Jordan Rogers
Back in November of 2023, Liz Swain, a member of our staff, gave a pro-life presentation to the middle and high school youth group at First Christian Church in Warsaw. This presentation provided an overview of the pro-life movement and encouraged students to get involved in standing for the dignity and value of human life. Liz had the opportunity to connect with students after the presentation, and met a passionate student named Jordan Rogers who was interested in pursuing a leadership role in the life movement.
Jordan is a senior at Lakeland Christian Academy in Winona Lake, Indiana. She attended the National March For Life in Washington, D.C. with a group of students from her school in January, and developed a renewed passion for protecting the unborn and their mothers. When she returned from the March, she and Liz connected over coffee and Liz shared how Right to Life could support her in starting up a pro-life student group at Lakeland. Jordan is joined in leadership by junior, Piper Elrod.
When asked why she felt led to start and lead a group, Jordan replied:
Students at the National Pro-life March for Life
“When Liz came and spoke at our youth group, I was already pro-life, but her presentation helped jog my memory about an important cause. After I attended the March For Life in January, my trip leader challenged me and the other students with a question: ‘What now? What are you going to do about it?’ His challenge, along with Liz’s invitation to guide me in starting up a group, were what led me to start a group at my school.”
Lakeland Christian Academy’s Youth 4 Life club had its first call-out meeting on February 19th, and had a turnout of 8 students. Liz attended the first meeting to speak to the students about Right to Life and our support for their efforts. The group has grown to roughly 25-30 students and now meets biweekly before school, enjoying snacks and Christ-centered fellowship alongside pro-life lessons, discussions, and Bible study. So far, the group has learned and discussed topics like personhood and common first-trimester abortion procedures.
“In all of our meetings, I pose some questions or statements that a pro-choice person would say against whatever topic we are learning about. I have some people weigh in their thoughts, and then we discuss how we are to respond as Christians. We have had really good discussion! And, we always end in Bible study, which is good for seeing how Scripture addresses each topic.”
One resource that Right to Life has provided to Lakeland’s group is the Student Resource Page on our website. The Student Resource page was created to provide students with helpful tips and guidance for starting, or maintaining, a pro-life group at their high school or university. On this page, we have provided students with printables, lists of meeting topics and event ideas, tips for starting a group and creating a social media page, and more! Liz is also a continuous resource for these students, as she is always willing to meet in-person or over the phone to help students plan a meeting, brainstorm an event, or overcome an obstacle. Right to Life offers financial assistance to student groups to help them buy snacks for meetings or cover other expenses they may have.
“Right to Life has been so helpful in the process of starting up our Youth 4 Life group at Lakeland. Firstly, their Student Resource Page has helped guide me by providing me with an outline of how meetings should look, safe and credible resources to share, and different meeting topic ideas. They have also helped us buy snacks for our meetings, which has taken the pressure off of Piper and I. I have also felt very supported by Right to Life through Liz, who is always there to help with anything I need or answer my questions, so I’m not doing this alone.”
After Jordan graduates in the spring, she will be attending Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri. She hopes to continue serving as a voice for the voiceless by staying active in the pro-life movement in college, whether by starting a student club there, finding a non-profit like Right to Life to plug into, serving a pregnancy resource center through diaper drives or fundraisers, or attending the March For Life again in Washington D.C. As for the LCA Youth 4 Life group, Jordan plans to pass the baton to co-leader, Piper, to lead the club until the end of her high school career. We are hopeful that the legacy of this group will extend through many generations of high school students at Lakeland, and mobilize motivated individuals who will fight for the unborn in various ways throughout their lives.
We feel grateful to have the opportunity to serve the younger generations by empowering them for leadership in the life movement. If you or someone you know is interested in starting a pro-life student group on your high school or college campus, reach Liz at lswain@nci4life.org. If you already have a group at your school, Liz is still available to help you plan meetings, brainstorm, or provide you with resources that you may need.