How are we gospel-driven? "Gospel-driven" means experiencing God's grace in the rescuing work of Jesus—through His life, death, and resurrection—so that by the power of the Holy Spirit we can respond with a thankful heart and a joyful desire to be used as an instrument of God's rescuing others in peril.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10

How do we seek to create a culture of life at Chapel of the Cross? "Culture of life" means consistent, meaningful, and grace-permeated references to life issues, as more and more people are equipped to consistently champion life in gospel-driven ways. We seek to foster an atmosphere of gospel-grounded love for our brothers and sisters in the church and beyond our church walls through education, awareness, and life-affirming service projects.

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Phillipians 1:9-11

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:7

Touch of Life Fetal Models: In January (Life Month) of 2020, we displayed our newly-purchased Touch of Life fetal models, teaching children from our Sunday School about the stages of life in the womb from the earliest weeks after conception to a full-term baby. Because the pandemic kept us from doing a hands-on display in January of 2021, we created a video inviting viewers to meet the fetal models through the eyes of four young children learning just how “fearfully and wonderfully made” we are—from the moment of conception to the end of life. This video reached over 4000 people on Facebook and YouTube and is featured on the Lutherans for Life website as part of the Owen's Mission project, which seeks to honor Jesus by presenting a set of Touch of Life fetal models to every Lutheran elementary and high school in the country. We thank God for the opportunity to be a part of this mission in our church, our local community, and beyond. You can view our video on YouTube below.

The Value of Life Presentation with Kristi Hofferber: In September, 2021, the Chapel Life Team sponsored a presentation by Kristi Hofferber, who shared an interesting and powerful story about the value and purpose of ALL lives. She spoke about how the gift of adoption saved her life and brought tremendous joy to her adoptive family. After learning about her own traumatic conception, Kristi was compelled to help others and left a ten-year career to go back to school to obtain her master’s degree in social work. She is currently the outreach coordinator for Coalition for Life St. Louis and also travels to share her life-affirming story of an unthinkable beginning to a life with purpose. She is an adoptee and wife of an adoptee, and together they have two adopted children. They are a family stitched together by God’s design and for His purpose. You can watch the presentation below or on Chapel's YouTube channel.