The Family Table

Dear LEFC Families,

Christ is Risen!
He Is Risen Indeed!

We may have celebrated Easter a few weeks ago, but what joy and hope in remembering that Christ is still risen today! Praise God for the once and for all gift of Christ’s death and resurrection, giving us access to true life in Him.

Graduation Sunday

Graduation Sunday will be on May 25th this year. Do you have a budding graduate in your home? Don’t forget to grab a Graduation Info Sheet from the foyer and return it to Jenni English by May 11th so that all of our grads can be celebrated.

Letting Your Kids Down

Pastor Matt now owns a copy of the short book, When Parents Feel Like Failures, by Lauren Whitman that we referenced in The Family Table in January. He’d be happy to loan it to you in the fight against fear, guilt, shame, and regret in parenting.

Send Pastor Matt Your Kids’ Sports Schedules

Spring sports are here! I (Pastor Matt) love to drop in to see the kids of our church family play their sports, but I need to know when and where the games are. It’s hard to keep track of who is on what team. If you could send me your kids’ sports schedules for this new season, it will help me to make it to more games and spend some quality time with your family.

Save the Date for Family Night

Our next family night will be June 6th. Save the date! Keep an eye out for more details coming soon!

Join us for Mom’s Night Out Coming Up Soon!

On Friday May 16th, moms with children in the home are invited to the church for a Mom’s Night Out! Come at 6:00 to enjoy time out of the house in community with fellow moms. We’ll have fun with various activities, chatting, and plenty of snacks and desserts! Mark your calendars now to attend, and don’t forget to invite fellow mom friends to come with you. Dads, as part of your Mother’s Day gift to mom, consider offering to watch the kids so she can participate! We’re asking moms to register here so we can plan for food and activities. Nursing infants are welcome. We hope you’ll join us!

“The Story of Ruth” 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 “The Story of Ruth” (Volume 3: Unit 9: Session 1), 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 podcast all about parenting student athletes to develop vision, grit, skill, belief, and character.

On the Pure Athlete podcast, “former MLB player Jeff Francoeur and PA co-founders Britt Lee and Brad Williams interview well-known pro/college athletes, coaches, and topical experts to gain insight into the world of youth sports, in order to equip and inspire young athletes, parents, and coaches to successfully navigate their sports journeys.”

All three hosts are Christian sports dads themselves and know what they are talking about. I (Pastor Matt) learned about Pure Athlete through the excellent program we recommended about Youth Sports, Healthy Families, and the Future of the Church back in November and have been favorably impressed by a lot of their insights. (I haven’t listened to all of the episodes, so don’t forget to listen with discernment.)

I recently listened to an episode about dealing with disappointment in sports, which every single student athlete must come to terms with–even those succeed at many levels. In time, even the best of the best will have to lose. I think the episode on Sportsmanship in Youth Sports was helpful, too.

Francoeur, Lee, and Williams also have an impressive line-up of guests from a wide variety of sports for both males and females. Recent episodes have featured a MLS All-Star, a WBC manager, an ESPN analyst, a NASCAR Cup winner, an NHL player, a college quarterback, and many more (ex. NBA Star and Dad Dell Curry). Their interviews are geared to parents and coaches, but I think that student athletes might enjoy many themselves.

For those that want to go deeper, Pure Athlete also offers:

– A book: Parenting The Pure Athlete: Help Your Athlete Maximize Performance, Achieve Their Goals, Build Lasting Character
– A weekly newsletter: The Huddle
– Social media: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube
– Live events.

I personally don’t know that much about sports and only really care about the teams our church kids play on, but my sense is a lot of what they are doing at Pure Athlete is quality stuff. Their goal is to help “young athletes, parents, and coaches navigate youth sports to become the best version of themselves.”

If you spend a lot of your time in the bleachers, you might want to check them out.

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor