The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Adventures In Odyssey
July 30, 2023
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some items on the agenda for the days ahead:
The Gospel Project at Home
Today’s Bible Study is “Nahum Warned of God’s Judgement” (Volume 5: Unit 15: Session 2). Ask your kids what they learned in children’s church 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 3-7) 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 one of the LEFC elders (and sometimes guest preachers?!) about the message. Parents, if you would like to help host the discussion by providing the snack, see Holly Crumrine to get involved.
And for dessert…
I can hardly believe I’ve gotten this far in my list of recommendations and have yet to suggest Adventures in Odyssey! This radio drama, produced by Focus on the Family, are 22-ish-minute stories. They prominently feature Mr. Whittaker, a town staple who runs an ice cream shop full of “wonder and excitement”. He loves and teaches the Bible to the many kids (and adults and employees, etc) who visit his shop and share their lives – their concerns, their troubles, their family situations, anything going on in their lives.
Adventures in Odyssey has been going since 1987, and both my husband and I were raised listening to them regularly. I distinctly remember a number of episodes that helped guide me in my adolescence. They tackle some tricky situations and deliver them in a way that’s easy for kids to understand. Some episodes are for more mature kids, and they have a warning at the beginning to listen with parents if you’re under a certain age. One of these recently dealt with a teenager who wrestles with her faith, briefly abandoning it when a sudden tragedy strikes and she can’t understand why a loving God would allow such suffering. The storyline follows along with her questions, and lets her stay in her doubt for quite a while before ultimately coming back to a fuller, more mature grasp of her faith.
My kids listen regularly. They have it on a personal electronic device they have access to, and listen at night, on car rides, or plane trips. We have invested in the annual subscription, which has access to additional episodes, podcasts, and devotion materials, but there are also a number of places where you can find free episodes. I’ve been listening for 36 years now, and have no plans of stopping my learning through these stories anytime soon.
Holly Crumrine, 2023 Family Ministries Coordinator
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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!