Church family,
If you know me or have spent any length of time around me, you know that I LOVE sports, probably more than most, maybe more than I should. I love sports of all kinds for many reasons, but I especially love team sports. What I love most about team sports is the competition. Now hear me out here, because I know I just got a few eye rolls. The etymology of the word “competition” is helpful; for the Latin com-petito literally means “to strive together”. What makes team sports appealing to many, dare I even say beautiful, is when a group of people with different gifts and talents come together, working towards a common goal, whether that be to win a particular game or ultimately a championship.
Does this sound vaguely familiar? This is the life of the believer as part of the Church, the body of Christ. The Church, made up of many different people of diverse backgrounds, with various gifts and talents, comes together to make disciples, by bearing witness to Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father. And this is what Mosaic Church, as a local church body, is also called to do. We are a gospel centered family of disciple-makers that hope to see the gospel and its fruits cover every square inch of Richardson. And while we often use the language of family at Mosaic (which I love and don’t want to lose), we also hear teams use the language that they are a family (and recently, it’s even become popular to use team language when referring to families).
But how are we supposed to do this? Where are we to start? There are many faithful expressions that you can and should be doing, but let me point your attention to one - serving in Mosaic Kids. Maybe you are already doing this, and many of you are. If that’s you, first off, THANK YOU! Secondly, please continue reading. I hope it’s an encouragement to you, especially if you’re in a season where serving in Mosaic Kids feels difficult. If you aren’t already serving in Mosaic Kids, let me ask you to also continue reading and to prayerfully consider joining the team.
At Mosaic, our identity is to be a gospel centered family of disciple-makers. We see this command in Scripture to “go and make disciples” (Matt. 28:19). And at Mosaic, we have this incredible gift of many children. Many of whom don’t *yet* know Jesus as their Savior. Every child is either an actual or potential brother or sister in Christ. And we should treat them as such. Let us not forget this incredible gift and incredible responsibility to “go and make disciples” - to all nations, yes, but also to those we have been entrusted with in our very midst.
At Mosaic, our vision is to see the gospel and its fruits cover every square inch of Richardson. We will know that this vision has been accomplished when it is the ordinary experience of every person in Richardson to have a daily encounter with the good news of Jesus in word or deed. Pastor Kyle will often expand “person” and say, “every man, woman, and child”. When thinking about this vision to cover every square inch of Richardson, you hear us talk often about our neighbors. We encourage you to not just meet your neighbors, but to know your neighbors and to care for them, with the hopes of building deep relationships with them, ultimately with the goal of sharing the gospel. And we should certainly do this with those who live on our streets, in our neighborhoods, and in our city. Those are our neighbors and they certainly need the gospel. But, we often forget that for most of us, our own children are our “very closest neighbors”.
At Mosaic, our mission is that we, as a church, exist to cultivate life in Christ, life together, and life on mission. We will know that this mission has been realized when the story of every member of our church is one of faithful abiding in the Lord, deep fellowship with one another, and passionate evangelism among the community. Want to know one place you can do all three (cultivate life in Christ, life together, and life on mission) at the same time? Serving in Mosaic Kids (*cue more eye rolls). Yes, I am the Mosaic Kids Minister so I’m obligated to say that, but I truly believe it. By serving in Mosaic Kids, you have the opportunity to grow in delighting in your life in Christ through prayer (by praying both with and for kids), worship (by worshiping through song with kids and by serving our kids - and yes, there is more to worship than just singing, and service is worship), and study (by studying beforehand if you are a teacher prepping for a lesson or even hearing the kid’s lesson and meditating on and studying that passage throughout your week, either on your own or even with your own kids - hello, family discipleship!). And by serving in Mosaic Kids, you have the opportunity to cultivate community through hospitality, vulnerability, and generosity to one another - to those you serve alongside, and to those you serve (families in and outside the family of Mosaic, and even our kids).
So why are we here? What are our hopes and dreams for the next generation? Mosaic Kids exists to partner with parents to help the next generation belong, believe, and become resilient disciples of Jesus Christ. Psalm 78:2-4 says, “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark saying from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” Just as each position on a football field, basketball court, hockey rink, baseball diamond, or soccer pitch is essential to the game, each position in the church is essential to the mission. This is true for Mosaic at large, but also for Mosaic Kids. Do you want to be a part of something that will have a lasting impact? Mosaic Kids is that something.
In Christ,
Lexi Bartlett
