16 Dec 2-0-1-8 Save the Dates!

I know we are getting really close to Christmas, and as we head that way, I not only wanted to wish you the best of the season, but to also put on your radar a number of things coming up shortly in the New Year.

I’m sure you’ve noticed, as I have, that it’s hard to think past January 1 until it gets here…but that doesn’t stop the clock from moving on ahead, as we all know!

So…here are a few things to be aware of now, before you’ve had too many Christmas cookies and can’t think straight anymore:

1. Marriage Event: We are really excited about this one, coming up on February 16-17. We are calling it, with our tongues firmly in cheek, “Date your Mate in 2-0-1-8”. One of the keys to lasting happiness in marriage is spending time together creating positive experiences, and couples who consistently date each other well see the odds of a successful marriage skyrocket…so we are creating a FUN and memorable weekend to help our married couples do just that. We are bringing in Pastor Keith Tower, a former NBA player and licensed counselor (and friend of mine and Carrie’s!) to help us that weekend. He is an expert in the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment tool and will be utilizing that content for us as well.

2. 40 Hour Elevate: This is our annual “kick the year off in style” event for our middle and high school students. It will be the weekend of January 12-14, so make sure your teen’s weekend stays open. Two of my boys went to this last year and loved it. And came home exhausted. Thanks, Wendell Williams.

3. Work as Worship: On February 23, we are hosting a simulcast here at Mosaic for this event, aimed at creating a day for learning about how to increasingly connect your faith to your work. You will likely have to take the day off from your employment to be there, so this is to help you plan ahead! For more info, here is their official website.

4. Live Oak Elementary Mentor Training: If you would like to be a mentor for an at-risk student at Live Oak Elementary, there is a mandatory one hour training done by RRISD that we are hosting here at Mosaic on January 28. Being a mentor is a 30-minute-a-week commitment to one child that could potentially change the course of their life. I have been one for years, and it is one of the greatest things I have done with my time and life.

5. TGA: Short for “The Gospel And”, TGA is how we create space for us to have courageous conversations around the topics of diversity, ethnicity and culture. Our next TGA is Friday, January 26 at 7 pm and childcare is provided if you register.

6. IF Gathering: The IF Gathering is a one-of-a-kind of women’s conference aimed at connecting and ministering to women. There will be a number of host homes that show the simulcast, and we will make that list available ASAP. The IF Gathering is the weekend of February 9-10.

All right, that’s it. Ready, set, mark your calendars!

Also, as we approach Christmas Eve, please be praying with me as to who you can invite to one of our 3 Christmas Eve services (3:00 pm, 4:30 pm, 6:00 pm). This is a time when people who do not or will not normally go to church consider going if someone they trust invites them. I have already been inviting a number of friends, trusting God to speak to their lives and heart that day.

I can’t wait to see you this weekend as I look at what one Bible scholar has called, “The Most Important Chapter in the Bible.” That may or may not be true, but I hope by the time we get to the end your heart will be so stirred that you will be able to see why he would call it that. From all places, it is from the book of Hosea!

I’ll see you then!

Morgan

P.S. We are up to just under 90% of our $150,000 facilities ask! We are almost there!