Spacious

I've been reading about the life of Joshua over the past couple of weeks. We learn about Joshua from the sixth book of the Old Testament that bears his name. Joshua was the chosen leader of God's people following the death of Moses. It was the end of a period in history known as the bronze age (1550 - 1200 B.C) when Joshua led the Israelites on an amazing season of conquest into the "Promised Land". Joshua was courageous and he trusted God like crazy. In the famous conquest of Jericho (Joshua 5:13 - 6:27), Joshua executed God's unusual plan and the mighty wall that fortified the city collapsed before him. It wasn't that God fought their battle for them, it was that God chose them to fight his battle. If you've never read the book of Joshua, the violent warfare will surprise you. The life of Joshua not only foreshadows the ultimate conquest of Jesus Christ, it symbolizes the the type of life we are called to lead.

Today, we too are called to be courageous, to trust God no matter what and to execute his plans. Our battles are different than Joshua's and most of them are actually internal battles of the heart. The advancement of the gospel of Jesus will always involve struggles. The cool part is that it also involves many small victories along the way that point to the ultimate victory of Jesus. God knocks down walls for us at opportune moments if we trust in him and live courageously. I'm very encouraged by a recent small victory for Longleaf Church. We have found an exciting space to meet and grow into over the next phase of our church planting journey! It's the Galleria Conference Center located in the Galleria Mall (formerly Goody's). We're going to give it a trial run this weekend with UpStreet and Waumba Land!!

Family Ministry Awesomeness!!

AmyJ and JulieJ are doing such a great job with UpStreet and Waumba Land! BTW, they don't get paid. They just serve alongside our other amazing volunteers. Our Family Ministry Small Group Leaders at Longleaf Church are new to their roles but they're amazing. What an impact!

Renewal

We often find ourselves reflecting on the larger issues and priorities of our own lives within those moments that we are allowed to celebrate life's milestone events with others. The birth of a child, a graduation ceremony, buying a first home and certainly a marriage ceremony are great examples of life's milestone events. Marriage is so much more than a ceremony or a rite of passage. The marriage covenant reveals who we are, unique children of a loving heavenly Father designed for relationship and purpose. It's a mystery, The Apostle Paul said, but marriage reflects Jesus Christ and his relationship with His church.

As I prepare to celebrate the marriage of Andrew and Julie this weekend, I am thankful for my wife and my children. The family unit is so special and it's the foundation of communities, of cultures, of nations.

During this challenging and rewarding season of church planting (alongside a providential and swelling community of people) this wedding gives me pause. Am I leaving a mark? Am I living by faith or is culture dictating my life? I am inspired to reflect, forget the status quo and renew my life around who God is and who He empowers us to become. I don't want to have regrets. I want to leave a mark and I'll bet you do too.

We Love Those Kids!

There are some exciting things happening next month in Family Ministry at Longleaf Church! Our Children's Leadership Team (Amy and Julie) are working towards building our first Family Ministry environments!

On Sunday, September 13 we are launching Waumba Land (Birth -K4) and UpStreet (K5 - 5th). In preparation for this monumental day in the life of Longleaf Church, we are taking a Strategic Service Road Trip for Family Ministry Volunteers on Sunday, August 30. We will travel to Southside Church in Peachtree City to see Waumba Land and UpStreet in action. Southside was one of the first North Point Strategic Partner Churches and they have tremendous momentum in Family Ministry. Details to follow on this trip! Contact Amy or Julie with any questions.

Check out these updates from our Children's Leadership Team:

Our approach to Family Ministry for preschoolers begins by keeping the end in mind. We start by asking ourselves what we want our High School kids to know when they leave our student ministry. What are the truths that we want impressed upon their hearts? With this in mind, we simply work backwards through our middle school, children, and preschool environments to align each of those ministry areas with our end goal. This mindset helps us stay focused on what we want preschoolers to learn about their Heavenly Father in those early years of wonder and discovery.

Waumba Land is designed to teach preschoolers God’s Word so that it sticks with them, to apply the Truths of His Word in their lives, to worship their Creator, and to connect with others and learn early in life the value of relationships. While we work hard to make these things happen in our fun and creative environments, equipping families is at the top of our to-do list!

Julie Jarrard
Waumba Land Director

juliejarrard@cox.net

Down on UpStreet, kids are challenged and equipped to; MAKE THE WISE CHOICE, to TRUST GOD NO MATTER WHAT and to TREAT OTHERS THEY WAY THEY WANT TO BE TREATED.

This is such a pivotal time of life for kids (K5 - 5th Grade) as they really begin to understand who their Savior is. They also start asking great questions about applying biblical truth to their lives. We are super excited about the UpStreet environment but we know that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church. That's our philosophy about Family Ministry at Longleaf Church. We will seek to partner with parents and empower families through three main ingredients:

• Intentional Relationships (Small Groups!)
  
• Memorable Experiences
  
• Relevant Teaching
  

Please contact me anytime with questions about UpStreet.

Amy Jeffords

UpStreet Director

amyjeffords@gmail.com