Since Y4Life officially launched five years ago, we have tried to encourage youth and young adults to attend the annual March For Life in Washington, D.C., through our Y4Life in Washington, D.C., program. I have always seen the March for Life as a great encouragement for students, a way for them to realize that they are not alone in their beliefs, that there are literally hundreds of thousands of people willing to march, rain or shine, snow or sun, for the rights of the unborn.
We have enjoyed our small, annual Y4Life trips to D.C., but last year we noticed a exciting opportunity. There are so many Lutheran student groups that attend the March for Life, students from high schools and college groups from across the country. Wouldn’t it be great to create an opportunity for all of those students to get together, to get to know each other and learn from each other? From this idea was born the new Y4Life in Washington, D.C., three-day event, provided free of charge to any Lutheran student or student at a Lutheran school.
The first new and improved Y4Life in Washington, D.C., took place this January in conjunction with the 45th annual March for Life. It included daily Bible studies and devotions, music, opportunities for fun and fellowship, guidance on using the Metro and sightseeing, and, most importantly, attending the March together as one big Lutheran student group. The weekend culminated in a “mini-conference” where student groups could learn more about Y4Life and Gospel-motivated life ministry.
The weekend was a great success! We had over 75 students, representing three Lutheran high schools and two Lutheran universities, as well as other students and families. All of these youth and young adults brought great energy and joy and were a huge encouragement to me and the Lutherans For Life staff. We pray that the weekend was an encouragement to them, and we look forward to seeing them all again in 2019!