WHAT'S UP NEXT AT IYC...

+Teen Bible Study resumes Sunday, Nov 28@9am

+Youth Gathering '22- Register by this Sunday the 21st!

+IYC: No meeting this Sunday the 21st

+Save the Date! Workcamp '22: July 16-23

+Click here for the IYC Fall Calendar

register now until nov 21- no procrastinating!

Registration is open now until Sunday, Nov 21 for a once in a lifetime mega-event, the LCMS National Youth Gathering. It will be a gathering of 25,000 Christian teens and adult leaders next July in Houston, TX. If you're passionate about living for Jesus and excited to grow as a disciple, this trip is for you!  Look over the FAQ/Registration form at this link and print it or pick up a paper copy at church.

teen bible study every sunday@9am

Resuming Sunday, November 28...

If you're a teen in any grade, it's the perfect time to crack open your Bible and dig in... Sunday mornings at 9am! We're back in-person every Sunday this fall, gathering in the youth room and letting God's Word take root in our hearts. We're in the first weeks of reading through Revelation, or is it Revelations... let's figure it out together!

final feast sunday the 14th

This past Sunday was my final Sunday at IYC, and it was a night that really blessed me! Pizza, cake, cookies, 9 Square, words of  love and some amazing family togetherness left me praising God for his goodness. Thanks to all who planned this night, and to all who came to be a part of it. I'll never forget it!

In Christ, Tom

servant saturday@feed my starving children

IYC brought a strong crew of 25 to Feed My Starving Children on October 16, and our shift packed many thousands of meals for the truly needy children of the world! In fact, we packed enough to feed 35 kids for an entire year, and that's a pretty good way to spend a Saturday night! Praise God that we can participate in sharing his love by serving in this way!

In Christ, Tom

fall retreat 2021- another one bites the dust :(

The IYC 2021 Fall Retreat is another COVID casualty, and 2021 ends up being Year II without a beloved weekend retreat getaway. God willing, we'll be returning sometime in 2022 to Walcamp and our IYC home-away-from-home in the woods! 

"worth it"... iyc workcamp '21

"Worth It" was the theme and a great summary of Workcamp '21! We worked together, serving 3 residents of Lincoln on 3 intense sites during a hot week of reconnecting and bonding in July. Take a look at our photo albums, which tell the story of our shared mission experience. There are two albums to take in, both pretty much in chronological order- one focusing on what happened at our work sites (click here), and the other filling in everything else, an album we call "Downtime" (click here). Then read through our crew reports, written by our teen workcampers, assembled in the "Workcamp Annual Report" at this link. We praise God for his faithfulness and for empowering our crew to build his Kingdom! 

photo scavenger hunt '21!

God gave us a beautiful evening to roam DG for the perfect photo opps for our summer '21 Photo Scavenger Hunt. Take a look at the results in the album at this link. When the points were tallied up, turns out everyone was a winner, with a tie score of 1450 photo points for each group. Go figure!

servant saturday@fmsc

 The IYC Feed My Starving Children crew had a great evening of service back on May 1st. What we did was so much better than the usual Saturday night shenanigans, as our shift packed enough meals to feed 27 kids for an entire year! Thanks to all who served- if you missed out, we'll head back later this year!

start your day with a "god moment"!

It's so great to start the day with a passage of God's Word! And our hi-tech world makes it so easy to experience a "God Moment" each and every weekday through a text message of a carefully chosen Bible verse. We pray that the Holy Spirit will use it to deepen your faith and bring an awareness of God's presence into your day. Text your name to Tom's cell or call him at 630-968-3112 option 5 and leave your name and cell number and he'll add you in!

new iyc worship songbook and playlist!

Now that we're back together, we're singing from a refreshed songbook full of your suggestions. Check into the Spotify IYC Worship 2020 playlist (click here), and make it a part of the soundtrack of your life!

iyc winter fun night this sunday the 31st!

We always have an eye out for an IYC Winter Fun Night, and lately we're lucky to get one per year. But, good news... it looks like that one per year is this Sunday! We're planning, if the weather cooperates, on meeting at 4:30pm at Ebersold Park at Main and 59th in DG with our sleds, snowpants, scarves and mittens, and hitting the slopes until we're (almost) frozen solid. Join us for a noisy, wet, exhausting and exhilarating evening! 

iyc "covid detour" continues sunday the 13th

With the changes in our state COVID orders, IYC is back "in the cave" for the moment. Even cave dwellers can connect, though, and we will be doing that this Sunday the 13th@7pm on the Zoom grid. Expect a fun game, student-led small group discussion and prayer, followed by open-ended hangout time. We're going to keep growing in faith and friendship any way we can! Click here to join our Zoom time, no masks required! 

iyc 5k walk for hunger... well done!

5K RESULTS: WELL DONE, FAITHFUL IYC'ERS! SO FAR YOU & YOUR FAMILIES HAVE DONATED $623 TO FEED THE HUNGRY! PRAISE GOD!

Let's try again! Gather at church this Sunday the 25th at 3:30pm for our first IYC 5K Walk for Hunger! Wear good walking shoes, dress for the weather and bring a mask and a good donation to our great cause, Feed My Starving Children. To put together a good donation: start with yourself, prayerfully dedicating some of the cash you've been saving for a rainy day to bless those who are in desperate need. Top off your donation by inviting family and friends to make a difference by supporting this worthy cause. Donations can be either cash or checks made out to Immanuel Lutheran Church. Even if you can't donate, come to walk!

iyc diy picnic coming sunday the 26th

This Sunday the 26th we're going to put together an IYC Do-It-Yourself picnic at church, enjoying a meal together, our low-exertion outside games and a gathering time of discussion and devotion.
To make this DIY Picnic happen, everyone should bring their own fave picnic dinner and drink, along with a chair, blanket or beach towel. As always, bring a mask, too, and bug spray if desired. In these covid times we're not sharing anything, and that's the loving thing to (not) do!
Before coming, please review the COVID guidelines in the post below, and let's join together in prayer for good weather and a great evening!

iyc night zoom this sunday the 28th

JOIN HERE!

IYC gathers for a Zoom meeting this Sunday, June 28 at 6:30pm. We spend time as a large group and in small groups to catch up and grow together, even while we're apart! Watch your Remind texts for the meeting password or text Tom. Click under the image to join the meeting!

in the word at home... and together!

Join your IYC friends as we begin a 12 day topical study through the YouVersion bible app. We're going very topical with a study exploring speaking up for the disadvantaged, the oppressed and other victims of injustice in our world. Download the free app and join the "Patterns for Peace" study or go to this link on a computer. 

stuck@home bible challenge!

With shelter-in-place in effect, you'll never have more time to crack open your Bible and draw near to God through his Word. So take up this challenge! See how much ground you can cover, and how much God blesses you! Check in with me for the details, the fringe benefits and how and where to get started.

In Christ, Tom

iyc night this sunday the 17th

This Sunday the 17th high school teens will gather on Zoom at 6:30pm for a unique IYC Night. Dan A will be kicking off a Memorial Day service project, explaining it and gathering volunteers. Hannah C will then lead our first Kahoot! game night, and we will close in prayer among prayer partners.
In order to pull off Kahoot, you need to bring 2 devices to the meeting- one to connect with our Zoom meeting and one for Kahoot. Any combination of desktop, laptop, Chromebook, iPad or cell phones will be fine.
Join the meeting at this link, watch your Remind messages for the password!

feel free to reach out!

IYC'ers and friends, please don't hesitate to contact me for any reason during this strange COVID time- updates, ideas, questions, prayer, support or just to chat. Call/text my cell or email at tlithio@ilcdg.org. If you're not receiving the IYC morning Bible texts and would like to, reply here or text your name to my cell. It's an easy way to hear God at the start of each day and I'd love to include you!
In Christ, Tom

iyc laser quest FINAL showdown feb 23

RIP Laser Quest! (Noooooooo!!)
Sign up here to lock in your spot for this historic and final showdown: IYC and friends will meet at Laser Quest on Finley Road for a final two-game showdown this Sunday, Feb 23. This is a date change, because LQ just informed me they will be closing their doors on Feb 23- we'll be the final group to strap on the laser packs!
Be there at 5:40 with $15 for LQ, and bring food $$ for a trip to Portillo's following our battles. We can fit up to 32, so be smart and sign up!

30 hour famine this sunday the 16th!

Text/contact me this week when you commit to this Lock-In!
I dare you... join in this life-saving and awareness-raising lock-in alongside teens all across the nation! It's Presidents Day weekend, and we're doing a first-ever Sunday to Monday lock-in. We'll be going 30 hours without eating to raise extreme poverty awareness and raise money for hungry and malnourished children worldwide. Read the details on the registration form at this link. Important note: If you can't medically do the fast, you can still join in- together we'll create a special plan that you can do. Contact me for details!
In Christ, Tom

caroling party this sunday the 8th!

It's almost here! Our IYC Christmas Caroling Party is coming up this Sunday, December 8th! We'll be meeting early, at 4:30pm at church. Bring your Spirit-given Christmas Cheer, and we'll go out caroling to those who will appreciate our enthusiasm, if not our singing ability! Friends are welcome, too!
Also, if your last name is A-J, bring a dessert to share, if it's anything else, bring a side dish to share as we gather for our Christmas dinner party afterwards.  Also bring a well-thought-out-and-wrapped White Elephant gift for our beloved/dreaded gift exchange. Expect a hearty main dish, plenty of side dishes/desserts (provided by you) and a great, warm start to a blessed Christmas season!
In Christ, Tom

iyc fall retreat... frosty outside, cozy inside!

IYC and St James made it three in a row fall retreating together. This year we packed our rustic cabin in the woods and had a great time inside and out, in spite of the freezing weather. Our topic was "Next Steps", which had us pondering what has shaped our past and what or who is shaping our future. Take a look at our retreat album (click here) and you'll see that God blessed our time together!

up the creek at the dunes!

Aside from the chilly water, God provided a perfect dunes day this year, and we are thankful! One big adventure was hiking up the creek, which was deeper than usual and loaded with underwater obstacles. Also, a few of us took the long hike to the far side of the dunes, and it was worth it. Take a look at the photo gallery at this link. Many thanks to the parents and adults who got us there and back!

As he does every summer, God blessed our mission to Green Bay in June, and worked in us and around us as we served and grew as disciples. Our family times were filled with bonding and Kairos moments, and our challenge is to keep looking for God to break into our lives back home. Take a look at what we accomplished on the job in the "Relentless" gallery, and what we experienced the rest of the time in our "Downtime" gallery. I hope you can join in our 2020 mission to Hutchinson, Kansas next July 11-18!

We're back from the National Youth Gathering, where Lutheran teens from across the country and world increased the population of Minneapolis by 21,000 during our stay! It was quite a week as we and our Viking mascot celebrated nightly at the US Bank Stadium and grew in faith daily at the Convention Center. God blessed us in many ways, and we hope to share some of them at future IYC Nights. Pictures have been all over Facebook since we left, and you can view my gallery right now at this link. Next up: Houston, Texas in summer 2022!

we survived the walcamp october blizzard!

Yes, it was supposed to be chilly, but nobody said anything about a hurricane ice storm! Thankfully, we could huddle in our cabin during on the onslaught and wait for the sun to break through. Thankfully again, it did by mid-afternoon, and we were able to resume our traditional fall retreat hijinks deep into the moonlit night. Check out some of the snapshots we gathered along the way at this link!

flying high and landing hard at the dunes!

We were jumping, flipping, digging, hiking and splashing all day at the IYC Dunes Trek last Saturday! God provided us all we needed and more for a great, full day together in Michigan. Flip through the album (click here) to see what we experienced and why this is one of my favorite downtime destinations!

workcamp 2018- the story from troy!

Our summer mission to Troy, Missouri was very blessed by God! We enjoyed fabulous facilities (which is pronounced "good AC and lotsa real showers!"), way too many homemade cookies (yes, we found out that's actually possible), lots of construction projects and really good weather. We concentrated on discerning what God was saying to us each day, talked it through right before lights out, and saw God faithfully at work all over the place! 

Click to take a look at our "On the Job" and "Downtime" albums for a taste of what we experienced in Troy!

In Christ, Tom

It's been a long time coming... so long that many of you don't know what it's like to have a youth room, but the time is here- we dedicated the new youth room with a great celebration on Dec 10 at the end of the 10:30 service. If you missed it, head down to the room next time you're at church and check out the extremely miraculous makeover. Feel free to gather there whenever church is open!

umbrella over walcamp!

On a weekend that was supposed to be just rain and more rain, God answered our humble prayers and turned off the clouds right around the time we arrived at camp. It was plenty wet, chilly and muddy, but we powered through that triple threat and had a blast inside and outside. Joining us was our friend and former IYC youth volunteer extraordinaire Jeff W, as well as the youth he is now leading at St James in Chicago. Take a look at our weekend album at this link- you'll feel the good vibes!

What a road trip this summer, 700 lively miles all the way out to Frederick, Maryland! Once we arrived, it was a very blessed week of serving the residents in need in that region, and serve we did with the love of Jesus and in his name!

Connect with our experience at our "On the Job" and "Downtime" albums for a taste of what we experienced!

In Christ, Tom

pass the suntan lotion...

It was another chapter in the perpetual "learn not to burn" story at the dunes Saturday. A beautiful bright-sun day with 70 degree air and water. The red flags put a damper on our splash party, but we kept it safe and close to shore with an epic guys against girls keep-away battle I will not soon forget. Take a look at our photo album at this link and join in the fun next summer!

road trip to the rock!

We kicked off summer with a day trip downstate to Starved Rock State Park. It was a blast hiking and climbing through miles and miles of trails on a beautiful day. Experience the day with our photo album at this link!

super moon over walcamp!

T'was a weekend of firsts- the first IYC retreat during a supermoon, the first Walcamp late-night hayride, the first retreat ever for our fieldworker Rebecca and the first time she's ever led a retreat. It ended up being a great weekend, and God blessed her leadership and our lives, too. Take a look through the album at this link!

hot sand, cold surf, warm memories!

Even though we were stormed out of our first date, we persevered and made it to the dunes for a beautiful September Saturday. Unlike last year, no red flags were keeping us out of the lake- the water temperature did that! Take a look at our dunes album here to see how we squeezed a great day together out of a cold lake!

workcamp 2016 lives up to it's theme!

Our week in Imperial, PA lived up to the camp theme: Extraordinary!
Our crew served well and played well all week, and God was faithful to us in so many ways! Look for our Annual Report to be published soon, and for now, let the pictures do the talking. Click here for our worksite images and here for everything in between.

in christ alone in nola!

We're back from the National Gathering in New Orleans, and it was a memorable week of  road tripping, celebrating, growing, bonding... and eating! Our IYC and Trinity teens made the most of all that God had for us, and we found unity "In Christ Alone". Check out our photo gallery at this link. Praise God for blessing our trip so abundantly!

IYC is "Goin' to the Show" this Sunday, to experience the resurrection of our Lord in a different way through the movie "Risen". After the movie, we'll dine together and break down the story, digging for faith insights and biblical truth in our discussion together.
Meet at the Seven Bridges Cinemark theater at 4pm. Tickets should be $4.50, and bring dinner money, too. Call me if you need a ride to the theater, and feel free to carpool with other IYC'ers. Parents, if you'd like to see this film, you are welcome to join us for this event!

the year of the honeycomb at walcamp!

