Family Events are Coming at You, LBF

By Phil Shahbaz, Pastor of Community Life

If you have been to LBF on a Sunday morning, it’s likely that you’ve noticed an abundance of kids. From the little ones in diapers to the older ones with iPhones, they are exceedingly present at our church. On a typical Sunday, we see them darting through the Worship Center hallways, digging through the doughnut boxes, playing on the play-set, and during the summer, occasionally coming back to mom or dad soaked with water – but with a smile on their face. Our kids energize our church campus and bring a joyful presence to our Sunday mornings. They also bring their parents. 

Families with young children have been growing at LBF, more so than any other constituency we have. In the past year, many of these families have come together to express a desire for more connecting events here at the church. This desire comes from the realization that in many ways our families live life apart from one another. Many of our families are in the same stage of life, dealing with many of the same issues, and hoping to raise our children to love Jesus.

Yet we only see each other briefly on Sundays or at Life Groups. There are families at the church who recognize this issue and are taking steps to bring us together for fun and creative events. 

The first of these events was back in December. A few volunteer families came together and programmed a movie night in the Worship Center. Kids watched a fun movie while they munched on cookies and popcorn and sat in cardboard race cars they made and decorated a few minutes earlier. Parents sat in the background and smiled. This event was not advertised, yet it was very well
attended and an example of the creativity of our LBF parents and their willingness to bring us together. 

Next on the calendar is the LBF Summer Picnic on Sunday, June 22. This is being put together by a community of our families and will be open to everyone at the church. 

This picnic, however, will resemble the kind of old-style church picnic that many of us remember as children. The focus of the picnic will be on fun games that we can all participate in. Remember the potato-sack race as a kid? We will be bringing it back! 

There will be a pie-eating contest, a dessert competition, and a dunk tank
(yes, you will have an opportunity to dunk Pastor Gary Keith, and we may or may not put ice in the water). This picnic will be a fun community day for the entire church family and hopefully an opportunity for a new generation to create memories in a way that we fondly remember. 

As summer continues into fall, we will continue to have events for families such as beach days, movie nights, and game nights. Most importantly, our families at LBF will be brainstorming, hosting, and leading these events as a team. If you are a mom or dad, and would like to help with these events, we 

would love to have you on the team. Please contact me at (909) 981-4848.