1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:06,560 Welcome back to another episode of the Grace Church Members 2 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:08,520 Podcast. I'm your host, Chris Rivers, and 3 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:12,440 in this episode Jordan Sharipa and I have a discussion with Joe 4 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 Clary and Madison Critters about Grace churches, mosaic ministry, 5 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,600 mosaic disciples, individuals, and families with disabilities. 6 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:24,200 We have a great discussion around biblical principles, 7 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,800 personal stories, and we discussed three critical ideas 8 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:30,770 to engaging friends and families with disabilities. 9 00:00:31,210 --> 00:00:32,890 Okay, let's jump into this interview. 10 00:00:33,690 --> 00:00:36,090 Yeah, well Gentleman Madison, you both play a unique 11 00:00:36,090 --> 00:00:39,810 discipleship role in our church and so maybe you could just 12 00:00:39,810 --> 00:00:42,650 introduce yourselves and give us a brief history and scope of 13 00:00:42,650 --> 00:00:47,810 what you do. Yeah, so Mosaic started in 2004 14 00:00:47,930 --> 00:00:52,570 with just a couple of kids with disabilities, and their families 15 00:00:52,570 --> 00:00:54,850 wanted to to disciple them better. 16 00:00:54,850 --> 00:00:56,810 They realized they were just sitting in the classroom. 17 00:00:57,120 --> 00:00:59,920 Where they really weren't necessarily learning, they 18 00:00:59,920 --> 00:01:02,880 weren't being discipled. And so we started to pull them 19 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:04,879 out. We started to figure out 20 00:01:04,879 --> 00:01:08,920 different ways to give them access to the gospel, and it 21 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,920 grew from there. And now, almost 20 years later, 22 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:18,040 we see it moving from a couple kids to around 200. 23 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:20,440 I want to say kids, it's kids, students and adults. 24 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:22,120 So that that's the whole ministry overall. 25 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,320 And so we have seen God just be faithful in some ways. 26 00:01:25,320 --> 00:01:27,960 And the way in which he has grown it, one of the ways he's 27 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:29,720 continue to be faithful is the volunteers. 28 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:33,440 Because our volunteers are amazing and are the heartbeat of 29 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:35,040 what we're doing. Because they are the ones that 30 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,800 are that oneonone disciplining of the individual with 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:40,460 disability. Yeah. 32 00:01:40,460 --> 00:01:42,940 And we have Mosaic at all of our campuses. 33 00:01:43,180 --> 00:01:45,260 We're able to serve children at all of them. 34 00:01:45,260 --> 00:01:47,780 And then we have students and adults for Mosaic at some of 35 00:01:47,780 --> 00:01:49,020 them. And so it's a really neat 36 00:01:49,020 --> 00:01:52,180 opportunity that we have to be able to disciple these 37 00:01:52,180 --> 00:01:54,340 individuals. It's been humbling to see how 38 00:01:54,340 --> 00:01:58,180 the ministry has grown and just to be a part of it. 39 00:01:58,260 --> 00:02:01,100 I mean, I think that it has changed my life in a way I 40 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:04,860 didn't really expect to. A lot of times you expect to do 41 00:02:04,860 --> 00:02:08,940 a lot of the disciplin, but we get a lot in return. 42 00:02:09,580 --> 00:02:11,700 That's good. So as we're approaching this 43 00:02:11,700 --> 00:02:16,180 topic, can you just give us a little bit of context on where 44 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:18,820 and how we see disability in the Bible? 45 00:02:19,260 --> 00:02:21,380 Yeah. So I think one of the the first 46 00:02:21,380 --> 00:02:24,500 passages that we really see it here is Second Samuel 9. 47 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:27,860 And just to give you a background about this passage, 48 00:02:27,860 --> 00:02:29,660 So it's a story about Mufiba Chef. 49 00:02:29,660 --> 00:02:32,660 So most people really don't know a lot about Mufiba Chef or 50 00:02:32,660 --> 00:02:35,300 really hurt him. But back in that time, this 51 00:02:35,300 --> 00:02:38,550 story was countercultural. I mean it definitely went 52 00:02:38,750 --> 00:02:42,350 against the flow and it was probably mind blowing about what 53 00:02:42,350 --> 00:02:46,230 happened here. So if in these times, if you 54 00:02:46,230 --> 00:02:50,510 were disabled or you had any kind of disease like leprosy or 55 00:02:50,510 --> 00:02:54,270 you had anything different about you, you were on the outside of 56 00:02:54,270 --> 00:02:57,030 the city, You were, you're in a town, you're you weren't really 57 00:02:57,030 --> 00:03:00,750 a part of society, you are a silo that was outside. 58 00:03:01,390 --> 00:03:04,870 And so we pick up here in the story with David, and David is 59 00:03:04,870 --> 00:03:07,630 looking to honor Jonathan or one of Jonathan's relatives. 60 00:03:07,630 --> 00:03:09,310 Jonathan is already dead at this point. 61 00:03:09,750 --> 00:03:13,350 And so he asked the servant, he says, hey, is there anybody that 62 00:03:13,390 --> 00:03:16,270 that we can honor? And the servant goes, well, 63 00:03:16,270 --> 00:03:20,510 there's mafibba chef, but he's lame, almost saying hey, there 64 00:03:20,510 --> 00:03:23,870 is somebody, but he is lame, which kind of is a little bit of 65 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:27,510 outcast at that point. And so they go out and get 66 00:03:27,510 --> 00:03:29,310 mafibba chef. Now they say that he was living 67 00:03:29,310 --> 00:03:32,270 with his uncle at the time. But his uncle was part of this 68 00:03:32,270 --> 00:03:34,430 one town. But then the town in which they 69 00:03:34,430 --> 00:03:35,990 had to go get him was outside of that. 70 00:03:36,190 --> 00:03:38,630 We don't know the exact location, but it was not where 71 00:03:38,630 --> 00:03:40,710 it says he was staying with with his family. 72 00:03:41,150 --> 00:03:44,710 And it just shows that the culture is just saying, hey, if 73 00:03:44,710 --> 00:03:47,150 you have, if you're different, you're on the outside. 