Happy Thanksgiving and Touching The Least of These

Greetings on this Thanksgiving Day,

You know today is one of those days where many will sit back and reflect on the goodness of God in their lives. It is one of those days that as I sit here working the women’s homeless shelter we are now doing that I also realize there are those that while it may seem there is no reason to be thankful, in reality find ways to be thankful for the little things. Even the women staying at the shelter have found reason to be thankful, when I see that I can’t help but wonder, if a homeless woman, having no place to go on Thanksgiving Day can still be thankful, why can’t the rest of us?

At Mosaic there are reasons to be thankful, if we but look for them. An illustration of recent events indicate that to me, among those was the opportunity last week to share at Hope Community Church. I had 7 individuals with me last week, 6 of which were from the ministry outreach we are doing, 6 of whom have become active in the church. While some may see these individuals as a part of the ministry, I challenge, there comes a point in time, we must see them as a part of the church, as our new brothers and sisters who are in fact, Mosaic. To hear some of them speaking with members of Hope about Mosaic certainly lifted my spirits. As always the time at Hope proved rewarding and we joy in sharing in the ministry we are involved in, we continue to be open to share in that ministry with other churches and organizations in the community.

This Sunday we will have a different kind of service, we will have a brief teaching time on, The Family of God, and then as a family we are going to decorate the church together. It is pot-luck Sunday so come prepared to share a meal and good time with each other as we get ready for the Holiday season. This Christmas we are undertaking a project as well that will provide ministry to the homeless of our city. We are doing a sort of angel tree where we will gather a few wants from the homeless women at the shelter we are operating as well as the active participants at church. We are then asking others in the community to adopt at least one person, and buy the few things on that persons list, or at least some of the things on that persons list. We will then as a family celebrate the goodness of God and the birth of our Savior on Christmas day. There are always the needs that are provided, clothing, food and so forth. But to approach the season for people in need and to provide them a few wants is something unique and something we want to do. If you, your church, or some other organization you are associated with would like to adopt a homeless individual to provide gifts to, please contact me and I will provide you the name of someone with some of the items on their gift list.

Another blessing this week will be the first time of worship with a new worship team at Mosaic. While we are still working out some of the kinks, we have been practicing at night and with a number of guests looking in on us the response so far has been surprisingly positive. I will only say, I think a lot of folks are going to be in for a real treat. I also want to let everyone know we are pushing back the William Fosterr concerts and service to the third weekend of December. That gives us more time to promote as well as the time to take care of some other needed things.

This coming Sunday during our time of discussion we will be continuing our series on getting to know Jesus as we discuss, Why does Jesus allow people to fake or misinterpret Christianity? The discussion times over the last few weeks have been wonderful times of discussion with upwards of 20 or more people attending at times. The discussions at times have been lively and they are set up in such a way, that little preparation, if any is needed and one can come and start up on any given week.

On a side note, and in closing, one of the things that has suffered to some extent with the start up of the evening shelter hours for women, is the day program. If you or anyone you know would be interested in helping with the day program, please contact me. Our desire is to have steady and regular volunteers who can operate a program which provides opportunities to work and serve the homeless. The program based on the Fountain House Model of Rehabilitation has set methods and procedures and training can be provided to help with this model. Many of the homeless as I have spoken to them have expressed the value of such a program which is unique for homeless persons, it is not per say a come and eat, just hang out program. It is instead a program that encourages people to participate in the needed work of the facility and with each other, in the meantime developing attitudes of self-worth and purpose. It is as people begin to believe in themselves again that ultimate rehabilitation for many can take place, and for others, a since of value can take place. If we can’t and don’t love ourselves, it makes it difficult to love others in the ways God desires for each of his children. You can learn more about this program model, originally designed for persons with mental illness, but much of which can be adapted for all homeless persons by viewing the following video:

To view the video, just click on the following link, if the video does not appear as it should, click the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X27zKvbrZkQ


I especially would like to thank several groups who have been blessing us as of recent. Among those include the fine folks associated with 24/7 Life Ministries who has raised funds for our shelter program plus the purchase of 15 new cots which will better serve the ladies participating in the program. I would also like to publicly thank Kansasland Tires, located at 2904 S Spruce St. here in Wichita which also recently made a sizable donation to Mosaic. We are grateful for those who support the work we are engaged in.

Blessings to you, and hope to see you this weekend, and as always, for those receiving this via email the bulletin is attached.

Pastor Mike

Lastly, we now have a way folks can contribute to Mosaic online. If interested in sharing with Mosaic online you can visit the following link and do so. Just designate what your gift is for when you donate, you can designate gifts for ‘general funds,’ ‘capitol campaign,’ or ‘homeless program.’

If the button doesn’t appear, you can give at the following link - https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=G6KQJMMUS72CA

All contributions to Mosaic are tax-deductible. If mailing contributions to Mosaic, you can send them to the following address:

Mosaic Wichita
216 S. Market St.
Wichita, KS 67202

Blessings to you and have a great week.

Mike

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