Life
Life Ministry
Welcome to the CID Life web page! As a layperson myself, I want you to know that this page aims to engage directly with the lay members of our churches in central Illinois. We want to provide an effective resource where you can easily obtain answers to your questions about all manner of Life Issues, and where you can find help in any particular area. (See the Quick Life Issues Collection below.)
Countless challenges face the Church today. Christians must take a stand against the growing evil in our society that promotes the culture of death — yes, laypeople too. God has put us in this moment and in this place for such a time as this. It is indeed an honor for us to serve Him in this way.
It is particularly important that we embark on this journey under the protection of prayer, guided by God’s Word, acting out our faith in Christian love. If we do, He will surely bless our efforts. He is faithful. We know that victory ultimately belongs to the Lord. All glory be to Him alone!
– Dave Ward, CID Life Coordinator
2026 Illinois Pro-Life March
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Matins at Trinity Lutheran Church
On March 19, 2026, concerned citizens from all over Illinois will gather in Springfield for the annual Illinois Pro-Life March.
Trinity Lutheran Church (220 S. 2nd Street), across the street from the State Capitol, will again conduct a Matins service on the day of the March at 11:00 a.m.
Lunch will be available between Matins and the Rally/March at the State House Inn (one block north of the State Capitol). A donation will be collected to help cover the cost of the lunch.
The Rally will be held at the Lincoln statue in front of the State Capitol at 1:00 p.m.
The March begins following the Rally, at 2:00 p.m., from the Lincoln statue heading north on 2nd Street.
Attendees are encouraged to consider going to lobby their state legislator and senator following the March.
Worshipers may park in the State House Inn’s west parking lot at the corner of Adams and 1st Streets, across 1st Street from the hotel building.
Lutherans for Life Illinois Essay Contest
Sponsored by the Council of Federation Presidents
For Students in Grades 6 – 8 and 9 – 12
Any student in a Lutheran school or Lutheran congregation (e.g., confirmation class, youth group, Lutheran home school) is eligible when validated by their teacher or pastor, along with parental consent.
Pastors and Teachers can utilize this tool to help students think through Life issues in light of all Ten Commandments – starting with the First, not the Fifth. You will likely find that the essays your pupils write will provide you with valuable insight about them, particularly if you encourage them to choose topics with a personal connection. They will fairly readily appreciate the value of such projects.
2026 Contest Theme and Rules
Students will write a life-affirming essay based on the theme “That They May Have Life” using John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
For more about this year’s essay theme and rubrics for evaluation, click here.
Million Dollar Life Match
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) is offering over $1 million in matching grants. These funds will help the Synod’s member congregations to support various local pro-life efforts, both big and small.
The people of the LCMS love children and families. Through many acts of mercy in their communities, we demonstrate this love. The $1 million match will mobilize still more love in action.
For more information, go to https://www.lcms.org/serve/grants/life-grant
Quick Life Issues Collection
Immediately below you can find links to a number of written resources on various life-related topics. For more, see links to Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR) documents on Life Issues and to the LCMS Life Library. If you are interested in audio resources, follow the link to many Friends for Life podcasts by KFUO Radio.
Book: A Small Catechism on Human Life
ABORTION
- Book: When the Crying Stops: Abortion, the Pain and the Healing
- CTCR: Abortion in Perspective, 1984
- Article: God’s Word for an Unplanned Pregnancy
- Article: Three Ways to Talk about Life
- Article: Abortion and the Meaning of Parenthood
- Article: Are the Unborn Human?
ASSISTED SUICIDE
- LCMS Life Ministry: The Christian Response to Assisted Suicide, 2021
- LCMS President’s Commission on the Sanctity of Life: That They May Live, 2001
- Article: Murdered in the Woods by a Robber
- Article: Ventilators, Feeding Tubes, and Other End-of-Life Questions
CLONING
- CTCR: Summary of “What Child is This? Marriage, Family, and Human Cloning”
- Article: To Be or Not to Be . . . a Clone
- Article: On Human Cloning and Genetic Entropy
EUTHANSIA
- CTCR: Christian Decision-Making and the End of Life, 2023
- LCMS President’s Commission on the Sanctity of Life: That They May Live, 2001
- CTCR: Christian Care at Life’s End, 1993
- Article: Asking the Right Questions
- Article: I Want to Burden My Loved Ones
MISCARRIAGE
PRAYER
REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
- White Paper: The Child as a Gift of God
- Article: A Review of Reproductive Technologies
- Article: In Vitro Fertilization: Moral or Immoral?
STEM CELL RESEARCH
TRANSGENDER QUESTIONS
- CTCR: “A Chaste and Decent Life”: An Update to Human Sexuality (1981)
- Article: Clarity and Care for Children with Gender Confusion
- Article: Truth and Compassion for LGBTQ+ Individuals
