August 18, 2011

Dear Mosaic Family,

I choose those words “Mosaic Family” purposefully today as my greeting. How true it is for many of us that the family of God, the church, really is as much or more “our family” as those who may be our biological siblings or relatives. What we share in the life of Jesus Christ at work within us and what we experience of genuine loving fellowship between us by the Holy Spirit often bonds our hearts together in ways that leave us feeling…and living…closer to our spiritual siblings than our physical relatives.

When it comes to family celebrations, there are probably no more important or happier ones than WEDDINGS, right? Well, this weekend, we’re going to be celebrating TWO weddings/anniversaries that are very special to our Mosaic family. One of our couples, the Carters, will be reaffirming their vows made to each other now 16 years ago in one of this weekend’s morning services. Why in a worship service? Come and find out.

And our most recent newlyweds, Patrick & Maureen, will be hosting a full-blown wedding ceremony Sunday at 4:00pm at Second Space to celebrate their nearly one year of marriage. This will be their “stateside ceremony” (since the first one took place in South Africa), complete with a dozen of Maureen’s family, friends and pastor’s family from South Africa. We are this special couple’s family in many ways. So if you are anywhere near Spokane this weekend, don’t miss out on being family to these two great couples as we celebrate God’s wonderful work in their lives…and our Mosaic Family.

Now about WORK. Over the past few months, we’ve been praying about what “next step” God would have us take in ministry to our downtown “family.” While there are several options on the drawing board, one has risen to the surface recently as the service we believe God would have us tackle next. Here’s what’s developing.

Many of the downtown residents find themselves in the “in between zone” of life. By that I mean that they are often trying to leave behind darker days of some addiction, prison time, family mess, godless lifestyle or spiritual darkness. One of the biggest challenges for many in setting a new direction is learning the fundamentals of life that many of us just take for granted.

That might include everything from learning how to go into a bank and open an account to shopping on a tight budget and fixing healthy meals. Many want to work and earn their own way in life but because they may not know the first thing about computers, it’s often hard to get even an entry level job paying minimum wage. Knowing how to navigate your way around a computer using word processing and spread sheets can be just the advantage that may land you an opportunity to prove yourself in a tight job market.

So beginning this fall, Mosaic will start to work with a handful of men and women living downtown in a mentor-coaching style training. We will begin small and simple, offering training that most of us could give one-on-one to a family member or friend. We’ll make this training available to downtown residents at Second Space during specific hours weekly as we help them develop their résumés, learn how to work on computers, how to interview for jobs, and whatever other skills we find may be helpful for them in continuing to put life together in the real world of Spokane.

Here’s the first draft of the kinds of people and things that we think we will need in the coming weeks to make this idea a reality. If YOU have either the SKILLS or CONNECTIONS that will help us realize this next faith-step, please let us know (email, phone or speak to us in person).

NEEDED:

• PEOPLE: It’s all about personal relationship. So this is where Mosaic can really make a difference in the lives of people. Do YOU have a couple of hours a week or month to coach, train, help, encourage or just befriend someone who is looking to better themselves? Do you know how to put together a resume? Do you know how to do word processing on a computer? Excel spread sheets? How to prepare someone for an interview? These are the skills we’ll need. And we also need to know when you hear of ANY job opening around town.

• HARDWARE & SOFTWARE: We’re searching for 4-5 good computers (used laptops or PCs are fine…if they run well), a printer, Microsoft Office or just Word and Excel.

That’s it for now but I’m sure there will be more in coming days.

Never forget that MOSAIC FELLOWSHIP EXISTS TO EXPERIENCE THE HEART OF GOD IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. For us, experiencing God will sometimes come as we experience life with those who live downtown. For them, it will hopefully come as they experience life with us at Mosaic.

It’s a WIN-WIN…if you choose to play.

So what position will you play on God’s team at Mosaic in the days ahead? Let me know how I can help you discover the blessings God has for you through service and the Mosaic family.

Enjoying the Father,

John