For the past 40 years, the organization Lutherans for Life has been equipping Lutherans to speak for Life.
Rev. Jason Wagner, Missouri’s District Life Coordinator, attended the 2018 National Lutherans for Life Conference in St. Louis, Mo. Oct. 12 to 13. Though he’d always been interested in the conference, this was his first time attending. Jason is a pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in High Ridge.The conference included speakers and breakout sessions geared towards high school and college students, pastors and more. Topics covered a wide array of sanctity-of-life topics, including suicide, end-of-life care, healthcare, abortion and more.
A Vision for Life Ministries in Missouri
As the District Life Coordinator, Jason hopes to create a directory of crisis pregnancy centers and LCMS activities such as diaper drives. Many congregations across Missouri are working on life issues and he wants to build congregational awareness so everyone who wants to can find a way to engage. If you would like to know more, Jason encourages you to look at the LCMS Life Ministry page, which has information and resources.
Jason also looks forward to attending a Synod-wide conference in Washington, DC to confer with Life Coordinators from other districts.
 Abigail Wagner reads her winning essay at the Lutherans for Life conference. |
A Proud Dad Sees His Daughter Give Hope by Sharing her Faith
In addition to his recent appointment as Life Coordinator, Jason had another compelling reason to attend the 2018 conference. The evening of Oct. 12, he watched his daughter Abigail read her award-winning essay about protecting life, he had more than what he calls “a proud dad moment.” He describes the experience as “a good reminder of how we can serve each other.”
As a pastor’s daughter, Abigail is used to people approaching her for conversation. But when her essay brought two people to tears, she thought found the experience humbling.
Abigail’s essay reading was part of the Lutherans for Life Conference, in St. Louis, Mo. Oct 12 to 13, 2018. First, her essay won for the state of Missouri. Each state had two winners and then the winning entries state were ranked. Her essay was one of two awarded at the national level. The contest had to categories, high school and junior high. One of the junior high winners, David Nissing, is also from Missouri.
David Nissing reads his award winning essay at the Lutherans for Life conference.
Engaging Youth for Life
As the District Life Coordinator, he encourages pastors and congregations to engage the youth. While his daughter was reading her essay, he saw firsthand something he’s seen before–how young people expressing their faith can encourage an entire group of people.
Jason would also like to encourage the ministries in Missouri to take advantage of the Lutherans for Life essay contests.