GLUE

MLK Day ... An Afterthought

This past Sunday - well, now that I think about, this past weekend was an extremely busy one for me. My daughter, Emily, who plays on the Varsity basketball team at her school, had an away game Friday night - one that was nearly three hours away - and consequently, I was involved from 4 p.m. - 11 p.m. On Saturday morning, my son, Will, had two basketball games, one at 8 a.m. and another at 10 a.m. And then later that afternoon, my youngest daughter, Kate, played in two games herself at 2 p.m and 4 p.m - and I'm her coach! Needless to say, by the time Sunday morning rolled around, I was thrilled to go to church just to get some rest.

So somehow, with all the activity of the weekend and an already packed Sunday morning agenda, I failed even to mention or otherwise publicly recognize the Martin Luther King holiday this year. In fact, it wasn't until Monday evening that I was reminded of this as I watched the news and reviews of remarks made earlier in the day by presidential candidates anxious to recognize (before a viewing public) the truly significant impact of MLK upon North American society.

Now, throughout the years, we have often recognized such holidays and the otherwise special months or occasions that are important to varying people groups at Mosaic. In so doing, it's not necessarily that we feel obliged, it's more just something we just like to do in pursuit of cross-cultural competence. So when I realized that I had missed the moment this time, it's not so much that I worried about reaction or that I felt any measure of politically correct guilt, etc.; it's just that I would have mentioned it had I been more proactive than reactive throughout the weekend.

With this in mind, I was having lunch with a member of our church today. And while reflecting on the growing interest in the multi-ethnic church throughout North America, he reminded me that such statements of personal endorsement or holiday recognition are too often made by those attempting only to show respect from a distance, that is, those who are not otherwise influenced or invested in the very persons and/or causes they seem to celebrate.

He then said, "On the other hand, we live the dream every day at Mosaic, Mark. And who we are speaks louder than words. Who we are is our statement!"

Wow, I thought, what a good word.

So in the future, we'll continue to recognize the contributions of MLK and to recognize the holidays and otherwise special months or occasions that are important to the people of Mosaic. Yet, in those times where less is said, for whatever reason, those of us engaged in multi-ethnic churches will do well to remember that who we are and still striving to become, indeed, says it all.

A Lessson in Cross-Cultural Competence

The following story is exerpted from the book, Building a Healthy Multi-ethnnic Church. I'm certain this is one you'll want to pass along to others!

"Not long after Mosaic moved into the old Wal-Mart building, we recognized that the time had come to buy chairs for the congregation. Having met for eighteen months in the sanctuary of an existing church, we had never needed chairs. Following the move, however, members of our church were asked to bring their own chairs to worship each week; and this they did, carrying them in one way or another like parents to a soccer game or families to a picnic. Most often, these chairs were the kind that easily fold open and break down, the ones that are carried in a little bag or stuff sack. Some of them even had footrests and cup-holders. I’ll never forget one woman who was pregnant at the time; she lay back in a chair, listening to the sermon with her feet propped up, sipping water from a large container through a straw!

"Having determined to buy four hundred chairs, we ordered one chair as a sample to show the congregation. One Sunday morning, I put it up on the platform and explained that we would need to collect $25 from every person in order to cover the cost of the chairs. I added that our staff liked both the look and the feel of the chair and had even tested it out earlier in the week. “You know,” I said, settling comfortably into the chair, 'it feels pretty good to my buns!' When I did, the congregation laughed a bit, so I went on to milk the moment. 'In fact, not only have I sat my buns in the chair, but most of the staff has sat their buns in the chair. And they, too, think it feels pretty good!' More laughter. 'Now some on our staff have bigger buns than others,' I said, “but even the biggest buns among us agree. So after the service, why don’t you come and sit your buns, big or small, in the chair and tell us what you think!'

"By this time, the congregation was fully animated, as I probably used the word buns six or seven times for comic effect. Yes, everyone in the room—the Hondurans, Guatemalans, and Cubans, those from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa—were all fully engaged and laughing—everyone, that is, except the Mexicans. No, they were not at all amused. Although my comments had been simultaneously interpreted into Spanish, apparently something had been lost in translation!

