The Family Table

Dear LEFC Parents,

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

This Afternoon – Families at Blessed to Be a Blessing

Our own Joe Quick and his boys will be singing at the Blessed to Be a Blessing Generosity Fair this afternoon (2:00-3:30) in the parking lot of Gethsemane United Methodist Church. Games for kids have also been planned. This event is free and is designed by leaders of West Branch Churches as a way to give to needy families in our community.

A Parent’s Guide to Talking with Kids About Gender

Andrew and Christian Walker, the authors of last week’s dessert recommendation, 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.”

Special Guest at Tonight’s Youth Group!

The new youth group will continue meeting tonight at 7:00 at the church with special guests Kerry and Robin Doyal! Kerry is the Superintendent for our EFCA Allegheny District. 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.

 

 

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It’s Not too Late to Join us for Fall Retreat!

Has your family registered yet for our 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!

Fall Retreat is a weekend getaway on October 18-20! All ages are encouraged to attend and will have a place to engage during age-specific breakouts. You’ll have opportunities to play games, eat a s’more around the campfire, chat with old friends and get to know new ones! The camp is just one hour away, and transportation can be provided. The cost is only $25 for an individual and $50 for couples and families, which covers housing, food, and activities for the weekend. Teens can also attend on their own if your whole family can’t make it.

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

“Abram Followed God” 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 “Abram Followed God” (Volume 1: Unit 2: Session 1), 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 classic Bible stories for reading out loud to little children on your lap.

“Step. Step. Step.” When our kids were little, I (Pastor Matt) loved gathering one or two (or four) of them up on the couch and turning the big pages of each of the Read Aloud Bible Stories by Ella K. Lindvall. They were so childlike–simple, colorful, big-eyed, yet profound and full of wonder. Mrs. Lindvall was a master storyteller! She was a mother and an elementary school teacher overseas. She had told the essential Bible stories to children so often that she knew exactly how to engage their little brains and big imaginations.

Our kids never got tired of listening to them, and I, as the dad, never tired of reading them either!

The artist, H. Kent Puckett, knew exactly how to illustrate these stories, too. He drew the characters from the perspective of the children–almost as if one of the children had made the pictures themselves! And yet the details that he included were perfect.

For example, one of my favorites is “The Man Who Couldn’t See” in Volume One. Lindvall tells the story of poor Bartimaeus. “His eyes were sick. He couldn’t see the sun. He couldn’t see the trees. He couldn’t see the houses. He couldn’t see people. But Bartimaeus could hear. And one day–He heard lots of people walking. Step. Step. Step. He heard lots of people talking. Talk. Talk. Talk. What is happening? asked Bartimaeus?” (pgs.36-43).

You want to know what happened next, don’t you? Wait until you see what Jesus did to Bartimaeus’ eyes. How big they opened. What he could now see. And the one tear in his eye when he saw Jesus (pgs.60-61). You might have a tear in yours.

Lindvall and Puckett collaborated on five hardcover volumes in this series which has sold more than 250,000 copies over the decades.

I got to meet Mrs. Lindvall once when she worshipped with us at Lanse Free Church while she was visiting her friend Beatrice Johnson (a long-term LEFC member) back in 2003. I was able to tell Mrs. Lindvall how much our little family enjoyed reading her stories out loud. And now I’m glad to be telling you. 

All five volumes of Read Aloud Bible Stories are available for checkout from the church library.

We hope your family eats them right up.

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor