LFL conference set for Oct. 24-25 in Michigan

This year’s Lutherans For Life National Conference will be held Oct. 24-25 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., under the theme “Matters of the Heart,” from Isaiah 40:1-2.

St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., will host this year’s Lutherans For Life National Conference, set for Oct. 24-25 under the theme “Matters of the Heart.” (St. Matthew Lutheran Church)

The conference, held annually, offers presentations and workshops on life issues ranging from abortion, to sexual purity, to end-of-life. It is designed for anyone — professional church workers and laypeople — with an interest in pro-life concerns.

Dr. John Patrick, who lectures worldwide on moral issues in medicine and culture and the integration of faith and science on behalf of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, will give the keynote address on life issues — not as political issues, but as “spiritual issues that have been politicized.” Patrick retired in 2002 from the University of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, where he had served as associate professor of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Biochemistry and Paediatrics (sic) for 20 years.

Other plenary sessions will be led by:

the Rev. Robert Fleischmann, national director of Christian Life Resources, on “Issues in the Family — Wearing My Heart on My Sleeve.”

the Rev. Dr. James I. Lamb, LFL executive director, on “Stillbirth and Miscarriage.”

Conference participants also will have opportunities to attend up to three hourlong workshops led by:

the Rev. Max Phillips, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Bouton, Iowa, on “Caring for the Infirm and Elderly.”

Katie Schuermann, author of He Remembers the Barren and Pew Sisters, on “Facing Infertility.”

Diane Schroeder, retired past-president of LFL, and Grace Kern, director of LFL’s Word of Hope post-abortion ministry, on “Reaching Those Wounded by Abortion.”

Laura Davis, director of the LFL program Youth4Life, on being single, titled “Content in Christ.”

Several pre-conference activities also are available:

a pastors luncheon with Lamb.

a prayer vigil at a local Planned Parenthood facility.

a seminar on congregational Life Teams, led by Lori Trinche, Mission and Ministry coordinator for LFL.

“Christian Estate Planning,” led by Jim Schroeder, Christian estate-planning counselor for LFL.

“What’s a Life Worth — The Human Soul in the (kind of) Infinite Cosmos,” led by the Rev. Jonathan Fisk, associate pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church and School, Naperville, Ill.

Pre-conference activities — held prior to the event’s opening worship service at 5 p.m. Oct. 24 — are included in the conference registration fee. Also included is an opening-night banquet and lunch on the following day. The conference ends after the last session that begins at 4 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Registration is $100 for adults, $50 for students and $30 for children ages 6 to 12. Children ages 5 and under are free.

Lodging is available at the Best Western Hospitality Hotel and Suites in Grand Rapids for the conference rate of $85 per night.

For more information, or to register for the conference, visit lutheransforlife.org/conference.

Posted July 2, 2014