74 00:03:47,790 --> 00:03:50,950 And so they bring him before David and he falls down to 75 00:03:50,950 --> 00:03:53,230 David's feet. And David's like, hey, get up. 76 00:03:53,830 --> 00:03:56,230 And he says, hey, I want to honor you. 77 00:03:56,430 --> 00:03:59,790 And if you think about this, he was Jonathan's son. 78 00:04:00,370 --> 00:04:04,330 Heir to the throne here. And he's he's living in a city 79 00:04:04,330 --> 00:04:06,370 that no one never heard of. We really don't know the exact 80 00:04:06,370 --> 00:04:10,250 location, but somewhere outside. And David brings him in. 81 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:11,370 He really shows the heart of God. 82 00:04:11,610 --> 00:04:14,810 He says, I'm going to show kindness towards you and the 83 00:04:14,810 --> 00:04:18,769 rest of your life you're going to eat at my table, which means 84 00:04:18,970 --> 00:04:20,450 he's sitting with the King's sons. 85 00:04:20,450 --> 00:04:23,570 He's now an heir to the throne and really shows the heart of 86 00:04:23,570 --> 00:04:26,910 God. In a really unique way and I can 87 00:04:26,910 --> 00:04:29,990 just imagine sitting back. I'd love to be a fly on the wall 88 00:04:30,390 --> 00:04:32,630 when David says this and all these people are like, no, no, 89 00:04:32,630 --> 00:04:35,350 no, no, hold on a second. The fibbous just outcasts like 90 00:04:35,430 --> 00:04:37,310 he he doesn't deserve to sit here. 91 00:04:37,510 --> 00:04:40,070 And maybe even some of David's sons are like, what is he doing 92 00:04:40,070 --> 00:04:43,750 here at the table where the the royalty sits, the heirs to the 93 00:04:43,750 --> 00:04:47,950 throne sit and just really shows the heart of God in a very 94 00:04:47,950 --> 00:04:52,350 unique way where he's saying, hey, I look past disability. 95 00:04:52,940 --> 00:04:55,220 I created you. You were an image bearer. 96 00:04:55,220 --> 00:04:58,500 You're made in my image. And just talks about the 97 00:04:58,500 --> 00:05:01,140 sanctity of life there, that that the fact that that he was 98 00:05:01,140 --> 00:05:04,820 created, he was not discarded and God knew what he was doing. 99 00:05:04,940 --> 00:05:07,700 And the heart of God is just pretty phenomenal in this 100 00:05:07,700 --> 00:05:10,420 passage. So that was Second Samuel 9. 101 00:05:10,460 --> 00:05:13,340 Do you have another example from scripture? 102 00:05:13,340 --> 00:05:16,300 And then how you have seen these verses represented in 103 00:05:16,300 --> 00:05:19,580 individuals? In First Corinthians where it 104 00:05:19,580 --> 00:05:21,500 talks about how they're different parts of the body. 105 00:05:22,180 --> 00:05:26,020 And Ephesians 4 also speaks to this very similarly, where it 106 00:05:26,020 --> 00:05:29,300 says that the parts that seem to be weaker are actually 107 00:05:29,300 --> 00:05:32,940 indispensable. And we the culture would look 108 00:05:32,940 --> 00:05:36,060 down and they would say hey these parts are these 109 00:05:36,060 --> 00:05:39,460 individuals are are weak, they are not part of our body. 110 00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:44,460 And that is the exact opposite. I mean, we could sit here and 111 00:05:44,460 --> 00:05:48,050 talk about stories. Of how our individuals with 112 00:05:48,050 --> 00:05:50,370 disabilities or and just individuals with disabilities 113 00:05:50,690 --> 00:05:55,210 are a part of the body of Christ and sometimes they are siloed. 114 00:05:55,970 --> 00:05:57,770 And I'm so thankful for our leadership here. 115 00:05:57,770 --> 00:06:01,850 I'm so thankful for just the opportunity where we get to 116 00:06:01,850 --> 00:06:06,930 experience their gifts. I mean one of which one of my 117 00:06:06,930 --> 00:06:10,850 good friends, Elijah, he taught me way more than I ever taught 118 00:06:10,850 --> 00:06:14,210 him. But I mean just a couple basic 119 00:06:14,210 --> 00:06:17,060 ones, he. He knew what it was to 120 00:06:17,060 --> 00:06:19,660 persevere. I mean, he was in a wheelchair, 121 00:06:19,700 --> 00:06:23,380 he was in and out of homes. He was constant in the hospital 122 00:06:23,380 --> 00:06:25,980 for bed sores and just different sickens, ailments that his body 123 00:06:25,980 --> 00:06:28,780 cannot keep up with. We always had conversations 124 00:06:28,780 --> 00:06:32,380 about he, his eyes were set on on seeing Jesus one day and he's 125 00:06:32,380 --> 00:06:35,700 there and he's, he's with him. And I'm jealous of that. 126 00:06:35,940 --> 00:06:40,460 But I pray to God that I have the perseverance that that he 127 00:06:40,460 --> 00:06:44,790 has that he had. Where no matter what, he'd say, 128 00:06:44,870 --> 00:06:47,990 hey, I'm in. I'm in miserable pain right now, 129 00:06:48,470 --> 00:06:52,670 but God is still good to me. I'm still breathing and it's a 130 00:06:52,670 --> 00:06:54,110 blessing. And he said. 131 00:06:54,270 --> 00:06:57,710 But my hope and my sights are set on above. 132 00:06:58,910 --> 00:07:02,830 And so I I think it's just a piece of the body about how how 133 00:07:02,830 --> 00:07:07,170 all that plays into me. I mean, I can give you another 134 00:07:07,170 --> 00:07:10,130 story. I mean, I think we have a couple 135 00:07:10,130 --> 00:07:15,210 of individuals that Bailey and Dakota, just two individuals at 136 00:07:15,210 --> 00:07:16,730 our church that are part of our body. 137 00:07:17,050 --> 00:07:20,290 They taught me how to unashamingly share the gospel 138 00:07:20,290 --> 00:07:22,250 with anybody. Like, they'll just walk up to 139 00:07:22,250 --> 00:07:23,850 you and they have no shame. They're like hey. 140 00:07:24,700 --> 00:07:28,500 First of all, I have autism and you know about Jesus, and it is 141 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:31,020 one of the most beautiful things that they are comfortable and 142 00:07:31,020 --> 00:07:33,740 the way that God has made them. And they know the gifts that God 143 00:07:33,740 --> 00:07:36,420 has given them, and they are using them to advance the 144 00:07:36,420 --> 00:07:40,700 gospel, where we have another individual who is nonverbal but 145 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:43,220 probably invites more people to church than I ever have. 146 00:07:44,370 --> 00:07:48,050 And it isn't just encouraging to see all the gifts that God has 147 00:07:48,050 --> 00:07:52,330 given them and how that has been beneficial to our church. 148 00:07:52,330 --> 00:07:54,130 I I mean, I see that here at Grace Church. 149 00:07:54,610 --> 00:07:58,090 And I mean, not only have these individuals had an impact on me, 150 00:07:58,090 --> 00:08:01,250 but so many others, and it has been a great blessing. 151 00:08:02,450 --> 00:08:04,250 No, that's so good. Madison, you were going to talk 152 00:08:04,250 --> 00:08:06,650 to us about John, Chapter 9. Yes. 153 00:08:06,650 --> 00:08:08,610 Yeah. So in John nine we see. 154 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,280 Jesus heals a man who is blind from birth and so it has a lot 155 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:14,280 of principles we can take away from it. 156 00:08:14,280 --> 00:08:18,160 And so in John 9 went through two we see Jesus was walking 157 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,960 along and he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 158 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:24,680 And his disciples say, hey rabbi, why was this man born 159 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:26,560 blind? Was it because of his sins or 160 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:30,120 his parents sins? And so in these verses we see 161 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,360 Jesus saw the man first. It wasn't the disciples, but it 162 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:36,080 was Jesus, and he was the one that originally acknowledged 163 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:38,059 him. This man that was born blind 164 00:08:38,059 --> 00:08:40,260 like Joe said earlier was probably an outcast in the 165 00:08:40,260 --> 00:08:42,900 society. He was more than likely probably 166 00:08:42,900 --> 00:08:46,300 just sat on the side of the road every day and was passed by a 167 00:08:46,300 --> 00:08:48,940 lot and not probably acknowledged frequently. 