District 158 Rejects Proposal To Host Graduation At Willow Creek

HUNTLEY, IL — The Huntley School District 158 school board voted down a proposal to host this year's senior graduation ceremony at Willow Creek Church in South Barrington following concerns surrounding the church's opinions on homosexuality, according to the Northwest Herald.

The public took issue with part of the church's 2020 elder statement that touches on the church's beliefs on same sex partnerships.

"It is important to distinguish between sinful tendencies and sinful practices. One may be inclined to theft or violence or addiction — but the more important question is whether one acts on those inclinations. The same is true of sexual morality. What we do with the tendencies inside our hearts defines us morally," according to the elder statement. "To have same-sex attraction is quite different than same-sex partners or viewing same-sex pornography and acting out."

District 158 originally proposed hosting the graduation at Willow Creek because it worked well logistically, was more affordable and also in a convenient location for school families, according to the Northwest Herald. In the past, the school has held the graduation at the Sears Center in Hoffman Estates and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Last year, the graduation as held at the high school's football field.

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