The Shawano chapter of Lutherans for Life at St. James Lutheran Church is gathering signatures for the annual ad that supports their belief in the sanctity and value of human life.
“We try to keep life issues in front of the congregation,” said secretary Louise Zahn, who has been a part of the group since it began. “The ad is the major part of what we do.”
The group supports their mission with a signature ad in The Shawano Leader that has around 500 people who are of the same mind.
Sue Ebert was the person most responsible for starting the Shawano chapter, which began in May 1985. One of their first decisions was to put an ad in on Father’s Day that year.
Now the ad goes in for Life Day in January. Churches in Bonduel, Gresham and Shawano take part in the ad; it’s $3 per signature.
Over the years, the group’s quest remains the same — the preservation of human life, whether it be against abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty or assisted suicide.
“I feel that life is a gift of God and we should honor it as such,” Zahn said.
The group began with a letter sent to church members. Several got together to form the Shawano chapter with Sue Ebert as the first president. They used to have regular meetings, but now the group is so small that they mostly get together when it is time for the ad.
“It would be nice if there were more,” Zahn said.
They have a cookie sale in December, using the money raised for bulletin inserts. They also get information to schools about abortion.
“We want to make sure they understand that there’s an alternative,” Ebert said.
Lutherans for Life was a personal dream of Dr. C. Jack Eichhorst, who in 1976 had a meeting with others who had common concerns about human life issues. LFL was officially incorporated on April 17, 1979. The national headquarters is in Nevada, Iowa, headed by Dr. James Lamb. The mission has remained the same, to be Gospel-motivated voices for life and educating society to do the same.
There is a magazine that is published four times a year with articles on a number of related subjects.
The focus for this year’s Life Sunday, on Jan. 18, is “Matters of the Heart.” People who would like to support the mission have until Monday to be part of the ad.
Other officers are Theresa Pockat, president; Kathy Laatsch, vice president; and Bev Kleinschmidt, treasurer.
For more information, call Zahn at 715-526-3485.
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