TFT: *Even Here
July 12, 2026
Family Bible Week Recap Video
Have you had a chance to see the Family Bible Week recap video? Check it out(opens in new tab)! Thank you to Joe Quick for helping us to preserve our shared memories!
Moms & Kids Playdate
This Thursday is our Moms & Kids playdate from 9-10 at the church. Weather permitting, we’d like to utilize the Ark Park this time! We encourage our moms to bring your kids out and enjoy fellowship time together!
Tiny Theologians: NEW Biblical Languages Workbook!
One of our favorite companies, Tiny Theologians, is launching a brand new workbook, Tiny Biblical Languages! According to Tiny Theologians, “this workbook invites kids to discover the beauty of God’s Word through the original languages of Scripture. With fun, hands on activities, children will explore Hebrew and Greek while learning how God faithfully preserved His Word for us today.” Your child can practice writing Greek and Hebrew letters and even learn how the Bible as written, translated, and preserved. What a fun opportunity!
This workbook launches tomorrow, and we think this could make a great resource for your child in the preteen or young teenage years. Check it out!(opens in new tab)
This Week’s Challenge: Mid-Summer Check-In
In this week’s Family Friday email(opens in new tab), Child Discipleship encouraged readers to take a step back and think about the question “how are you doing?” With half of the summer gone, now is a great time to evaluate how things are going in your home. Has the summer been refreshing for you? Have your good intentions for discipling your children been fruitful and productive, or fell by the wayside, drowned out by busy days? Have you taken time to nurture your own relationship with Jesus, or do you feel wiped out and depleted?
If you find that this season has been less than life-giving for you, consider what changes you might need to make to finish out the summer strong. Do you need to make changes to your calendar? Set a dedicated devotional time to gather your family together for Bible reading? Prioritize personal prayer time? If you’re feeling stuck, check out the many resources available in the church library.
“Jesus the Teacher” Kids Bible Class Devotional
(opens in new tab)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 “Jesus Chose Disciples” (Volume 8: Unit 23: Session 2), and the devotional can be found at this link(opens in new tab).
Visit the Family Ministries page(opens in new tab) on our website for information about how to access The Gospel Project at Home for the first time.
And for Dessert…
Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is a guide for praying for our teens at the EFCA Challenge Conference.
This morning, our 14 member Challenge group met in the church parking lot, prayed together, hugged their parents, and then drove off for Kansas City, Missouri for the 2026 EFCA Challenge Conference. The theme of the conference is *Even Here focusing on the nearness of God through studying the Book of Psalms(opens in new tab).
As a church family, we are praying for a terrific experience for each teen and their leaders. We hope it is faith-building, life-shaping, heart-encouraging, and (as the name says) truly challenging in every good way for each one.
My (Pastor Matt’s) friend Laurie Seay is the Event Director for the EFCA. She’s in charge of leading the logistics for several thousand teens at our biennial youth conference. It’s a big undertaking! Laurie is a genius at pulling it all together, and she is also dependent on the Lord’s guidance and strength. Laurie has written a detailed guide to pray for all of the groups pouring into the city and our hard-working EFCA staff each day this week.(opens in new tab)
(opens in new tab)I encourage all of our LEFC parents, whether or not your son or daughter is in the Challenge van today, to use the guide and pray for our group. We don’t have to go to be involved. We can pray for them even here because our God is even here.
As Laurie says, “Thank you for following along with us for these eight days and for your faithful prayers. We can do nothing of lasting value apart from Jesus. May He receive all the glory for this week, and may lasting fruit abound!”
Amen. May our group experience the nearness of God every mile they travel out and back to us in the next 7 days.
Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor