Speakers:
Michelle Bauman
Topic: What About a Gospel-motivated Response to Life?
Biography:
Michelle served 21 years as a Lutheran educator before joining the Lutherans for Life team in June 2019. Currently serving as Director of Y4Life, Michelle helps high school and college students 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 quality time with her husband, sons, and daughter-in-love. You can reach her at michelle@y4life.org.
Biography:
Michelle served 21 years as a Lutheran educator before joining the Lutherans for Life team in June 2019. Currently serving as Director of Y4Life, Michelle helps high school and college students 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 quality time with her husband, sons, and daughter-in-love. You can reach her at michelle@y4life.org.
Deaconess Chrissie Gillet
Topic: What about . . . Self Harm?
Biography:
Deaconess Chrissie Gillet earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Spalding University and completed her psychology residency as an officer in the United States Air Force. She served four years active duty and another four as inactive reserve. God blessed her with a range of counseling experiences in settings such as: a domestic violence shelter, the suicide crisis hotline, military mental health clinics, and a Christian counseling agency. Transitioning from an emphasis on psychology to theology, Chrissie attended the Distance Deaconess Program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. She graduated in October 2018 and was commissioned as a deaconess with Lutherans For Life.
In her position as the Word of Hope Director, Chrissie answers the hotline calls and emails. Understanding both the secular worldview and the Christ-centered perspective, she listens without personal judgment while also responding in Christian truth and love. Motivated by compassion, she often goes above and beyond to connect people with local services and natural supports. Beyond her typical hotline responsibilities, Chrissie writes articles, publicly speaks, and leads Bible studies on a range of topics related to life issues.
Chrissie is married to her best friend, Steph Gillet, who is a pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Tomahawk, WI. They enjoy working side by side in the ministry as a husband-wife and pastor-deaconess team. Together they have seven children, but only their youngest still resides at home, along with Phoebe, their Labradoodle in therapy dog training.
Valuing a Christ-centered lifestyle, Chrissie serves her neighbor through acts of mercy. Each year, she opens her heart and home to exchange students from around the world. Amongst her church family, she regularly visits folks who are hospitalized or shut-in, and enjoys the fellowship while creating crafts with members in her home. Within the rural and small-town community, she gifts numerous people with produce from her garden, home-cooked dishes, or crocheted newborn-baby blankets. Truly, to know Chrissie is to know her as your loving sister in Christ.
Biography:
Deaconess Chrissie Gillet earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from Spalding University and completed her psychology residency as an officer in the United States Air Force. She served four years active duty and another four as inactive reserve. God blessed her with a range of counseling experiences in settings such as: a domestic violence shelter, the suicide crisis hotline, military mental health clinics, and a Christian counseling agency. Transitioning from an emphasis on psychology to theology, Chrissie attended the Distance Deaconess Program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne. She graduated in October 2018 and was commissioned as a deaconess with Lutherans For Life.
In her position as the Word of Hope Director, Chrissie answers the hotline calls and emails. Understanding both the secular worldview and the Christ-centered perspective, she listens without personal judgment while also responding in Christian truth and love. Motivated by compassion, she often goes above and beyond to connect people with local services and natural supports. Beyond her typical hotline responsibilities, Chrissie writes articles, publicly speaks, and leads Bible studies on a range of topics related to life issues.
Chrissie is married to her best friend, Steph Gillet, who is a pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Tomahawk, WI. They enjoy working side by side in the ministry as a husband-wife and pastor-deaconess team. Together they have seven children, but only their youngest still resides at home, along with Phoebe, their Labradoodle in therapy dog training.
Valuing a Christ-centered lifestyle, Chrissie serves her neighbor through acts of mercy. Each year, she opens her heart and home to exchange students from around the world. Amongst her church family, she regularly visits folks who are hospitalized or shut-in, and enjoys the fellowship while creating crafts with members in her home. Within the rural and small-town community, she gifts numerous people with produce from her garden, home-cooked dishes, or crocheted newborn-baby blankets. Truly, to know Chrissie is to know her as your loving sister in Christ.
Joy May - Exodus World Service
Topic: What about . . . Immigration & Refugees?
Biography:
Jody May serves as Director of Education at Exodus World Service. She has been an educator for over 25 years in a variety of public school and private nonprofit settings. Jody advocates for refugees by educating schools, churches, civic groups, and individuals on the complexities of refugee resettlement and cross-cultural opportunities. She believes that education is key to helping dispel misconceptions about refugee resettlement and that training volunteers well is critical for developing mutual friendships in cross-cultural relationships. Jody received her B.A. in Education from Trinity International University and her M.Ed. from National Louis University
Biography:
Jody May serves as Director of Education at Exodus World Service. She has been an educator for over 25 years in a variety of public school and private nonprofit settings. Jody advocates for refugees by educating schools, churches, civic groups, and individuals on the complexities of refugee resettlement and cross-cultural opportunities. She believes that education is key to helping dispel misconceptions about refugee resettlement and that training volunteers well is critical for developing mutual friendships in cross-cultural relationships. Jody received her B.A. in Education from Trinity International University and her M.Ed. from National Louis University
Rev. Dr. Steven Schave
Topic: What about . . . Homelessness?
