Has this winter iced you up? Are you ready to melt into spring? If so join us for a time of fellowship and (weather permitting) bonfire fire.
Come have dinner with us, including a baked potato bar with all the fixings you could want. We also plan to enjoy a time of worship together.
We aim to host a low pressure social environment where everyone can have a chance to have a good conversation and enjoy Communion with one another. Don’t know anyone yet? Feeling nervous to come out? Take a chance! Check out our community. We aim to give everyone a place to go.
Our Gluesticks David and Laura will be at this event. Look for us and we’ll be sure to get you plugged in!
Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to connect with us via sociallights24@gmail.com
Join us for an all-ages concert hosted by the Lakeside Artist Guild at the Families of Faith Church in Monee! The show explores the book of Psalms with classic settings and original compositions, including music by local songwriter (and friend of Social Lights Molly Rose. There will be no cost to come enjoy the music, but a free will offering will be collected to support the performers.
Social Lights is happy to be participating in Networking the Networks Conference as it brings together pastors, church leaders, and concerned citizens who are ready to re-engage the public square with truth, courage, and biblical conviction.
The speakers will be addressing Christ in culture, our history as a Christian nation, and how we can be active members of Jesus’ growing kingdom here on earth today. This is a great opportunity for young adults in particular to equip themselves with knowledge and connections to aid in walking with Christ in our modern world.
Where: Belmont Bible Church 5430 Belmont Road Downers Grove, IL
Praise & Worship: 9:15-9:55am
Conference time: 10am-3pm
Lunch is not included. A list of area restaurants will be made available PLUS a room will be provided for those folks that bring their lunches.
Do you know how to respond to the cultural confusion swirling around us?
Join Social Lights on March 7th to strengthen your worldview, ground yourself with truth, and to stand firm together with likememinded believers on the unshakeable Word of God at Illinois Family Institute‘s worldview conference. You can register here now!
We hope the new friendships you will forge while learning how to rebuild a biblical worldview in our Babylonian culture will be an encouragement to you–and stick around after the conference for some afterparty plans!
Dr. George Barna is considered the nation’s leading worldview researcher, bringing more than 40 years of research experience to the creation of the Arizona Christian University Worldview Assessment. Author of 60 books, including award-winning books and New York Times and Amazon bestsellers, Dr. Barna has sold more books based on survey research regarding matters of faith than any author in American history. In addition to his current role at Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, Dr. Barna serves as the Senior Research Fellow for the Center for Biblical Worldview at the Family Research Council.
Pastor Ceasar LeFlore is Illinois Family Institute’s Field Director and the Founder and Executive Director of The Beloved Community Development Coalition, a 501(c)(3) organization working for community transformation in the south east suburbs of Chicago. Pastor LeFlore is a published author and a prolific speaker nationwide. He is also actively involved with several pro-life and pro-family ministries.
Dr. Zumhagen, MD, graduated from Rockford College with a B.A. degree in mathematics in 1980 and then attended the University of Illinois School of Medicine at Peoria, where he graduated in 1985. He then went on to do his internship at McNeal Hospital Family Practice. He soon after started working at Homefirst Health Services, a Chicago-based physician homebirth practice until 2010. In 2009 Dr. Zumhagen co-founded Fearfully & Wonderfully Made, a holistic and nutritionally based center located in Orland Park, IL, where he currently practices.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to connect with us via sociallights24@gmail.com
On November 14th, 2025, Social Lights hosted our second annual Fine Dining Banquet in Wheaton, Illinois. It was an amazing night for young adults to come together and fellowship with both old and new friends!
Our theme this year was old Hollywood glamour–our tables featured many actors and actresses from around the 1940s, and the walls were adorned with famous movie posters. We feasted on Italian delight from Olive Garden, and dessert was a fudge brownie topped with ice cream, a cherry, and whipped cream. Our dinner was delightfully accompanied by a lovely live pianist, Michelle Martisek, who performed classic movie themes and pieces from the time period.
Our master of ceremonies, Craig Robison, very cordially called attendees’ attention to the “would you rather” questionnaire at their tables, and later brought three table representatives in front of the diners to test how well they knew their fellow table dwellers. Our keynote speaker, JY Yoon, gave an inspiring exhortation on what true friendship looks like. The mastermind himself, David Robison, wrapped up speechmaking by sharing about Social Lights; how it started, and where it is going.
At the conclusion of the evening, we crowned the Finest Diner of the evening, and ended the night with a good ol’ dance party!
This 2025 Banquet was a major success. We almost doubled our attendance from last year! A huge, heartfelt thank you to the good folks at Bethel Presbyterian Church in Wheaton for allowing us to use your building!
As we move into 2026, we will continue to provide young adults all over Chicagoland with a fun, friendly, and Christ-centered atmosphere. Our goal is to be the place you can meet and fellowship with friends and make new ones!
Below are some testimonies from guests, as well as some photos taken by our phenomenal photographer, Katherine Simeon, from this year’s fine dining banquet.
