Dear Mosaic Family,

This fall has been hopeful and exciting, challenging and faith-demanding all at the same time!  Last Sunday we received our finance pledges towards our general operating budget.  Thank you to the fifty-one individuals and/or families who have turned in your pledges, totaling of $16,252 monthly.  Our budget need is $28,500 monthly, so we’re 57% of the way to our goal.

Several elders examined the 2009 giving reports this week; we estimate that just under 1/3 of our regular givers have not yet responded with a pledge. Please remember to bring your pledge in by this Sunday if you intend to.  You can also send your pledge (and feedback) to Don@MosaicRochester.com  We are faced with several difficult decisions based on the response of our church family.  We are prepared to take painful but necessary steps if our giving is not in alignment with our budget.  Please ask the Lord what you are to do.  Many people are taking the faith step to tithe for the first time, others are growing towards a tithe, while some are giving above their tithe!

What has given me a great deal of hope is the rock-solid giving of a large number of our Mosaic family.  The reliability factor is high among this group.  It gives me hope that we can grow into our future with such a high level of commitment as a foundation.  God is honored by your faithfulness, and I know it will result in continued fruitfulness and effectiveness in our mission as a church.

This Sunday we begin the new series, “Essential Thresholds: Four Doors that Lead to Life”.  You’ll be encouraged and refreshed by this series.  For so many of you, it will be an affirmation of the life and choices you live daily.  We found four matching old doors with lots of personality at Historic Houseparts in Rochester.  One artist each week will paint on that particular week’s theme during the worship and message.  I can’t wait to experience this!  Thank you to all the people who have worked on the preparation for this creative project!

Mosaic is in a new season.  Leaves are falling from the trees outside, but as Dan Sneed said, “Spring is at the door!  Reposition Yourself!”

God is doing it – let’s rejoice!

Don Riling
Lead Pastor, Mosaic

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If you’re tracking with the amazing renewal happening at Mosaic (and praying and fasting with us) this Sunday is really important.  I’ve never seen this church so alive, so many people engaged, such a wonderful response to teaching and worship and community life.  One final piece needs to fall into place to allow us to move forward:  the pledge of financial resources towards our mission.  If you’re not up to date with all that’s happening, read the blog posts below or listen to the podcasts from the last two weeks.  Click on the “podcasts” in the right column.

I’m SO grateful for all the early return signs.  Already our Mosaic members are sending in pledges and the picture is hopeful.  People are saying to me, “we’re excited, this is wonderful, I wouldn’t miss the years ahead for anything!”  A newer member has to be away for his job over the next six months, but wrote to ask where he can send his pledge and commented that he wouldn’t miss any of the podcasts because he’s so refreshed by what he experiences each week at Mosaic.

We’re planning, preparing, equipping for a bright future.  Thank you for joining us in prayer and action.

Don Riling, Lead Pastor, Mosaic

PS- don’t miss Randy and Becky Young this weekend at Mosaic’s Sunday Celebration!

It’s not too late to join us for the marriage booster day on Saturday 10/24!

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Dear Mosaic Family,

I shared last Sunday one of the most important and difficult messages since I’ve been a pastor.  Our Mosaic mission has been one of grace, care, love, patience–translated into healing and help for real needs in people’s lives.

Many people don’t realize how costly grace is.  It requires discipline in the same way gardening requires it.  It’s a wonderful experience to wander into a garden and pick a fresh, crisp, sweet cucumber or tomato and eat it fresh from the vine.  The flavor is HUGE.  You never forget how tasty it is.

Whoa–gardens don’t just magically appear in someone’s backyard!  They require at least a little education (go Mother Earth Magazine!), laying out the plot, digging up the topsoil, picking rocks, smoothing the surface, making mounds or grooves for seeds, sowing seeds, pulling weeds, watering, AND protection from marauding varmints that will steal your crop in one night.  Then repeat a bunch of these steps and be patient.

