The Family Table

Dear LEFC Parents,

Here are some tasty items to set the table for disciple-making in your family this week:

Fall Retreat is in just 5 days!

We’re 5 days away from Fall Retreat! Take the opportunity now to register for a weekend of faith-building, fellowship, and lots of fun with your LEFC Church Family! We strongly encourage all of our LEFC families to come and enjoy time together.

Have questions? Contact Jordyn Skacel. Registration information is online or on the table in the foyer. [More: Fall Retreat FAQ’s.]

A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids About Gender

Andrew and Christian Walker, the authors of our dessert recommendation two weeks ago, published a new article this week adapted from their book What Do I Say When…? about how to talk with our children about the hot-button issue of gender. The Walkers write, “Remember that you want to be the first person to have the conversation with your child to be able to lay the biblical foundation. Otherwise, culture will form the foundation for you. Stay vigilant and keep ahead of culture.”
Youth Group is Tonight!

The new youth group will continue meeting tonight at 7:00 at the church. 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). See Cody and Holly Crumrine for more information.

West Branch Trunk or Treat

We are excited to once again be present at WB’s Trunk or Treat on October 23rd! Would your family enjoy the passing out glow sticks from 6-7:30? Contact Jordyn Skacel if you are interested in connecting with local families in this way.

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!

“God’s Covenant with Abraham” 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 “God’s Covenant with Abraham” (Volume 1: Unit 2: Session 2), 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 short article on protecting our kids from sexual abuse that contains some initially surprising advice.

Counselor and author Julie Lowe encourages parents to “Prepare your kids to disobey.”

“Tell your kids, ‘If someone tells you the right thing to do, you should always do it, no matter who it is. If someone tells you the wrong thing to do, you should never do it—no matter who it is—and I (as your parent) will support you.’

As parents, we spend much of our time teaching our kids obedience. But it’s equally important to teach children when to defy authority. Children are more likely to be abused by someone they know. They must learn not to try to discern someone’s motives, but to evaluate his words and actions (regardless of who the person is). Again, this won’t only help to prevent a child from abuse, but also to stand against a powerful world system that sets itself up against Christian values. Our young people are being groomed by culture to accept evil as good and good as evil. Learning to discern right from wrong—learning when authority is in the right and when it’s wrong—prepares kids to go into the world, and not be of the world.”

This is counter-intuitive at first, but you can see the wisdom in it. And it’s not normally going to be easy to do. Lowe ends this point by recommending role-playing to prepare for these moments:

“Such discernment must also be constantly practiced. Children need to be given examples of what a babysitter, relative, teacher, or coach may ask them to do that isn’t right, and they need to know they have your permission to defy someone who tells them to do the wrong thing. Be willing to brainstorm with your child commands from a babysitter that are wrong, and how you’d want them to react. Talk through ways a coach might make them uncomfortable and how they could respond.”

That’s just one of six helpful points in the article, “How to Protect Your Kids from Sexual Abuse” at the Gospel Coalition website.

Watch Julie Lowe talk about her full book Safeguards: Shielding Our Homes and Equipping Our Kids with Focus on the Family on YouTube:

– Part One     [Lowe emphasizes the “Prepare them to disobey” idea at the 21:10 mark.]

– Part Two

– Check out a sample of Safeguards, including the full table of contents at WTSBooks or watch the introductory video.

Pastor Matt previously recommended Safeguards in The Family Table. He said, “The chapters are short, readable, and full of confident and realistic wisdom.” Pastor Matt would be glad to loan you a copy from his library.

We hope your family eats it right up.

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor