The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: The ABC’s of Church History
March 3, 2024
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some items to set the table for disciple-making in your family in the week ahead:
Always Making Disciples (Of Our Kids) – Stay Sharp Resources
Stay Sharp, our district theology conference, was this last week, and all of the recordings and other resources are already available at the host church website. The theme this year was “Always Making Disciples,” reminding us our ongoing mission as Jesus’ followers. Two of our LEFC dads (Curtis Quick and Joe Quick) went and found it helpful for their own family discipleship efforts.
Wild Game Dinner
Our LEFC Wild Game Dinner with outdoorsman Joel Zaborowski will be on March 16th. Some of our families use it every year as a chance to do something fun and inspirational together–especially fathers and sons who love the great outdoors. Consider how you might get involved–even to serve alongside each other.
Week 6 of “Chasing Love” – Bible Study for Teens
We’re bit over halfway through our class for youth, Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships in a Confused Culture (Sunday evenings at 7:00 in the upstairs Youth Room). Chasing Love is led by Keith and Heather Hurley and Joan Page. Other parents are always welcome and invited to participate, too. Tonight’s lesson is about Relationship Status.
Egg Hunt on March 30th
The Family Ministries Team is organizing an Easter egg hunt on March 30th at 10:00am on our LEFC campus. In addition to the hunt, we’ll be organizing indoor crafts and activities to enjoy. Children ages 0-12 are invited to participate. Registration will begin at 9:30am. Pre-registration will be available for children who are attenders of LEFC. Donations of plastic eggs, candy, and prizes are needed, as well as volunteers. See Jordyn Skacel, Holly Crumrine, or Vicky Albert with questions, to pre-register, or to get involved!
Summer Camp at Miracle Mountain Ranch
If you want a good discount, now’s a good time to register for camp. Talk to Marilynn Kristofits about the cost, deadlines, and details.
Calendar Item – Family Bible Week
We’re planning for this year’s FBW to be July 22-25 with a grand finale on the 28th. Mark it on your calendar and plan your family vacation around it! See Vicky Albert to get involved.
The Gospel Project at Home
Today’s Bible Study is “The Apostles Were Arrested ” (Volume 10: Unit 31: Session 1). 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 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 (and sometimes guest preachers?!) about the message.
And for dessert…
Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is a creative introduction to church history for kids! Stephen Nichols (author and historian) and Ned Bustard (illustrator) teamed up a few years ago to produce The Church History ABCs: Augustine and Twenty-five other Heroes of the Faith.
The book is really short but is also really tall and beautiful with creative depictions of the 26th figures from the history of the Christian church. The publisher describes it this way:
“Dramatically converted on the stormy seas, a slave-trader-turned-
The Church History ABCs is a fun way for kids to learn about great figures in Christian history. Twenty-six heroes of the faith march through the alphabet, boldly telling their stories in language children can understand. This wide range of characters—men and women from across the centuries, from all over the globe—reflects the breadth of church history and reminds children that these great figures of the past were living, breathing people who lived and died for the glory of God.”
We have The Church History ABC’s in the church library for check out.
We hope your family eats it up.
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
Holly Crumrine, Family Table Editor
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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!