Registration for this event is closed. The deadline was September 8.
Be Part of the Mission
Join Lutherans For Life in creating an inspiring evening of fellowship, encouragement, and hope as we gather for the …
Lutherans For Life 2026 Fall Gala | Friday, September 18
Holiday Inn Airport Des Moines, Iowa
This special evening will celebrate the God-given value of every human life and advance the mission of Lutherans For Life to equip Lutherans and their neighbors to be Gospel-motivated voices for life.
The LFL 2026 Fall Gala will feature a fellowship hour, dinner, ministry update, and keynote address from Rev. Dr. James Lamb, a prominent voice in the growth and development of Lutherans For Life, whose message will encourage attendees to continue sharing Christ-centered hope and truth in today’s culture.
Please consider becoming a LFL 2026 Fall Gala event sponsor and help bring individuals, families, and congregations together to advance a Gospel-motivated culture of life.
Rev. Dr. Jim Lamb earned a B.A. in Biology from Mankato State University in 1973 before enlisting in the United States Air Force in 1975, where he served as an Emergency Medical Technician at the USAF Academy Hospital in Colorado Springs. Following his military service, he attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, receiving his Master of Divinity in 1982 and a Doctor of Ministry in 1994.
Dr. Lamb’s pastoral ministry began in 1982, serving for 14 years as the senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Garner, Iowa. In 1996, he transitioned to para-church leadership as the Executive Director of National Lutherans For Life, a role he held for 20 years. Most recently, from 2016 until July 2024, he served part-time as a Life Advocate for Lutheran Family Service (LFS). Though officially retired, Dr. Lamb remains an active author and speaker, dedicated to applying the life-giving message of the Gospel to contemporary life issues.
He and his childhood sweetheart, RoxAnne, were married 56 years ago in Good Thunder, Minnesota. Today, they reside in Marshalltown, Iowa, and are blessed with three children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Special Guest: Dr. Päivi Maria Räsänen
We are also excited to welcome Dr. Päivi Maria Räsänen, Finnish legislator and medical doctor, who is the recipient of this year’s Dominus Vitae Award.
Dr. Räsänen has endured public persecution over the past several years for being a leading voice in support of religious liberty, freedom of expression, and the right to live and speak in accordance with convictions rooted in the Bible.
Dr. Päivi Maria Räsänen is a long-serving Finnish legislator, medical doctor, and former Minister of the Interior. Born in 1959 in Sonkajärvi, Finland, she completed her Licentiate of Medicine at the University of Helsinki in 1984 and subsequently worked as a physician in hospital-based clinical practice. She was first elected to the Parliament of Finland in 1995, representing the electoral district of Häme, and has served continuously since then. From June 2011 to May 2015, Dr. Räsänen served as Minister of the Interior, where her responsibilities included national internal security, migration policy, and church affairs.
In addition to her parliamentary work, Dr. Räsänen has authored several books and has been an active voice in discussions on healthcare, ethics, family policy, and religious freedom. A pro-life advocate, she has consistently defended the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. She has also spoken in support of the sanctity of marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman and has emphasized the importance of the family as a foundational institution of society.
Drawing on her Christian faith, Räsänen has been a leading voice in support of religious liberty, freedom of expression, and the right to live and speak in accordance with convictions rooted in the Bible. In 2019, she addressed the leadership of her church and questioned its official sponsorship of the LGBT event ‘Pride 2019’ with a picture of a bible verse. After almost seven years of legal proceedings, in March 2026, she was convicted of agitation against a minority group in connection with the publication ‘Male and Female He Created Them’ which she had authored in 2004. Räsänen has appealed the Supreme Court of Finland’s decision to the European Court of Human Rights.
Dr. Räsänen is married and is the mother of five children and grandmother to twelve grandchildren.
A Personal Invitation to the LFL Fall Gala from Dr. Lamb:
Hotel Information and Reservations
Guests who desire to stay overnight at the Holiday Inn Des Moines Airport, may make their reservations by following the link below.
The group block rate of $119/night plus tax is available through September 1, or until all rooms are reserved.
https://tinyurl.com/LFL2026GalaHotel
If you have any questions or need more information about the LFL 2026 Fall Gala, please contact Dave Probst at dprobst@lutheransforlife.org.