The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: I’m so proud of you!
October 20, 2024
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some savory items to set the table for disciple-making in your family this week:
Praise God for our Fall Retreat!
We had an exceedingly fun, faith-building weekend at our first ever Fall Retreat! Praise God that 10 of our LEFC families with children and several other couples and singles were able to attend. Be sure to join us next Sunday during church for a recap!
West Branch Trunk or Treat
We are excited to once again be present at WB’s Trunk or Treat this Wednesday, October 23rd! If your family is planning to attend, be sure to stop by our trunk and say hi to our volunteers!
Mark Your Calendars for Christmas!
Although it may seem distant, Christmas will be coming soon. We’re planning a presentation during our December 22nd service for our KBC kids. We’d love to have yours participate! Mark your calendars now to be sure you’ll be with us that morning. Don’t forget about our Christmas Eve service, too!
Join us for youth group!
The new youth group will continue meeting tonight at 7:00 at the church and will be studying Ephesians. All students in grades 7 and up are invited for games, snacks, and fun while learning to study the Bible together. Teens are encouraged to bring their own Bible (let us know if your student doesn’t have their own). Bring your friends along, too! See Cody and Holly Crumrine for more information.
Children’s Ministry on Sunday Mornings
If your child is an infant through 7th grade, we have nursery, Kids Bible Classes, and Snack and Yack available for your family on Sunday mornings. Check out more information about these ministries here!
“Abraham and Isaac” 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 “Abraham and Isaac” (Volume 1: Unit 2: Session 3), and the devotional can be found at this link.
Scroll down to the bottom of this email for more information about how to access The Gospel Project at Home.
Contacting our Director of Family Ministry
You can contact Jordyn Skacel, our brand new Director of Family Ministry, at families@lansefree.org or 814-592-9280. She would love to hear how she can serve your family well!
And for dessert…
Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is a set of resources about practicing affirmation.
This weekend at Fall Retreat, the discussion swirled around how to use our words to build up our families and keep from tearing them down. One of my (Pastor Matt’s) favorite books to recommend about how we should use our words is Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God by Pastor Sam Crabtree. I often say it’s the opposite side of the coin from my book on gossip.
Our kids need our affirmation. They need to know that we are in their corner as their biggest cheerleaders and that we see what good things God is doing in their lives.
“Way to go!”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“Well done, you.”
“I heard what you did, and I’m glad to be your dad.”
“I’m so happy that I’m your mom.”
“That was great how you were flexible in that situation.”
“I was so impressed how you stood your ground.”
“You are so good to your friends!”
Of course, we also need to be ready to give hard counsel and correction. Sometimes we have to tell our kids what they are doing wrong and even how they have disappointed us. But we should affirm them at least 10 times as much! Affirmation should never be far from our lips.
(If we are married, our spouses need that, too! And our kids need to hear us affirm our spouses.)
What difference would it make if every Christian family was known for how they practiced affirmation?!
Crabtree explains how affirmation is different from flattery and answers various questions that arise. The last chapter offers “100 Affirmation Ideas for Those Who Feel Stuck” which is well worth the cover price of the whole book.
But right now the book is free online! (You are also welcome to borrow my copy.)
Watch Pastor Crabtree teach on practicing affirmation at DesiringGod Live [01:06:34] or Bethlehem College and Seminary [32:52].
We hope your family eats it right up.
Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
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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!