The Family Table

Dear LEFC Parents,

Here are some key items to set the table for disciple-making in your family in the week ahead:

Thank You, Parents, for Your Sunday Faithfulness

A recent article at The Gospel Coalition expresses gratefulness to all parents of young children who do the hard work of getting your kids to church on Sunday mornings. After writing about how difficult it can be to get everybody dressed and on site and back home again (which could often seem frustrating and even meaningless), Caleb Batchelor writes, “If this is your Sunday morning routine, I want to say, thank you. Thank you for your Sunday morning faithfulness. I know prioritizing the gathering can feel overwhelming and pointless, but here are three reasons I’m thankful you do.” Read the three really encouraging reasons here.

Family Bible Week Is Almost Here!

FBW ’24 is right around the corner. “Break Rock Beach” will be a fun-filled week where kids (and adults) are challenged to recognize the difference between the lies (or half-truths) of culture and God’s unchanging truth. Adventure awaits each day as kids explore tide pools, spot orcas, fly kites, and watch the mighty waves crash up against the immovable Breaker Rock! As always, we’ll be having dinner at 6:00 nightly for all ages followed by music, classes, crafts, missions projects, and games.

Challenge Families Equipping

Reminder to the parents and guardians of our Challenge crew: there will be a special meeting for YOU at Abe and Jordyn Skacel’s house this Wednesday at 7:00. Your children will be arriving home from Challenge full of new information and excitement about the Lord and his calling on their lives. Abe and Jordyn will lead a discussion on engaging your child to share and extend that excitement past their arrival home. There will also be updates and greetings from the students at the mid-week point. For more details, see Abe or Jordyn.

The Gospel Project at Home

Today’s Bible Study is “Paul Returned to Jerusalem” (Volume 12: Unit 35: Session 1). Ask your kids what they learned in Kids Bible Class this morning and/or do the family devotional you can find at this link.

Snack and Yack!

When the auditorium empties after worship, girls and boys (grades 3ish-7ish) who listened to the sermon (remember to fill out a handout!) are invited to Pastor Matt’s office for a tasty treat and a brief discussion with an LEFC elder couple about the message.

And for dessert… 

Our LEFC Crew is on the way to Challenge 2024! Eleven intrepid teens and four brave adults, (including our Family Table Editor!), hit the road early this morning on their way to join with thousands of other students at the awesome biennial youth EFCA conference in Kansas City. There’s nothing quite like it.

This year’s conference theme is “From the Mountain,” and the teens are going to learn all about Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. They will also be participating in outreach and service projects, high-energy worship, and lots of fun activities.

The EFCA has issued a call to prayer for our students at Challenge–not just for safety as they travel to and from the conference, but for deep spiritual impact that will last for a lifetime. Challenge prayer coordinator Daniel Olson writes about his first experience of this conference twenty years ago and the joy of praying for Challenge now:

“Like me as a 14-year-old sweat monster, students today are searching for a sense of identity and belonging. I have three small children and one more on the way. I can’t imagine the complex questions they’ll have to navigate during the next 10, 20, 30 years. But what I know for certain is that God has called them for this specific time. And what I can do now is show them what it looks like to have an authentic, intimate relationship with God. As you think about the future, I invite you first to pray faith-filled prayers for this next generation of Christ-followers and church leaders.”

The Challenge Leadership Team has also prepared a daily prayer guide for us all to use June 29th to July 6th. Let’s pray for a great experience of Christian discipleship for each person who participates in the conference.

We hope our LEFC teens eat it all right up!

Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, Family Table Editor