You may not like some of the candidates on the ballot, but it’s very important for Christians to do their civic duty and vote. Registering and voting has never been easier. The Illinois Family Institute can help speed you through the process and will soon be providing insights on where the candidates stand on key issues.

IFI Faith, Family & Freedom Banquet

We are excited to have as our keynote speaker this year, former Congresswoman and Tea Party Caucus Leader, Michele Bachmann!  She distinguished herself by not only forming and chairing the Tea Party Caucus in 2010 in the U.S. House but also through her courageous and outspoken pro-life leadership as attested to by her rating of zero from NARAL.

Please register today before the early bird special expires.

Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet

Friday, September 30 , 2016
Stonegate Conference Center
2401 W. Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates, IL  60169

Secure your tickets 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 a banquet flyer.

Join us as we hear an exciting and motivational presentation from one of our nation’s top conservative champion of conservative values.  Your attendance and support is essential to our success!

Click HERE for a banquet flyer.

You can also partner with us as a banquet sponsor! We also have program advertising opportunities available.

Event Details:

Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet

Friday, September 30 , 2016
Stonegate Conference Center
2401 W. Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates, IL  60169

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

Program advertisements & banquet sponsorships available.

Early Bird Specials Expire on Sept. 5th!

Once again, we are pleased to have Dr. Duke Pesta, a nationally renown expert on the dangers of Common Core, speak at two special forums in Springfield and Collinsville.  Earlier this year, we had him in Orland Park, and we were asked to bring his presentation to central and southern Illinois to give more people the opportunity to hear what he has to say about the state of education in America.

If you are a taxpayer, an educator, a therapist, a religious leader, or an elected official, or if you have young children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces, or simply care about what’s being taught to children in grades K-12, it will be well worth your time to join us.

The various issues surrounding Common Core are so important to understand, and our speaker is so knowledgeable about this big government overreach, we are making this a free event, and will only take a free will offering to help offset our costs.  We think it is vitally important to maximize Dr. Pesta’s exposure at these two special forums in August.

We are hoping and praying these forums will attract hundreds of concerned Americans, so please invite all your like-minded friends to join us either in Springfield or Collinsville.  Click on a link below to access a flyer.

Thursday, August 25th at 6:30 PM
iWorship Center
3200 Shaler Road
Springfield, Illinois  62707

Friday, August 26th at 6:30 PM
REVIVE Church
1105 Beltline Road
Collinsville, IIllinois  62234

Please let others know about these events!

Early Bird Specials Expire on Sept. 5th!

The Illinois Family Institute is very pleased to invite you to attend the 2016 Annual Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet on Friday, September 30th at 7:00 p.m. in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.

We are thrilled to have as our keynote speaker former Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a strong and consistent voice for pro-family values. A former candidate for POTUS, she not only distinguished herself by forming and chairing the Tea Party Caucus in 2010 in the U.S. House, but as a courageous and outspoken pro-life leader, as attested to by her rating of zero from the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).  First elected in 2006 and stepping down in 2014, Congresswoman Bachmann understands well the gravity of our diminishing civil freedoms and has experienced, first hand, the relentless and intolerant attacks of the Left on people of faith.

Michele is a graduate of Anoka High School and Winona State University. Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, live in Stillwater where they own a small business mental health care practice that employs 42 people. The Bachmanns have five children, Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline, and Sophia. In addition, the Bachmanns have opened their home to 23 foster children, which was the inspiration for Michele’s advocacy and work for foster and adopted children, earning her bipartisan praise for her efforts.

Join us as we hear an exciting and motivational presentation from one of our nation’s top conservative champion of conservative values.  Your attendance and support is essential to our success!

Click HERE for a banquet flyer.

You can also Partner with us as a Sponsor!

Banquet sponsorships start at $1.5K & range up to $10K

Program advertising opportunities are also available.

Please contact us today!

Event Details:

Illinois Family Institute
Faith, Family and Freedom Banquet

Friday, September 30 , 2016
Stonegate Conference Center
2401 W. Higgins Road
Hoffman Estates, IL  60169

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

Program advertisements & banquet sponsorships available.

Early Bird Specials Expire on Sept. 5th!

(Op/Eds or Letters-to-the-Editor)

E-mail:  contactus@illinoisfamily.org

Subject: “It’s YOUR Voice”

Include:  Your full name, county, and any other relevant information related to your submission. Letters may be edited for length, grammar and accuracy. (See additional guidelines below.)

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION:

• TIMELY:  Write your about current trends or recent IFI articles.
• INCLUDE CONTACT INFORMATION:  Include your full name, city, state, phone #
• BE CLEAR:  Make one main point.
• BE CONCISE:  1- 5 paragraphs, 150-500 words. Shorter is usually better.
• BE ACCURATE:  Letters that are factually inaccurate will not be published.
• CATCHY TITLE:  Include a thought-provoking or captivating title.
• BE INTERESTING:  Get your reader’s attention and keep it to the end of your letter. Open with an interesting fact or strong statement and keep your points as interesting as possible.
• NO PERSONAL ATTACKS:  Show respect for the opposite opinion. Being rude may cause people to disagree with you on principle.
• PROOFREAD:  Re-read your letter. Check for grammar and spelling mistakes. If possible, ask another person to read your letter for accuracy and clarity.

We generally do not publish more than one letter from a single person within any 60-day period.  Your submission become the property of Illinois Family Institute and may be republished in any format.   We will let you know if and when we publish the submission.

Anonymous letters and letters written under pseudonyms will not be considered.

We reserve the right of final decision on publication.

You’ll definitely want to save the date for the next IFI Fall Banquet – September 30th.  This year our keynote speaker will be Michele Bachmann, the former Congresswoman from Minnesota and the first Republican woman to actively campaign for President of the United States in 2012 — including participation in 15 Republican Presidential debates.

Congresswoman Bachmann is recognized as one of our nation’s social conservative leaders who has consistently defended America’s religious liberties and the importance of the traditional family as a bellwether necessity for a stable society. Michele has also continuously worked to defend the right to life for all Americans, including the unborn.

In fact, between 1992 to 2000, Michele and her husband were the foster parent to 23 needy children, some on a short-term basis.  This experience inspired Michele to become one of Congress’ leading advocates for foster and adopted children, earning her bipartisan praise for her efforts.

With our government’s massive growth and huge increase in debt under the current administration, U.S. Representative Bachmann was motivated to establish the Congressional Tea Party Caucus in July 2010 — to which she was elected Chairman five years in a row. She boldly called for a renewed focus on upholding the principles as laid forth by our Founding Fathers in our Constitution and The Bill of Rights.

Michele’s powerful personal testimony and prominent role as one of America’s strongest advocates for the need of a Christian witness in the public square are just two reasons you’ll want to SAVE THE DATE: Friday, September 30, 2016 in Hoffman Estates.

Check out this link to a 20 minute video of Michele Bachmann’s speech before the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington D.C.  Addressing a large audience, Michele told them early on that:

It isn’t the government, or some ne’er-do-well politician that gives us our rights, it is the Creator who gives us our rights! … And since it is the Creator who gave us our inalienable rights, the good news is, no man can touch them!  They can never take them away.  [This is] the phenomenal philosophy upon which this nations was founded.

You don’t want to to miss this great opportunity to hear from her yourself at the biggest annual pro-family gathering in Illinois!

More details will follow, but as an important subscriber to Illinois Family Institute, we don’t want you to miss the chance to attend what we expect to be a powerful evening.  Click HERE for a flyer for this great event.

Thanks for your ongoing support for the work and ministry of IFI.  We sincerely hope to see you in Hoffman Estates this September.

Concerned about Common Core Standards?

Join us on April 8th in Orland Park for yet another IFI Forum, this time exploring The Case Against Common Core with Dr. Duke Pesta.  Click HERE for more information.

Click HERE for a flyer of the event.

Citizens in Illinois are now casting ballots to nominate candidates for President of the United States, U.S. Senator and a slew of important government positions – positions that have dramatic influence on the direction of our nation.

Voters will be asked to decide if they want to continue with a big spending, freedom-eroding agenda, or if they want leadership that stops the out-of-control spending and promotes our shared values. We cannot take our God-given civic responsibility and blessing of self-government lightly.

As citizens, we have been given the awesome privilege and responsibility to select those who make our laws and govern our nation. I believe the Lord will hold us accountable for how we steward the gift of self-government. Illinois has several competitive races this year.   Christians have a wonderful opportunity to be salt and light for a state and nation in rapid decay.

Consider these facts from our friends at the Family Research Council where one vote made all the difference.

• In 1801, one vote in Congress broke the tie between Thomas Jefferson & Aaron Burr.
• In 1839, one vote made “Landslide” Marcus Morton governor of Massachusetts.
• In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from being removed from office.
• In 1876, one vote in the Electoral College gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency.
• In 1941, one vote extended the Draft just 4 months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• In 2000, our nation had one of the most closely contested presidential elections in American history, and some people are still arguing  about who won!

Your vote really does matter!

