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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Things are moving pretty fast for the Jeffords family as we get moved to Kathleen, GA (South Houston County) and manage all of the great things happening around Longleaf Church. We are excited that God has directed us to this community. Our family can definitely attest that home is where the heart is. Thanks to the Easy Crane guy, we were able to move about half of our stuff before Christmas. We bought a Charlie Brown style Christmas Tree for $4 on Christmas Eve and celebrated Christmas in our new home. Family, friends and just being together to celebrate Christmas trumped the controlled chaos of moving. I wanted to give everyone a brief update on things and ask that you pray for our church this week as we prepare for some important next steps.

• Space - We are still working to nail down the best space for us to gather in throughout 2010. It could be that we meet at the Galleria Conf. Center or The Board of Realtors Conf. Center in January in order to maintain some familiarity while finalize the best long term plan. Stay tuned! Our first service is set for January 10! I'll communicate the plan by this Sunday, January 3.

• FP2 - I'm working on a two-part message series for 1/10 and 1/24 called FP2. I can't wait to share the First Person Plural narration of the origins and direction of Longleaf Church with you. FP2 will be a great series to invite friends and neighbors to. Each of the two messages will include multiple stories from our people as we weave together the story of Longleaf and the remarkable biblical reflections of our movement. Your story is our story, we are Longleaf Church....
  

• Year-End-Giving - It's not too late to give to Longleaf Church in '09! Generous giving really fueled our movement over the past year. Our church is 100% funded by people like you. The easiest and most flexible way to give is electronically through our eGive partnership. Simply click HERE or the eGive logo on this page, quickly establish an account from their site and select Longleaf Church from their list of churches. You can make a one-time gift or set up your 2010 monthly giving plan. Thanks for your generosity!
  

• Community Groups - We are excited about the new Community Groups launching in January. In order to connect everyone to community, we have two "open groups" for people to attend and get plugged in to. Please email me (jeffreyjeffords@gmail.com) for details.

• New Website - I am really excited about our new website that's under development. It will be rolled out in January. It's going to be more interactive and include more localized and relevant content.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone on January 10 and to the next chapter in our church planting journey! Happy New Year and God Bless.

You will get a sentimental feeling....

It's awesome to enter the Christmas Season as a part of a community of people planting a church together! We are so excited about the momentum generated from our first Longleaf LIVE series. It was a big step. We're praying for the continued growth of the community of people that represent the foundation of our church plant. We can't wait for The Christmas Experience on December 20th! It's going to be a fun and engaging event and we're celebrating family style! No matter your age, you're going to love The Christmas Experience. Do not miss this! The event is set for 6PM on the 20th at the Galleria Mall Conference Center in Warner Robins. The event is posted on our facebook page. Also, watch for an eVite that you can forward along and invite your friends.

The Christmas Season is such a special time. We celebrate the remarkable moment in history when "the word became flesh". Our savior was born into humanity and made a way for us! As I contemplate this incredible truth and what it means for us, I am overflowing with energy and excitement. As I think about how to direct and sustain the energy of Christmas into 2010, three things come to mind that I want to carry forward into the new year:

• The Heart of a Child: During Christmas, families circle up tight and life slows down. That alone is such a blessing. Beyond that, families get to celebrate the hearts of children. The hearts of children are purer than most adults and they approach this season with such fullness and joy. The truth is, we become more like children during Christmas. I want to carry this mentality forward into 2010.

• A Why Worry Approach: If you were not a part of our first Longleaf LIVE series, this might seem out of place. I DON'T MEAN losing all focus and just hanging out at Starbucks all the time. I mean more focus on what I can do, and less worry about what only God can do. Christmas creates a healthy pause and allows us the emotional and mental margin that we crave all year long. Jesus is the first born of many sons and daughters. At Christmas, we pause to bask in the grace and truth of a Heavenly Father that knows our needs, our hopes and our dreams. I want to trust in Him more and more in 2010 and remember that today has enough trouble of it's own, tomorrow will take care of itself.

• A Generous Spirit: Generous spirits are renewed around Christmas and we seek outlets to give. When we seek, we find. Please take a moment to read the blog post just below this one about Project Intersect at Longleaf Church. In particular, please bring canned foods to The Christmas Experience. At the epicenter of God's unfolding plan is the local church. Generosity helps fuel our mission and vision at Longleaf Church so Amy and I are committed to giving more to Longleaf in 2010. We hope and pray for more and more people to come along us and give intentionally towards the compelling mission and vision of Longleaf Church.
  

I hope these thoughts are helpful AND hope to see you on December 20th for The Christmas Experience!

INTERSECT! This Christmas

It is truly better to give than to receive! As Longleaf gears up for the Christmas season, it is our vision to support those in need, here locally and across the globe. As a community, Longleaf will partner with several organizations and share in the joys of blessing others this Christmas season.

Here are three opportunities for you and your family to get involved:

Longleaf's Canned Food Drive

Throughout the month of December, Longleaf will be collecting canned goods. All canned goods collected will be donated to Perry Volunteer Outreach in support of their ministry to the needy and their new homeless shelter, opening in January 2010. Clean out your pantry, pick up a few extra canned goods on your next trip to the grocery store and bring them to the next Longleaf LIVE service on December 6. Canned goods will be collected through December 22, 2009.

Bite Back Campaign

The Bite Back Campaign is a project where our UpStreet kids (pictured below) are partnering with Compassion International and students around the world to raise money to purchase mosquito nets to protect African children from malaria. Bring your spare change and help our Longleaf students as they work hard to help provide for these children in need.

Buy a net. Save a life. Bite back.

• Adopt-A-Family

Lastly, Longleaf church encourages those of you who are able to support local outreaches in their adopt-a-family ministries. There are many families right here in the Middle Georgia area who are in need and YOU could be the one to bring smiles to their faces this Christmas. Click HERE for the link to a local organization seeking families to adopt those in need!

At the next Longleaf LIVE (Sunday, December 6) we will have an INTERSECT table set up for your donations and to answer any questions. Bring a few canned goods to church, grab a few dimes from your spare change drawer and pull together a few friends to adopt-a-family. Lets work together this season to spread the love of Jesus through Longleaf, right here in Middle Georgia!!

Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

My friend Skip emailed me an interesting link this week. He found the exact iteration of the Thanksgiving Day Proclamation issued by George Washington in 1789. Many of us may not be aware that President Washington officially proclaimed the Thanksgiving Holiday "to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God". Here's an excerpt from George Washington's Proclamation on this date, 220 years ago........

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLIC THANSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be;

George Washington