Posted on February 13, 2025 by Rev. Max Phillips
Life Advocacy
Share
This past Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Lutheran Family Service hosted our annual LCMS Pastors’ Day on the Hill, a tradition we have carried on for eight years. Our goal is always to strengthen an LCMS identity at the Iowa State Capitol, teach pastors how to engage with legislators and the government process, encourage and support the men and women of our church that serve as Representatives, Senators and other top state offices, and bring focus to the vital topic of life advocacy. Nearly 50 LCMS pastors from across the state journeyed to Des Moines to help us accomplish all those goals.
These ongoing efforts have been blessed with greater awareness on protecting life from conception to natural death. Our ongoing efforts and those of other Christians have given helpful support to these legislative priorities, and as a result, abortion statistics in Iowa have revealed a decline. Thanks be to God!
We continue to work for the protection of all children not yet born. In particular, there are gaps that need our attention, especially the elimination of exceptions such as fetal abnormality, those conceived through rape or incest, and of course, those whose heartbeats have not yet been detected. Lutheran Family Service continues in this work.
This year, the Iowa Legislature is considering several bills that could influence abortion law. Among them are proposals to classify abortion pills as a Class IV controlled substance, implement educational curriculum requirements that accurately portray the development of unborn life, and potentially allow for civil action in cases where the wrongful death of an unborn child occurs. We hope that all of you stand ready to respond with your own advocacy when it is most needed.
Thank you to those who attended and to all of you who continue in your support of Lutheran Family Service. These efforts in the Kingdom of the Left, as well as our work in pregnancy counseling, adoption, mental health and marriage counseling, church worker wellness, and congregational education, need your congregation’s prayers and financial support. If it would be helpful for us to come to your congregation and highlight the ministry and work of our LCMS Lutheran Family Service, especially as so many other ‘Lutheran’ agencies are under public scrutiny and often confused with our work, we would be anxious to do so.
Download and use the resources below to educate and take action.
We pray that God continues to use our partnership together with LCMS pastors, congregations and members to stop children from being killed through abortion and prevent physicians from helping people commit suicide.
A special thank you to Gloria Dei Lutheran Church for their wonderful hospitality and delicious breakfast. It was very much appreciated by Lutheran Family Service and all who attended.
About Lutheran Family Service & Life Advocacy Work
Lutheran Family Service is a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) that informs, educates, equips and activates our LCMS congregations to stand up and defend the value of human life.
Jesus calls us to influence our culture. He tells us we are the light of His truth in this dark world (Matthew 5:14) and that we are to be like salt preserving this truth and defending it (Matthew 5:13). One of the ways we do this is in the public square is through our elected officials. Part of our Christian responsibility as citizens is to be a voice for God’s truth in the ears of those who represent us.
More posts about Life Advocacy