To help encourage the Body of Christ, we have created a bulletin insert. Ask your pastor and/or church elders for permission to place these inserts in the bulletin or a strategic spot in your church to help us get this information to the good folks in your church.

Click on the link below to download and print this latest IFI bulletin insert, ready to be copied for your church.

Voting Options – No Excuse!

I hope you and the members of your church find this material helpful. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact IFI.

P.S. Do you know who’s on your ballot and where they stand on the issues that matter to you? Use the IFI Voter Guide at www.illinoisfamily.org/ifi_news/ifi-voter-guide-special-local-editions-2 and send the link to your friends and family so they can be informed voters too!

Contributions to IFI are tax-deductible & support our educational efforts.

Millennials and many of their parents in the church today are largely biblically illiterate. What will this ignorance of Scripture produce in our culture? How will this affect the church?

Most of our colleges and universities were started by Christians for the advancement of Christianity and focused on the Bible. Schools used the Bible, and even subject-matter books included many biblical quotations and references. Dr. Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence, penned in 1791 an impassioned defense of the use of the Bible in America’s schools:

“The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty; and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments….and yet we neglect the only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government, that is, the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity, by means of the Bible; for this divine book, above all others favors that equality among mankind, that respect for just laws.”

But 21st century America is not 17th century America. The 1960’s saw the U.S. Supreme Court take Bible-reading and prayer out of our public schools. Today we can’t post the Ten Commandments in our schools, and they’re being removed from public buildings.

Biblical literacy and a solid Christian worldview are vitally important. Biblical illiteracy will contribute to an increase in corruption of every sort, including sexual immorality and lawlessness.

Christian parents and grandparents must commit to ensuring that their children and grandchildren grow up with a fluent knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. Teach it, memorize it, meditate on it, and live it.

The great Christian leader Chuck Colson affirmed the importance of firmly establishing a Christian worldview:

Why is it so important to have a Christian worldview? Because Christianity gives us a map to reality, an outline of the world the way it really is: God’s moral and physical order. And if we want to make our way effectively through life, to live in accord with reality, we have to follow the map.

A Christian worldview also helps us defend our faith, giving us the language to explain why Christian ethics is good for society, or why a biblical view of human nature is essential to sound public policy.

In the service of helping families in their efforts to firmly establish and maintain a biblical worldview, IFI is hosting worldview conferences. How do we think about the issues of the day? Do we think clearly and biblically about the issues, or is there something clouding or contaminating our understanding?  Are we buying into lies and distortions of the culture, or are we able to discern fact from fiction, truth from deception?

Having a consistent Christian worldview has never been more important than it is now as our culture is rapidly embracing a secular, non-biblical value system.

Join us for a wonderful opportunity to take enhance your biblical worldview and equip you to more effectively engage the culture:

What:  IFI Worldview Conference with Dr. Wayne Grudem

When:  Saturday, February 20^th, 10 AM to 3:30 PM

Where:  Village Church of Barrington, 1600 E. Main St., Barrington, IL 60010 (map)

How much:  $20 per person/$50 per family

Seating is limited, so please register early.  Register online or call the IFI office during normal business hours at (708) 781-9328.

Click HERE for an event flyer.

It’s election time and there’s no better way to find out where the candidates stand on key issues than by getting a copy of the Illinois Family Institute Voter Guide. Get it by mail or simply click here. The IFI Voter Guide is a great way to be an informed voter.

Worldview Conference with Dr. Wayne Grudem
We are very excited about our second annual Worldview Conference featuring world-renowned theologian Dr. Wayne Grudem on Saturday, February 20, 2016 in Barrington.

Click HERE to register today!

In the morning sessions, Dr. Grudem will speak on how biblical values provide the only effective solution to world poverty and about the moral advantages of a free-market economic system. In the afternoon, Dr. Grudem will address why Christians—and especially pastors—should influence government for good as well as tackle the moral and spiritual issues in the 2016 election.

We look forward to this worldview-training and pray it will be a blessing to you.

Click HERE for a flyer.

We are currently taking orders for our 2016 Primary Election Voter Guide. The non-partisan IFI Voter Guide helps voters know more about the positions of candidates who are seeking their vote on March 15, 2016. It will also soon be available online at www.illinoisfamily.org.

There will be a limited number printed and when they are gone, we won’t be printing more. SO PLACE YOUR BULK ORDER SOON!

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

Suggested Donation: $25 for 100.

Are you registered to vote?

Have you moved? Changed your name? Will you or someone in your family be turning 18 on or before November 6,2016? Then register to vote!