"Now Inés Velasquez-McBryde, Mosaic’s Director of Cross-Cultural Ministries, is a very skilled interpreter. Having grown up in Nicaragua, she began translating English to Spanish at the age of eleven, serving alongside her father in working with North American mission teams coming into the country. She is much more than a translator; she has an excellent command of common language, as well as theological concepts. On this day, however, even Inés was to learn something new!

"Following the service, one of the Mexican women frantically approached Inés and, grabbing her by the arm, said, 'Don’t ever say that word again!' Her tone of voice told Inés that something was the matter. After some discussion, the woman fi nally calmed down but only when she realized the problem. You see, in translating the word buns, Inés had used the term nalgas, which in most countries throughout Central and South America carries, in tone and tenor, a force equivalent to the English term buns. Yet in Mexico, the term is more vulgar; it’s equivalent to the English word ass!

"Now I want you to imagine for a moment, your pastor getting up on a Sunday morning and saying, 'You know, this chair feels pretty good to my ass! In fact, not only have I sat my ass in the chair, but most of the staff has sat their ass in the chair, as well. . . . Now some on our staff have bigger asses than others, but even the biggest asses among us agree! So after the service, why don’t you come and sit your ass, whether big or small, in the chair and tell us what you think.'

"This is exactly what the Mexicans heard me say that day! For within the Spanish language, there are variations in dialect, word meaning, and usage across regions, countries, and continents. Fortunately, the Mexicans forgave us, and through this experience, we learned a valuable lesson in pursuit of cross-cultural competence.

"The understanding we need to be effective in a cross-cultural environment is gained through experience and interaction with diverse people, especially with those who are one in the Lord. To build a healthy multi-ethnic church, then, we must commit ourselves to the pursuit of cross-cultural competence, whether that means becoming profi cient in the idiosyncrasies of language or the ins and outs of customs and traditions different from our own. Once acquired, cross-cultural competence allows us to interact in a more informed and effective way with others of varying ethnic or economic backgrounds. Though the challenge is formidable, the journey to acquire it, as we have seen, is not without its lighter moments! Indeed, in many ways cross-cultural competence is more caught than taught."

Their Stories Continue

Building a Healthy Multi-ethnic Church, is filled with stories of life-change and transformation in Christ such that we are experiencing in the multi-ethnic environment of Mosaic. Apparently, these stories have stirred the hearts of readers who are now asking for more information concerning where these people are now, i.e., "So, what happened next?"

With this in mind, I recently asked Georgia Mjartan, whose story of coming to Christ is told in the book (pp. 79-80), if I could use part of an email I received from her recently to share how God has brought things full circle for her and a friend (name withheld) who has now, too, found a home at Mosaic. In the following exchange, see how God has used Georgia to reconnect this woman to a Christ-centered community of faith.

Here's what Georgia wrote ...

"Dear Mark,

"My friend (name withheld), who came to church with me yesterday, is going to join Mosaic. When she was leaving the church, she said she filled out the newcomer’s card and that there was a question on it which said, 'Are you looking for a church home?' She told me that as she read this, she wanted to answer 'no' because she had already found her church home—Mosaic! She knew it was her home, even just on her first visit.

"To give you a little context, her husband of thirty years died about a year and a half ago. He was a wonderful and truly Christian man, and it is a very sad loss that he is gone. I am so thankful that she (has) found a community in Mosaic.

"This morning, (name withheld) sent me a link to her blog. I wanted to share it with you because I think that one of the things that Mosaic has done for me is to teach me—to equip me—with the tools to be able to go out into the world and be a light to other people. That is certainly not something I ever thought I would be comfortable doing, especially with my background. The thought of 'evangelizing' always turned me off (and) I never would have thought that God would use me to bring back someone who was lost and disconnected! (Anyway, I am) so thankful that He did and thankful to you, Harry and others in the church for equipping me and preparing me to be used in this way."

