The Family Table

Fall Retreat is Coming Soon!

Our fall retreat is coming up in just under a month on October 16-18! We want you there! This is a great opportunity for your family to get away with the LEFC family and enjoy fellowship, teaching, and more. This year’s theme will focus on Hard Work and Real Rest. Registration is open! Register your family now to join us for a great weekend!

Baby Dedications

Today in our service we had the joy of dedicating three little ones in our church family. It is a significant milestone for these parents as they dedicate their child to the Lord and commit to leading them to know Him. Take some time this week to pray for the Kerlin, Vaughn, and Simler families as they set out on this endeavor and maybe even take some time to encourage them through a note in the mail or in their church mailbox.

Family Discipleship Surveys

On Back to School Sunday or in their mailboxes, families received a short survey about family discipleship in their homes from our Family Ministries Team. This survey is intended to give us a glimpse into what discipleship looks like in the homes of our families so that we can most effectively tailor our efforts and ministries to meet your needs. We have only gotten a few of these back. We desire to get input from as many of our families as we can so that we can draw accurate data from them. If you have not yet returned yours, please return your completed survey to Jordyn Skacel’s mailbox, or fill out this digital version. If you need a replacement paper copy, they can be found in the clear wall file above our kids check-in station. We appreciate your cooperation!

Tiny Theologians Podcast Season 7!

The Tiny Theologians podcast launched a brand new season a few weeks ago! This delightful podcast designed for kids follows characters TJ and Tory as they adventure through the ABCs of Scripture Memory. Each week highlights a new word or phrase according to the alphabet. Episodes are around 10-15 minutes long and make for great car ride listening or a calm break in the afternoon. Although the podcast can be enjoyed by many, it is ideal for preschool and elementary ages. Give it a listen on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform!

Tiny Theologians Advent Resource on Sale!

Believe it or not, Christmas is coming quickly! Currently, Tiny Theologians has one of their advent resources on sale for $10 off! ABC’s of Christmas is a card set designed to highlight various pieces of the Christmas story through one letter each day. Each card provides a simple definition of the featured word (or phrase) and conversation prompts to get your family talking. The Skacel family has used this resource for a few years now, and has enjoyed reading one card each night at dinner. Kids in elementary grades and under would be the ideal audience for these, but every member of the family can benefit from the discussion that is prompted by the cards. Order yours today to take advantage of this sale and familiarize yourself with them before December 1st!

This Week’s Challenge: Examining Media

Our world is saturated with media: TV shows, video games, YouTube, Social Media, and that just scratches the surface. While there are many valuable and positive ways to use media and engage with it, it is no secret that there are numerous undesirable and unbiblical media outlets and sources out there, too.

This week’s challenge is to take time with your child to examine the media your family consumes. Does your child have a favorite show that they watch every afternoon? Do they engage with social media? Do they have a favorite video game or game they play on your phone? Spend some time with them this week taking a microscope to the media they’re consuming. Maybe you watch a movie and discuss how the actions of the characters were honoring to God or not. Maybe you discuss with your teen what social media pages are helpful for building up and encouraging and which ones display sinful attitudes and behaviors. Maybe you talk with your four-year old about the message in their show that didn’t line up with scripture. Or maybe, your children are too young to have a discussion, but you take time to consider the media in your home and whether it is displaying the qualities that you would hope to build in your child or if it is working against that aim.

We are not telling you which media choices are right or wrong for your family, or how much and which kinds of media you should and should not consume. What we do encourage you to do is thoughtfully consider what you’re allowing into your home and lives and what it is modeling for your kids.

“Jesus Brings Truth” 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 “Jesus Gave Life and Healing” (Volume 9: Unit 25: Session 4, 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…

Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is another Tiny Theologians resource: Mighty Virtues for Tiny Theologians cards!

I (Jordyn) homeschool our boys and alongside teaching them math, language arts, handwriting, etc., I was wanting to add something to our mix that would teach them more than just academics. Although academics are immensely important, I desired to teach them about character as well. After trying a few different methods and nothing feeling quite right, I finally found a resource that has been the right fit: Mighty Virtues for Tiny Theologians cards!

You’ll notice that Tiny Theologians resources have been mentioned three times in this email, and that is because they really do produce excellent material to use in your home. These cards are no exception. Each card features a new virtue on the front (what you might also call a character trait) along with a little illustration. You can hold this up for your child while you’re reading the back to serve as a visual cue or reminder. On the back you’ll find a scripture reference that highlights that virtue, helping children see that the virtue is rooted in the Bible. You’ll also find a brief explanation of the virtue and a prayer prompt that goes along with it.

These cards are great for leading kids in the way of righteousness as they learn what it looks like to be responsible, obedient, compassionate, grateful, and more. I appreciate that they help teach qualities that we desire our kids to emulate in a way that makes sense to them and points them to scripture as the source. It isn’t always easy to explain what some of these virtues are, but these cards simplify that for you. We focus on one card per week, and I have enjoyed being able to reference back to it when I see an example of that virtue in my boys throughout the week. It’s a great way to encourage them as they display Christlikeness. Our family has benefitted greatly from utilizing these, and I believe you could, too!

Pick up your Mighty Virtues for Tiny Theologians cards today!

We hope your family eats it right up.

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor