Even if you can’t trek to Washington, D.C., Jan. 24 for the March for Life, you can get Lutheran news and views of the 38th annual pro-life rally through same-day, online coverage provided by LCMS World Relief and Human Care (WR-HC) at www.lcms.org/marchforlife.
This is the third year that the Synod’s mercy ministry is staffing a March for Life online newsroom, posting pictures and interviews with marching Lutherans. Some 250,000 people hit the streets last year, marking the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States.
WR-HC staff participating in the march include Life and Health Ministries Director Maggie Karner, Life Ministries Projects Coordinator Ed Szeto and Deaconess Grace Rao, with Diaconal Project Development. Melanie Ave, who is public relations coordinator on the LCMS Communications staff, will conduct on-site interviews and provide commentary throughout the day.
“LCMS World Relief and Human Care, through its staff and Sanctity of Human Life Committee, will bring to the nation’s president, Congress and Supreme Court the collective voice of all those in the LCMS who are not able to be there personally, giving a clear and public witness to the value that God gives to all human life through creation and through the eternal life He gives to all through Jesus Christ,” said Rev. John Fale, WR-HC interim executive director.
On march day, the March for Life newsroom will include:
- photos and videos spotlighting Lutheran participants.
- audio interviews with Lutheran marchers.
- a link to follow posts by Szeto and Ave on Twitter. (Szeto is participating in his 10th March for Life; it’s the first for Ave.)
Already posted on the March for Life newsroom website are:
- the abortion-related voting records of U.S. congressmen who are LCMS members.
- a look at abortion history and trends.
- President Obama’s record on life issues.
- pro-life national and state legislative efforts on tap for 2011.
- links to the March for Life and Lutherans For Life (LFL) websites.
Many Lutheran marchers will start the day with the 9 a.m. worship service at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Alexandria, Va., hosted by the LFL chapter in northern Virginia. Dr. James I. Lamb, LFL executive director and a member of the LCMS Sanctity of Human Life Committee, will deliver the sermon.
A pre-march rally begins at noon EST on the National Mall. The march is expected to conclude around 3 p.m. at the U.S. Supreme Court building.
Referring to the march, LCMS President Rev. Matthew C. Harrison said, “It is our right and responsibility as Christian citizens to speak and legally demonstrate our aversion to this clear and persisting injustice, perpetrated on the weakest and most vulnerable (Micah 6:8). [The march] is also a consistent witness, along with the multitude of activities carried out by the Missouri Synod and its partners and congregations — millions of dollars in programs! — that provide assistance to the needy, including unwed mothers and the neediest children. As Luther said, ‘My neighbor’s need is my vocation to mercy.'”
For more information about LCMS participation in the March For Life, contact WR-HC at 800-248-1930, ext. 1371.
Posted Jan. 20, 2011
