23 Aug ICYMI: Elder Team Transition

Hello everyone,

In case you missed it, last Sunday was an eventful one at Mosaic Church.

You may know we had originally scheduled and announced Pastor Jim Laffoon to be in for the weekend; unfortunately, he got sick and was unable to make it. He sent his sincere apologies and we will do our best to reschedule.

Beyond that, however, we made a big announcement about one of our Mosaic elders, Gaylen Washington.

For the last thirteen years, Gaylen has served as a remarkable leader, mentor and shepherd for our congregation, helping to oversee our dramatic growth, guiding us through Covid, and facilitating our numerous church plants.

After being unable to find the right job for quite some time, Gaylen was offered an extraordinary opportunity to work for the YouVersion Bible app, based out of Life Church in Oklahoma City, and he has accepted.

He will be working to leverage his unique perspective as an African American leader from a multiethnic church background for the sake of the Gospel around the world on one of the largest apps there is.

What does this mean for Mosaic?

While Gaylen and his wife, Simone, are relocating there, he will still remain on our elder team for the next season of time; not forever, most likely (one can hope!), but certainly for the immediate future.

For our church body, this means we are in the exciting time of expanding our elder team. Providentially, over the past year, we have been working to identify and develop potential new elders, months before Gaylen’s opportunity arose. In short, God knew, as He always does. It is, after all, His church!

While we have not made any firm decisions about adding new elders, nor do we have a fixed timeline, we are working to replace Gaylen and expand our team. Our commitment is to communicate details and all that means for us when we have something firmer to report. Thanks for your trust and understanding as we work to ensure Mosaic retains the stability and growth we have seen for many years now.

While in my own mind, I would never have chosen this path for a dear co-laborer in Christ, I have faith that this will open the door for the greatest season of growth and leadership development that we have ever seen. And while I will be sad to see him go, I am also elated at the position he has been given; Gaylen is truly deserving. Plus, he will be back from time to time!

If you would like to drop him a note of thanks or encouragement, or a gift card for his favorite dessert (cheesecake!) you can do so by going to this Kudoboard here. Just don’t tell Simone I dropped that little hint. 🙂

Blessings,

Morgan