Here then is what Georgia's friend wrote on a Sunday night following her experience with Georgia at Mosaic ...

" ... So what do I mean by this being a time of surprises? This morning I heard a preacher say that the way God works is quite often a surprise to us, not the way we would choose to do something.

"(Now) I have known for some time that I need to get involved in a setting that provids community, especially since I live alone. Though I have lots of wonderful friends who have been very supportive, they live in Arkadelphia or Avilla or West Little Rock or Germany—or they have really busy lives or new children or high stress jobs. So I have needed to make additional connections and I have explored some things, but nothing felt like home.

"Today I think I found 'home'—and the surprise, or one of them, came in how I ended up there.

"My sweet, wonderful, young friend Georgia, whom I met about nine years ago when we both started the Donaghey Scholars Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and who once asked me kindly to remove her name from the list of Christian focused emails I sometimes forwarded because she wasn't a Christian, invited me to her church! She kept touching base with me about my need for community and companionship, providing it when she could, but nudging me to take steps toward finding my niche. And this morning she picked me up for church!

"I won't tell you her story (you can read it for yourself), but I will say that I know God has worked through her to help me find what I need now. And I am confident that I will find the community I need (at Mosaic), and that when I am stronger or even in my weakness, I will be able to extend that community to others also!"

According to our faith, the word of God never returns void. And as this story illustrates, God is always at work (whether we realize it or not) in and through the faitfhulness of His people. So let us keep speaking, writing, sharing, caring and going, etc., in His name. Indeed, we are all the better for it.

Mosaic Featured in Arkansas Business

Mosaic was prominently featured as the cover story for the week of August 6, 2007. Here's an excerpt from the article entitled, Churches Bring New Life to Shopping Centers, Retail Sites.

For Mark DeYmaz, spending tens of millions of dollars to construct a fancy mega-church at a high-profile location simply doesn't make a whole lot of sense, even if the money is readily available.

And though there are plenty of highly visible examples of enormous church buildings stretching skywards along dramatic hilltops and beside heavily traveled interstates, there are ministries taking the opposite approach by quietly taking over and revitalizing ghostly commercial structures and former retail spaces.

DeYmaz, teaching pastor and founder of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, and his membership currently occupy a former 80,000-SF Wal-Mart store on Col. Glenn Road and recently locked into a deal to purchase the abandoned Kmart complex at the corner of University and Asher avenues for a permanent home. DeYmaz says his congregation is just practicing what it preaches.

"We preach the resurrection of Christ, and we want to live that and demonstrate and represent that in everything we do," he said. "One way to physically represent that is to find these abandoned properties in somewhat neglected parts of the city and turn the lights on and provide a church where we can meet and celebrate. It's a physical manifestation of the resurrection, and is largely symbolic of what we preach."

72204

This short video was created to share the people and the passion of Mosaic and, as well, our desire to permanently locate our church in the heart of Little Rock's University District. The 72204 zip code borders an area with the highest instance of violent crime in the city, includes 21.5% of people living at or below the poverty level, the homeless, drug and alcohol adicted and prostitution. With your help, we can turn the old K-Mart into a Center of Life in this desperately needed area of the city and in so doing, physically demonstrate the power of resurrection through the conversion of the facility from a place that once sold goods to all people into a place that will share the love of God with all people. To learn more about the 72204 mission or to get involved with us financially, visit our website at www.mosaicchurch.net.

Live at Mosaic

Here's your link to the pulpit at the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas.

Mosaic sermons are also available for download. To subscribe to Mosaic's weekly podcast add the URL to your podcast program (such as Juice).

Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas

The Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas is a multi-ethnic, economically diverse church established by men and women seeking to know God and to make Him known through the pursuit of unity in accordance with the prayer of Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23) and patterned after the New Testament at Antioch (Acts 11:19-26; 13:1ff.)

It is important to understand that Mosaic is not a church focused on racial reconciliation. Rather, we are focused on reconciling men and women to God through faith in Jesus Christ and reconciling ourselves collectively to the pattern of the New Testament local church as prescribed by Paul in his letter to the Ephesians.