The Family Table

Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families

TFT: Yelling at the Ref

August 27, 2023

Dear LEFC Parents,

Here are some things to set the table for family discipleship in your home this week:

A New Season of FDP

The folks at The Family Discipleship Podcast [which we have recommended here before] are launching their fifth season tomorrowListen to the trailer.

The Gospel Project at Home

Today’s Bible Study is“Daniel Was Faithful” (Volume 6: Unit 16: 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.

Snack and Yack

When the auditorium empties after worship, girls and boys (grades 3-7) 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 sometimes guest preachers?!) about the message. Parents, if you would like to help host the discussion by providing the snack, see Holly Crumrine to get involved.

And for dessert…

Pastor Matt with his all-sports season pass.On Tuesday, I (Pastor Matt) bought my all-teams, all-year, season pass for West Branch Sports. I’m looking forward to dropping in to see our church kids play this autumn. [Don’t forget to remind me which team your child plays on and give me tips on their schedules. I have a hard time keeping it all straight.]

One thing most of us are not looking forward to is misbehavior by the spectators at these sporting events! Some people have a hard time remembering that it’s a game. And that includes parents.

So when I saw this relevant article at The Gospel Coalition, I thought I’d pass it along to you —  Keep Your Cool While Cheering For Your Kid by Darin White and Ryan Leib.

The authors, both sports-loving coaches with 50+ years of combined experience, know that it’s easy for a parent to get carried away when it’s their own child on the field and offer 6 points of practical and biblical counsel for parents to check their hearts and guide their behavior in the stands. I especially appreciated how for each point of advice, they offered a question for personal reflection. It’s worth reading and discussing with your family.

See you at the game!

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!