Christ to get out of government schools and into Christ-centered education. There are many great options! (Learn more HERE and HERE.)

To this end, we are excited to announce an amazing summertime matching challenge made possible through the generosity of faithful supporters. These donors are working with us to offer a $40,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge to help us raise $80,000 for “Rescuing the Children” initiative here in Illinois!

Between now and Labor Day, you can double the impact of your tax deductible donation while helping us fund this critical battle!

The IFI board of directors along with the staff and I are very excited to announce an amazing summertime matching challenge made possible through the generosity of faithful supporters.

UPDATED: These donors are working with us to offer a $35,000 $40,000 dollar-for-dollar matching challenge to help us raise $70,000 $80,000 for our urgent “Rescuing the Children” initiative! Between now and Labor Day, you can double the impact of your giving while helping us fund this critical battle!

If you give $50, it becomes $100.

If you give $500, we realize $1,000!

If you donate $1,000, it is the same as giving $2,000, etc.

During the last week of June and into the first days of July, the IFI Team stopped at eight locations (Mokena, Norridge, Rockford, Batavia, Washington, Springfield, Effingham, and Collinsville) with a vitally important message. We provided overwhelming evidence of the loss of innocence and brainwashing taking place in government indoctrination camps (i.e., public schools). 

It is bad enough that children are failing to meet proficiency standards in language arts, math, and science, but now the focus of instructional time is on social engineering, leftist political activism, humanistic training, sexual immorality, civics, and revisionist history.

Right here in Illinois, a shocking number of kids hear messages about choosing their “gender” and affirming homosexuality. Our state lawmakers recently passed legislation mandating  that “comprehensive sex ed” begin in kindergarten and that feminine hygiene products be placed in boys’ bathrooms in public schools grades 4-12.  And now Chicago Public Schools plan to distribute condoms to students 10 years old and up.

At the events in these eight locations, Alex Newman, Executive Director of Public School Exit, painted a bleak picture of the history of public education and the global agendas being forced into student curricula. These include socialism and communism–both failed experiments in other parts of the world–as well as the ever-expanding perverse sexual education.

Alex also pointed out that many pubic schools are concealing “gender-change” lessons (and services) from parents, and presenting materials to students that teach about the pedophilia in ancient Greece.

In addition, many public schools teach about Islam and Buddhism while banning prayer as part of the “global education” government schools were actually created to provide. Ultimately, their plan for a “world core curriculum” has the same standards for every child in every school in the world. This has always been the goal, Newman says, and is a clear sign to parents. Get your children out of government schools.

You won’t want to miss his eye-opening 40-minute presentation HERE.

The Rev. Ceasar LeFlore was our next speaker. He gave a strong exhortation about the need for discipleship, saying “what does it matter if our children can read, write, and do arithmetic but are wrong about Jesus Christ? What does it matter if they advance to graduate school, get the best job in the world, but they are wrong about the Kingdom of God?” Rev. LeFlore then quotes Mark 8:36, in which Jesus warns, “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”

Christian education and discipleship are vitally important if we hope to see our children and grandchildren walk in the truth. Rev. LeFlore is IFI’s Field Director for this initiative, and he is already working on organizing additional meetings in cities across the state, including in a number of wards in the Chicago.

Rev. LeFlore is spot on when he says “[our children] need to learn the righteousness principles of God, and then they need to learn to walk in them, walk in the truth. Not their truth as the world would determine it, but the truth. Third John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

You can watch his excellent 38-minute presentation HERE.

Thank God that we live in a state and nation with amazing individual and religious liberties! While we would certainly like to see legislative changes on how we publicly fund education, we have many good educational choices that would enable parents, grandparents, and church leaders to pass on their faith to children by teaching them biblical truth and training them up in the instruction of the Lord. They will never get that training in government schools.

We need your prayer covering and financial support for this vital initiative as we move forward to bring this critical message to others!

Every donation–small, medium, or large–brings us closer to our goal. Don’t miss this great opportunity!

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

• Contribute online HERE.
• Give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Colleen Garcia, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.
• Mail your gift. Send to: Illinois Family Institute, P.O. Box 876, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
• We also accept credit card donations over the phone at (708) 781-9328 during normal business hours.

