Bet you didn’t know speed dating had religious roots! 
 
Just to make sure I got my facts straight, here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it.  “Speed dating is a formalized matchmaking process or dating system whose purpose is to encourage people to meet a large number of new people.” But hang on, here’s the big surprise. “Its origins are credited to Rabbi Yaacov Deyo of Aish HaTorah, originally as a way to help Jewish singles meet and marry.”
           
While I’m no rabbi (even though I’ve been slandered by a self-proclaimed one for supposedly “stealing” the name “Mosaic”), what on earth am I doing advocating for speed dating? 
 
Just to set the record straight, I’m not. 
 
But this weekend, all of us at Mosaic are going to experience a ministry-oriented version of speed-dating.  Call it “speed-serving” or “speed-ministry” if you like. Here’s how it will work. 
 
We’ll all gather at the regular service times of 9 or 11 Sunday morning for our quarterly “Love Feast” breakfast where we’ll enjoy good food, fellowship and the Lord’s Supper.  But this Sunday, we’ll also have an opportunity to get a 4-minute snapshot of some of the most strategic, important and fun ministries Mosaic is involved in this fall.  You’ll be hearing from 8 ministries in 32 minutes about what God is doing and where you can engage with God in those ministries. 
 
So if you didn’t have the opportunity to hear the message last week, you might want to listen to the podcast or read the sermon notes before Sunday.  That message forms the backdrop for what we’ll be experiencing this weekend together. 
 
UPCOMING EXPERIENCES with GOD…we hope!
 
BIKING THE HIAWATHA TRAIL:  With the best September weather we’ve seen in years, this outing should be amazing!  We’ll meet up at the northeast corner of the Fred Meyer parking lot at the Thor/Freya & I-90 interchange at 8:00am.  Bring $20 per person ($10 for trail permit or $6 ages 6-13, $9 or $6 [6-13 years] for return-trip bus at the bottom of the trail), a helmet, headlamp/bike light (required in the 1-mile tunnel), light coat or sweatshirt, bike (or you can rent one at Lookout Pass for $30-40), water bottle, snacks and sack lunch.  Oh, and don’t forget your camera.  There are some amazing photo opportunities along the way.
 
MARRIED COUPLE’S GROUP @ Repsolds, Sunday, September 30^th @ 6:00pm.  Call John or Sandy for more info (710-8026/36).
 
1^st MEN’S CONNECTION FALL BREAKFAST, Saturday, October 6^th, @ Mosaic @ 8:00am
 
UNPACKING ATHIESM CONFERENCE with Lee Strobel, Mark Mittelberg, Dr. William Lane Craig, Randall Niles, and Dr. Holly Ordway, all on Sunday evening from 6-8pm, October 14, 2012.  This two-hour simulcast will tackle many of the books and arguments sweeping college campuses and our culture regarding the existence of God.  With one in four young adults claiming no faith at all in our nation today, this is a conference worth far more than the price of admission…which is FREE (thanks to a generous anonymous donor).   If you are, know of or have a teen or young adult in your life, encourage them to come and join them for this event that will be held at Mosaic’s Second Space Gallery. 
 
ADDITIONAL INFO
If you’ve been around the last few weeks, you know that we’re running out of space.  So we are currently planning on launching a 3^rd weekend service on Sunday nights in late October.  At the same time we are checking into other facility options not far from us. 

We’re not interested in just getting bigger.  We’re interested in cooperating with whatever it is that God is doing, growing up together in Christ and reaching more people with the transformational Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Please be praying about what God might want you to do to help this new worship experience be used of God for His Kingdom building.
 
Also, just recently, the director of the Second Space Art Gallery informed us that he will be moving on.  So we’re looking for some art lovers with good connections to artists to help us fill the gallery each month with good art.  If you have any names of connections, please let us know as we seek to be good stewards of the space God has provided us. 
 
That’s enough for now. 
 
Enjoying the beauty,
 
Pastor John