Welcome to the Newletter page of our website! Feel free to browse around and see what
else is here. Check out the menu bar on th top ↑ of the page.
A Word from Pastor John
Greetings Mosaic Church,
Beginning on Sunday June 6th, we'll be moving to a single worship service at 10:00 a.m.
With the "snowbird" folks away for the summer, a widely available vaccine, and the CDC loosening mask recommendations, the church board feels confident that it's time to move to a single service, as we normally do over the summer.
Masks will be optional. For those not yet comfortable in this type of setting, we will continue to live stream our worship service at 10:00 a.m.
As we enter into the summer, and emerge from this pandemic, I'm excited to see all the ways that the Lord will continue to work in and through Mosaic Church as we seek to reach our community!
Pastor John
Pray for One Another
To request prayer, email mosaicnazarene@gmail.com
or call/text (520) 709-0815
Our pastors and their families
Our board members
The world as we all continue to navigate this Covid-19 pandemic.
The many unspoken requests
Barb Gionfriddo
Tom Burk
Talma Harmon's brother
Phil Hunt
Clarence McGinnis' family in North Carolina
Jan Larson's friends Sandie and Tracey
Talma and her family
Judy Baker's family
Barbara Gionfriddo's dear friends
Make sure you're a part of our Facebook group to get prayer requests as they come in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21109057279
Bible Reading Plan
Click the links below to read online
Verse of the Week
Click here to read the verses in context.
Holiness Today
A Person of Influence
Are you a person of influence? I understand hesitation here. You may not want to say “yes” or believe that you, an ordinary person, might be influential. All too easily, we think of influence as something that pertains only to the super-elite—the gifted communicators, the dynamic leaders, the wealthy, athletes, musicians, actors, etc. When we buy into this lie, though, we quietly disqualify ourselves from a role (and a blessing) Christ has for us. In Luke 5:1-11, we see that the boat itself was ordinary, but the presence of Jesus made it a vessel for something extraordinary. “‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break” (Luke 5:5-6). This should give us hope! It means that our ordinary lives (our boats) can wield incredible influence if they are filled with Christ.
I grew up on the outer banks of North Carolina in a small fishing village. When I say small, I mean small. The entire island is 3.7 square miles. That was my world. We left the island only on special occasions or to go clothes shopping for the beginning of school. I had two brothers, and we lived next door to my Granny. Everyone knew my name and the names of my parents (and grandparents). This communal familiarity made it incredibly difficult to get into trouble; everyone was watching me. On some days, that was irritating, but it also helped to create a deep sense of rootedness. It was a small world, but it was my world.
I have had a strong sense of smallness from an early age. My town was small; I could ride my bike across the entire island in about 15 minutes if I pedaled fast. Additionally, it was a small town near the ocean. If you’ve ever stood on the beach, you know how the ocean can make you feel small. Personally, I was small in stature and had to work to overcome other people who underestimated me. And finally, I was the youngest of three boys, so I was often referred to as “the baby” instead of by my name! If anyone knows what it feels like to feel small and ordinary, it is me. My understanding of smallness comes from feeling like a nobody born in the middle of nowhere.
However, it is because I know that I am small that I can thank God for how big His plans for me are. As a kid, I seldom left my small island, but now as part of His call on my life, God has taken me around the globe and empowered me to help advance the Kingdom. Despite my smallness, God has included and used me. Through this, I have come to discover that influence does not depend on being big or on having a big life, big skills, or big resources. Oswald Chambers states, “It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people.”1
My father lived this lesson out for me every day. If I had to sum up my childhood in two words, I would choose “fish” and “faith”—the bookends of my father’s life. As you travel down Island Road in our small fishing village, you’ll come to an intersection—the only significant one on the island. If you turn left, you’ll arrive at the little brick church that was known simply as God’s house. If you turn right, the road will take you down to the fish house. I learned many lessons at each of those houses, but the most impactful one was that my dad was the same man in God’s house as he was at the fish house. That reality made all the difference for me as an impressionable kid.
My dad probably knew that his life was small. Commercial fishing is not a glamorous or romantic profession, and it demands hard work. My dad struggled to make a living for his family. He missed a lot of my childhood because he was at sea—the only way he could pay the bills. My dad didn’t drive new cars, and he didn’t have money to take his family on exotic vacations or invest in the stock market. In the end, my dad left behind a small ranch house on a piece of property that was given to him and a life insurance policy that would enable my mom to keep the house and live comfortably. My dad didn’t score a lot of points as far as the world was concerned—but I think the world keeps score differently than the kingdom of God. The world keeps score with finite things such as how much you bring to the fish house and what it does to swell your bank account. My dad, though, was only concerned about what God thought. He operated this way whether he was in the house of God or the fish house, and that has made an eternal difference.
