The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Advent Means Coming
December 1, 2024
Dear LEFC Parents,
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. This year’s LEFC Family Advent Readings reflect upon Jesus’ amazing claim to be the Light of the World. This week’s reading is “The Light of Hope.”
Christmas Caroling – Coming Soon
Bring your family along for our LEFC Christmas Caroling event December 15th at 3pm! We will gather on campus and practice a few favorite songs before caravaning 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 two years had a great time.
What should I do about Santa?
With the Christmas season upon us, the topic of Santa is everywhere. Are you deciding whether or not to “do Santa” in your home? Have you already chosen your family’s approach, but would like guidance along the way? Check out this article from The Gospel Coalition entitled “The Christmas Dilemma- Santa or No Santa?”. It’s filled with helpful insights into the debate and gives tips for whichever approach you choose. The one thing to be sure you do, either way? Make much of Jesus in your home this season!
Talent Night, Holy Night?
Does anyone in your family want to do something special for our Christmas Eve Candlelight service (December 24, 7:00pm)? We would love to have children, youth, and parents sing or play a special song, do a skit, read a poem or Scripture or do some other creative thing. See Pastor Matt with your ideas.
Family Ministry Survey
Have you taken our quick Family Ministry survey yet? We value serving our families well and want the chance to hear your input. Please take a minute to fill it out here so we can better meet the needs of LEFC families.
KBC Nativity Presentation
The Little Learners and Bible Explorers will be doing a Nativity Presentation on December 22nd during the worship service. Practices will be December 1st, 8th and 15th during the first 15 minutes of KBC class time. All KBC kids are welcome to participate! If you have any questions, see Vicky Albert.
Volunteering in Kids Bible Classes
Have you ever considered volunteering to help teach our Kids Bible Classes? We have several new families attending LEFC and therefore have more kids participating in our programs. We could use more teachers and helpers to help shepherd these kids well. The more volunteers, the less often each person will be on the rotation. Please consider whether the Lord might use you in this way. For more information, see Vicky Albert.
Send Pastor Matt Your Kids’ Sports Schedules
Winter 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.
Advent is HERE!
The season of advent starts today! If you haven’t already, we encourage you to think about what your family might do to celebrate this season. Need ideas? One place to start could be the recommended resources by Risen Motherhood from a recent The Family Table dessert!
“God Called Moses” 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 “God Called Moses” (Volume 1: Unit 4: 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 the annual LEFC Family Advent Readings.
For the last quarter of a century, I (Pastor Matt) have been writing a set of readings each Advent season for the church family to use in worship and family devotions.
Each year I have picked a new theme and written four short readings to correspond to each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. This year, it’s “Jesus is the Light of the World” based upon John 8:12. Last year, it was “We Have Seen His Glory” drawn from John 1:1-18. The previous year was “The Days Are Coming” from Jeremiah 23. In 2020, we had families do them in their homes on camera!
Every single reading begins, “‘Advent’ means ‘coming.'”
On Sunday mornings during worship, a different family unit stands up front, reads the short devotional, and lights the appropriate candles.
I recommend you do the same at home!
When our kids were little, on Sunday evenings during Advent, Heather would pull out a wreath and stock it with fresh candles, and we’d repeat the reading from church that morning (taking turns as they grew in their abilities to read). “Repetition is the mother of education.” After the reading, we’d sing a related Christmas carol. Sometimes we would ask each other questions about the meaning of the Scripture in that reading. Sometimes we’d ask everyone to talk about how it applies to our lives today.
This is a very simple way to prepare your family’s hearts for Christmas. Ready-made devotions for family worship that emphasize the coming of Christ.
On Christmas Eve, my sermon at the LEFC Candlelighting service will (hopefully) pull the readings all together and drive home the point of Jesus’ breathtaking claim to be the Light of the World.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every one of our homes and hearts were lit with that same light?
Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
P.S. Need some new music to play during Advent? The Gospel Coalition has provided a theologically rich Advent playlist for 2024, Unto Us.
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EXPLAINER: THE GOSPEL PROJECT AT HOME
For the last several years, our Children’s Church ministry has utilized The Gospel Project as our Bible study curriculum. The Gospel Project is really excellent–it takes our Little Learners and Bible Explorers chronologically through the whole Bible over the course of three years while always focusing on Jesus as the center of the big story. If your student was in Little Learners or Bible Explorers this morning, they received a coloring page and take-home sheet that corresponds to this lesson. You have also been given a full-color Big Picture Card that you can use to reinforce the lesson with your child, as well.
To reinforce what your kids are learning each week in Children’s Church, you can now access The Gospel Project At Home online. Each week in this email, there will be a link to follow to get this free resource which includes:
1. A guide to using the Gospel Project at Home.
2. Scripture to read and discuss with a recap video of the Bible Story (Preschool and/or Elementary).
3. Scripture memory verses and a song to sing together.
4. Prayer prompts and family activities that correspond to the lesson.
Please consider setting aside at least 10-15 minutes once a week for a family devotional time using this resource as a guide. We are hoping The Gospel Project At Home will help keep all of our LEFC kids “on the same page,” and feed their faith in Jesus.
This might be especially helpful if for some reason your child has to miss a week of Children’s Church. You can show them the Bible story video to keep them up to speed on what the other children are learning.
**Note: The first time you access the link, you will need to register a free account with Lifeway’s Ministry Grid. This will also provide you ongoing access through the “training” tab to many other discipleship resources including the Gospel Project at Home for previous weeks. Many hours of excellent things to absorb for free!