The 18th anniversary of Church on Fire International, which is situated at 4836 W. 13th Street in Cicero, IL, is a momentous occasion. This flourishing non-denominational ministry has transformed into a beacon of love, hope, and transformation both locally and globally under the charismatic leadership of Apostle Dr. David Philemon. Sunday, October 20, 2024, marks the start of the celebration, which will last for a week and include camaraderie, worship, and powerful lessons.

From Lowly Origins to Worldwide Influence
In Plateau State, Nigeria, Apostle Dr. David Philemon had a transformative experience with God that marked the beginning of his journey. What began as a modest spiritual journey has developed into a potent ministry that has an impact on people’s lives both domestically and outside. The apostle David is renowned for his steadfast adherence to God’s Word, his profound love for Jesus, and the “good fruit” that results from his leadership. He has devoted his life to serving God and His people as a husband, father, teacher, and inspirational leader.
Church on Fire International has been dedicated to helping the communities in which it has established itself since its founding. With a reputation for commitment to spiritual development, community service, and sharing the love of Christ, the ministry has experienced steady growth over the years. The church’s impact goes well beyond Cicero; its outreach initiatives, worship sessions, and spiritual teachings have changed the lives of countless people.

A Week of Exciting Festivities
The celebration of the 18th anniversary is sure to be a memorable occasion. The week will begin on Sunday, October 20, 2024, and will include impactful teaching and impartation sessions led by God-anointed men and women. Attendees’ faith will be strengthened by these workshops, which will also offer a new wave of spiritual inspiration and insight.
This anniversary continues the tradition of spiritually enlightening gatherings hosted by Apostle Dr. David Philemon. A spectacular concert will take place on Friday, October 25, and Saturday, October 26, 2024, to round off the week. Worshippers will have the opportunity to see the ministry of Tomi Favored and Dunsin Oyekan, two well-known gospel musicians. This is a must-attend event for the neighborhood and beyond since both performers are renowned for their anointed worship and stirring performances.
Don’t pass up this historic occasion!
This milestone, which marks 18 years of fervent service and spiritual leadership for Church on Fire International, is a tribute to God’s faithfulness and the vision of Apostle Dr. David Philemon. With its message of transformation, love, and hope, the church continues to be a thriving and expanding ministry that influences people’s lives and communities.
Put this amazing anniversary week on your calendars. Whether you belong to the church family or are a first-time guest, you really should not miss this. Celebrating 18 years of God’s favor, Join Church on Fire International. It looks forward to many more years of service and impact in Cicero and beyond.

Draws attention to the larger issue of why Pharmacies are closing in the State of Illinois and the U.S.

(l-r) Rupesh Manek – Owner of Rochelle Pharmacy, Abraham Morgan – Board member and Government Affairs Committee Chair of Sinai Chicago, and Edwin Muldrow – 2nd generation owner of Del-Kar Pharmacy.

Four Walgreens stores on the Westside of Chicago, 3401 W Roosevelt Rd, 5222 W Madison St, 3045 W 26th St, and the 4800 W Cermak Rd store are reported to be closing by the end of the year. After being sought for help as a safety net and an alternative solution to the news of the Walgreens closures that will leave the Westside of Chicago even more of a pharmacy desert, Ed Muldrow, owner of Del-Kar Pharmacy, one of only two black owned independent pharmacies in Chicago, contacted NLCN and coordinated a meeting with some of his fellow members of the Illinois Pharmacy Association. The meeting was to discuss the closures and the critical issue of why the pharmacy closures. “No business closes down, if they are making money, stated Cong Danny Davis, who was not at the meeting.

There are several factors impacting the pharmacy business, but one of the major reasons, particularly in the state of Illinois and the Chicago area, is due to low reimbursement rates and exploitative practices by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Key points included: – 74 pharmacies have closed in Illinois so far this year, with more expected to close by the end of the year. Nationwide, over 2,200 pharmacies have closed in 2022 alone. – PBMs, the middlemen between drug manufacturers, pharmacies, and insurance companies have been reported and proven to be manipulating prices and underpaying pharmacies for medications, often reimbursing below the pharmacies’ acquisition costs An Illinois state audit found that PBMs misappropriated over $100 million per year from the state’s Medicaid program, over a two-year period, by underpaying pharmacies. – CVS Caremark, one of the largest PBMs, agreed to pay $46 million to Illinois for failing to provide the state with appropriate reimbursements, but this amount is negligible compared to their $80 billion quarterly revenue.

The Illinois Pharmacists Association has proposed bipartisan bills (SB 2790 and HB 4548) to address the issue, including implementing transparent pricing standards and fair reimbursement rates, but these bills have stalled due to PBM lobbying efforts and lack of legislative support. – Pharmacists emphasized their vital role in providing accessible healthcare, medication counseling, and essential services like COVID-19 vaccinations, but their ability to serve communities is being undermined by PBM practices. – Rural areas are particularly vulnerable, with some counties in Illinois lacking any pharmacies, making pharmacists the primary healthcare providers in those regions. – Participants called for community engagement, patient advocacy, and increased pressure on state and federal legislators to take action against PBM monopolistic practices and protect independent pharmacies.

Garth Reynolds, Executive Director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, Pharmacy Law Professor, family-owned rural Illinois pharmacies.

Background on Pharmacy Closures and PBM Practices

The meeting began with Garth Reynolds, Executive Director of the Illinois Pharmacists Association, Law Professor, and family-owned rural Illinois pharmacies, providing context on the long-standing issue of pharmacy closures, which has been ongoing for over 20-25 years but has accelerated recently. He cited examples of Walgreens adjusting hours due to state payment cycles in the early 2000s and the recent closure of 74 pharmacies in Illinois this year alone, with more expected to close by the end of the year. Reynolds emphasized the impact of ‘pharmacy deserts,’ areas with limited access to pharmacies, particularly affecting Black and Latino communities in Chicago. He provided research from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Pharmacy that established the term ‘pharmacy deserts’ and highlighted the transportation challenges faced by residents in these areas.

The group discussed the exploitative practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen between drug manufacturers, pharmacies, and insurance companies. Rupesh, an independent pharmacist, provided examples of being underpaid for medications, sometimes reimbursed below the acquisition cost. He cited instances of being reimbursed $935 for a $1,100 medication and receiving reimbursements as low as 21-39 cents for generic medications. Garth Reynolds explained how PBMs leverage their position to demand rebates from manufacturers, causing inflated drug prices that are passed down to pharmacies and patients. He also mentioned how PBMs manipulate formularies (lists of covered medications) to steer patients towards preferred pharmacies within their networks.

The discussion highlighted a state audit that found PBMs misappropriated over $100 million per year from the Illinois Medicaid program over a two-year period by underpaying pharmacies. Additionally, CVS Caremark agreed to pay $46 million to Illinois for failing to provide appropriate reimbursements, although this amount was considered negligible compared to CVS Caremark’s $80 billion quarterly revenue. Garth Reynolds mentioned that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released an interim report in July investigating the top six PBMs and that the FTC recently filed a lawsuit against three major PBMs for manipulating insulin prices. Attorney General Kwame Raoul was cited as advocating for action against PBMs at the state and federal levels.

The Illinois Pharmacists Association has been working on bipartisan bills (SB 2790 and HB 4548) to address the PBM issue, including implementing transparent pricing standards based on the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) and fair reimbursement rates through a professional dispensing fee. However, these bills have faced opposition from PBM lobbying efforts and a lack of legislative support. Participants discussed the need for community engagement, patient advocacy, and increased pressure on state and federal legislators to take action. They also suggested involving other stakeholders, such as the Illinois Hospital Association and local officials, to raise awareness and support for protecting independent pharmacies.

The Role of Pharmacists and Impact on Communities

Pharmacists emphasized their vital role in providing accessible healthcare, medication counseling, and essential services like COVID-19 vaccinations and opioid overdose prevention. They highlighted the importance of maintaining independent pharmacies, which often serve as the primary healthcare providers in rural areas where some counties lack any pharmacies. The participants discussed the impact of pharmacy closures on underserved communities, particularly in terms of transportation challenges and access to medications and healthcare services. They also addressed the need to educate policymakers and the public on the value of pharmacists and the consequences of losing independent pharmacies.

• Action Items that can be taken are Obtaining a copy of the Illinois state audit report that found PBMs misappropriated over $100 million per year from the Medicaid program
• Gather data and create visuals (e.g., charts, infographics) to illustrate the year-over-year growth of PBMs and the corresponding decline in the number of independent pharmacies, both nationally and in Illinois/Chicago
• Reach out to state legislators, the governor’s office, and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (which oversees Medicaid) to inquire about their plans to address the PBM issue and enforce appropriate reimbursement rates for pharmacies
• Engage with community leaders, patient advocacy groups, and local officials to raise awareness about the impact of pharmacy closures and the need to support independent pharmacies, and pharmacies in general.
• Collaborate with organizations like the Illinois Hospital Association and other healthcare stakeholders to build a coalition advocating for legislative action against negative aspects of PBM practices
• Explore legal avenues, such as working with the state attorney general’s office or filing lawsuits, to challenge PBM pricing manipulation and underpayment practices
• Develop a comprehensive plan and strategy, following the SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) framework, to present the issue to policymakers and the public in a clear and compelling manner

By Todd Thomas

North Lawndale College Prep football has only lost one game this season and at 8-1 they are looking to be one of the most successful football teams in the school’s history. After the challenging regular season schedule the Phoenix are headed to the first round of the IHSA playoffs. They play Fairbury (Prairie Central) Saturday, October 28 at Lane Stadium. Game time is 12:00 noon and the stadium is located at 2601 W. Addison St. in Chicago, IL.

North Lawndale started the season on a four-game win streak, before losing to conference rival Payton 21-20. That was the last game they lost before stringing together four consecutive wins – capping off the regular season schedule with a 36-6 win against Sullivan. The Phoenix, although known for basketball, have made considerable strides since Sam Williford took over as head coach five years ago, and they have made it to the playoffs the past two seasons.

This year’s team features a spread offense that allows them to highlight the speed they have at the skill positions, and several members of the track team play wide receiver, running back and quarterback. “We retooled the team from last year and we have a lot of options, so we figured out a way with the spread offense to get them the ball,” Williford said. “It allows us to feature certain players and put them in the right situations to take advantage of their strengths.”

The keys to the Phoenix engine belong to senior quarterback Earnest Rice, who has steadily improved and blossomed into the type of all-around player the team needs. He has great speed and runs well, and also throws a nice deep ball. “My deep balls are my favorite and they’re very accurate. I can throw over 60 yards, that’s my strong suit,” Rice said. He does still use his legs often and has no problem leaving the pocket, but he said he wants to concentrate more on the passing game. “Passing is more fun and it’s better for my teammates and gets more people involved and gets everybody hyped,” he said.

And getting players on the team adequate playing time and keeping them involved is also part of Williford’s strategy. He freely substitutes players depending on the situation. That might not go down well with some athletes, but the players for the most part have bought into the team concept. “I know what I’m capable of,” said wide receiver and defensive back Charlie Davis. “But I don’t trip because coach knows what’s best at the end of the day. The key thing is we want to win and whatever coach feels we should do we just go with it.

Although North Lawndale is 8-1 they do see room for improvement, especially if they plan on making it out of the first round ot the state playoffs, which they failed to do in the last two campaigns.
“We need to communicate more on the field and make sure everybody is doing the right thing. If we do the right thing everything will fall into place and we’ll be good,” said junior wide receiver Quotangelo Temples. “We need to talk more on the field so we won’t make those minor mistakes. That will help us keep developing and winning games,” added Davis.

Coach Williford thinks he has the right student/athletes to have a successful season. He said they have been performing well in the classroom, and are dedicated to the sport – which he said is key to being successful, especially in the game of football. “You can’t make a kid play football – he has to want to do it. I don’t want to force any kid to do something they don’t want to do because they’re not going to give it their all,” he said.