168 00:08:49,340 --> 00:08:51,700 After Jesus seized the man. The disciples asked this 169 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:55,460 question which is an insensitive question and they did it out of 170 00:08:55,460 --> 00:08:59,860 misunderstanding for disability. I mean, they back in their time, 171 00:08:59,860 --> 00:09:03,420 I mean probably believe that disability was evil and was 172 00:09:03,420 --> 00:09:05,980 produced by evil and so God could have nothing to do. 173 00:09:06,470 --> 00:09:08,190 With evil. And so this man did not come 174 00:09:08,190 --> 00:09:11,150 from God and it was probably caused by his sins or his 175 00:09:11,150 --> 00:09:13,710 parents sins or wherever evil came from. 176 00:09:14,070 --> 00:09:18,030 And so we see this isn't the cause and Exodus for 11. 177 00:09:18,030 --> 00:09:21,150 I mean we know that disability is not a consequence of sin, but 178 00:09:21,150 --> 00:09:24,070 as a consequence and reality of living in a fallen and broken 179 00:09:24,070 --> 00:09:26,110 world. And even the disciples love 180 00:09:26,150 --> 00:09:27,430 Jesus. And still they asked this 181 00:09:27,430 --> 00:09:30,390 insensitive question, not trying to trick him, but just out of 182 00:09:30,390 --> 00:09:32,150 misunderstanding and not knowing. 183 00:09:32,980 --> 00:09:34,500 Why really? Essentially. 184 00:09:34,780 --> 00:09:38,420 And so even in their insensitive question Jesus showed them so 185 00:09:38,420 --> 00:09:42,220 much grace and he answered with the purpose of why the man was 186 00:09:42,220 --> 00:09:43,860 born blind and not the cause of it. 187 00:09:43,860 --> 00:09:47,740 And so in verse three we see Jesus said this man was born 188 00:09:47,740 --> 00:09:50,700 blind not because of his sins or his parents sins. 189 00:09:50,860 --> 00:09:54,180 This happened so the power of God could be displayed in him. 190 00:09:55,020 --> 00:09:58,540 So we see here this man was disabled by divine design. 191 00:09:59,460 --> 00:10:02,060 This man was disabled by design Design. 192 00:10:02,500 --> 00:10:05,740 Which is a hard concept for all of us to grasp and something 193 00:10:05,740 --> 00:10:07,940 that a lot of us have a hard time thinking about. 194 00:10:09,260 --> 00:10:12,740 God doesn't make mistakes and did not make a mistake when 195 00:10:12,740 --> 00:10:14,580 creating this man to be born blind. 196 00:10:14,900 --> 00:10:18,380 He knew that when he was going to be born, he was going to be 197 00:10:18,380 --> 00:10:20,100 blind and he did not discard him. 198 00:10:21,300 --> 00:10:25,420 So this man was born blind so the power of God could be seen 199 00:10:25,420 --> 00:10:28,900 through him, and was born so God's glory could be displayed 200 00:10:28,900 --> 00:10:32,690 in him and through him. And so we were all made in God's 201 00:10:32,690 --> 00:10:36,530 image, we all have inherent value, and we all reflect him in 202 00:10:36,530 --> 00:10:39,330 our way. And so we can really see this in 203 00:10:39,330 --> 00:10:42,170 John 9. In John 9, the disciples did not 204 00:10:42,170 --> 00:10:46,650 see this man is valuable or recognize his purpose, and Jesus 205 00:10:46,650 --> 00:10:49,330 was the one that pointed them towards what the purpose of this 206 00:10:49,330 --> 00:10:52,080 was. And so we want to be a people as 207 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,240 Grace Church, as the church in general who value all 208 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:59,120 individuals of all abilities and see them how God does as 209 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:02,040 integral parts of the church and body of believers. 210 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:04,920 Yeah that's good. If we were to just, I know 211 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:06,600 there's tons of questions we want to ask. 212 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,160 But if we were to just. I love the theological summary 213 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,480 of why you guys are doing what you're doing in this ministry. 214 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:15,720 Is there a mission statement for Mosaic? 215 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:18,480 Like what are you trying to accomplish in Mosaic? 216 00:11:18,860 --> 00:11:22,980 The mission of Mosaic is to equip and disciple individuals 217 00:11:22,980 --> 00:11:24,980 with disabilities. More into the life of the 218 00:11:24,980 --> 00:11:26,540 Church. Yeah, and I do think those 219 00:11:26,540 --> 00:11:29,260 passages really help us see that. 220 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:32,060 Tell us, how in the world did you guys get involved in this? 221 00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:35,300 Yeah. So when I was growing up, I grew 222 00:11:35,300 --> 00:11:39,500 up in Charleston. We had a great family that was 223 00:11:39,540 --> 00:11:41,780 not family, but more like family than anything. 224 00:11:42,140 --> 00:11:45,940 And they had a daughter who was physical and intellectually 225 00:11:45,940 --> 00:11:48,320 disabled. And so I we grew up with her. 226 00:11:48,320 --> 00:11:51,440 We went on vacations with them and they lived in our 227 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:53,800 neighborhood. And so I had a lot of just 228 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:58,920 exposure to being around Melissa there and I became comfortable 229 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:01,240 with being uncomfortable. And I think that's one of the 230 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:02,800 things that I learned along the way. 231 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:06,120 Obviously first engaging that as a young kid you only know how to 232 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:08,880 act. But being around the family and 233 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:12,520 and us being like siblings was a really cool thing and. 234 00:12:12,900 --> 00:12:15,700 She passed away at the age of 18, which was really hard. 235 00:12:16,100 --> 00:12:19,820 And I mean, I think it was just something that had an impact on 236 00:12:19,820 --> 00:12:22,980 me as I was growing up. And then my sister, my older 237 00:12:22,980 --> 00:12:25,820 sister used to babysit 2 twins with autism. 