By Y4Life and YA For Life Staff
This October, YA For Life and Higher Things hosted a joint conference where more than 30 young adults learned to do more than win arguments about life issues. The Defending, Defending Life conference held at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Ind., equipped participants to have conversations rooted in the God who bled, died, and rose again for every sinner on every side of an issue.
During the weekend conference, adults ages 18-30 participated in four teaching sessions, seven worship services, and a service project. Michelle Bauman, former director of YA For Life, and current assistant to the president of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, led teaching sessions that covered various topics, including:
- Foundations: Is Life Valuable?: This session set the foundation for the weekend and taught young adults about the value of life from a Gospel-motivated, apologetics focused perspective.
- Creation: Who Am I and What is My Purpose?: In this session, participants learned about God’s ordered creation of the world and how it gives our lives value and purpose.
- Vocations: Who is My Neighbor?: Young adults learned about the gift of vocation and how our various callings uphold the lives of our neighbors.
- Suffering: Theology of the Cross: In this final session, participants learned about the suffering and hardship we may face and how we are equipped to endure it through God’s Word and Christian fellowship.
These sessions will be available as an audio podcast in the coming months.
Worship was an integral part of the weekend. The Rev. Harrison Goodman, executive director of mission and theology for Higher Things, and the Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske, executive director of Lutherans For Life, preached about the gifts of God and His work in our lives. Defending, Defending Life conference attendees were joined in worship by Christ Academy College students.
Young adults participated in a service project at A Mother’s Hope, an organization near the seminary which shelters pregnant mothers who are experiencing homelessness and provides life-changing opportunities for growth. Participants organized the main office, did yard work, and cleaned the new house owned by A Mother’s Hope so it can be ready to accept more mothers in the coming months.
Fellowship was another focus that participants cherished throughout the weekend. The young adults joined with new and old friends to make memories and share LIFE together through meals, games, a hymn sing service, and a movie and craft night.
This event was made possible by generous grant funds provided by the Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) – Indiana District.