A PERMANENT HOME
Mosaic was planted in 2008 in downtown Birmingham with a mission to reach the marginalized and those who were disenchanted with faith. The planting pastor had a desire to be downtown long before the renovation of Birmingham’s downtown had begun. The church wanted to sit in the intersection of class and race and be a voice for the gospel.
In 2014, Kyle and Johnathon took over as co-lead pastors and have been serving together ever since. We have seen lots of peaks and valleys as ministry goes, and the Lord has been good to sustain us through it all. And, though we still are a smaller church, with a growing number of children, we know a space suited for growth would be nice. As a downtown church, we have always been somewhat nomadic. A church in the city requires renting, and as a result, we have lacked a certain sense of permanency. We have lacked a sense of home.
This spring, the opportunity to purchase an older church building has become a real possibility. With this space, we are excited about an opportunity to own instead of rent, to finally have a place completely our own. But it would require us to relocate just over the mountain in the Rosedale neighborhood of Homewood. The move away from downtown isn’t far, about 2.5 miles from the Battery and right on the line of Birmingham city and Homewood, but it is a shift nonetheless. One thought that we think honors and continues the original mission of Mosaic, and gives a clear path for who we can be in the years to come. It is also a perfect blend of who we have been and currently are, and is a space that can accommodate those growing families and still be connected to the heart and energy of what makes Birmingham, Birmingham.
If you would like to see the listing for the space, you can do so by clicking here.
THE COST TO PURCHASE
We have entered into a contract with a purchasing price of $475,000. We have been given an offer through a non-profit, Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF), to borrow $300,000. This means that with an estimated $10,000 in closing, we need to bring $185,000 in cash to closing.
We are required by WIF to maintain 3 months’ worth of expenses of cash on hand, meaning that with what we have in the bank, Mosaic can contribute $58,000. Closing is currently set for September 8. This means that by that day, Mosaic needs to raise $127,000. Beyond purchasing the space, we hope to renovate the sanctuary as well as make necessary updates. Early numbers are coming back more affordable than we had initially planned, and by early August, we hope to have a more detailed budget to share. We are still planning for the renovations and updates to cost somewhere around $125,000 - $150,000. Bring our total fundraising goal to $275,000.
We would like to raise all that money by the closing date (9/8), or at least as much as possible, and we know that the Lord is good to deliver above and beyond what we ask. Things don’t always make sense in the economy of the Kingdom, and we have seen the Lord provide again and again for our Church and in our individual lives. Those numbers are the necessities; it would be amazing to see even more come in, as it would allow us to lower our debt amount from the start, as well as begin other projects throughout the space that would allow for even better opportunities and facilities to do ministry.
OPPORTUNITIES TO COME
Beyond giving us a permanent home, the things that excite us most about this move are the ways that our capacity to be witnesses for the kingdom can grow. As said above, this space is a perfect blend of who we have been for the last 17 years and who we are. This space, and this neighborhood, feel like a natural extension and culmination of sorts of our core group of leaders and families that have been a part of Mosaic for the last several years. It also provides a rootedness that allows for a more obvious and clear mission as a church, and it puts us in a neighborhood where we can be responsible and connected. Part of why we would love to lower our debt amount from the start is so that we can run more wide open for ministry and our missional giving. Mosaic has always been a place that has given back, and we have challenged ourselves for several years to give more and more of our budget every year. Recently, as our community hasn’t grown as much numerically, our budget has slowed, and yet we have continued to increase giving. The question was asked at the beginning of the year of how long is that sustainable. Lowering our debt, and potentially getting into a new space for less than what we currently pay, would remove that question and allow us to continue to prioritize giving. And, it would allow us to more fully embrace the missional opportunities we will find as soon as we begin meeting in our new home.
PARTNER WITH US
We need your prayers and your support. Wisdom and insight to transition well and how to be the church God is calling us to be are welcomed. But obviously, we also need help financially. We hope to be a part of preserving the history and the story of a neighborhood like Rosedale, and are honored to carry on the work of a church, and churches, that have gone before us in the neighborhood. We hope to be another bright spot of hope in the city of Homewood where so many of us work and live, and we hope to continue to be a small part of what it means to see the Kingdom of God Come to Birmingham as it is in Heaven. Even if Mosaic is not your home, please consider donating to the possibilities before us by clicking on the button below and selecting Rosedale Building Campaign from our online giving platform Tithe.ly.