A Word From Pastor John~
What a joyful season it is that we anticipate being together again in the sanctuary very soon! On Wednesday May 20th we will be opening up the Mosaic Church sanctuary again. The following Sunday, on May 24th, we will have our first Sunday together in quite a while in the sanctuary. The two services will be at 9:00 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. While we are creating guidelines to ensure social distancing, sanitation, and keeping everyone safe and healthy, I am convinced that it will be a good feeling to get back to normal.
The fruit of the spirit we are talking about this week is joy. I know there is a sense of joy in many of us as we see things in society get back to normal. I am anticipating a joyous day next Sunday as many of us gather for worship. We will of course still be streaming online if you are not yet comfortable being out in public.
May the joy of Christ be with you this week
Pray For One Another
To request prayer, email mosaicnazarene@gmail.com or call/text (520) 709-0815
Our pastors and their families
The world as we all continue to navigate this Covid-19 pandemic.
Phillis Bacon
Reuben Rodriquez
Tara Beth, Maggie and Ellie Johnson
David Glasser
Shelley Butler's father who has Covid 19
Friends and family of Carla's cousin, Alisa
Friends and family of Dave Lukas
Phillis Bacon's neighbor
Valerie Thibodeaux's friend Yvonne and family
RJ Thibodeaux
Phil Chavez family, Lorraine Chavez and Seve Chacon
Barb Gionfriddo's neighbor
The many unspoken requests
Praise Report!
LoveWorks client just had a Baby girl born on Mother's Day!
Bible Reading Plan: Week 21
This year, we are reading through the Bible chronologically using The Bible Recap Plan in YouVersion.
Take a bookmark from the front lobby if you'd like to keep track that way and go through at your own pace. Bookmark Five is available at your request. Call (520) 709-0815
Use bible.com OR the YouVersion app
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Day 141: 2 Samuel 22-23
Day 142: Psalm 95, 97-99
Day 143: 2 Samuel 24
Day 144: Psalm 108-110
Day 145: 1 Chronicles 23-25
Day 146: Psalm 131, 138-139, 143-145
Day 147: 1 Chronicles 26-29
Before you read God’s Word today, seek His help with these 5 prayers:
1. God, give me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. 2. God, let any knowledge I gain serve to help me love You and others more, and not puff me up. 3. God, help me see something new about You I've never seen before. 4. God, correct any lies I believe about You or anything I misunderstand. 5. God, direct my steps according to Your Word.
Humor... kinda
Our fourth grader celebrated his birthday on crutches, so he couldn’t carry the cupcakes into school without help. I asked our sixth-grader, Noah, to help his brother carry them in. “I could,” he said, “but I’d prefer not to.” Spotting a teaching moment, my husband asked Noah, “What would Jesus do?” Noah answered, “Jesus would heal him so he could carry his own cupcakes.”
A Christian guy named Bill saw an ad online for a Christian horse, so he went to check it out. The horse’s owner said, “It’s easy to ride him. Just say ‘Praise the Lord!’ to make him go and ‘Amen!’ to make him stop.” Bill got on the horse and said, “Praise the Lord!” Sure enough, the horse started to walk. “Praise the Lord!” he said again, and the horse began to trot. “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” he yelled, and the horse broke into a gallop. Bill was enjoying his ride so much that he almost didn’t notice the cliff he and the horse were about to go over. Bill shouted “AMEN!” at the top of his lungs, and the horse stopped right at the edge of the cliff. Relieved, Bill said, “Phew! Praise the Lord!”
At our weekly Bible study, the leader asked an elderly gentleman, Bob, to open the meeting with prayer. Bob did so in a soft voice. Another man, straining to hear, shouted, “I can’t hear you!” Bob replied, “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Opportunities to Give and Serve
Donations are welcome!
Help get Bibles to the Navajo speaking
people in prison here in Arizona: Serve God by serving your church:
Nazarene News
Nazarenes in Belarus provide supplies for children’s cancer hospital
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Nazarene couple in Belarus are exploring new ministry outlets, including outreach to a children’s cancer hospital.
Earlier this year, Luca* and Elena* developed close ties with some of the employees at the cancer hospital, and about 30-35 children being treated there.
Through that connection, they learned that the hospital personnel do not have enough masks, protective coveralls, or even infrared thermometers — items critical to working with people who may be infected with COVID-19. They were told it is extremely difficult to find enough items on the market.
“After a lot of searching, we have been able to order some thermometers, and we provided them with funds to purchase some locally made protective coveralls,” Luca said. “It would be a real tragedy if the virus got to the over 200 immuno-compromised children at the hospital. We pray daily for all of them, especially those we have come to know personally in the last months. May the Lord be merciful.”
Luca and Elena moved to Belarus in 2017 to begin laying the groundwork to establish the presence of the Church of the Nazarene in the Eastern European country. Among the early doors God opened for them was the creation of a kids’ club, which includes a special group for hearing impaired children.
“In early March, we were discussing reproducing the kids’ club there and organizing something for the teenagers that are undergoing treatment,” Luca said. “We were even planning to do a small remodeling project in late summer with the help of a paXan mission team [from Germany].”
Although Belarus is one of the few countries in the world that decided not to implement strict measures to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, Luca and Elena are among many people there who have decided to self-isolate and take other recommended precautions.
“In agreement with all of our kids’ club friends, we made the decision to move all of our activities online,” Luca said. “That was a difficult decision to make because we had just moved to new facilities for our Sunday meetings. The place is very comfortable, and closer to the area where a lot of our deaf families live. Unfortunately, we got to use it only once. But we felt that it was important that our club would not become an instrument for the spread of the infection.”
Adjusting the club’s activities for online has been challenging. According to Luca, the team set two goals: to make it simple and engaging.
The club meetings include the presentation of a new Bible story that connects with the previous one, an interactive quiz to help children remember the story and internalize it, as well as crafts and activities. Everything is explained through short tutorial videos, which include sign language translation for the deaf.
Luca and Elena also take Sunday afternoons to “visit” kids and their families through videoconference to see how they are doing.
The couple has also started an online Saturday evening Bible study with some of their Belarusian friends.
“It’s been encouraging to be able to connect with them, including some who don’t even live in [our city], and I think they have found it useful and stimulating, as well,” Luca said. “We are not sure what will come out of it. We pray that the Lord will use it to transform hearts and create better disciples out of all of us.”
Mission Minute
Thank you for taking the time to pray for the Native American Christian Academy and also for the Box Tops you have given us. Continue to keep them in mind.
Blessings!
Talma Harmon
Missions Advisory Counsel
Information
~ Mosaic Kids page! CLICK HERE This weeks subject is JOY!
~ Remeber to check our UPDATES page (for all your Covid-19 time Mosaic news)
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