We squeezed a lot of living into our Walcamp weekend, and we're thanking God for the fantastic early November weather! During our study time, we were looking for God in the music we know and love, and, wouldn't you know it, we found him! Other highlights included our first pizza box torching, a frisbee-twist on Capture the Flag, communion with Pastor Nate, volleyball explosion, Sunday Morning Bible Time with Mrs Crowe and our very first honeycomb bonfire. Take a look at our retreat album by clicking here!

reframing in red lake

Our workcamp journey to the Red Lake Nation in northern Minnesota this July was a blessed one! As our crews spread out around the Red Lake region to do some needed "reframing" of homes in need of repair, we were challenged back at camp to "reframe" our understanding of Jesus and what it means to live for him. Take a look at what we experienced both at our worksites (here) and away from them (here) during this faith adventure!

seeing red at the dunes!

Our Dunes Trek 2015 was a rarity, and possibly a first- a red flag beach day all day. But rather than crawling into our beach blankets for a good cry, we did what we could, which was a whole lot in the great dunes weather. We took away a lot of memories, pockets full of sand and some good pics- take a look at them here and don't miss the fun a year from now!

brrrrrr's and burrs... 2x the fun at walcamp!

So we learned some practical things at Walcamp on the IYC Fall Retreat. One is that you can't wander around Walcamp in the fall with a blindfold on and not end up plastered full of prickly burrs. Another is that max capacity of the fire ring is 15, and the fire ring is the place to be when the mercury drops into the 20's. Fieldworker Ben led us all weekend, and we had a great time chillin' for real. Take a look at our gallery here!

dunes day 2014!

Our Dunes Trek to Warren Dunes in Michigan was everything we could hope for- fine, fine weather, lots of relaxing and reconnecting in a recreational wonderland only God could conceive of and create. Take a look at how we spent the day (click here) and join us next summer!

challenged and blessed in midland

Our mission adventure to the "crook of the thumb" in Michigan was just that! This Challenge Workcamp was loaded with construction and roofing projects that blessed us, and will bless our residents this winter and for years to come, too. God gets all the glory, though, for building our crew and empowering us to serve him and our residents in his name. The theme was "Repair"- outwardly, at our worksites, and inwardly, as we opened ourselves up for repair by our gracious Lord. Take a look at what we experienced both on (here) and off (here) our worksites during this intense week of service.

bonding and building at walcamp

The Teambuilder Overnight last weekend did just that as we worked in crews shaping up Walcamp in many ways. God blessed us in many ways, and gave us fabulous weather to work and play in. Get a feel for what went on at the photo gallery on the sidebar, or click here.

warm friends and cool weather: the fall retreat!

The Fall Retreat at Walcamp was very cool in multiple ways... One way gave us a true appreciation of the warmth of the campfire, and another appreciation of the unique gifts and personalities he put in us, and another a greater appreciation of our amazing Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thanks to those who "retreated" from the speed and noise of our daily lives to experience life together in God's wide open creation. Take a look at some of the pics at this link!

taking a stand in west virginia!

We returned renewed from the hollers' of West Virginia on July 27th after a week of ground level ministry. Our Kanawha River Workcamp was doubly blessed by God- a blessing to us and to the people of that region. Share the adventure in the pictures of our crew on the worksites and during our downtime away from our worksites. Say a prayer of thanks for all that God did through and around us!

living loved in san antonio!

Wow! The LCMS National Gathering week in San Antonio was a real adventure! Our team really did a great job of diving into everything the Gathering had to offer, and I think each would say that they were blessed and strengthened in many ways as we grew in faith and celebrated with the other 25,000 participants along the River Walk, at the Convention Center and the Alamo Dome. Get a hint of what it was like at *this link*...

sending off emily & nicole this sunday the 28th!

The time...
it flies! Nicole and Emily have been faithfully serving here at Immanuel for about 3 years, and they are finishing their classes and
heading out on their DCE internships. In honor of that, we will be sending them off with a nice BBQ Party this Sunday. Add your own side dish or dessert to the provided BBQ main dish and drinks and be at Tom's (5730 Hillcrest Rd) this Sunday beginning at 6pm. Wear some active clothes- the weather looks like it's going to be great!
In Christ, Tom