My dad’s willingness to let God use his small life meant that he had a tremendous impact, not just on me and my brothers, but also on the thousands of people that we have been able to reach through God’s call on our lives.
Simon Peter probably thought that his boat was just a fishing boat—it wasn’t big or impressive. However, it turns out that in Jesus’ hands, the boat was used for much more than ordinary fishing. Jesus gets into that ordinary boat and asks to use it differently—to use it for Kingdom purposes (Luke 5:1-11). You have ordinary things that might seem to hold you back, too: relationships, habits, daily routines, boundaries that limit your reach, etc. Far from being the things that hinder your influence, though, these pieces of ordinary life are the exact things that, in Jesus’ hands, can be so influential. We influence other people just by being with them.
Influence is not merely about huge, gregarious personalities or dynamic speaking that moves entire populations. It is mostly about those little moments that you might not even remember. So before you write off the influence of your life and say something like, “you should probably find another boat,” remember that Jesus can see more than you can see, and if you let Him in, you just might be more influential than you think. We have to learn to see our lives the way Jesus sees them—as influential, useful, and valuable. There is no such thing as a life that Jesus can’t use for the Kingdom. There are no useless boats. Will you let Him use yours?
Stephen Willis is lead pastor at Lynchburg First Church of the Nazarene in Lynchburg, Virginia.
1. Oswald Chambers, “Impulsiveness or Discipleship?” My Utmost for His Highest. utmost.org/impulsiveness-or-discipleship/
Opportunities to Give and Serve
Donations of clothes for infant to adult are currently being accepted.
Thank you so much, for your continued generosity of both time and resources.
Your gifts make a difference!
Contact Barbara Keeler: (520) 709-8925
You may always designate how you would like your offerings to be used for Mosaic Ministries besides our general fund. Here are some ministries in which you may want your offerings to go:
✎ LoveWorks ✎ Children's Ministry ✎ MOPs ✎ Prison Ministry
✎ Outreach ✎ Women's Ministry ✎ Facilities Upgrade Fund
Information
Check our UPDATES page for new things.
For our live Google calendar go HERE
New time at LoveWorks!
(for all your Covid-19 time and general Mosaic news)
~ See our services on YouTube! RIGHT HERE
🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶
M O S A I C K I D S
We are happy to announce that Josh Billings is our new Mosaic Kids Director!
This weeks topic is:
Growing in Faith
🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶🔷🔶
Coming Up...
❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓
❓❓ Bible Trivia ❓❓
New CHALLAGE! Be the first to email me with 100% correct and get a PRIZE! mosaicnazarene.org
1. Q: Who came to Egypt that Joseph recognized because of the famine?
2. Q: What did Moses do after he killed an Egyptian?
3. Q: Who was the judge who defeated the Midianites with only 300 men using torches and horns?
4. Q: Who anointed Saul king?
5. Q: What did Jonathan do to save David’s life from Saul?
6. Q: What famous queen came to visit Solomon?
7. Q: What were Daniel’s three friends (Babylonian names)?
8. True or False: At first, Jesus family tried to stop his ministry and said he was crazy. 9. Q: What was Peter and Andrew doing when Jesus’ called them to follow him? 10. Q: What was Paul’s goal in his missionary journey?
Answers will posted on the next Newsletter.
Last weeks anwsers:
1. Q: How many books are in the Bible?
A: 66
2. Q: Who did God call out of Ur to move to Canaan? A: Abram
3. Q: What did Joseph tell his brothers about his dreams that upset them? A: The dreams said he would become greater and rule over them.
4. Q: When Jacob met Laban, which daughter did he want to marry? A: Rachel.
5. Q: What did Moses say God commanded the Pharaoh to do? A: Let the Israelite slaves go free.
6. Q: What did God send to feed the Israelites in the desert? A: Quail and manna
7. Q: Who was the judge who took a Nazarite vow from birth and fought against the Philistines? A: Samson
8. Q: Who eventually came from the lineage of David? A: Jesus
9. Q: How many people did Jesus feed with fish and bread? A: 5,000 people
10. Q: What amazing miracle happened with languages? A: Everybody heard the sermon in their own language.
❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓●❓
Humor... kinda
Social Distancing Guidelines
Please keep at least 6 feet apart while sitting in the sanctuary if possible
Please practice social distancing on the church property as much as possible
Sanitizer and masks are available at the front table
If you feel sick or have a temperature, please stay home
Communion elements will be available on a table as you enter the church
Offering will be taken as you exit the church after service
Surfaces will be regularly cleaned and sanitized
Thanks for respecting the guidelines and one another!
