The Family Table
Feeding the Faith of LEFC Families
You Gotta Hear This!
July 27, 2025
Dear LEFC Families,
As we near the start of the school year in just about a month, it’s a great time to start thinking about what new habits, rhythms, or routines might work well for your family in this new season. We encourage you to consider how you can prioritize your and your kids’ spiritual growth this upcoming year. What might you need to say “yes” or “no” to in order to put Christ first in your home? We’re here to help resource and equip you to make wise decisions for your family.
Discipling Kids in Light of Competing Priorities and Busy Schedules
Need help thinking through how you might balance family time, sports practices, music lessons, friends, homework, and spiritual growth in your home? Check out this helpful article for insight, wisdom, and an honest discussion about competing priorities and our schedules. Deana Menikoff talks about the desire of every parent for their kids to be well, rounded, successful, and have an abundance of opportunities while navigating the battle for their souls. Take a few minutes to give it a read.
LEFC Fall Retreat
Our Fall Retreat is coming up in just two months! Join us at Seven Mountains Scout Camp for the weekend of September 
19th-21st. 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! For a limited time, you’ll receive an early bird discount of $5 off if you register on or before August 24th! Register here to bring your family for a great weekend!
Youth Group Kickoff
Youth Group will kick-off for the school year on August 17th, Back to School Sunday. Make sure your 7th-12th graders put it in their busy schedules to attend, and of course, tell them to invite their friends! We look forward to another great year of studying God’s word together!
Touch a Truck at the Good News Cruise
The Good News Cruise will be held on August 16th, and we’ll once again be incorporating Touch a Truck for the kids. Bring your kids out to enjoy the fun! If you’d like to bring a vehicle for kids to check out, or could arrange for one, please see Jordyn Skacel.
“David Sinned and Was Restored” 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 “David Sinned and Was Restored” (Volume 4: Unit 11: Session 4), 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 an excellent podcast for parents and families produced by FamilyLife.
Hosts Dave and Ann Wilson tackle a variety of topics- some deep and weighty, and some light-hearted and fun- with a plethora of guests. I (Jordyn) have thoroughly enjoyed learning from and being challenged by episodes such as “Are We Raising Our Kids Wrong? with Kathy Koch, “The Marriage Fight No One Talks About” with Bruce and Maria Goff, and “We Survived 7 Brutal Years- and Found Friendship” with Matt and Lauren Chandler.
As the website states, “FamilyLife Today® is a three-time award-winning podcast and nationally syndicated radio broadcast featuring Dave and Ann Wilson. In each episode, Dave and Ann interview different guests covering engaging and relevant topics that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most.”
Dave and Ann are relatable, humorous, and bold as they interview their guests and draw out rich wisdom for married couples and families to glean from. I like that it’s a one-stop-shop for both marriage and parenting topics, as many other resources highlight just one or the other. But, it also makes it valuable to a broader audience, from newly married couples to parents of littles, teens, and grown children, and older married couples as well.
They’ve interviewed some names that you may have heard before, such as Rachel Gilson in their episode “Parenting Without Panic in an LGBT-Affirming World” (we previously recommended Rachel’s book here), Sam Allberry, Dan Ortlund, Jackie Hill Perry, and even Willie and Korie Robertson of Duck Dynasty!
Titles such as “The Silent Struggle of Fatherhood”, “I Feel Unloved in My Marriage”, “Finding Faith Over Perfection in the Midst of a Messy House”, and even “Help! I’m Addicted to My Phone” dig into Biblical truth, thought-provoking wisdom and practical application steps. I guarantee there’s a title that’ll stick out to you, too!
Stream the podcast on your favorite platform, like Spotify, YouTube, or the website (while you’re there, browse through the other resources available!). You’ll find brand new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday.
We hope our families eat 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!