The Family Table

LEFC Fall Retreat Is This Weekend!

Our Fall Retreat is coming up THIS WEEKEND! Join us at Seven Mountains Scout Camp for the weekend. Last year, parents and families enjoyed quality time together in a beautiful wooded setting at the lodge. We’ll have faith-building teaching, delicious food, lots of fun and fellowship with games, puzzles, activities, and rich conversation, a campfire, and more! Your whole family is invited to attend, as there will be activities and breakouts for everyone. Housing is family-friendly for your convenience. The cost to attend is $50 for couples and families and $25 for an individual. Check out the video of last year’s retreat, and put it on your calendar! Register here to bring your family for a great weekend! Only available to come for part of the weekend? That’s fine, too! Just note on your registration when you’ll be arriving and/or departing.

LEFC Harvest Party: Save the Date!

Save the date now for an upcoming Harvest Party on October 25th. We’ll gather together to enjoy fall-themed activities together on a cozy autumn evening. You can look forward to some quality time with your own family and with other families here at LEFC!

See You at the Pole

Join West Branch’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes for a time of prayer at the school’s flagpole! Students will meet at 7:15am on Wednesday, September 24th. Parents, be sure your students are up and able to make it to the school on time to pray. We encourage you to come pray with your students for their school and classmates, as well. Adults are asked to park at Gethsemane, walk to the flagpole, and join the kids as they pray for their school.

Apple Fest Help

On October 4th, Martha’s Park will host Apple Fest. LEFC is planning to have a booth to interact with the community and invite people to our church. Holly Crumrine is in search of people to help man the booth. No special skills or talents are needed, as we will be having free-to-enter raffle baskets and a giant Connect 4 for kids. Consider bringing your family to help serve in this way. See Holly if you’re interested.

Trunk or Treat Help

West Branch is once again hosting their annual Trunk or Treat on October 23rd from 6-7:30. We are planning to have a table as we have in previous years. Would you consider representing LEFC to our community at the event? See Jordyn Skacel if you’re interested.

Keep an Eye Out for Our Upcoming Events

Along with our upcoming Fall Retreat and Harvest Party, we wanted to let you know about some upcoming events we’re planning! November 15th, we’ll have a Friendsgiving themed Mom’s Night Out with a guest speaker. Then, join us on December 7th after church for a Christmas Party to kick off the Christmas season and celebrate the beginning of Advent. Both events are free! More information will be coming soon. Watch The Family Table, the bulletin, the Lanse Link, or Facebook for details.

Child Registration Forms

With the new school year upon us, we are updating our Child Registration Forms. These forms help us to care for your child well when under the supervision of our staff and volunteers and provide crucial information in case of an emergency. If you have not already filled this out, we ask that you do so and return it to Jordyn Skacel in a timely manner so that we have necessary information on file. We need one completed for each child who is participating in nursery through grade 6, and we ask that youth group participants submit one as well. If your child attended Family Bible Week, we do not need another one submitted. You can quickly fill it out  online, find it in your church mailbox, or ask Jordyn Skacel or Jenni English to get you a copy. Thank you for your help in this area!

“Israel’s Evil Kings” 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 “Israel’s Evil Kings” (Volume 5: Unit 13: Session 2), and the devotional can be found at this link.

Visit the Family Ministries page on our website for information about how to access The Gospel Project at Home for the first time.

And for Dessert…

Our recommendation for family discipleship this week is a set of conversations between two Christian dads about various approaches to parenting.

I (Pastor Matt) have recently discovered the Everyday Dadding podcast from British dads Robin Barfield and Ben Putt. These two fathers have both been pastors who work with children and youth and have teamed up to have good discussions about being a good Christian dad.

The episodes are fun and informative at the same time. Every 20 minute show opens with a bad “dad joke” designed to make you groan. Barfield and Putt take fatherhood seriously but don’t take themselves seriously. And their English accents and vocabulary are delightful.

This last winter they carried on a series of conversations about different metaphors for parenting approaches. Perhaps you’ve heard of “helicopter” or “tiger” parenting? What about “lawnmower” or “dolphin” parenting? What are the pros and cons of different approaches? What temptations are inherent in each one? These two dads have an in depth and humble discussion about each one with many good insights.

Episode #39: What Kind of Parent Are You?
Episode #40: Helicopter or Satellite?
Episode #41: Lawnmower or Tiger?
Episode #42: Am I a Dry-Clean Parent?
Episode #43: So…Apparently We Can Learn from Dolphins?

More:
Subscribe to Everyday on Spotify
Follow Everyday Dadding on X
Check out the official Everyday Dadding Website

By the way, in Episode #38, the Everyday Dadding guys talk with Ed Shaw of the ministry LivingOut to help a Christian Dad when one of their children comes to them and says, “Dad, I’m Gay.” Well worth a listen.

You don’t have to be a dad to profit from these episodes. We hope our families eat it right up!

Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor