The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Landmines Everywhere!
September 10, 2023
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some items to set the table for family discipleship in your home this week:
Kids Baptism Class
Pastor Matt will be teaching kids about what baptism means this coming Wednesday at 6:00pm in one of the LEFC classrooms. The class is geared for kids approaching the age where they would be able and willing to share their testimonies. This introductory baptism class is the only first step towards public baptism. Some students take it more than once before they are ready. See Pastor Matt for more details.
God is Beautiful
The second episode of the Tiny Theologians Podcast (which we recommended in the last Family Table) released this week. This time TJ and Tory are on an adventure to learn why God made so many beautiful things. Did your preschooler listen in?
Pray for the DFM Search
As Cody Crumrine shared during worship on Sunday, the search for the part-time Director of Family Ministry is now in full swing. The job description is located in the foyer and will soon be posted online. Please pray for locating God’s person for that role, for diligence for the Elders in searching, and for patience for all of us as we eagerly wait for God’s answers. Do you have someone in mind that you think might be a good fit for this position? Talk with Cody or Pastor Matt.
The Gospel Project at Home
Today’s Bible Study is “God Is Present With Us” (Volume 6: Unit 16: Session 4). 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 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 their wives (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…
Talking with your teen about sex and gender has never been easy, but these days it’s harder than ever. There are landmines everywhere! That’s why I (Pastor Matt) was so pleased to learn about “The Holy Sexuality Project,” a new resource from trusted teacher Christopher Yuan.
I’ve been learning from Christopher Yuan ever since his memoir, Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God was published in 2011. Christopher and his mother chronicled his “dramatic conversion from an agnostic gay man who put his faith in his identity to a pastor, Bible professor, and Christian author who now puts his identity in Christ alone.” Yuan shared his testimony last summer at the Challenge Conference.
I got to meet Christopher myself in 2022 when I hosted his breakout session at our EFCA Theology Conference: Human Sexuality in a Postmodern and Increasingly Post-Christian Culture. He told me then that he was creating this new video study for parents and teens to learn together.
The Holy Sexuality Project looks really helpful. It has 4.5 hours of on-demand content divided up into 12 lessons with 36 compelling videos on the most important topics to be talking about with our teens on this theme today:
Lesson 1: Introduction & Overview
Lesson 2: False Identity: Sexuality
Lesson 3: True Identity: Image of God
Lesson 4: Attraction: Desire & Temptation
Lesson 5: Action: Holy Sexuality
Lesson 6: What Is Singleness?
Lesson 7: What Is Marriage?
Lesson 8: What’s the Big Deal?
Lesson 9: The Bible & Same-Sex Relationships
Lesson 10: Sex, Gender, & the Image of God
Lesson 11: Ministry & Outreach
Lesson 12: Following Jesus
Reviewer Tim Challies says: “Of great importance is the fact that Christopher discusses each of these things in a manner that is plain but not explicit. While he needs to include some details about his own story, he never crosses boundaries and never revels in his past (as, sadly, some Christians seem to do). This curriculum is designed specifically for parents and teens, and families can watch it together without cringing and without it being awkward.”
I was also very encouraged to learn how inexpensive it is. Because generous donors have underwritten 90% of the cost, they are providing it for only $20 for a two-year license.
I wish this existed when my kids were teens. I haven’t watched it yet, and I’m sure it’s not perfect, but I believe Christopher Yuan is a reliable guide to navigate past many of the landmines.
We hope your family eats it right up!
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
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!