The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Pathway Interviews
November 19, 2023
Dear LEFC Parents,
Happy Thanksgiving Week! We hope your family has a wonderful time gathering together to be grateful. Here are some key items to help set the table for discipleship in your family:
Thanksgiving For Our Children
Last year at this time, Pastor Matt suggested that each family give thanks for each child around the table by name and in their hearing. He said, “Certainly each one of our children is a blessing (Psalm 127:5). Let’s remember to give thanks for them this week. When you gather around a turkey on Thursday evening, you might want to name each child before the Lord and thank Him in their hearing. That will remind everyone at the family table from where each little blessing flows. You might want to add 1-3 things about each child that you are thankful for, as well.”
Advent Waffle Party
Family Ministries will be hosting an Advent planning waffle party next Sunday morning. The waffle bar will open at 8:45am, with breakfast for everyone. Kids will have their own Advent craft time at 9:00. Adults will have their own time of conversation and fun, with an emphasis on looking to the Advent season as a time of setting family discipleship patterns for the holidays and beyond. RSVPs are helpful, but not required. Sign up in the foyer or on our facebook event page. Watch your inboxes for a special edition of the Family Table email with links!
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!
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.
The Gospel Project at Home
There is no “at home” version of what the kids learned today in Kids’ Bible Class. Starting on December 3rd, the Little Learners and Bible Explorers will embark on another trek through the whole Bible beginning in Genesis! See Vicky Albert for more information.
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.)
And for dessert…
Our sister church, Pathway, in Beaver Falls Pennsylvania produces a weekly resource called “Fridays Are For Families” which features regular interviews about family discipleship.
Jenna Hannum, Pathway Children’s & Women’s Director, and Ben Marshall, Pastor of Student Ministries recently kicked off their third season by sitting down for half hour conversation about “what family discipleship is, why they do it, and how it looks unique in each of their families.”
Pastor Ben is also the District Youth Ministries Director, serving alongside Pastor Kerry Doyal to connect with and resourcing fellow youth pastors and youth leaders across the Allegheny District.
It’s good to know that we are not alone in this journey of encouraging ministry to and through parents.
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!