Our God is the GOD OF LIFE, and He created humankind in His own image. As handmade, original works of art, our bodies, souls, and lives have inherent and eternal value.
The Bible is full of examples of how God values and loves life; He consistently preserves, protects, and provides for His people. In the ultimate act of love, God sent His Son to die for ALL HUMAN LIFE.
Because we are created and redeemed by God Himself, EVERY HUMAN LIFE is important, valuable, and meaningful. Called to be His children, we have a message of LIFE to share with the world.
YA For LIFE, the young adult branch of Lutherans For Life, seeks to equip young adults to be Gospel-motivated voices for LIFE. But it doesn’t stop there! Created, redeemed, and called to faith, young adults are handmade to be messengers of life, publicly and privately engaging with others to uphold their lives. Through service, education, worship, and celebration, young adults are encouraged to become advocates for LIFE in their homes, churches, communities, and world! In this way, their life-affirming work ripples into the future – not only changing lives today, but also the lives of those to come.
Michelle Bauman joined the Lutherans For Life team on June 1, 2019. She earned her Lutheran teaching degree in secondary education from Concordia Nebraska in 1998 and a master’s degree in English from the University of Indianapolis in 2011. Before joining Lutherans For Life, Michelle taught middle school English from 1998 to 2002 at Holy Cross Lutheran School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and English, Drama, and Speech at Trinity Lutheran High School in Seymour, Indiana, from 2002 to 2019. Michelle also served as Trinity’s Recruitment Director from 2004 to 2017.
As sponsor of the YA for Life events and Director of Y4Life, Michelle helps high school students, college-aged youth, and young adults learn about life issues and how to address them from a Gospel-motivated perspective. She also supports the building and maintaining of Y4Life Teams on high school and college campuses across the nation. When not presenting, writing, or creating social media posts for Y4Life, Michelle loves gardening, taking long walks, traveling, cooking, and spending time with her husband, sons, and daughter-in-love. She lives in Columbus, Indiana, with her husband, Pastor Doug Bauman, and attends St. Paul Lutheran Church, Clifty, where he serves as pastor. You can reach her at mbauman@lutheransforlife.org.
Michele Hartshorn joined the Lutherans For Life Volunteer Relations Team on November 8, 2023. Before joining LFL, Michele was the center administrator at Amnion Pregnancy Center in Burnsville, Minnesota, for eight years. Prior to that, she served as communication coordinator at Messiah Lutheran Church in Lakeville, Minnesota, where she is a member. Throughout Michele’s career, she has served in ministry and non-profit organizations overseeing administration, communications, fundraising, special events, and volunteer management.
Michele grew up in Mosinee in central Wisconsin. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Emphasis in Public Relations) and a minor in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. After college graduation, she moved to Minnesota. Michele lives in Lakeville with her husband, Jim, and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dakota Marie. They have two adult sons, Patrick and Nicholas.
Michele enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and relaxing on Lake Dubay in Wisconsin. She is a prayer warrior. She feels blessed to be called by God to be a part of the Volunteer Relations Team to work nationwide to help equip Lutherans to be “Gospel-motivated voices For Life.”