IF you do all these steps, you can have the wonderful, rewarding experience of fresh garden produce.  But it’s not all work and no pleasure ’til the end.  Gardeners the world over describe the process as fulfilling and satisfying, even therapeutic.

Mosaic is our garden of grace.  I shared with the church family that many people come and eat of the produce but we have too few people sharing in the discipline of giving and serving.

We’ve held on by faith, with much patience over the last two years as the church slowly healed and found it’s way back to health and fruitfulness.  This fall has been more encouraging and hopeful than the last four or five years!

- Students are back and enthusiastic about Mosaic–that’s super encouraging.  Many new young professionals and families are finding us and loving the church.
- FINALLY–several of our serving areas are getting enough help.  Many still need help.
- Our systems are coming up to speed quickly.
-There is a sense of hope and joy again.  It’s contagious!

Finances:  slowly over the last two years our giving has been coming up to earlier levels.  We cut our budget repeatedly in response to difficult times.  This year’s budget was almost the same as last year’s despite several areas that went up such as insurance, building care and utilities.  We’ve sought the Lord carefully on every new venture such as camp and the Peru trip.  Three times this year (including September) the bottom fell out of giving, which has rapidly depleted our small reserves.

The reality:  it requires a minimum staff team to coordinate all the volunteers, programs, publications, counseling, and Sunday celebration.  We have a highly-dedicated team that is working amazing hours to make it all happen.

Action point: we need our committed Mosaic members to re-evaluate their monthly pledge.  This will enable the leadership to determine if we can continue on our present, very positive course, or whether we have to lay off staff.  Without a firm commitment we can only guess how to guide the finances.

We’re at an Esther Moment in the life of Mosaic.  We’ll either seek God, commit to His plan, or we’ll lose this opportunity.  There is no middle ground.  In Esther’s words, “Gather everyone and have them fast and pray.  I’ll take the risk and approach the king.  Although the penalty is death, I’ll risk it.  If I die, I die.” She understood the seriousness of the cause and was willing to lay down her life.

On Sunday, October 25, we’ll collect monthly pledges at our worship celebration.  Like Esther, we’re asking everyone to fast and pray, discuss it with their family if needed, then fill out a pledge form.  By October 25, we’ll know whether we can proceed or we have to retreat.  When I pray, I hear the Lord telling me to prepare to move forward…but this will have to be a heart response from our whole church family.

Thank you for praying, for listening, for putting your life on the line for HIS heart and purposes in our generation.

Don Riling
Lead Pastor, Mosaic Church
For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. Isaiah 61:11

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Mosaic is at a crossroads.  Funny how crossroads can sneak up on you.  You’re just cruising along on a pretty road, and suddenly you’re forced to make a decision.  That decision can affect your whole future, and future generations.

This Sunday at Mosaic, I’ll share about our big decision.  Please don’t miss it, we need every Mosaic member to be aware, to be praying, and to respond.

Jenny Bradley sent me a quote from a book she’s been reading by an author named Francis Chan; his book: “Crazy Love.”

“God wants our best, deserves our best, and demands our best.  From the beginning of time, He has been clear that some offerings are acceptable and others are not…The priests of Malachi’s day thought their sacrifices were sufficient.  They had spotless animals but chose to keep those for themselves and give their less desirable animals to God.  They assumed God was pleased because they had sacrificed something.
God described this practice as evil.

Leftovers are not merely inadequate; from God’s point of view (and lest we forget, His is the only one who matters), they’re evil.  Let’s stop calling it ‘a busy schedule’ or ‘bills’ or forgetfulness.’ It’s called evil.
God is holy.  In heaven exists a Being who decides whether or not I take another breath.  This holy God deserves excellence, the very best I have. ‘But something is better than nothing!’ some people protest.  Really, is it?  Does anyone enjoy token praise?  I sure don’t.  I’d rather you not say anything than compliment me out of obligation or guilt.  Why would we think God is any different? (based on Malachi 1:6-14)”

*****
We’re getting ready to turn a corner, but we all have to be on board.  Please come with an open heart.

Don Riling
Lead Pastor, Mosaic Church

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