Playing sports has also helped many of the football players avoid some of the problems that have plagued the community with violence, although they did have one of their own players gunned down and killed last season. “This is extracurricular so instead of being out here on the streets just walking around doing stuff I don’t have any business doing I’m just out here on the football field trying to get better and succeed in life,” Temples said. “If you play a sport and you want to be great at it you’re going to go to practice and not be worrying about the streets – that’s why I want to play sports. There’s too many people getting killed and I’m not about to be one of them,” running back Avron Johnson said.

American Goldfinch at Garfield Park

Red-tailed Hawk at Douglas Park

Great-blue Heron at Douglas Park

Eric Gyllenhaal monitors and counts birds in Douglas Park

By Todd Thomas

The West Side of Chicago is fortunate to have three major parks in the area that offer a host of outdoor activities, and among them is bird watching or birding which has become more popular in recent years.
The beauty and importance of birds in these parks is captured, and recorded on a regular basis by Eric Gyllenhaal, a local retired naturalist who spends countless hours roaming the parks observing and counting birds.
The 2023 official spring bird count occurred just a few weeks ago and Gyllenhaal and a host of volunteers counted birds in Douglas, Garfield, Columbus and Riis Parks. They counted 90 species of birds and reported the findings to the online database eBird.
One of the key reasons bird counts are critical to understand birds is that bird populations have plummeted, and over the last 50 years the United States has seen bird populations plummet by the billions – not – millions, but billions.
“Counting birds helps us keep track of how birds are reacting to the changes we are doing to the environment, and there have been some major drops because habitat is disappearing. Counting helps us keep track of the bird population’s changes and try to figure out ways to counteract negative changes that have happened,” explained Gyllenhaal.
After the bird count Gyllenhaal did note that the numbers of one of the area’s major migrants – warblers were lower than expected.
“We’re not at peak migration yet,” Gyllenhaal said a few days after the count. “During peak migration we would expect to find 25 species of warblers in one day, but we only found 18 and there weren’t huge numbers for any warblers.”
Some of the birds that showed up in big numbers in the count were Red-wing Blackbirds, Canada Geese, Herring Gulls, Barn Swallows, Robins and Northern Cardinals. The cardinals are a favorite of many bird enthusiasts, but Gyllenhaal said he doesn’t like one particular bird more than any other.
“I don’t have a favorite bird – I’m interested in all of them. Whatever bird has my attention at that moment that’s where I focus, and when another one comes along that’s where I focus. I don’t like this one better than that one. It’s a holistic approach – I like them all, even the house sparrows,” he said.
All species of birds do stand to benefit from the information garnered from the bird counts, and land managers have been receptive and helpful in using the data to make improvements by helping to restore bird’s natural habitats.
Collecting data on birds is important and having a thriving bird population an important part of a healthy community. The presence of healthy trees, and the birds singing are important in their own right.
“People talk about environmental justice these days especially on the South and West sides of Chicago especially around pollution, but part of environmental justice is living in a neighborhood with enough trees to deal with pollution, and more trees will help bring back the birds as well,” Gyllenhaal said.
The youth in the area can also benefit from more exposure to the natural environment around them. He suggests spending a little more time away from electronic devices and engaging in more outdoor activity.
“Kids are so distracted by online things, screens,laptops and cell phones and there’s so much great natural reality out there that kids aren’t paying attention to. And it’s not just kids, but everyone in the community can benefit from being surrounded by trees and birds,” Gyllenhaal said.
“People are missing something from their lives if they’re not paying attention to nature. It brings beauty and joy – it gets you paying attention to what’s going on around you and it’s an inexpensive way to enjoy your life.”
The mega-festivals that are held in Chicago’s parks also have a negative impact on birds by destroying habitat and deterring them from landing. Gyllenhaal encourages people to help keep them out of the parks.
“Join a group that is trying to get the meg- festivals out of places like Douglas Park and watch who you vote for,” he said.
Gyllenhaal also holds nature-themed events and the next one in North Lawndale will be June 25th at Sunday’s on the Boulevard from 1-4pm. He and his wife will have a Make your Own Nature Museum booth and information and fun activities for the kids.
You can also follow Gyllenhaal and the birds of the West Side on social media. Check out the Nature in Douglas Park (Chicago), and Nature in Columbus Park (Chicago) facebook group pages.