Thank you for your consideration. Your financial support and prayers are what makes our mission to protect and preserve life, marriage, family, and liberty in Illinois possible.  THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

Don’t delay, please donate today!

We are thrilled to see that the onerous (and unconstitutional) COVID-19 mandates are being relaxed. There is light at the end of the tunnel. As most Illinoisans, we here at IFI are anxious to return to a normal routine, including hosting special events, conferences, forums and of course, our annual banquet.

Therefore, we want to make you aware of some great upcoming events that will educate, encourage, edify and equip you and your family members to stand firm in your Christian faith, to reinforce Judeo-Christian values, and to preserve a culture that is growing increasingly hostile to the things of God. While these are not all IFI events, we plan to be at most of these ourselves.  We hope you, your family, and friends will join us at one or more!

To learn more, or to register, please click on the graphic. Also, please click HERE to view the IFI events page. Please check back often, as it is frequently updated with new and exciting events that may interest you.

Join FreedomWorks and Illinois Conservative Union as they host an event featuring Nigel Farage (Mr. Brexit), the man who lit the fire under one of the largest and most effective grassroots movements in history. What Nigel started with Brexit was amplified here in the States with the election of President Donald J. Trump.

Join the IFI Team and many other great pro-life advocates at the annual SpeakOut Illinois Conference. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, May 15th, at the Drury Lane in Oak Brook Terrace, IL.

For years and unbeknown to parents, many teachers in Illinois public schools have been disseminating leftist beliefs about identity politics—beliefs that derive from Critical Race Theory/Critical Theory and which inform BLM and the 1619 Project.

Learn more about CRT and how to respond to the lies permeating our culture by joining us for our seventh annual worldview conference featuring Angela Sailor, Stacy Washington, Alex Newman and Pastor Ceasar LeFlore at REVIVE Church in Collinsville!

Whether you are a homeschooling veteran or a newbie, you are invited to join Christian home educators from across the state and region for the 2021 ICHE Family Conference! The conference is once again being hosted at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.

More information coming soon!

Please support the work and ministry of IFI.  

Your tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated!

Why Engage 2021? For many it feels like the faith is under assault by what seems like a progressively pagan culture? Christians were called to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:18-21) in an adversarial culture. Over the first 300 years of the church, their ambassadorship transformed culture into what we know of as Western civilization. The church trained, educated, and equipped believers to engage culture outside the gathering of believers. Over the past 200 years, unbelievers are returning the favor and many Christians do not know how to respond.

The Engage 2021 Conference is designed to help Christians understand the new challenges brought about by humanism, paganism, and occultism outside and inside the church.

• What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? Is it a tool for ethnic understanding or a different religion?

• Is Social Justice the gospel or a counterfeit for biblical justice?

• Public education has been used to transform society from a Judeo-Christian worldview to a Marxist worldview since the 1930s. How can Christian reclaim education for their children to train them with a classical education and prepare them to engage as ambassadors? Are some, perhaps many, churches, Christian schools and homeschooling groups unwittingly embracing a different religion through the Enneagram and occultic religious practices and teaching?

If these issues concern you, the Engage 2021 Conference on April 30-May 1, 2021 is for you.

When:       Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1

Location: New Hope Community Church (1023 East Palatine Road, Palatine, IL, 60074)

Cost:         There is no registration cost. Freewill offerings will be taken. Conference schedule and information is online:

Sponsored by:   For Such a Time as This, Illinois Family Institute and Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc

We know that the many cultural battles we face today are spiritual battles that cannot be won by relying solely on our own strength and methods.  In truth, these battles must first and continually be waged through prayer to our holy, righteous and merciful God.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

Many believe that our compiled problems in this state are a result of apathy, inaction (past and present) and unrepentant sin within the Body of Christ.

Not only known for political corruption, Illinois is ranked 50th for fiscal policy; 41st in unemployment; 2nd in unfunded pension liabilities; the lowest S & P credit rating in the nation; 1st in failing schools; 1st in bonded indebtedness; has one of the highest sales tax in the nation; the most judges indicted (operations Greylord & Gambat); 32 Chicago Alderman and over 1,000 state and municipal employees in addition to 5 of our last 9 elected governors indicted. That’s more indictments than the other 49 states combined!

