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:

Praying for Our Malawi Mission Team

Our team is in Malawi! We are praying for the team in Africa this week to serving alongside our ReachGlobal Missionaries Fred and Cindy Cressman of Community Impact in Lilongwe, Malawi. All 3 of the members of the team are parents of LEFC kids whose families have sent them far away for over a week. This is a great opportunity to teach our children about trusting God, missions ministry, and the gospel at work in the world. Please continue to pray for both the team members and their families and prepare to hear about their experience when they return.

Director of Family Ministry Update

The LEFC Elders have announced that they are presenting Jordyn Skacel to the congregation to be our very first Director of Family Ministry. Jordyn has been a part of the West Branch Community for her whole life and is a graduate of Penn State University. For the last seven years, she has been serving as a missionary with Cru, along with her husband Abe, making disciples for Jesus at PSU. She is the mother of Spurgeon, Wilson, and a baby due in December.

Jordyn has been volunteering as a leader on the Family Ministries Team since November of 2023. Jordyn would love to talk with you about her vision for future ministry to children, youth, and parents. The congregation will be making a decision together on August 18th. We’re excited for this development as we’ve been praying and working towards this new position for nearly two years.

 

LEFC Fall Retreat

Join your LEFC church family for a weekend getaway on October 18-20! The Family Ministries Team is excited to invite you to our Fall Retreat, where we will hear teaching and grow spiritually, build community, experience rich fellowship, share meals, and have lots of fun! All ages are encouraged to attend and will have a place to engage during age-specific breakouts. You’ll have opportunities to play games, eat a s’more around the campfire, chat with old friends and get to know new ones!

The camp is just one hour away and transportation can be provided if needed. The cost is $25 for an individual and $50 for couples and families, which covers housing, food, and activities for the weekend. We’ll even be back in time for church on Sunday! See Jordyn Skacel, Holly Crumrine, or Vicky Albert with questions. Registration information is online or on the table in the foyer.

Thank You for Coming to Family Bible Week

What a great time we had as a whole church family at “Breaker Rock Beach!” We are so grateful for all of the people who made our time together a big success last month.

Challenge Continued…

The group that went to Challenge is planning to start up new Bible studies [and more!] to help all the teens in our church (and their friends!) grow in a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. Talk with Cody and Holly Crumrine to find out what is coming up and how you and your teen can get involved.

Bonus: Listen again to the Challenge Crew’s report, watch their fun video, and watch all the videos from Challenge to remember what they learned in Kansas City.

The Gospel Project at Home

Today’s Bible Study is “We Are Here to Make Much of Jesus” (Volume 12: Unit 35: Session 6). 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 recommendation for family discipleship this week is a sweet and solid children’s book with thoughtful meditations on three biblical analogies to describe God.

When our (Pastor Matt & Heather’s) four children were little, we would often scoop them up in our laps and read God Is Like… by Julie Waters to them. It’s a very simple book full of childlike wonder and gentle watercolor illustrations by Thea Kliros on every page.

I was reminded of it while preparing lessons on how Jesus is our rock for the “other adults” class at Family Bible Week. I almost read the first meditation to the adults! The author invites the little ones to ponder the points of similarity between God and familiar things He has made.

The back cover says:

I Wonder–Could God be like a rock?–or like a light?–or like the wind?

It isn’t easy for a child to understand the nature of a complex God. But through His creation, the invisible God makes Himself known. Boys and girls can begin to understand the mystery of God by looking at the wonderful world He made. Rock, light, and wind reveal amazing secrets about who God is.

These three parables will open young minds and help boys and girls make their own first discoveries about God’s rocklike steadfastness and faithfulness, the light of His love in Jesus, and the windlike power of His Spirit.

God Is Like… is currently out of print, but Heather and I have a copy in our personal library, and we’d be happy to loan it to you and your pre-schoolers to read (and re-read and re-read) to ponder how God is like a rock, a fire, and a wind.

We hope your family eats it right up!

Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, Family Table Editor