This Spotlight on Life Project—Issues as We Age: Beholding the Gospel in Life’s Twilight—was shared by Paula Cate, Life Team Leader, and the St. John’s Lutheran Church Life Team in Grand Haven, Michigan.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15).
Our congregation experienced several deaths of dearly loved elder members during the winter of 2022-2023. Some of these members and families were well-prepared with arrangements for Christian funerals, but many were not. Some members were also unprepared for the kinds of medical and ethical decisions associated with the last stages of life on earth. Our congregation needed some help.
At our August 2023 meeting, the Life Team was pleased to learn that Lutherans For Life had created a Spotlight on Life presentation on the topic, “Issues as We Age.” We decided to pursue the possibility of holding an event on the topic and presented it to our newly installed pastor for approval. We presented the idea to our parish planning council, and the office administrator helped to find possible dates on the church and school calendar. We settled on the date with Pastor Salemink. Our preparations began in earnest after the January 2024 Life Week.
The morning of Saturday, April 27, 2024, began with registration at 8:30 a.m. and concluded around 1:30 p.m. Lunch was provided with the $15 registration fee. A Thrivent Action Grant of $250 helped the Life Team purchase tablecloths, flowers for the lunch tables, name tags, and pens. Pastor Vergin opened the workshop with a devotion. The topics covered in the workshop included:
- What is death? What happens when we die?
- Going gracefully.
- The Christian Gospel enables us to welcome God’s blessings as life is ending.
- Learning about Advance Directives.
- Having family conversations.
- Funeral worship guidelines.
- Benefits and drawbacks of hospice care and organ donation.
- Physician-assisted suicide.
- Do we have a “duty to die”?
The event was promoted to the area circuit churches, LFL of Michigan, our local Right to Life organization, area senior living residences, and in our own congregation. We were blessed to have 62 registrations for the workshop, and most were able to attend. The messages were very well received, according to our own Pastor Vergin, who had several follow-up conversations because of the material. Pastor Salemink is an interesting, engaging speaker who kept Christ in the center of the message. A bonus for our St. John’s congregation was having Pastor Salemink preaching and teaching in the weekend services!
We were thankful to LFL for promotional materials and other assistance. We had not planned for a display of materials because one of our state officers was planning to bring a display. However, he was unable to attend due to illness. Pastor Salemink brought appropriate materials, but we should have ordered more as a precaution. Another idea from a Life Team member was to have an outline of bullet points of the presentations for notetaking and ideas to guide family conversations. “Issues as We Age: Beholding the Gospel in Life’s Twilight” is a worthwhile educational event for our churches. Our St. John’s Lutheran Church Life Team was excited to bring this to our area churches and was grateful for the support and materials created by LFL. Pastor Salemink shared these encouraging words:
The “Issues as We Age” events have generated significant interest recently—we even shared one in Honolulu! As with the Grand Haven engagement, I always have a delightful time sharing the sanctity of life, exploring practical opportunities, building relationships with the brothers and sisters, hearing their thoughtful reflections, and answering their profound questions. As the American population ages, this format offers an effective outreach to communities and a winsome exploration of our Gospel-motivated voice For Life.
Is your church interested in a Spotlight on Life?
Spotlight on Life brings life issue awareness and education to your local Lutheran congregations or church sponsored community events, even in smaller venues and rural areas. Lutherans For Life staff are offering to be featured speakers and extend their expertise on a variety of life issues (see suggested topics below). With Spotlight on Life, your event will be equipping many others to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life. It is simple, like a “speaking event in a box”! You conduct the event and LFL provides the expert speaker, based on topic preference and availability. Whether your event is one hour, a half day, an evening, or something else, your event is sure to be a success with Spotlight on Life!
Not sure where to start? Don’t worry. LFL is pleased to offer consultation with a staff member to assist you with identifying needs and brainstorming solutions for your exciting event. Begin your planning now. For more information on Spotlight on Life, visit lutheransforlife.org/spotlight-on-life or email us at info+spotlight@lutheransforlife.org. Presentation topics include:
Factors Affecting Life and Death
- Fetal development
- Unplanned pregnancy
- Mental health
- Physical & mental disabilities
Life and Death
- Abortion
- Suicide
- Physician-assisted suicide & euthanasia
- Fertilization to forever
Factors Regarding the Sanctity of Life
- For-Life apologetics
- Human-trafficking
- Sexuality & gender
- Family