And our spiritual battles are ongoing and formidable – young girls and their unborn babies are victimized by abortion; young children are taught that sexual activity is expected of them and perversion is normal; marriage and parental rights are under assault; addictions are promoted; government schools have become indoctrination camps, and so much more.  

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Can you see the connection between what we condone in the natural and what is taking place in the spiritual? It’s only through fervent prayer and a return to Him by His people that we will begin to see God change our culture.

When you read God’s promise in 2 Chronicles to heal our land IF Christians repent and pray, there’s no denying that our current state of affairs is the responsibility of the Church and that our land is in desperate need of a healing that only God can bring.

2 Chronicles 7:14

…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

And through our resolve to seek Him and live holy lives He promises to provide everything we need.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God is waiting for His people to turn to Him. He promises that if we pray according to His will, He hears us.  Our God reigns, and the battle is His!

1 John 5:14-15

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.

There’s nothing too big that He can’t correct. God clearly has the answer to the compounding Illinois crises.

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! 

James 5:6

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Illinois Family Institute (IFI) is a ministry that trusts and stands upon God’s Word, striving to obey and believing that our ministry actions and purpose cannot be accomplished without fervent prayer and fasting.  That is why our IFI Prayer Team must always be a vital and permanent part of our ministry and that is why we are asking you to join us.

The IFI Prayer Team will be asked to regularly pray for our troubled state, our legislators and local officials, as well as the ministry needs of IFI, and more.  Prayer requests will include public policy issues, praying for elected officials and various statewide needs as the Holy Spirit may lead.

IFI will communicate specific prayer needs to the IFI Prayer Team by email on a timely basis and communicate answered prayer or prayer updates so that praise and thanksgiving is also a vital element. 

We can’t do it without God and He won’t do it without us.

If you pray and believe that God hears and answers prayer, will you join the IFI Prayer Team?

Click HERE to join. You will soon start receiving specific prayer requests as well as the names and pictures of legislators for which you can pray.

Thank you and God bless you!

Dear Pro-Family Friends,

You’ll be happy to hear that The Illinois Family Institute has achieved our goal to raise $105,000 — 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 and postmarked by tonight (December 31st)
will benefit IFI’s critical work and ministry in 2021.  

As a way to say thank you to those who make a donation of $50 or more this month, we will send you Dr. Erwin Lutzer’s new book We Will Not Be Silenced: Responding Courageously to Our Culture’s Assault on Christianity, which was released last month. This timely book is perfect for the tumultuous times in which we live and will be sure to bless you, your friends and your family.

IFI has been your voice for traditional family values for more than 28 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 built, no matter how politically incorrect. Though the year is ending, the battle will continue into 2021 and beyond. Will you continue to serve with us in this battle?

Please consider giving online and strengthening our hand going into 2021 by clicking HERE.

If you have been reading our emails, website and social media platforms, you know how emboldened our adversaries have become. Over the past few years, we’ve seen them increase their attacks on the values we hold dear. Now they are trying to re-write history and promote racism. Never before in the history of the United States have we seen such threats to the foundational institutions of the family and the church. As Ronald Reagan once said:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Personal modesty and the safety of children are under assault as men and women with disordered sexual feelings are being allowed access to opposite-sex locker rooms and bathrooms. Cross-dressing is being normalized through publicly funded libraries that are inviting drag queens to read picture books to toddlers. And our state lawmakers have mandated that government schools must teach positively about homosexuals and cross-dressers to all K-12 children. All this because foolish, cowardly elected officials are more concerned about pandering to a radical lobby than they are about defending common sense and decency.

Christian ministries and employers are being told they must underwrite the costs of drugs and devices that destroy human life in their own health insurance plans. Homosexual activists and “trans”-cultists want the Biden/Harris administration to crack down on accreditation standards for Christian colleges and universities that hold to biblical principles on human sexuality. And there are far too few government officials who are willing 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 are taught as “science.” And students are being taught that compassion and love require the celebration of grievous sin.

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

Our culture has changed. It now calls evil good or stands silently by as the rest of the world calls evil good. Our children and grandchildren are watching and learning. How will they know right from wrong? How will they know how to choose life over death, blessings over curses? (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; James 1:22-25)  How will they know that certain behaviors, thoughts and actions offend a holy God? How will they learn to be willing to suffer for Christ and His Kingdom if they don’t see such willingness modeled by parents, grandparents, teachers, and their elected leaders?

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. We will continue to boldly speak out about 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 2021 as we strive to challenge the Goliaths of our culture.

Please consider giving online by clicking HERE.

Your support will take us above and beyond our year end goal, and will be added to the promised $105,000 match that a group of dedicated donors are sending in now. Yesterday’s donation totals put us over the top.

Thanks be to God.

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

Thank you and Happy New Year,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Help us begin 2021 strong for the upcoming battles  – Donate today!  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.

Year after year the anti-family, godless Left in Illinois devotes a massive amount of time, money and energy to promoting their agenda in our legislature, media and schools. Our values–the common sense values of those in our state who believe in the importance of a mother and a father to a child, in the sanctity of human life, the empirical science regarding DNA and biology (versus “gender”), in the value of religious freedom–are dismissed and mocked at our elite institutions. That is because our opponents have spent the last fifty years organizing, funding and recruiting.

We are continually outspent and fighting against great odds. We know that our duty is to boldly stand and fight for biblical family values no matter how challenging that task may be. A group of generous donors knows it too and that is why they have given IFI a triple $105,000 Year-End Matching Challenge. That means that when you donate any amount, it will be tripled up to $105,000!

Click here to triple your donation to the Land of Lincoln’s foremost pro-family organization!

We are extremely grateful for all of the donations we have received thus far for our 2020 Matching Challenge, but with less than two days left in 2020, we are struggling to reach our goal. So far, we have raised 70 percent of the Challenge. That means we must still raise $31,500 by December 31st in order to realize the full potential of this $2 for $1 opportunity!

All donations are tax-deductible. No donation is too large or too small. Any donations received online or postmarked by December 31st will be matched. (You can also mail your donation to: Illinois Family Institute, P.O. Box 876, Tinley Park, IL, 60477, or call the IFI Office at (708) 781-9328 to make a credit card donation over the phone.)

Our work has been noted time and again by legislators, media commentators, left-wing public officials/organizations and their allies mainstream press. The video clip below features Governor Mike Huckabee who testified about the importance of IFI’s work and ministry in the public square:

[W]e are at the point of darkness in our culture when every little bit of light makes a difference. We are at a point in our culture in which every bit of salt on that which is spoiling truly can make a difference. And whether it is a gift of $100 or $500 or whether it is $25 a month pledged over a long period of time it makes a huge difference.

…

The reason the Illinois Family Institute is important and has great significance is because it’s doing something most of you wouldn’t want to do first of all, and secondly, you wouldn’t have time to do.

…

We need the Illinois Family Institute protecting the lives of unborn children, protecting the important institutions like marriage, because if there is no salt, things will get worse. If there is no light, things will get darker. But if there is some salt, and there is some light, there will be a huge difference.

While we are proud and thankful that we’ve been equipped and free to do this important work over the past twenty-eight years, we know we must grow to meet the challenges ahead. We hope and pray that you will see the value in partnering with us.

Click here to make your tax-deductible online contribution today!

Please prayerfully consider our how you can financially support our work in your year-end giving.

God bless you again for all of your help 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!

We rely almost completely on individual contributions to fund our efforts.  Your $25, $50, $100, $500 or larger year-end tax-deductible contribution will triple our ability to fight for your values. Again, you can make your contribution easily on our online secure server by clicking here.

Don’t delay, please donate today!

I want to share some good news with you about the $2 for $1 Matching Challenge I wrote about two weeks ago. The responses to this challenge have been positive, and we are making good progress toward our goal of raising a total of $105,000 before the end of the year.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters–the moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas of Illinois–we have raised just over 60 percent of our goal so far.

We still need to raise approximately $40,000 over the next three days in order to realize the full matching challenge.

Any donation given or mailed by December 31st will go toward this matching challenge and will be fully tax-deductible, lowering your 2020 tax burden.

Next year, there will be tremendous opportunities for effecting positive cultural change. It is only through your support that we are able to work tirelessly to promote pro-family views.

We know full well that the Left doesn’t give up on their godless worldview or walk away from the battle. They are already planning lawsuits and executive orders, forming coalitions, and devising strategies. They are preparing to redouble their efforts to push their culture-of-death agenda in the media, through pop culture, in our government schools, and in our legislatures and courts. You can be assured, as well, that all of their efforts will be very well-funded!

Simply put: we need both your prayer covering and financial support as we go into 2021!

If you haven’t already, please consider IFI in your year-end giving. Every donation–small, medium or large–brings us closer to our goal. Don’t miss this great opportunity!

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

• Contribute online HERE.
• Give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Colleen Garcia, 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 876, Tinley Park, IL, 60477
• We also accept credit card donations over the phone at (708) 781-9328 during normal business hours.

Thank you for your consideration. Your financial support and prayers are what makes our mission to protect and preserve life, marriage, family and liberty in Illinois possible.  THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

David E. Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Donations must be postmarked by December 31 in order to qualify as 2020 gifts. Now more than ever your gift will help us uphold the legacy left by our forefathers.

Don’t delay, please donate today!

Prior to the 2019 Illinois Family Institute Faith, Family, and Freedom Fall Banquet, Monte Larrick sat down with keynote speaker, the Rev. Franklin Graham to discuss what Americans can do to promote and protect faith, family, and freedom in our state and nation. Rev. Graham offers his position regarding the Church’s participation in the political process and its responsibility to confront today’s culture.

Additionally, he addresses the importance of prayer, education, and adherence to biblical values for Christian voters, especially in light of the Equality Act; the changing face and focus of public education; ongoing attacks on the sanctity of life and religious freedoms; and the growing clash between socialism and liberty.

With a New Year on the horizon, this video is one you will definitely want to watch and share with family and friends. Rev. Franklin Graham is a world-renown Christian evangelist and the president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse.

I am happy to report that we have raised $49,750 so far for IFI’s Year-End Matching Grant Challenge of $105,000. However, we have only until midnight on December 31st to raise the remaining $55,250.

These last few days of the year are extremely important for Illinois Family Institute, as our 2021 budget depends on receiving a significant portion of your support during the month of December.

As the clock winds down on this year, you have one last chance to make charitable donations that can be deducted from your 2020 taxes–and you can triple the impact of your gift if you send it before Friday.

A group of generous IFI benefactors are working together to TRIPLE every gift received this month, up to $105,000. So your gift of $50, $100, $500 or more would help the IFI’s mission by $150, $300, $1500 or more!

Equipping the saints, exposing lies, boldly telling truth, upholding life, defending religious liberty, contending for parental rights, advocating for educational choice, and fighting for common decency in our communities: That’s what IFI does. It’s what you–our supporters–appreciate about our role in the public square.

This year has been very challenging for us financially as it has been for many families and non-profit organizations. Donations have been down all year, and to make matters worse, we were forced to cancel our annual banquet due to the COVID-19 lock-down mandate.

We realize that these lock-down mandates have been tough on many families and businesses throughout the state and nation — especially those of us in blue states. If, however, the Lord has blessed you such that you are able to make a gift of $25, $50, $100 or even more during this end-of-year challenge, we would be incredibly grateful. Your sacrificial giving will help us get through this crisis and make it possible for us to continue our important work in 2021.

I am sending this update out because we have less than 90 hours to raise the remaining $55,250!

Please help us meet our goal by clicking here to make your most generous tax-deductible donation now.

We need YOU to help us take full advantage of this challenge! Please donate online or call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328 during normal business hours. You can even give a gift of stock or appreciated assets. Contact Colleen Garcia, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.

All donations received by Thursday, December 31st will count for 2020. Donations postmarked by Dec. 31st will also count and can be mailed to:

Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 876
Tinley Park, IL, 60477

Thank you for your generous support to begin 2021 equipped and ready to do battle.