238 00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:30,260 And so I just got to experience them, be around them, love on 239 00:12:30,260 --> 00:12:31,260 them. She would always bring them up 240 00:12:31,260 --> 00:12:35,140 their house, we'd play with them and just experience disability 241 00:12:35,140 --> 00:12:37,980 in in different ways. And so I I wouldn't say I've 242 00:12:37,980 --> 00:12:41,260 grown up in disability, but I've been around disability since I 243 00:12:41,260 --> 00:12:43,900 was a kid. And my sister also has a son 244 00:12:43,900 --> 00:12:47,100 with autism, which has impacted our family in a really great 245 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:50,940 way. And I think God has used that in 246 00:12:50,940 --> 00:12:53,660 a way that to kind of help and put a passion in my life towards 247 00:12:53,660 --> 00:12:55,740 some of the things. You know, I think we're we're 248 00:12:55,740 --> 00:12:58,740 both where we went to college, not for disabilities coming out. 249 00:12:59,220 --> 00:13:03,100 I really was looking to go more toward the medical field and got 250 00:13:03,100 --> 00:13:06,300 open a door in the field of behavior analysis, serving 251 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:08,980 children with autism. And so I worked there for 10 252 00:13:08,980 --> 00:13:10,220 years before coming to the church. 253 00:13:10,790 --> 00:13:14,230 And have the opportunity to be here and really disciple. 254 00:13:14,230 --> 00:13:16,470 So I've been a part of the Mosaic ministry for a while 255 00:13:16,470 --> 00:13:19,230 before coming on. Staff got to serve there, but 256 00:13:19,230 --> 00:13:23,510 really jumping in has been a really unique experience and 257 00:13:23,510 --> 00:13:26,990 being involved with families and serving them here is. 258 00:13:27,030 --> 00:13:30,830 So that's kind of my bringing, how, how I got into it and just 259 00:13:31,150 --> 00:13:33,670 how the love and care has been there. 260 00:13:34,310 --> 00:13:38,070 Joe, if someone said Can you disciple someone with 261 00:13:38,070 --> 00:13:39,830 disabilities, what would you say to them? 262 00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:43,810 Obviously you can disciple anybody and and I think one of 263 00:13:43,810 --> 00:13:47,250 the biggest things is, is that everybody wants to know outcomes 264 00:13:47,330 --> 00:13:50,770 like how do you know? And and one of the big things 265 00:13:50,770 --> 00:13:54,330 that I just strongly encourage people is like, hey, you present 266 00:13:54,330 --> 00:13:57,530 the gospel in ways just for anybody to understand. 267 00:13:57,530 --> 00:14:01,570 I mean that that is our goal, to be able to present the gospel to 268 00:14:01,570 --> 00:14:05,610 the people around us, no matter what ability, so that they can 269 00:14:05,610 --> 00:14:08,550 understand it. And so the great thing is, is 270 00:14:08,550 --> 00:14:09,950 that the work doesn't rely on me. 271 00:14:10,030 --> 00:14:14,590 It's the Holy Spirit. And so, but it is our our job to 272 00:14:14,590 --> 00:14:16,870 disciple. And so we that's what we're 273 00:14:16,870 --> 00:14:18,750 doing. We are presenting the gospel on 274 00:14:18,750 --> 00:14:21,390 ways in which people can understand, so they can have 275 00:14:21,430 --> 00:14:24,590 access to the gospel and be able to respond in the ways in which 276 00:14:24,950 --> 00:14:28,550 they can do. We know whether someone is a 277 00:14:28,550 --> 00:14:32,010 true believer or not. We don't know for typically 278 00:14:32,010 --> 00:14:35,290 available peers around alone. I mean, you do to a certain 279 00:14:35,290 --> 00:14:36,970 degree, but you don't officially know, right? 280 00:14:37,450 --> 00:14:41,330 And so we just know that we have to do Our Calling, which is to 281 00:14:41,330 --> 00:14:45,010 make disciples and equip people to be followers of Jesus. 282 00:14:45,450 --> 00:14:48,290 Madison, what about you? What is your background and how 283 00:14:48,290 --> 00:14:51,980 did that lead you to Mosaic? Yeah, that's a funny story. 284 00:14:51,980 --> 00:14:56,140 I mean, I went to Clemson for Health Science and wanted to go 285 00:14:56,140 --> 00:14:59,740 into the medical field or go get my law degree and went and got 286 00:14:59,740 --> 00:15:04,260 my masters in bioethics and ended up working for the camp we 287 00:15:04,260 --> 00:15:05,940 have in Allendale through Grace and. 288 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,040 I just got pulled into Mosaic as a job cuz I didn't have one for 289 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,920 August. That was me forced her into 290 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,160 this. Job and so I had no background 291 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:19,040 in working with individuals with special needs and disabilities. 292 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,600 I mean I went to like one Special Olympics in high school, 293 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:27,640 but I wouldn't count that as having any form of training. 294 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,480 And so really about four years ago, I. 295 00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:34,550 Jumped into Mosaic and started working with our individuals and 296 00:15:34,550 --> 00:15:38,230 our families and our leads, and it's been an ongoing learning 297 00:15:38,230 --> 00:15:40,510 process. And if that's ever changing and 298 00:15:40,630 --> 00:15:42,950 more people are coming and you're learning different things 299 00:15:42,950 --> 00:15:45,630 and so really just on the ground going. 300 00:15:45,630 --> 00:15:46,990 But that's how I got involved. Yeah. 301 00:15:47,430 --> 00:15:50,950 It seems like parents with disabilities also benefit from 302 00:15:50,950 --> 00:15:52,790 the discipleship that you guys provide. 303 00:15:52,790 --> 00:15:54,550 Could you unpack that a little bit too? 304 00:15:56,110 --> 00:15:59,590 Yeah, I mean, I think one of the main misconceptions in churches 305 00:15:59,590 --> 00:16:03,430 in general. Is that we are just to watch the 306 00:16:03,430 --> 00:16:06,390 individuals with disabilities so the parents can be discipled. 307 00:16:07,030 --> 00:16:10,910 And that is that that is a hard thing for people to say and they 308 00:16:10,910 --> 00:16:12,110 actually don't realize what they're saying. 309 00:16:12,270 --> 00:16:14,110 That is a secondary effect of what we're doing. 310 00:16:14,530 --> 00:16:16,490 So we are disciplining the individuals with disabilities 311 00:16:16,490 --> 00:16:20,970 but also allowing the caregivers to be discipled as well. 312 00:16:20,970 --> 00:16:24,370 And so we we it's a it's a secondary effect of Mosaic, but 313 00:16:24,370 --> 00:16:27,930 we also provide different discipleship opportunities for 314 00:16:27,930 --> 00:16:30,850 the caregivers of our individuals with disabilities 315 00:16:30,850 --> 00:16:32,730 here at the church. And so we're equipping them to 316 00:16:32,970 --> 00:16:35,610 be able to understand disability, which a lot of 317 00:16:35,610 --> 00:16:37,610 people don't understand disability where it relates in 318 00:16:37,610 --> 00:16:39,570 the Bible and that's why we even are very. 319 00:16:40,410 --> 00:16:44,130 Strong in in presenting what we believe the Bible says in the 320 00:16:44,130 --> 00:16:47,250 way that God true the heart of God and disability. 321 00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:51,610 And there are some principles that you guys use and have 322 00:16:51,610 --> 00:16:53,850 shared with us. Could you maybe unpack some of 323 00:16:53,850 --> 00:16:57,810 those and help us understand how how to, how to help us think 324 00:16:57,810 --> 00:17:00,930 about this? Yeah, the first principle I 325 00:17:00,930 --> 00:17:04,089 said, or I would say would be super helpful for everyone is 326 00:17:04,089 --> 00:17:07,450 that you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable until 327 00:17:07,450 --> 00:17:10,670 you become comfortable. So you have to be comfortable 328 00:17:10,670 --> 00:17:13,310 with being uncomfortable until you become comfortable. 