Mosaic News    

2012 looks to be an exciting year for our community, ten days in and already so much is going on . . .

Sunday January 8th kicked off our twenty-one days of prayer and fasting as a community. We hope this time is spent drawing near to God so that we may better know what he has in store for us in this up coming year. If you would like to spend time in prayer in a shared space with others from the community, come down to the Mosaic Loft from 6 am – 8am. The address is 2316 1st Ave N Suite 101. This will be taking place Mon. – Fri. for the remainder of the month.

This past Sunday was also the official launch of Birmingham Community Church(www.bhamcc.org), continue to keep our friends in your prayers.

Also be on the look out for the new small groups launching this semester, and for the ones from last semester starting back up. More information will be available on the website soon, as well as on Sunday at out gatherings.

And finally the most exciting news is  . . . WE ARE LAUNCHING OUR SECOND SERVICE  THIS SUNDAY!!!

That’s right, starting this Sunday, January 15th, Mosaic will begin having two services on Sunday mornings. We invite you to either the 9:30 a.m., or  the 11:15 a.m. gathering.

Can’t wait to see you all there, and to see what amazing ways God will use all of us this year to proclaim his kingdom that has already arrived. May this year be a year that this city we are in can be transformed by the Gospel, and may we be blessed enough to be a part of it.

Grace and Peace

What a busy time we have had in our community. There is growing and changing, new adventures and new horizons, opportunities to serve and to praise.

There have been pilgrimages (check out more about Nomad’s Land  here).

There have been book signings (Seriously, The Bible is Beautiful is such a good read. Thank you Bret!).

There was a trip to Honduras with She Dances (more about them here, and some more stories from the team will be coming soon).

There has been the announcement of a church launch (check out their website here, and if you didn’t know the Tuesday night class on worship is going great! You should check it out, only two nights left before its over). We are so excited about partnering with Birmingham Community Church (BhamCC).

And recently there has been someone off traveling (we miss you Kris! And, our prayers are with you).

It has been such a good time and only more is to come. As we approach the season of Advent we know God has so much in store for our community.

Currently going on right now, besides Kris traveling and hundreds of other things, is the Nomad Auction. You can go to the link provided and check it out. http://www.nomadauction.com/

Also we have another amazing woman’s event coming up: It is called Thirst, and will be a night of worship and ministry at Woodrow Hall (in the Magnolia Room) on Saturday November 19th, 7:00-9:30 p.m. All woman of all ages are welcome! A link to the location can be found by clicking here.

Finally, we have a chance to serve our community. There is a family in need of food, and so this Sunday we will be taking up whatever you can bring.

And, Brother Bryan is need of winter coats as we approach the cold season. If you have an extra coat lying around, bring it to church on Sunday and allow someone who is in need to benefit from your abundance.

Hope that all of you are having a great week, and to those of you who are not, know that the Father promises that he will never leave you and he will never forsake you.

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  - Hebrews 13:20-21

See you all Sunday!

It’s been almost a year since our last Mosaic News post. Our apologies. We’re truly excited about bringing this page back to the community, and hope you’ll stop by often to find out more about what has happened and is happening in our community!

As most of you know, our missional focus for this semester has been to partner with the fine folks from The Nomad’s Land. A week ago today, they began their second annual Nomad’s Land Pilgrimage by gathering together a little north of the city, and beginning a four-day, forty-five mile trek to the land itself (a beautiful stretch of 40+ acres that provides rest and restoration in Christ to those weary from all types of life’s travels). To say that things came off without a hitch, would be a stretch. To say that God was weaving beautiful things throughout it all, would be an understatement.

Many of you know about Kevin Simpson’s desire to make the entire journey in one day. Although Kevin came-up a few miles short, and found himself in need of serious medical attention, he gave us something far more valuable than an “as-planned” 45 mile walk could have offered. Kevin provided us an opportunity to examine and meditate on our lives, our faith, our God, and the role of suffering throughout it all. Our first reaction to the type of difficulties encountered by Kevin is often to dismiss the whole thing as a bad idea. Our rationale is pretty simple. Something out of the ordinary was tried that resulted in injury (or some other type of perceived failure). Therefore, it must have been a bad idea, or at the least, one that wasn’t properly executed. The problem, of course, lies in our perception of results.

On the surface, the case is pretty open shut. A goal unreached. A man hospitalized. A family threatened. In view of these things the amount of money raised is irrelevant. But there are other things happening in this story beneath the surface. Results sometimes harder to measure. Like, the value of falling short and hearing amidst all the tangible pain and sorrow the whispers of a still small voice saying, “I love you. I always did. Nothing can change that.” Or, the value of forced wrestlings with one’s own human frailty, and realizing that there is a strength beyond our physical and mental boundaries; a strength more fierce than that of our most determined effort; a strength which is present in our best moments and will carry us through our worst, if we have eyes to see it. Or, the value of the great intimacy experienced by a young family who discovers that amidst great difficulty, their love for one another only deepens. Or, and perhaps most importantly, the value of learning that the results were never ours to determine. In Christ, our goal is never anything more than to walk humbly by faith.

Reflecting on all aspects of the pilgrimage brings a type of deep, somber joy to my heart. The scene that provides the capstone to the complex range of thoughts and emotions experienced over the weekend, is the one witnessed by all who attended the Sunday night Potluck celebration at Nomad’s Land. There a tribal chorus emerged around a campfire on a star-filled night. A new melody to an old song arose, harmonizing the unique and diverse voices of all present into one eternal truth: “Our God is an awesome God.” Indeed, He Is.

Beginning on Sunday, November 7, Mosaic Church Birmingham will be meeting at the Avon Theater.

This is something we have been praying for in the last few months, and the Lord has opened this space up for us.  It will allow us much more space for our worship services and will provide a well equipped area for child care.  Our gatherings will still be 11am on Sundays.

The address of Avon Theater is 2829 7th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233.

Missional Communities will begin this week!

For some of you this may not be a familiar term, so let us define it. A Missional Community is a weekly gathering of 9-50 people who share a common identity and missional focus. It is the place where we connect with each other and give individuals an opportunity to be known, participate, and serve.

KALEBER will be held Monday at Fixplay loft 103 at 6:30, and it will begin on Labor Day.

STORIES will meet at Shamrock Apartments in the Highlands area at 6:00 on Wednesdays.

OUTWARD will meet at 7:00 on Thursday at Hickory Knoll apartments in Homewood.

Whether you have been involved in one of our missional communities in the past or not, we would love for you to join one. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask through email or when you come to church on Sunday. We hope you will come join us as we learn in community what missional living looks like.