From the Board, January 2017

​The WELS Lutherans for Life (WLFL) board of directors recently approved a new mission statement:

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Protecting a child's right to live and be loved.

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What you will note:

The Child. God loves children. Jesus was not above teaching Sunday School. Jesus described ideal faith as "child-like" faith. We are all God's children, and He loves us all. Because of God's infinite love, we each have infinite value - no matter what value the world has placed on us. God wants us to bring our children to Him, so we work to do just that.

"But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." - Luke 18:16

Rights. In this society, rights are very dear to us. Everyone should be given equal rights. One of the most basic rights, is the right to live. No one should argue the right of a child to live. We protect what is precious. And we know that life is precious, because God tells us. This is paramount to our mission.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.​" - Proverbs 31:8

Love. This one word packs a powerful punch. God is Love. The love we reference in our mission statement is True Love - it's God's Love. In a recent wedding sermon, I heard true love described as, "Action done on behalf of another." That would explain why the Apostle John wrote, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son..." God's love is active love. This is the love that we emulate through all of our work at WLFL. Whether through compassionate counseling, a Loving Moms class, or a Healthy Choices talk - we get to show God's love in all these additional ways because we believe being pro-life is a way of life. 

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - First John 4:10

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." - Romans 13:10

What you will not note:

The mission statement doesn't try to defend the pro-choice accusation of woman-hating. Of course we love the mom just as much as we love the child. Christ's love covers all. The board debated adding a brief wording about family support, but the mission statement just got clunky. The mission statement is not intended to be a laundry list of everything that WLFL does, but describes the ministry's heart and motivation. 

"For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me." - Ezekiel 18:4

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Author: Philip Meinel, Chairman of the Board of Directors

If you have a passion for this cause, WLFL could help turn your passion into results! We are always looking for new volunteers to fill a wide range of positions from the front desk to the back office, from special task force committees to the Board of Directors. We are confident there is a place for you! Please contact us to start exploring your volunteer options.