The annual Lutherans For Life Essay Contest, sponsored by the Council of Federation Presidents, continues to offer our Lutheran students the opportunity to affirm and express their belief in the sanctity of life. The theme this year is Life Shines in Darkness, using the Bible verse, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5).
The national essay contest is offered to students in two categories: grades 6-8 and grades 9-12. Students in both Federation states and Non-Federation states are eligible to participate. After each state has submitted their first-place winner, a national committee selects a national first-place and second-place winner in each category. Any student in a Lutheran school or Lutheran congregation (e.g., confirmation class, youth group, Lutheran home school) is eligible when validated by their teacher or pastor, along with parental consent.
All state winners should be commended on winning at their state level. The national first-place award is $250, a framed certificate, free LFL conference registration for both the student and parents, a free hotel stay for the conference, and $200 for travel expenses. The second-place award for both categories is $125 and a framed certificate. The Council of Federation Presidents just voted to increase the awards for 2025. Information about the 2025 Essay Contest can be found here.
2024 LFL Grades 9-12 National Essay Contest Winners
First Place: Claire Jankee, Delano, Minnesota. She is 15 years old and was a freshman at Mayer Lutheran High School in Mayer, MN, when she won her award. She is the daughter of Lyle and Melissa Jankee, and has two siblings, Ben and Eliza. Claire enjoys a variety of activities with her family, one of them being frequent visits to the family cabin in Wisconsin. In the fall, Claire enjoys deer hunting with her family and never passes up an opportunity to trek out to the woods with her Bompa. She loves to play volleyball on both the school and local club teams. When given the opportunity, Claire enjoys riding horses and someday dreams of owning her own horse. In the past year, Claire learned how to knit baby hats and donated them to the Choices Health Network, a pregnancy center in Rusk County, Wisconsin. Claire also donated her state essay contest prize to the center and plans to do the same with her prize from the national contest. When given the opportunity to write an essay for this year’s Lutherans For Life contest, Claire immediately thought of the important role of pregnancy centers across the nation. She sees herself as a pro-life advocate and would like to find more ways to be involved and to donate in the years ahead. Although uncertain about what she’d like to do in the future, Claire intends to work with children in some capacity.
Here is Claire’s essay titled “Sanctity of Life—Abortion.”
Do you know what the darkest spiritual place is in your city? Elizabeth Johnston, author and pro-life activist, posed this question to her followers (elizabethjohnston.org). The answer: your local abortion clinic. This world is full of sinful and dark places where the most evil of human acts occur, but Jesus came to offer us hope and light in the midst of the darkness that our sin so often leads us into. One of these lights, when talking about abortion, is the pregnancy care centers that seek to offer women and their partners hope in a time of uncertainty and also give the unborn a chance at life. God’s Word is very clear about shining light in the darkness. In John 1:4-5, it is written that “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” Our family has been a strong supporter of local pregnancy centers, and I feel this is one of the most urgent matters of our time—supporting women as they go through an unplanned pregnancy and helping people to realize that God has a plan for every life, planned or not.
Pregnancy care centers are there for women when they find themselves in an unplanned and desperate situation. Just like Jesus was there for the little lamb when it was lost, carrying it to safety, a pregnancy care center acts as the “hands and feet of Jesus” to those with an unplanned pregnancy. Pregnancy centers offer women free ultrasounds and counseling, along with care and support once a baby is born. These centers have been proven to offer both a life and a future to the mother and the child. God’s Word tells us that each life has value, and each human being is an image bearer of Him. When a woman walks into an abortion clinic, she is not being told of the value her child holds. All she is offered is a way out of a situation that will only lead to loss of life and immeasurable despair and grief that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Pregnancy centers offer so much more to the mother and baby!
The sanctity of life is affirmed many times throughout the Bible, and it is our Christian duty to uphold what God has so clearly stated in His Word. Just a few of these verses that speak clearly to this are Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them,” Psalm 139:13-16: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful; I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be,” and Jeremiah 1:4-5: “The word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’”
Unplanned pregnancies are not the only situations where abortion is often looked to. Babies diagnosed with life-altering conditions and disabilities are also at a higher risk of termination. One example is babies diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero. In the U.S., 60-90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted (United States Congress Joint Economic Committee). The thought of having a child with Down syndrome is overwhelming to many parents. The unknowns of health issues and providing a lifetime of care for their child can leave many parents feeling overwhelmed, and they may feel like abortion is their only option. This is another opportunity where a pregnancy care center can guide the mother and father in choosing life for their child. Pregnancy care centers are the light in the midst of the darkness.
