Canadian Lutherans march for life

Lutherans join the March for Life in Ottawa.

by James Morgan

OTTAWA – Lutherans for Life Canada (LFL-C) was among the pro-life organizations represented at the 2014 March for Life in Ottawa, held on May 8.

LFL-C President Cliff Pyle says 35 Lutherans were part of the group—a small part of the estimated 23,000 people who took part in the march. This included pastors, LFL-C board members, and church youth groups from Hamilton and St. Thomas, Ontario. Other groups participating included a variety of religious organizations, women’s groups, and even atheist/humanist organizations opposed to abortion and euthanasia.

President Pyle says participation in the March for Life is important for LFL-C because it is an opportunity to witness to lawmakers in Ottawa and a mainstream media that often ignores the issue of abortion or does not report on it fairly. The March for Life also affords pro-life activists an opportunity to gather with others in the movement and hear from leading authorities on the issue.

Lutheran participants at the March for Life.

March day began for the LFL-C participants with a worship service at St. Luke Lutheran Church in Ottawa, led by Rev. Richard Juritsch. Rev. Dr. Glenn Schaeffer, who served as LFL-C’s first President when it was founded in 2004, delivered the sermon. After the service, the participants made the more-than three kilometer walk from St. Luke to Parliament Hill where speeches began at noon. After a closing prayer later in the afternoon, the group returned to St. Luke for dinner and LFL-C’s Annual General Meeting, where the tenth anniversary of the organization was also recognized.

Rev. Dr. Glenn Schaeffer gave a presentation on the past, present, and future of LFL-C. Key challenges he presented are the need for LFL-C to make better use of social media, establish relations with other Lutheran synods such as NALC and CALC, and to better connect with and educate congregations through workshops and reading material.

For more information on Lutherans for Life Canada, go their website: www.lutheransforlife-canada.ca.

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Photos: Rev. Roger Winger.

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