The testimonies:
“Social Lights’ Fine Dining event was a wonderful experience. From the lively atmosphere to the well-organized, thoughtfully mixed tables, it provided a great opportunity to meet fellow believers in Christ. Personally, the highlight was the volunteers-their dedication and efficiency made the event both enjoyable and comfortable.” – Eddie C
“It was a wonderful event, and I had so much fun socializing and participating in all the fun activities!” – Megan S
“I thought that the fine dining banquet was a really great experience where I was able to meet new people and get to know them!” – Debbie C
The Finest Diner of The Fine Dining Banquet 2025
Thank you all for your support, and we hope to see you at another event soon!
Have any questions or concerns? Feel free to connect with us via sociallights24@gmail.com
Self Evident is a Christian conservative podcast based upon the scripture passage Ephesians 4:15, which says, “[r]ather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.” Self Evident seeks to add a more grace-filled tone to the conservative conversation rather than needlessly ostracizing and demonizing a world in need of Christ’s redeeming love.
In the morning hours of a wintry Chicago Saturday, Nate (a Social Lights Gluestick) and I sat down in studio with Jenna Smith and Kenna Rose to converse about the tragic loss of social connection among Generation Z. The conversation represented a high point in a budding alliance between two relatively related groups of young adults: Social Lights and the Self Evident Podcast. The alliance would culminate several weeks later in the social meetup we co-hosted at Illinois Family Institute‘s Worldview conference, which we were promoting in our conversation.
The Self Evident podcast seeks to serve by enlightening, encouraging, and equipping particularly Generation Z by bringing God’s word to bear in the specifics of today’s cultural and political conversations through their weekly podcasts. Social Lights seeks to take those same values and use them as a foundation for real interpersonal community.
Although neither of our groups can claim to have perfectly applicable solutions to all the social or intellectual challenges facing Generation Z, we hope to be on the frontlines of developing such answers by highlighting and endorsing individuals, organizations, and resources that are consistently faithful to God’s word. By God’s grace, we aim to promote and practice the highest levels of Christian apologetics and culture.
It’s for all these reasons that we at Social Lights want to specially highlight our friends at the Self Evident Podcast. We highly recommend you subscribe to their weekly podcast. You can hear them discuss such topics as current proposed legislation that would infringe upon human rights and decency, the failures of pop culture icons, and the powerful yet widely ignored stories of detransitioners.
The Self Evident Podcast is made up of five remarkable young women, all members of Generation Z and passionate to be a light and example to those their own age.
Alyssa Sonnenburg is the host of the show and has a particular passion for others, which she is pursuing in the form of certification as a biblical counselor. She and her husband are, at the time of writing this, preparing to welcome their first baby into the world.
Kenna Rose is a co-host and contributor who is studying multimedia and journalism. Her passion is bringing truth to a generation that has widely lost its way.
Brynn Hartian is a co-host and student of communication and political science. She desires to not only be a firm example of her faith and values in a adversarial culture, but also to inspire hope for the future in both the old and young generations.
Jenna Smith is the producer, audio editor, and co-host for the podcast. She is a part time student, piano teacher, and financial administrator. Jenna seeks to help liberate Generation Z from the destructive lies to which they’ve fallen victim.
Eliana Hartian is a co-host, currently studying music full time. She hopes to point her peers to the Truth through her role on the podcast.
These young women are banded together to speak to our culture, especially the young women of Generation Z, for the sake of truth and frank common sense. Social Lights wants to amplify their message in whatever capacity we’re able.
Check out the episode featuring Nate and me, titled “A Three Stranded Cord: Christ & Community (SE #111)” on the Self Evident Podcast website or on Spotify via the link below!
On November 9th 2024 we at Social Lights hosted our first kick off event right here in Joliet Illinois. The 2024 Fine Dining Banquet was a night for young adults to come together with old friends and have a chance to make new ones. Our theme was The Roaring ’20s. Our excellent chef cooked a delicious Chicken Provencal and we all enjoyed the irresistible treat of Cheesecake Factory’s signature cheesecake. Meanwhile the musical stylings of Molly Rose and the Ragtime Rickys set the tone.
Guests also participated in social games and wrote compliments to one another. Our keynote speaker Reverend James Stafford delivered a talk about the dangers of excessive phone dependency. The host, David Robison, also delivered a speech about the Social Lights and how it got started. Both speeches are available below.
At the end of the night, we awarded the person who’d been voted Finest Diner. And, in true young adult fashion, we closed the night with a dance party.
The 2024 Fine Dining Banquet was the first of what we hope to make an annual event. Yes, the rumors are true, a 2025 Fine Dining Banquet is in the works. We hope to make this year an even richer and more memorable experience than last year. It’s our hope to bring together young people from across the Chicagoland area, and farther, into a safe and friendly place where they can spend meaningful and enjoyable time with friends. We hope to give people a place to look forward to going.
Registration for the 2025 Fine Dining Banquet will open May 5th. You’ll find the link to register here on our site and you can receive email notification when registration opens, as well as notification for all our other upcoming events, if you subscribe below.
We hope to see you at an event soon!
Speeches from the 2024 Fine Dining Banquet
Reels Friendship vs Real Friendship – Reverend James Stafford
Social Lights 