Updates on the Movement from Around the Country

On Saturday, October 6, more than 200 people will attend a Mosaix Global Network (MGN) Conference in Houston, Texas. My good friends, Pastor Ed Lee of Mosaic Community Covenant Church and Pastor Rodney Woo of Wilcrest Baptist Church, are among those who have worked long and hard to bring Mosaix to Houston. In fact, Rodney's enthusiasm was expressed in an email I received from him yesterday which read in part ...

Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that as of today (October 2) we have approximately 230 people enrolled for the Mosaix Conference. Some of these are volunteers from Wilcrest and the other sponsoring churches. We are receiving calls every day. We were able to get on a the second largest Christian radio station in Houston and one of the largest secular radio stations for an hour in a talk show format. Pretty amazing.

By the way that day, I will be in Chicago speaking to 150 or so folks gathering for the 11th Bienniel Multi-cultural Ministries Seminar sponsored by the Multi-cultural Ministries Bureau of the Central Territory (Midwest region) of The Salvation Army.

I also heard today from Mike Leonzo, pastor of Living Water Community Church in Harrisburg, PA. Some 100-150 people are now expected to attend an MGN Conference scheduled for Saturday, October 13, to be held at Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, PA. Our dear brother, Jonathon Seda, pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Dover, DE is also a part of the conference leadership team. Both multi-ethnic churches have other good news to report: Living Water, planted in 2001, has just moved into a 20,000 sq. ft. facility, the first they have built on 28 acres of land they own in a prime location just outside of the city; and Grace Presbyterian has just hired Kenny Foster, their first African American pastoral staff team member to oversee Community Outreach.

Congratulations to these faitfhul men who are puruing the multi-ethnic vision!

Congratulations are also in order for Pastor Richard Ellis, founder of Reunion Church in Dallas, Texas, which is celebrating it's 10th anniversary on Sunday, October 7. This multi-ethnic congregation meets each week at 10am in the Dallas Convention Center Theater, and following the service Sunday, everyone is invited to remain for lunch. Richard writes ...

It is amazing to look back over the past ten years and see how God continues to sustain this body of believers we call Reunion Church. Many lives have been affected and changed in so many ways. No one could have done it but God. We give him all the credit and glory due His name.

Elsewhere in DFW, Jim Spoonts, Executive Director of MGN, tells me that some 75 or so will attend an MGN Conference on Saturday, October 20, in Dallas/Ft. Worth. This is the fourth year in which MGN has conducted this conference in the area.

And finally, did you notice that our good friend, DJ Chuang, was quoted last week in a Los Angeles Times article entitled, Asian American Pators Often Minister Across Culture Gap? According to his blog, "the angle of this story was the challenges that 2nd generation pastors faced in doing ministry." It is not coincidental that within the last two weeks, the New York Times, the Christian Science Monitor and now the Los Angeles Times have all called attention to the movement in one way or another!

It all goes to show as I state in my book, that " ... in the twenty-first century it will be the unity of diverse believers walking as one in and through the local church that will proclaim the fact of God’s love for all people more profoundly than any one sermon, book, or evangelistic crusade. And I believe the coming integration of the local church will lead to the fulfillment of the Great Commission, to people of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue coming to know him as we do. This, then, is the core of our message. This is the prayer of Christ."

Comments

[DK]

Thanks for the link to the 11th Bienniel Multi-cultural Ministries Seminar. I live in the Chiago area and would love to attend, however the link provided above doesn't seem to work. I would love to access the information on this. Is there another way to access this information?

God has been impressing multi-cultural ministry on my heart for the last few years. I recently became the first African American senior staff person at a predominantly white local church here in Chicago and unfortuneately that did not work out well. The church really just is not passionate about multi cultural ministry, it is currently just a "nice idea" and because of that my experience was not good, but I am determined to pursue this way of doing church. I just wish it did not hurt so much along the way.

Thank you for your ministry, it gives me hope!

[Mark DeYmaz]

The link provided in my post is the correct and active link to the conference in Chicago. Apparently, there must be some IT problem on their end. Contact the Multicultural Ministries Bureau of the Salvation Army (Central Territory) at 847.795.3058.

[Evie]

Thanks Mark for your powerful presentation to us at the Salvation Army conference. It was great to sit for a few minutes in the lobby and hear more of your passion. I'll pass your info on to Latvia where multiethnic ministry is vital. And, herein St. Louis we have a lot think about and a lot to do. Blessings on your important ministry.