Biography:
The Rev. Steve Schave is currently serving as the Executive Director of LAMP Ministry, a cross cultural ministry serving the indigenous communities in remote areas of Northern Canada. Prior to this, he was named the director of LCMS Urban & Inner-City Mission in January 2014 and then also director of LCMS Church Planting in January 2015. Schave is a second-career pastor, a former business executive, with a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, business systems and executive leadership. His church work began in church planting with a focus on outreach through human care and then church revitalization with a focus on neighborhood renewal in the inner city. Previously, he served as the regional vice-president in the Southwest region of the LCMS Ohio District, and was third vice-president of the presidium. He also served on the board of directors for Lutheran Housing Support for several years. Schave has years of experience in connecting Word and Sacrament ministry with engaging communities. He founded the MissionField: USA initiative, that was adopted in the LCMS national convention, in an effort to plant new cross-cultural ministries, working through districts to send national missionaries that he supervised. He also developed the national Save Our Cities Fund, Big City Mission School Program, The Hero Academy, Urban & Inner-City Webinar series, and Denarius Social Enterprise learning modules. He received his DMin at Concordia Theological Seminary - Ft Wayne with a dissertation that focused on church planting resources for the synod based on a witness, mercy, life together framework for doing missions.
Biography:
The Rev. Steve Schave is currently serving as the Executive Director of LAMP Ministry, a cross cultural ministry serving the indigenous communities in remote areas of Northern Canada. Prior to this, he was named the director of LCMS Urban & Inner-City Mission in January 2014 and then also director of LCMS Church Planting in January 2015. Schave is a second-career pastor, a former business executive, with a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, business systems and executive leadership. His church work began in church planting with a focus on outreach through human care and then church revitalization with a focus on neighborhood renewal in the inner city. Previously, he served as the regional vice-president in the Southwest region of the LCMS Ohio District, and was third vice-president of the presidium. He also served on the board of directors for Lutheran Housing Support for several years. Schave has years of experience in connecting Word and Sacrament ministry with engaging communities. He founded the MissionField: USA initiative, that was adopted in the LCMS national convention, in an effort to plant new cross-cultural ministries, working through districts to send national missionaries that he supervised. He also developed the national Save Our Cities Fund, Big City Mission School Program, The Hero Academy, Urban & Inner-City Webinar series, and Denarius Social Enterprise learning modules. He received his DMin at Concordia Theological Seminary - Ft Wayne with a dissertation that focused on church planting resources for the synod based on a witness, mercy, life together framework for doing missions.
Heinz
Topic: What about . . . Unplanned Pregnancy?
Biography:
Julia Heinz currently serves the Lord at Redeeming Life Outreach Ministries as the Director of Mission Advancement where she endeavors to connect churches, individuals and organizations to do something to honor God’s gift of life in unplanned pregnancy situations and beyond. She joined the RLOM team in 2022 after a career in Christian education that included fundraising, teaching and administration in Chicago-area colleges, a Lutheran high school and several Lutheran grade schools, a storyline only God could write with twists and turns and many “How did I get here?” moments.
A proud product of Lutheran education, she was blessed to attend an LCMS grade school from 4th to 8th grade, an LCMS high school, then Valparaiso University for her undergrad studies in English and Education. Her graduate studies included coursework in programs including MALS, special ed, ECE, and most recently a degree in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago. Future educational goals include finding the ideal PhD program and an organization to foot the bill.
Married for 32 years, she and her husband live in East Dundee, IL, have three children, a new daughter-in-law, and a grand dog-in-residence. She is energized by new projects and fortified by looking back for continued proof that serving the Lord and following Him is both scary and thrilling. She chooses thrilling.
Biography:
Julia Heinz currently serves the Lord at Redeeming Life Outreach Ministries as the Director of Mission Advancement where she endeavors to connect churches, individuals and organizations to do something to honor God’s gift of life in unplanned pregnancy situations and beyond. She joined the RLOM team in 2022 after a career in Christian education that included fundraising, teaching and administration in Chicago-area colleges, a Lutheran high school and several Lutheran grade schools, a storyline only God could write with twists and turns and many “How did I get here?” moments.
A proud product of Lutheran education, she was blessed to attend an LCMS grade school from 4th to 8th grade, an LCMS high school, then Valparaiso University for her undergrad studies in English and Education. Her graduate studies included coursework in programs including MALS, special ed, ECE, and most recently a degree in educational leadership from Concordia University Chicago. Future educational goals include finding the ideal PhD program and an organization to foot the bill.
Married for 32 years, she and her husband live in East Dundee, IL, have three children, a new daughter-in-law, and a grand dog-in-residence. She is energized by new projects and fortified by looking back for continued proof that serving the Lord and following Him is both scary and thrilling. She chooses thrilling.