The Family Table

Christmas Caroling: TODAY!

Bring your family along for our LEFC Christmas Caroling event today at 2:00pm! We will gather on campus and practice a few favorite songs before caravanning throughout our community to brighten the holiday season of some of our beloved church families (older folks and shut-ins). No sign-ups necessary. Just show up! The kids that came along last year had a great time.

LEFC Christmas Eve Service

While planning your Christmas festivities, don’t forget to include our Christmas Eve Candlelight service on your family’s calendar at 7:00. Would you like to be a part of making this service special? We are in need of people willing to fill roles like greeting and reading, but we’re also in need of those interested in sharing their talents with special music or drama presentations. Interested in being part of the service that evening? See Pastor Matt.

Free Family Christmas Reading Plan

The folks at Tiny Theologians (which we have recommended several times!) have produced a free no-prep reading plan for families to take a moment each day of Christmas week to focus on the reason for the season. Go grab this excellent resource for your family!

Save the Date: Dads & Kids Mario Kart Tournament

Dads and Kids, join us on the evening of Friday January 16th at 6:00 for a Mario Kart Tournament! Spend an evening connecting with your kid(s) and other families playing Mario Kart on various gaming systems, snacking, and spending some time in the Word. This is a special event for dads and kids to enjoy together. See Jordyn if you’re able to provide a gaming system with Mario Kart, a spare TV we can use, or are willing to bring a snack along!

Family Bible Week 2026

Save the date for Family Bible Week June 14-18, 2026! Be sure to plan your family vacations and activities around this date so your family can participate as we shine a light on who Jesus really is! Be considering how you might be able to fill critical roles to make this year a success.

This Week’s Challenge: Read the Christmas Story

Christmas morning is an exciting time! If you have littles, it might be hard to keep them upstairs or in their rooms before they run to the tree before the sun comes up to eagerly dig in to presents. How fun it is to watch the joy on their faces! But, don’t lose sight of the Christmas gift that far surpasses anything under the tree: Jesus! Before opening presents this year, read the Christmas story out of the Bible to your kids. Maybe spend some time in prayer, too, thanking God for this indescribable gift. You can find the Christmas story in your Bible in Luke 2:1-21.

“Daniel in the Lions’ Den” Kids Bible Class Devotional

You have free access to a family devotional based on the curriculum our kids are studying each week in KBC! It’s called “The Gospel Project at Home.” Today’s Bible Study is “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” (Volume 6: Unit 16: Session 3), and the devotional can be found at this link.

Visit the Family Ministries page on our website for information about how to access The Gospel Project at Home for the first time.

And for Dessert…

This week’s recommendation for family discipleship is a classic Christmas album and the re-issuing of a pastoral challenge for all the kids in our church.

“Gather round, ye children, come.” 

Right now, “Behold the Lamb of God” is playing on constant repeat in my (Pastor Matt’s) office. I was reminded of this bestselling album that creatively captures the story of advent and Jesus’ birth while listening to a fascinating interview with singer/songwriter Andrew Peterson at Christianity Today. Peterson shared the origin story of the album and a lot of interesting tidbits of 25+ years of sharing it on tour.

I was also reminded that last year at this time, I encouraged all of our families to listen to track #6, “Matthew’s Begats” and read the corresponding book we have in the church library.  And at that time, I issued a challenge that any LEFC kid who memorizes the whole thing and sings it either on camera or on stage (or both) is eligible for a “Pizza Party with Pastor Matt.” So far, I haven’t had any takers, but I’m going to give everybody an extra 365 days! “Matthew’s Begats” is a jaunty tune about Jesus’ genealogy. That might sound boring, yet it’s anything but.

This year, I was really struck by how the songs in this album are appropriate all year long because Christmas isn’t just about a birth but also about a death (and a resurrection!).

“Behold the Lamb of God
Who died and rose again
Behold the Lamb of God who comes
To take away our sin” [Track #11]

By the way, at the tail end of the interview, Andrew Peterson said that his pick for the best Christmas carol ever is Charles Wesley’s “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” which has been our theme for this whole season!

May your family experience much blessing as you celebrate the coming of the Lamb of God.

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor