The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: World Watch News
October 22, 2023
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some items to set the table for family discipleship in your home this week:
Talking to Our Kids About Death
Pastor Matt found another good article on the updated CCEF website [recommended last week in the Family Table] to point us to: “Of Oceans, Thimbles, and Talking to Your Kids about Death” by Alasdair Groves and Julie Lowe which they published in the early days of the covid pandemic. It says, “I realize that talking about death, like talking about sex, is not the easiest for most parents. That’s ok. Both have a huge impact on our lives and we are right to be reverently cautious when we speak of powerful and intimate things. But that doesn’t mean we should refrain from speaking about them openly and often.” Then they give four points to keep in mind when having those deep conversations and a key illustration to help a child with their fears.
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.)
The Gospel Project at Home
Today’s Bible Study is “Nehemiah Rebuilt the Walls” (Volume 6: Unit 18: Session 2). Ask your kids what they learned in Kids Bible Class this morning and/or do the family devotional you can find at this link.
No Snack and Yack on October 29th
There will be no Snack and Yack next Sunday due to the church family lunch in the Fellowship Hall. Kids can still fill out a handout and share them with you parents after church. Please plan to join us for the meal!
And for dessert…
This week’s recommended resource is a news program by Christian journalists created just for kids!
World Watch News is produced by the same folks who make the “News Coach” podcast that Pastor Matt recommended in February in the Family Table.
In their introduction video, the announcer says:
“Imagine 10 minutes of real news, designed for students, delivered daily to build:
news literacy
biblical discernment
and critical thinking..
..all delivered in a video package that looks as good as anything you’d see on network television, but that doesn’t insult your intelligence.”
While they don’t shy away from hard topics (the war in the Middle East, remembering 9/11, the deaths of world leaders, etc), they always handle them carefully and sprinkle in lots of fun segments, too (quizzes, human interest stories, etc).
A number of World Watch News videos are available for free on YouTube, and the full 10-minute program (shown in many Christian schools across the country) is streamed at their website worldwatch.news. A trial membership allows you to take in a week of free episodes right now. It’s another good way to introduce current events to our kids.
Check it out and see if it might serve your family well right now.
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!