The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
TFT: Youth Sports – Healthy Families
November 17, 2024
Dear LEFC Parents,
Here are some nourishing items to set the table for disciple-making in your family this week:
Family Ministry Survey
Have you taken our quick Family Ministry survey yet? We value serving our families well and want the chance to hear your input. Please take a minute to fill it out here so we can better meet the needs of LEFC families.
Volunteering in Kids Bible Classes
Have you ever considered volunteering to help teach our Kids Bible Classes? We have several new families attending LEFC and therefore have more kids participating in our programs. We could use more teachers and helpers to help shepherd these kids well. The more volunteers, the less often each person will be on the rotation. Please consider whether the Lord might use you in this way. For more information, see Vicky Albert.
Advent is Quickly Approaching!
The season of advent will be here soon, beginning on December 1st. Have you thought about what your family might do to celebrate this season? We encourage all families to spend special time together at home engaging in discussion, crafts, readings, etc. to prepare their hearts for the coming of Christ! Need ideas? One place to start could be the recommended resources by Risen Motherhood from a recent The Family Table dessert!
“Joseph Taken to Egypt” 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 “Joseph Taken to Eqypt” (Volume 1: Unit 3: Session 3), 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…
This week’s recommendation for family discipleship is a thoughtful program about youth sports, healthy families, and the future of the church.
Right now, we’re in the short period of time between Fall Sports and Winter Sports (The next “Meet the Warriors” is Monday the 25th at 6:00pm at West Branch!) which can be a good time to take a step back and gain some perspective.
I (Pastor Matt) love to attend sporting events to support our church’s kids in their endeavors. But as a pastor, I also can be concerned how families can become so engrossed in youth sports that it hurts their spiritual growth and connection to the local church.
That’s why I was encouraged to listen to this new episode of the podcast “Recorded.” Journalist Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra interviews insightful parents, coaches, and pastors to get wisdom for thinking through this whole arena. Some of those parents and coaches were even professional athletes at one time!
The introduction at The Gospel Coalition website says:
“Registration fees. Weekend tournaments. Travel teams.
Youth sports in America has shifted over the last several decades. Instead of playing ball in the backyard with friends after school or on Saturday mornings, our kids climb into the minivan so we can drive them to practice, pay for uniforms and court fees, and pick up dinner from the concession stand.
Youth sports, it seems, is a merry-go-round of time and money that we can’t get off because we know it’d never slow down enough for us to get back on.
At The Gospel Coalition, youth sports is one of the top concerns we hear from pastors and youth leaders: they can’t preach to, disciple, or encourage people who miss Sunday after Sunday for basketball or soccer or baseball.
But we know sports is a good gift from God. He created our kids to run and jump and throw, and to delight in doing that with friends. Done well, those things honor him.
So how can we do them well?
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra talked to parents, coaches, and pastors to find out.”
It’s definitely worth an hour of your time if you have athletically-inclined kids.
Access the podcast, including pictures and a full transcript at the Gospel Coalition.
Watch and listen to the episode on YouTube.
Listen to this episode at Spotify.
We hope your family eats it right up.
Jordyn Skacel, Director of Family Ministry
Matt Mitchell, Pastor
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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!