Here are a few highlights of some of the amazing things we witnessed in 2011:

• There were 61 confirmed first time decisions for Christ.
• There were 56 people who re-dedicated their lives to Christ
• 70 people being baptized.
• Over 650 were distributed Back Packs to needy children in our area.
• Over 250 families received Thanksgiving meals.
• Over 90 families received an amazing Christmas.
• Our Internet Campus reached people around the world with over 100 people per weekend checking out our services.
• We helped plant Reverb Church by sending over 30 people and thousands of dollars to help them with the launch into St. Johns County.
• We sent over 50 volunteers to the Global Day of Prayer
• We performed over 25 community outreaches in Clay and Duval Counties.
• We gave away over $66,000 in missions money to support groups like The Mercy Network, First Coast Women’s Services, The Act’s 29 Network, Seamark Ranch, and many, many more.
• We gave away over $22,000 to needy families within our congregation and the community to help meet basic needs like food or shelter.

We are looking forward to what 2012 will bring as we sense that God wants to continue to expand the reach and vision of the ministries of Journey Church. We are prayerfully asking God to exponentially grow all of our ministries and outreaches and believe 2012 will be the most fruitful year in the life of the ministry.

Please continue to support this vibrant ministry through your time, your service, and your financial contributions.

We simply love and appreciate you and can’t say thank you enough for believing in this ministry. Our prayer is that 2012 will be the best year of your life to date!

In His Service,

Eric and Mary Jo Jaffe

2012 Life Verse: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 3:18

Increase our faith – what a great statement. Might we as believers ask the Lord for the same thing. God help us of little faith.

God responds by telling them if they have mustard seed faith. I mean the smallest of the smallest seed faith that God can use that to do powerful things like uproot trees, move mountains, you name it!

I have found that when we activate our faith in the small areas. God tends to show up, that builds our faith and prepares us for the next stage, moving us from mustard seed faith to audacious faith. There are those who get IT right away and go from -0- faith to mountain moving faith, but many of us take those incremental steps. God loves each of us to bring us along at our own pace.

The important part is that we are growing, living out Romans 12:1-2 kind of stuff. Applying our faith to the areas of our life where we look more like the world than like Christ?

Want a victory today? Activate some mustard seed faith.

Where do you need that victory?

Is it in your finances? Well are you giving? tithing? using your resources to further the kingdom? or are your finances firmly entrenched in the things of this world? Pray, ask God for wisdom and courage. Jump in and begin tithing and see if He doesn’t work things out.

How about a sickness? relationship challenge? work issue? big decision?

Pray – ask God to increase your faith – ask Him boldly for things that you know line up with His word! He likes to show you how much He loves you.

Let this be a year of growth in your faith!

Your friends at Journey are praying for you!

“hey pastor eric last week was the first time I pay’d all of my tithes in a long time and the last 3 weeks our hours were slashed to 24 hours and this week after paying tithes we are working overtime. God is great!!!!! thanks for all you do. it seems like every time I hear a sermon at journey its something I need to hear.”

Journey – Trust God – He is faithful.. So faithful.

As believers it's an opportunity to retreat, or to trust and press in by continuing to exhibit a lifestyle of giving.

The Gospel of Luke gives us some great words of encouragement on the topic:

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”   – Luke 6:38

As 2008 draws to a close I want to ask you. Have you been faithful to God in the area of your finances?

If the answer is yes, then praise God, continue to live to give. If the answer is no, prayerfully consider what God would have you do. The close of the year presents us with an opportunity to finish strong in this area of our lives. We can then continue that into 2009 and just watch what God will do.

It's also the last opportunity of the year to get a tax deduction for your 2008 donations as well.

Church, lets finish strong..

Click here to donate online.

Jeff shared a story about a church that He was a part of that got in over it's head at one point and stopped it's missions giving. He noticed that stopping God's flow of giving had an even greater negative effect on the churches finances so he asked the pointed question – Eric are you guys being faithful in tithing your outside missions $.

I am greatful to say that we are, we continue to make our 12% outside contributions faithfully as some of the first checks we write. In November we had our highest ever monthly missions giving of over $6400. At Journey we have also been aggressively looking at ways to cut expenses and have shaved over $1000 per month off the top to try to be great stewards over all that God has entrusted us with that we might be positioned well as we enter 2009.

So, to twist the situation back to you and I the challenge at the core becomes do we trust God with our finances even in difficult times? Do we believe scriptures like,

Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”   – Luke 6:38

I read scriptures like this and try to keep it simple. Simple, pratical and put into practice.

So my thought and challenge is this. During this Holiday season do a few things – 1) Take God at His Word, 2) Be faithful in your tithes and offerings, infact be a hilarous giver and watch what God does in your life, 3) Don't get into debt over Christmas.. Live within your means.

Prayerfully consider where you are at in terms of giving. If you have not been faithful in this area of your life – repent, seek God's direction, and put His word into practice. If you have been faithful trust in God, stand on His promises, even if things look bleak know that He has your back.

I humbly thank the people of Journey Church for their faithful, over and above giving, keep making a difference – keep the gift revolution going. Let's blow this area away with how much God loves them.

How important is this as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach.

There will be much to say about the two upcoming series "Gratitude List" and "Gift Revolution"

But suffice it to say – I challenge the people to step up more than ever before – during these tough economic times and be a church that is passionate about ministry for the least of these. No doubt we will be helping Pastor Moses out at Triumph. In fact.. 2 weeks from now Pastor will be preaching here and I couldn't be more excited about him sharing about Triumph.

We want to make sure everyone at Journey as a great thanksgiving.

If that might now be the case for you be cause of your economic situation would you email me ejaffe@journeychurch.org  and we will see what we might do to help!

Pray for us also. This weekend we will be starting a new series in addition to a capital campaign aimed at moving into the new facility with excellence. The series is called iBuild and will be a study of Nehemiah and the building of the walls, God’s supernatural provision corporately and individually. It should be a great series to lead us into the opening of the new facility.

If you would like to help us get a jump start by contributing online it would mean the world to us.

Click here to donate online.