Starting to Plan
As a Life Advocate, you may be wondering exactly what you are suppose to do. You may have a general idea, but what about specific ideas? With this Paraclete, we will begin to offer some specifics for you.
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The DVD’s you received in your start-up packet are now on the RFL website. Just click on “Media Downloads” in the Navigation menu. As a planning starting point, I urge you to watch or watch again the one on practical applications. This can be an outline for you as you plan to do more within your congregation to connect the Word of Life to the life issues. This presentation is based on a little booklet by Dr. David Adams entitled, Implementing a Pro-Life Theology in a Lutheran Congregation. It is available from LFL and can also be downloaded at:
http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Life_Issue_Info/Abortion_Church/implementing.htm
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You may want to gather some others to go through this with you. Think about and discuss the three areas talked about—A Plan to Teach, A Plan to Care, A Plan to Witness.
Start with a Plan to Teach the Children
Dr. Adams says, “Such a teaching program will have to begin with the youngest children, teaching them that God loves and cherishes them and that He desires them to love and cherish one another.”
What is already going on in your congregation that you can “plug into” when it comes to young children? Is there a day school or pre-school? Make known to your educators LFL’s For Life graded curriculum. This is an integrated curriculum that doesn’t need to take any more of the teacher’s time, but offers suggestions on how to teach key “For Life” concepts through what they are already doing. Information may be found at http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Teaching_For_Life.htm
What about Sunday School? Do you have an opening where a short “For Life” message could be shared on occasion? There is a great power point that can be used in such settings called “God’s Knitting Room.” It is scripted and available on RFLOnline under Downloads/Teaching Tools. This would also be great in a day school chapel setting. LFL has object lessons and coloring books and videos available that could be used in a variety of settings. Go to http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Catalog/children_(C).htm
Become familiar with these resources and then think about and plan how you might use them in your congregation to help teach the children about the God-given value of each human life. Don’t just shoot for a “one time” event. Work with the educators in your congregation to “plug in” the For Life message on a regular basis.
In the next Paraclete we will offer some ideas and resources on teaching the older children.