My prayer is that more people would come to know and understand the sanctity of life. It is through our nation’s pregnancy care centers that women can find hope and direction, but most importantly, find the value in saving the life of their unborn child. Until Christ makes His return, all of those who proclaim to be believers and followers of Him need to step into these situations to uphold the sanctity of life and give voice to the voiceless.
Thank you, Claire, for your voice and your actions supporting those who cannot speak for themselves. Thank you for reminding us that we, as followers of Jesus, do care about unborn babies and moms and dads. All people are created in the image of God, and our role in life is to help people see the value and sanctity of that gift of Life. Yours is a special voice doing just that.
Second Place: Andrew Kohlmeyer, of Tecumseh, Nebraska, won second place at the national level in the 9-12 grade category and was in the eleventh grade when he won his award. He is homeschooled and attends St. John Lutheran Church in Tecumseh, where his father is the pastor. Andrew has two older sisters, one of whom is married and expecting a child in September. He loves making his family smile and creating stop-motion short films. In school he enjoys learning biblical languages such as Greek and Latin, which he hopes to eventually teach at classical liberal arts schools. Andrew also volunteers at church for Vacation Bible School and Faith Train, which is a combination of VBS and Sunday school, held every Wednesday of the school year.
Andrew’s essay was titled “The New Holocaust.” He rightly compares the holocaust of Nazi Germany, when 12 million people were exterminated because they were believed to be “inferior” human beings, to the deaths of 63 million babies between the years 1973 and 2022 for the same reason. Well done, Andrew.
2024 LFL Grades 6-8 National Essay Contest Winners
First Place: Allison (Ally) Packer, from Collinsville, Illinois, won first place at the national level in the 6-8 grade category. Allison won her award while in eighth grade at Good Shepherd Lutheran School in Collinsville, Illinois, and is a member at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. She has two older siblings and four younger siblings—two brothers and four sisters. Allison enjoys volleyball and track. When she is not playing sports or doing other extracurricular activities after school, she enjoys baking and writing.
Ally’s essay is titled “An Open Door.”
At first, I didn’t like it; I was young and selfish. Adding two new kids to my family was difficult. In 2020, my family fostered two beautiful girls, Athena and Roseanne. I was ten years old when we fostered, and they were only six and seven. There were times I’d complain about how they were overtaking my home. They didn’t have the same rules or follow the same expectations; in my head, they were being let off easy. I didn’t understand what my parents were actually doing. We already had a big family. What I came to realize was that they were planting a light in the darkness as God called them to do. John 1:4-5 states, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” My parents truly valued life and wanted to give these girls a chance to see Jesus. This helped me understand that foster care fulfills Jesus’ command to care for the fatherless.
We fostered for three and a half months. As time went on, I realized God’s plan for these girls and why He placed them in my home. As my love for them grew, I realized what a blessing foster care is—not just for me but for these children as well. We provided a safe home and a chance for them to see Christ. This was something they never would’ve experienced if not for my parents opening doors as God commanded: “You must love the foreigner as yourself” (Leviticus 19:33-34). By the end, foster care became one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Christ says in Isaiah 1:17, “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” It states how important caring for orphans is to God. Foster care plays a part in fulfilling God’s command and sparking a light for those who haven’t had a chance to see God.
Finally, all lives are significant to God, even those of the fatherless. We’re called to be a light in the darkness and care for orphans. Furthermore, foster care provides the opportunity to share God’s Word with those who need it. It’s a chance to spark light into the dark lives of these young children. It’s a real blessing; all it takes is an open door.
Thank you, Ally, for the honesty and love that shine through in your essay. Sometimes we don’t understand at first why things happen in our life, but as God promises, He showers us with blessing after blessing as we walk in His ways. What a wonderful gift to you that “[your] love for them grew,” and what a wonderful lesson you have passed on to all of us!
Second Place: Leviathan Duley, Arlington, Nebraska, won second place at the national level in the 6-8 grade category. He was in the seventh grade at St. Paul’s Lutheran School when he won his award. Leviathan is the oldest of five children born to Pastor Jason and Karis Duley. He is 13 years old and has lived most of his life in Arlington, NE. His siblings are sisters Naomi (11), Gemma (9), Hosanna (7), and brother Judah (3). Leviathan has always enjoyed athletics and plays soccer, basketball, and baseball. He loves to fish, swim, read, play video games, hike, and hang out with his friends. He will be an eighth grader at St. Paul’s Lutheran School this coming fall. His plans for the future include a high school education and exploring different career opportunities as he discerns his future vocation.
Leviathan’s essay is titled “Life Shines in Darkness.” He tells the story of an unplanned pregnancy in his family that started with anxiety and worry and ended with joy at the birth of his little brother Judah. Thank you, Leviathan, for reminding us that God always knows the plans He has for us, and He blesses those who love Him and trust in Him.