It’s quick and easy! You can register to vote online with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

After that crucial first step, help educate Illinois voters by distributing IFI’s 2016 Primary 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 a 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 make the IFI Voter Guide available?

Take ACTION:  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 email to them and encourage them to join our e-mail list!  Then, check us out on other social media platforms:

Follow us on Twitter – @ProFamilyIFI

Like us on Facebook – Pro-Family Illinois

Subscribe to us on YouTube – ILFamilyInstitute!

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!

Thanks to the remarkable generosity of supporters, we made our goal today and earlier than expected!

We are truly overwhelmed by the support of fellow Illinoisans that we have received over the last few days. I sincerely thank the good folks from across the state and even from Texas, Florida, Indiana, and California who are supporting Illinois Family Institute. THANK YOU!

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 2016.  

As I said in my earlier email, I would love to be able to report to the IFI Board of Directors tomorrow that we not only met our end-of-year fundraising goal, but that we exceeded it!  It would be tremendous to be able to share with them the plans that we could put into effect through the generosity of IFI donors!

Illinois Family Institute is proud to be pro-family. That is what we are here to do. We will continue to boldly speak the truth about the sanctity of life, the importance of marriage, and the role of the natural family regardless of cultural trends, political agendas, and pernicious personal attacks. We hope you will continue to stand with IFI in 2016 as we strive to challenge the lies and political and cultural agendas based on those lies. Thankfully, there are many who are partnering with us!

It is with renewed hope for the protection of children and families that we move into 2016!

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 working to fulfill promises to liberal special interest groups. Your financial support was critical to our work in 2015, and your dedication to our common mission is critical to our ability to be effective.

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 $55,000 matching challenge that a few donors have generously given to IFI. 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 Colleen Garcia, IFI’s Financial Administrator, at (708) 781-9328 or email her HERE.
• Mail your year-end gift 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. Don’t let 2015 pass without taking your stand to protect the values that matter most. Together, with God’s grace, we can accomplish great things in 2016.  To make a credit card donation over the phone, call the IFI office at (708) 781-9328.

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men! “

So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

~Luke 2:1-20

Merry Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders,
and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
~Isaiah 9:6

This has been an incredible year of challenges for us, and a new year of incredible challenges lies ahead. It is such a privilege to stand with you as we battle for our families and freedoms. We are so grateful for you and wish you a wonderful Christmas!

Thank you so much for your support and prayers for IFI. May the Lord richly bless you and your family at this time of celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Peace and joy to you and yours this Christmas season!

Christmas is just a few days away. Parking spaces at malls and big-box stores are at a premium and many of the most popular toys and electronic gadgets are in short supply. While some last minute shoppers will dodge raindrops (no snowflakes this year) in their search for the final presents on their lists, others will click away at the computer, placing online orders and crossing their fingers that priority shipping will deliver their packages on time.

Hustle, bustle, hurry, scurry, busy, tired, and stressed are the key words of the season. A few eleventh hour tasks are unavoidable, but advance preparation could have eliminated the frantic, frenzied race to the finish for the majority of these harried holiday procrastinators.

In a world where Thanksgiving is merely a speed bump on the road to Black Friday and the Inn of Commercialized Christmas displays a permanent No Vacancy sign, Advent – a season of preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ incarnation in his First Advent and a reminder to hold fast to the promise of His return with the Second Advent – has been reduced from a noun that denotes anticipation, expectation, longing, and hope to an adjective associated with countdown calendars filled with chocolates. For those who believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, it should not and does not have to be that way.

I hope your days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day have been filled with opportunities for rich worship and contemplation of the enormity of what Jesus Christ’s first coming means to you in this life and what His second coming will mean for you in eternity.  Such reflection may be aided by thoughtful reading of Scriptures and devotionals that speak of the Lord’s Advent, joyful singing of carols and hymns that tell of the hope that we have in Emmanuel, God with us, as well as prayers of gratitude and praise that in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son.

Unlike temporal preparations for the celebration of secular Christmas, these spiritual matters are of supreme importance. They cannot be put off until the “last minute,” for one day time will run out and it will be too late. Our hearts must be prepared to receive Jesus, God’s Perfect Gift and the Author of Eternal Salvation, the only One who can save us from our sin. And our hearts must also be ready to meet Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith, when He returns to execute judgement, redeem His creation, and bring everlasting peace between us and our Creator.

That is why we rightly call Him, Prince of Peace.

May God bless you as celebrate with great joy the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and anticipate with eagerness and excitement His certain return.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings in the year to come!