partnering w/ mosaic

K8 and I have found a local church home in Bellingham at Mosaic (http://mosaicnw.com/). They match our vision for living out our faith, emphasizing community, growing in Christ, and service. We have also made a decision to partner w/ them in launching the new church. My hope is that we will be able to deepen our relationships there, and that God would lay on people's hearts to join us for a season. We consider ourselves to be a part of their family, and are excited to see how God has grown their church, both numerically and in faith.

Part of Mosaic's numeric growth plays into the their partnership w/ us. Mosaic is currently considering starting a 2nd gathering in the evening. It's intention is two-fold, first: to help Mosaic in maintaining its priority of intimate community, allowing gatherings to remain "not huge" and authentic, and second: to intentionally create space for a new church w/ us, creating a greenhouse for growth. I am very excited for this option, as it services Mosaic, maintains relationship and vision, and gives new leaders, like myself, the opportunity to contribute to community and the Kingdom. This new gathering may start as early as Nov. 22nd.

Here's what Matt from Mosaic said concerning the 2nd gathering:

"MOSAIC IN THE….EVENING? – We are considering a 2nd gathering at Mosaic and would love to hear your thoughts!

"WHY? – Space & New Communities. Have you noticed that often, we are quite full? Believe it or not, growing in numbers has never been our goal. As a matter of fact, numerical growth can work against our desire to see real community rather than just a lot of people attending a church service. But, sometimes growth happens and we are given the responsibility to lead the growth in a way that is consistent with WHO we are called to be as a community. We are called to be a community that attempts to orient our lives around the person and teaching of Jesus and to do this by endeavoring to live five rhythms – Beautify, Listen, Eat, Study & Send (BLESS). You need to know that anything we do will be intentional in these five areas.

"2 Purposes For The Evening – Space & Sending. Not only would the evening provide some space for our community to grow, but we have always believed we are to be a community that multiplies missional faith communities; ie, to live our “SEND” rhythm, not just talk about it. As many of you know, we have been working with our friends and co-workers, Aaron & Kate Walters, toward the establishment of a new missional community in the Happy Valley area. This 2nd gathering would give the Walter’s a great opportunity to get to know more people and to share their heart for Happy Valley.

"SO…We are considering this 2nd gathering being at the Majestic on Sunday evenings around 5pm. We would still share a meal (probably soup, salad, pasta & bread), attempting to get to know each other around the table, while continuing to express our rhythms in our gatherings and in our lives. We will continue to come together for our BEAUTIFY rhythm Sunday’s as well as the times when we gather in homes rather than at the Majestic. It is likely that we would also combine a lot during the summer months.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, we must remain committed to building strong relationships and not just attending a meeting!

"MEETING ATTENDANCE DOES NOT EQUAL “COMMUNITY”!

"Let us know what you think about this possibility and we will keep you informed about intentions to begin gathering in both the morning and the evening. Right now we are considering November 22 – December 13 and then again beginning January 3rd."