As many of you know, the LFL annual conference has always been a quality conference with excellent speakers and workshop leaders. I am confident this will continue well into the future.

However, we have decided we will not be able to hold the conference in 2008. This decision was not an easy one and was reached only after much discussion and prayer.

There were a number of factors involved. Hotels must be booked well in advance. The 2008 conference was scheduled for the weekend of the Fourth of July. While it seemed good at the time it was scheduled, our experience last summer with our conference close to the Fourth has given us reason to be more cautious. Attempts to reschedule were unsuccessful.

A positive result of this is that it does free up more time here at the National Life Center for the planning and preparation of LFL’s Renewal For Life initiative.

Now, you may ask "What’s Renewal For Life, all about?"

It’s about the 3 R’s: Responsibility, Relevancy, and Resources!

We want to encourage and help pastors and congregations to see addressing the life issues as their responsibility. Addressing the life issues as they affect God’s people is not the responsibility of Lutherans For Life. It is the responsibility of the Church and her pastors. We want to help pastors and congregations see that the life issues are spiritual issues that prey upon Christ’s people and promote death as a solution to the problems of life.

We want to encourage and help pastors and congregations understand the relevancy and power of the Gospel in addressing these issues. Lutheran pastors and congregations already have what it takes to confront issues of life and death—the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is the most positive and powerful For Life message in the universe! LFL desires to help congregations see how relevant this message is, to help them connect this message to these issues that God’s people often face. We want people to be led to turn to the Lord of Life, not the god of death, for help and hope.

Assuming the responsibility to deal with the complexity of the life issues and applying the Gospel to them cannot be done effectively and consistently without help. LFL pledges to provide the necessary product and people resources.

With your help and support and by God’s grace, we will launch the national Renewal For Life campaign in the fall of 2008. These are exciting times. There is much to be done. So, saddened as we are about canceling the 2008 conference, we will value the extra time and use it in a very positive way.

Be assured, we are planning for a national conference in 2009! In the meantime, I encourage you to attend local and state LFL conferences in 2008. In the following column is an overview of some upcoming state LFL events.

March 1-2, Turtle Lake, Wisconsin

September 27, Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin

Speakers include Rev. Dr. Kevin Voss, Director of the Concordia Bioethics Institute and Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Concordia University Wisconsin, and Diane Chadwick, president of Lutherans For Life of Wisconsin.

For more information go to:

www.lfl-wi.org, e-mail diane.chadwick@fbfcwi.com, or call Diane Chadwick at 920-474-7143.

August 3-10

LFL of Iowa invites you aboard for a week of renewal, encouragement, and education. Brian Young, founder of Creation Instruction Association, will be the key presenter. Ports of call include Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Victoria, British Columbia. The cruise departs and concludes from Seattle, Washington.

For more information go to:

www.inspirationcruises.com/html/lutherans_for_life.html. For reservations call 800-247-1899. If you have specific questions or would like a brochure, please e-mail Mary Zimmermann at maryz@iowatelecom.net or Linda Bartlett at lindabartlett@mchsi.com.

October (Watch for the date and location in the summer 2008 edition of LifeDate.)

Dr. Jean Garton will be the keynote speaker. Her topic will be Thirty-five Years of Roe.

For more information go to: