TFT: In Pursuit

Dear LEFC Parents,

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with food, family, and gratitude for all of God’s blessings. Here are some things to think about this week for discipling your family:

Advent Resources

If your family couldn’t make the waffle party this morning, see Holly Crumrine to get the gist of what was discussed and a list of resources that were shared. Advent officially begins next Sunday! What is your family going to do to make the most of this annual count-down to Christmas?

Help Deck the Halls

Does your family like to decorate for Christmas? You are all invited to help ready our church building for the Christmas season on Wednesday November 29th. Plan now to join us starting at 5:30pm as we set up the tree, hang banners, and put all the other special touches in and around our facility. Questions? See Maria Jackson.

KBC Handbells

“There’s music in the air!” Our Bible Explorers Class is excitedly practicing a Hand Bell version of the well-loved Christmas classic, Silent Night. Practices take place each Sunday morning during the first few minutes of Kids Bible Class. ALL kids in grades 1-3 are encouraged to participate! The kids will be sharing their selection during the regular 10:00AM Sunday Worship service on December 10 and also at the special Christmas Eve service at 7:00PM December 24. Mark your calendars!

The Gospel Project at Home

There is no “at home” version of what the kids learned today in Kids’ Bible Class. Starting next Sunday, the Little Learners and Bible Explorers will embark on another trek through the whole Bible beginning in Genesis! See Vicky Albert for more information.

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.

Challenge Conference – Advanced Planning

The 2024 Challenge Conference has been announced for July 1-5 in Kansas City. We’d love to send a group from LEFC as we have in past years. To do that we need interested youth (grades 7-12) and willing adult leaders. That seems like a long time from now, but it will be here before we know it. (Read more about Challenge on the official conference website.)

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 one of the LEFC elders and their wives about the message.

And for dessert…

Whitetail rifle season has just opened in Pennsylvania, and many of our families are heading out together into the woods for fun, food, and…discipleship?

We have been learning that family discipleship is something that can and should take place all of the time. Hunting, especially when a parent and a child go out together, can be a prime time to utilize for helping your kids to grow in faith in Jesus. You are together, you’re alone in God’s creation, and you have some quality time on your hands for talking about what matters most.

I (Pastor Matt) thought this classic article by Baptist pastor George Ross was helpful and thoughtful: 10 Things A Dad Can Teach His Son While Hunting (though it’s not just dads or sons who can profit from it!). He gives you ten ideas you can run with for topics to talk about in the tree-stand or when you go back to the truck to warm up or for a bite to eat.

Even better might be to read some devotions from In Pursuit: Devotions for the Hunter & Fisherman by my friend Zeke Pipher, an EFCA pastor and outdoorsman who spoke at our Wild Game Dinner a few years ago. He packs a lot into 2 short pages including a scripture verse and a prayer you and your hunting buddy could read together.

• Watch & Listen to Zeke read chapter 1 from the Briar Patch.
• Watch & Listen to Zeke read chapter 33 from the Briar Patch.
• Check out In Pursuit from the church library.

Happy hunting!

Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, 2023 Family Ministries Coordinator