329 00:17:13,430 --> 00:17:15,270 And now this is an ongoing process. 330 00:17:15,630 --> 00:17:19,550 I mean, we're always stepping into new situations that might 331 00:17:19,550 --> 00:17:20,990 make us more uncomfortable again. 332 00:17:20,990 --> 00:17:24,510 And then we have to learn and process through those and engage 333 00:17:24,510 --> 00:17:26,630 and learn how to become comfortable and learn from those 334 00:17:26,630 --> 00:17:29,110 around us. I mean, there's so many 335 00:17:29,110 --> 00:17:31,070 different situations in Mosaic that. 336 00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:35,420 People might be scared or uncomfortable entering into and 337 00:17:35,420 --> 00:17:39,380 so we just want people to engage in that and really be OK with 338 00:17:39,380 --> 00:17:42,340 being uncomfortable. So like in one instance it might 339 00:17:42,340 --> 00:17:45,220 be walking up to someone and trying to give them a high 5 and 340 00:17:45,220 --> 00:17:47,740 you realize they don't have mobility of their right hand. 341 00:17:48,140 --> 00:17:52,300 So we have two options. We can either engage them or we 342 00:17:52,300 --> 00:17:56,220 can shy away and disengage and really just step into being 343 00:17:56,220 --> 00:17:58,140 uncomfortable and let that control us. 344 00:17:58,380 --> 00:18:01,140 And so like we would say, hey, like give them a pat on the 345 00:18:01,140 --> 00:18:03,040 back. Give them like a side hug. 346 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,280 Give them a fist bump, Like do something to engage them. 347 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:08,960 And then like next time you would know like for that person, 348 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,320 like, I'm going to be more comfortable going up and talking 349 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,880 to them because I know how to engage them better. 350 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:17,800 So like another instance could be like going up and like asking 351 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:21,080 someone how they're doing only to realize that that individual 352 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,520 is nonverbal or doesn't communicate verbally. 353 00:18:23,760 --> 00:18:25,560 So once again, we have two options we can. 354 00:18:25,990 --> 00:18:28,830 Either be uncomfortable and not engage that person and talk to 355 00:18:28,830 --> 00:18:32,990 them, or we can embrace the uncomfortableness and talk to 356 00:18:32,990 --> 00:18:35,910 them anyways and then learn how they communicate. 357 00:18:35,910 --> 00:18:38,830 I mean, just because they can't communicate verbally does not 358 00:18:38,830 --> 00:18:41,270 mean that they can't communicate with us and tell us how they're 359 00:18:41,270 --> 00:18:43,230 feeling. And so like I said earlier, 360 00:18:43,230 --> 00:18:46,230 someone that didn't have experience with disability. 361 00:18:46,230 --> 00:18:49,350 Sometimes this makes you nervous, but it's a learning and 362 00:18:49,350 --> 00:18:52,030 an ongoing process. We just have to be willing to 363 00:18:52,030 --> 00:18:54,230 step into and make ourselves uncomfortable. 364 00:18:54,700 --> 00:18:59,220 I mean, in Mosaic, 95% of our volunteers don't have any formal 365 00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:02,220 training with individuals with disabilities, and so they were 366 00:19:02,220 --> 00:19:05,260 just willing to step in and be comfortable with being 367 00:19:05,260 --> 00:19:07,260 uncomfortable until they become comfortable. 368 00:19:07,420 --> 00:19:11,500 Yeah, all of our volunteers, including myself, just come up 369 00:19:11,820 --> 00:19:15,620 into uncomfortable situations. Yeah, And I mean, Jesus did it 370 00:19:15,620 --> 00:19:19,060 all the time, right? And some awkward situations. 371 00:19:19,100 --> 00:19:22,860 But he engaged, and I think that John 9 passage is one of those. 372 00:19:23,470 --> 00:19:26,030 Because that man was probably it's kind of like the homeless 373 00:19:26,030 --> 00:19:28,830 guy on the corner that no one wants to look or talk to and 374 00:19:28,830 --> 00:19:30,990 Jesus is that one that actually goes over and engages. 375 00:19:31,750 --> 00:19:35,270 And so I I think that's just a great picture of of some of 376 00:19:35,270 --> 00:19:37,230 that. I'm just making that more 377 00:19:37,830 --> 00:19:42,270 typical, right, just making some of that more comfortable and and 378 00:19:42,270 --> 00:19:45,510 and really I think it's it's a part of growth for us as 379 00:19:45,510 --> 00:19:47,390 believers. Man, that's good. 380 00:19:48,090 --> 00:19:49,970 All right, so the first principle Get comfortable with 381 00:19:49,970 --> 00:19:53,010 being uncomfortable until you become comfortable. 382 00:19:53,010 --> 00:19:54,330 So that's the first principle. What's? 383 00:19:54,770 --> 00:19:58,130 The second, the second would be we have to be a people marked by 384 00:19:58,130 --> 00:20:01,250 patients and humility. So this looks different for all 385 00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:03,290 different people. So for like a parent or a 386 00:20:03,290 --> 00:20:07,890 caregiver of an individual with a disability, this means knowing 387 00:20:07,890 --> 00:20:09,930 that you're going to be asked an insensitive question. 388 00:20:09,930 --> 00:20:12,930 When someone's trying to engage with you, we know that they're 389 00:20:12,930 --> 00:20:16,380 not doing out of. Real intent, but probably out of 390 00:20:16,380 --> 00:20:19,220 a misunderstanding. And so to be able to show 391 00:20:19,220 --> 00:20:23,380 humility and be patient with those around us will bridge a 392 00:20:23,380 --> 00:20:26,340 deeper understanding of the gospel for those around us and 393 00:20:26,340 --> 00:20:29,580 really pulling people in to experience what you experience 394 00:20:29,580 --> 00:20:33,100 every day. For those not caring for an 395 00:20:33,100 --> 00:20:36,700 individual with a disability, this just means coming alongside 396 00:20:36,700 --> 00:20:39,540 and engaging families, even when it's uncomfortable. 397 00:20:39,940 --> 00:20:41,620 Just like we talked about on the first part. 398 00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:46,010 I mean, we want our church body to engage our families and say 399 00:20:46,010 --> 00:20:49,290 something and not to be afraid of saying something that's not 400 00:20:49,290 --> 00:20:52,250 correct because we know we're not doing it with ill intent, 401 00:20:52,250 --> 00:20:54,050 but really just to engage the family. 402 00:20:54,730 --> 00:20:57,890 We can learn so much from the families and the individuals 403 00:20:57,890 --> 00:21:01,490 with disabilities. And so it's really at our loss 404 00:21:01,490 --> 00:21:03,850 if we don't engage them and talk with them. 405 00:21:04,130 --> 00:21:06,750 I mean, it would just be like you wanting to get to know 406 00:21:06,750 --> 00:21:10,790 someone but not asking them any questions about who they are, 407 00:21:10,790 --> 00:21:13,950 what they like to do for fun, like what their favorite hobbies 408 00:21:13,950 --> 00:21:15,830 are. And so just like we would want 409 00:21:15,830 --> 00:21:18,550 someone to do that to us, like we should try and get to know 410 00:21:18,550 --> 00:21:23,030 them as well instead of leaving them siloed like another part 411 00:21:23,070 --> 00:21:24,790 and not one of the church body. That's. 412 00:21:25,790 --> 00:21:28,510 Good. And I think it's important like 413 00:21:28,510 --> 00:21:32,030 knowing when we are engaging with families, just like a 414 00:21:32,030 --> 00:21:36,270 principle that I really hadn't heard of before stepping in to 415 00:21:36,270 --> 00:21:39,230 this world was really using person first language. 416 00:21:39,470 --> 00:21:42,670 And so that is stating the person before the disability. 417 00:21:42,670 --> 00:21:45,710 And so when you state disability first, it really gives 418 00:21:45,710 --> 00:21:48,910 disability their identity. And so we want to make sure that 419 00:21:48,950 --> 00:21:51,630 we state the person first because they are not their 420 00:21:51,630 --> 00:21:54,880 disability. And this is just a really great 421 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:57,000 way to make sure that we're caring for that family. 422 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,760 Well, there's a lot of different opinions and languages and 423 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,560 preferences now a day of how you address disabilities. 424 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,920 And so we always tell our volunteers like what the family 425 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,160 says is like what you should go off of. 426 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:11,840 But person first language is always like a great rule to 427 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,560 follow. Joe, can you give us an example 428 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:18,320 of people first language? Yeah, so for people, first 429 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:21,360 language is stating the person 1st and the disability second. 430 00:22:21,920 --> 00:22:24,600 And so it would. An example of this would be the 431 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:27,040 boy with autism. And it's actually a way to just 432 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,320 to show families that you're you're loving them, that you're 433 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:31,880 actually thinking. You're paying attention. 434 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,200 Yeah, yeah. Cuz I feel like a lot of our 435 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:38,720 families are, and I think like just across the board, families 436 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,720 who have children with disability feel that way. 437 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,440 They feel ostracized, they feel siloed, they feel like they're 438 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,320 not a part of anything. And so we're trying to move 439 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:48,940 towards them. Bring them in, let them see the 440 00:22:48,940 --> 00:22:52,820 gifts and make them part of the body in which way which Christ 441 00:22:53,060 --> 00:22:54,660 tells us. I mean, I think that's one of 442 00:22:54,660 --> 00:22:56,980 the cool things about Ephesians 4, because it ends and it says, 443 00:22:57,100 --> 00:23:00,220 hey, all these gifts, because they're part of the body just as 444 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:04,060 much as any, just as much as you and I, and that they make the 445 00:23:04,060 --> 00:23:07,940 body full and complete. So our body's not full and 446 00:23:07,940 --> 00:23:11,220 complete unless we have all people of all abilities. 447 00:23:11,770 --> 00:23:14,690 And so I think that that's an important thing that we need to 448 00:23:14,690 --> 00:23:16,770 consider as we're walking through and thinking to that. 449 00:23:17,090 --> 00:23:18,490 That's good. Well, what's the third 450 00:23:18,490 --> 00:23:21,210 principle? Yeah, really close to what Joe 451 00:23:21,210 --> 00:23:23,850 is just hitting on is discipleship's our number one 452 00:23:23,850 --> 00:23:25,570 goal. And I mean, this goes for 453 00:23:25,690 --> 00:23:28,530 everyone at Grace Church. I mean, Grace Church's statement 454 00:23:28,530 --> 00:23:32,610 is we exist to make mature followers of Jesus Christ, which 455 00:23:32,610 --> 00:23:34,490 includes individuals with disabilities. 456 00:23:34,490 --> 00:23:37,570 And so discipleship looks different for everybody, and 457 00:23:37,570 --> 00:23:41,650 access to the gospel shouldn't depend on our abilities, right? 458 00:23:41,650 --> 00:23:45,450 And so for Mosaic, we work with individuals at our campuses with 459 00:23:45,450 --> 00:23:48,530 different abilities, and we make sure that we are presenting the 460 00:23:48,530 --> 00:23:52,010 gospel in a curriculum in a way that they can understand. 461 00:23:52,010 --> 00:23:55,650 And so sometimes that looks like adding visuals or songs or 462 00:23:55,650 --> 00:23:59,730 picture cards that they can place on boards, so we can gauge 463 00:23:59,730 --> 00:24:04,210 their understanding, so they can learn and repeat the information 464 00:24:04,210 --> 00:24:07,560 so they can really learn. I mean, we always want to assume 465 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,280 competence and give the individual personhood. 466 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:13,600 So that means like not talking down to someone or doing 467 00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:16,960 something for them immediately. So like if someone's an adult, 468 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,760 we should talk to them like an adult and not baby them. 469 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,840 Or use child as language just because we don't know like where 470 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:27,640 they are. Like, we need to teach them, and 471 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,560 then we can gauge understanding from there. 472 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:32,520 And so, I mean, just like Joe said, individuals with 473 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,720 disabilities are a key part of the body of the church. 474 00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,040 We're not including them out of kindness. 475 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,320 We're not doing them a favor. It's like not a service project. 476 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,320 They're an integral part of the church, just like it says in 477 00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:47,040 First Corinthians 12. And they bring a strength to the 478 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,880 church that we just don't have, like without them. 479 00:24:50,310 --> 00:24:53,830 And so, like knowing that having a disability isn't a hindrance 480 00:24:53,830 --> 00:24:56,830 to the gospel or spiritual growth they can fully 481 00:24:56,830 --> 00:24:59,430 participate in the body of Christ is just like a beautiful 482 00:24:59,430 --> 00:25:02,190 thing to see. And I mean, from my experience, 483 00:25:02,190 --> 00:25:05,590 I've learned more about joy and patience from some of the 484 00:25:05,590 --> 00:25:08,830 individuals and Mosaic inspire than I have from any of my 485 00:25:08,830 --> 00:25:11,960 friends or teachers. I mean, it's just beautiful to 486 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,280 see how joyful they are and how they can present the gospel in a 487 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,320 way that's truly real to them. And you were telling me a little 488 00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,720 bit about one of the examples So share that I thought was really 489 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,640 great. So one of the girls in Mosaic 490 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:25,960 Inspire. Her name's Morgan. 491 00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,040 And so in Mosaic Inspire right now they are working out, 492 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:31,720 writing out their life stories. And so part of that is 493 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,120 identifying what our sin struggle is. 494 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:36,560 I mean, I just went through it in a community group myself. 495 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,960 And it's, it's a process. I'll say that. 496 00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:42,040 Yeah. And so Morgan and I and her mom 497 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:46,320 went to dinner. And for context, Morgan has a 498 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,640 mitochondrial disorder. And so she is blind and deaf. 499 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:53,040 And so we were just talking at dinner and then not on topic. 500 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:56,080 She said, so Madison, what are your sin struggles lately? 501 00:25:56,640 --> 00:25:58,960 And I said, well, Morgan, thank you for asking that. 502 00:25:59,920 --> 00:26:01,160 But I was, like, able to share with her. 503 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,600 I was like hey like sometimes I like have a real problem with 504 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,840 control and like trying to control like situations around 505 00:26:06,840 --> 00:26:09,240 me because I want pretty perceived in a certain way. 506 00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:12,040 She was like, you know I have that same sin struggle. 507 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:16,440 Like I sometimes try and control things around me because I want 508 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:18,480 to get my way. And so we are really able to 509 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:21,960 like talk and connect on that level of just hey like let's 510 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,280 share, share this. And so I mean it was super 511 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:26,360 impactful. I don't know if I've ever had 512 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:28,720 anyone just come up to me like hey, what's the sin you're 513 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:31,160 struggling with lately? And so, I mean it was just 514 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,880 beautiful to see how blunt and honest and how self aware she 515 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:40,000 really was of like her, like herself and like how she is 516 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:41,760 affecting those around her, yeah. 517 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:45,640 That's awesome. Well, for someone who's 518 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,480 listening to this and is maybe thinking, you know, they're 519 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:52,240 learning, they're wanting to know more about this, how would 520 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,160 you encourage them to if they're potentially wanting to serve or 521 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:59,560 to be involved with this ministry or to support you guys 522 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:00,840 and? What you're doing? 523 00:27:01,640 --> 00:27:03,280 Yeah, I mean, come and volunteer. 524 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,240 I mean, we have many opportunities. 525 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,120 Even if you're like, hey, I don't want to volunteer on a 526 00:27:07,120 --> 00:27:10,320 regular weekly basis. We have a lot of other things 527 00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:13,320 going on where we love you just to get some exposure and be a 528 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,480 part of the family. And I think one of those is 529 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,400 respite nights. So once a month during the 530 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,800 school year, we provide families the opportunity to drop off all 531 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:23,680 of their kids and go on a date or just go spend time by 532 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,160 themselves, whatever, whatever best fits them. 533 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,920 And so it's a great opportunity for people to come and serve. 534 00:27:29,460 --> 00:27:32,940 Be a part of that. Jump in and have a ton of fun. 535 00:27:32,940 --> 00:27:36,020 If you're gonna come, you better be ready to have a lot of fun. 536 00:27:36,460 --> 00:27:39,460 And so sometimes we're singing karaoke, sometimes we're playing 537 00:27:39,460 --> 00:27:43,420 games, sometimes we have big blow ups and we eat good food, 538 00:27:43,420 --> 00:27:45,900 and it's a great time for fellowship. 539 00:27:46,430 --> 00:27:49,110 Fellowship and community is one of the one of the cool things 540 00:27:49,350 --> 00:27:51,550 that goes on in our respite nights and supper clubs. 541 00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:56,310 And I would say just step in. We have a lead for Mosaic, every 542 00:27:56,310 --> 00:27:59,230 single one of our campuses, who knows all of our families very 543 00:27:59,230 --> 00:28:01,550 well. And so just step in and ask your 544 00:28:01,550 --> 00:28:05,070 lead like, hey, how can I serve these families well this, this 545 00:28:05,070 --> 00:28:07,470 week, this year or what? What do they need help with? 546 00:28:07,470 --> 00:28:09,070 And so I think that's a great way as well. 547 00:28:10,630 --> 00:28:13,590 Can you tell us what else is going on right now on Mosaic? 548 00:28:13,590 --> 00:28:15,710 Any updates? Any new things going on? 549 00:28:16,340 --> 00:28:19,260 Yeah. So we have a lot of really cool 550 00:28:19,260 --> 00:28:22,180 things going on. And so I kind of take us a 551 00:28:22,180 --> 00:28:24,180 little bit of a step back to kind of show the history. 552 00:28:24,180 --> 00:28:28,300 And so as the ministry has grown, we started with kids, 553 00:28:28,300 --> 00:28:30,140 then we started to move to students and then we started 554 00:28:30,140 --> 00:28:33,740 having adults as everyone obviously continues to age. 555 00:28:34,250 --> 00:28:39,210 And so in that we saw that majority of our adults that are 556 00:28:39,210 --> 00:28:41,450 out of school, there's nothing for them to do. 557 00:28:41,730 --> 00:28:43,850 There's not a whole lot, let's say there's there's not a whole 558 00:28:43,850 --> 00:28:47,730 lot of meaningful opportunities for our adults with 559 00:28:47,730 --> 00:28:50,490 disabilities. And that's the problem that we 560 00:28:50,490 --> 00:28:52,690 discovered in our church. And we're like, hey, we are 561 00:28:52,690 --> 00:28:54,690 responsible. Like I have to stand before God 562 00:28:54,690 --> 00:28:57,570 one day and he's going to hold the account of how I discipled 563 00:28:57,770 --> 00:29:00,570 the individuals that he's entrusted to to us as a church. 564 00:29:01,090 --> 00:29:03,770 And so we were like, hey, the problem is, is that we? 565 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,360 These individuals are just sitting at home, most likely and 566 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,920 most for the most part. And so we started Mosaic 567 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,240 Inspire, which is an adult discipleship program that meets 568 00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:15,800 during the week where we are discipling and equipping adults 569 00:29:15,800 --> 00:29:18,360 with disabilities more into the life of the church and the 570 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:20,690 community. So they're being discycled. 571 00:29:20,810 --> 00:29:23,370 They do daily devotions, like Madison said, They're working on 572 00:29:23,370 --> 00:29:24,810 their testimonies about how to share that. 573 00:29:25,170 --> 00:29:27,010 We're partnering with different people in the community. 574 00:29:27,010 --> 00:29:29,170 We're going and serving. They're doing different things 575 00:29:29,170 --> 00:29:33,930 like Meals on Wheels or baking meals for people that have had 576 00:29:33,930 --> 00:29:36,930 going through hard situations. They're serving in the church in 577 00:29:36,930 --> 00:29:40,050 a lot of different ways by helping out through our Care and 578 00:29:40,050 --> 00:29:42,690 Recovery Ministries, helping out at Front Porch. 579 00:29:43,130 --> 00:29:45,730 I mean, we'd sit here all day naming the things that that 580 00:29:45,730 --> 00:29:48,650 Mosaic inspired does. And I think it has become a 581 00:29:48,650 --> 00:29:52,850 really cool thing because we are seeing more of their gifts come 582 00:29:52,850 --> 00:29:55,570 out and more of their gifts being used for the edification 583 00:29:55,570 --> 00:29:57,850 of the church. And I think it's a really unique 584 00:29:57,850 --> 00:30:00,090 and really cool experience. So if you ever want to be come 585 00:30:00,090 --> 00:30:02,530 see us, come be a part of that, I'd love to just come and talk 586 00:30:02,530 --> 00:30:04,730 with you and for you guys to to come be a part of it. 587 00:30:04,730 --> 00:30:07,730 And the other thing is, another way which we have found that we 588 00:30:07,730 --> 00:30:10,450 can disciple people is through employment. 589 00:30:11,230 --> 00:30:13,510 So a lot of our individuals don't have opportunities to be 590 00:30:13,510 --> 00:30:17,110 employed and so we opened Inspire Coffee House. 591 00:30:17,110 --> 00:30:20,190 And so we have great people, we have great coffee and it's a 592 00:30:20,190 --> 00:30:23,230 really fun environment and so people can come and enjoy a cup 593 00:30:23,230 --> 00:30:26,630 of coffee where our individuals, they're in the workplace and an 594 00:30:26,630 --> 00:30:27,830 encouraging place and they're being. 595 00:30:27,830 --> 00:30:31,190 Discipled and this is at Front Porch On in Cleveland St. 596 00:30:31,190 --> 00:30:32,550 Greenville. Correct, Yes. 597 00:30:33,070 --> 00:30:36,430 So it is in the clubhouse there and we'd love for you to come 598 00:30:36,430 --> 00:30:39,840 and join us. It is the best coffee around and 599 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,600 it is the best people around. I mean, hands down, I mean, I'm 600 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,840 one of those oatmeal cream pies. I gloat over this and so I have 601 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:50,840 to. Yeah, I learned a lot of lessons 602 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,800 about self-control when it comes to the goodies that we have over 603 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:56,400 there. But just going and spending 604 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,440 time, I mean, it's such a blessing just to be able to to 605 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:01,560 hear what guys do in their life and then. 606 00:31:01,990 --> 00:31:03,550 I mean, I walked the other day and one of the girls was like, 607 00:31:03,910 --> 00:31:07,990 hey, I was lying just so, you know, and and I got caught and 608 00:31:07,990 --> 00:31:10,150 I'm sorry. And I was like, well, tell me 609 00:31:10,150 --> 00:31:11,070 about that. She's like, I went and 610 00:31:11,070 --> 00:31:12,950 apologize. I'm like that's the fate, That's 611 00:31:12,950 --> 00:31:16,070 the Holy Spirit inside of you. And so we were able to be 612 00:31:16,070 --> 00:31:17,630 encouraged. And so they're being discipled 613 00:31:17,630 --> 00:31:20,270 by the staff that are there. And I think it's a really 614 00:31:20,270 --> 00:31:22,270 encouraging thing just to kind of see and. 615 00:31:22,650 --> 00:31:24,450 I mean we're we're continuing to expand. 616 00:31:24,450 --> 00:31:26,650 We know that there's a lot of room to grow. 617 00:31:27,450 --> 00:31:29,450 One of those is the cycling parents. 618 00:31:29,450 --> 00:31:31,930 We know that there's some more things that we'd like to to move 619 00:31:31,930 --> 00:31:34,170 towards and provide opportunities to disciple them. 620 00:31:34,170 --> 00:31:38,970 Better housing, gosh that that is a is a big need right now for 621 00:31:38,970 --> 00:31:42,210 adults with disabilities because a lot of them are going to 622 00:31:42,210 --> 00:31:44,490 outlive their parents. And what does it look like for 623 00:31:44,490 --> 00:31:46,970 the people that don't have people to care for them, We as a 624 00:31:46,970 --> 00:31:48,630 church. They're saying, hey, they are a 625 00:31:48,630 --> 00:31:51,550 member of our church and we have a responsibility for them and so 626 00:31:51,910 --> 00:31:54,430 we're taking some steps. We're moving in that direction. 627 00:31:54,790 --> 00:31:57,230 I'm encouraged. We still have a long way to go 628 00:31:57,270 --> 00:31:58,750 and a lot of things to figure it out. 629 00:31:58,990 --> 00:32:03,830 And but one of the things is I'm so thankful for the leadership 630 00:32:03,830 --> 00:32:07,030 of the church. I think you hear it from the 631 00:32:07,030 --> 00:32:10,590 stage and what the verses that really come to mind that I feel 632 00:32:10,590 --> 00:32:13,470 like we are living out well is Luke 14. 633 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:17,520 Where Jesus is talking about throwing a banquet and he said 634 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:19,800 hey don't invite the people that can repair you. 635 00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:22,960 Invite the people that cannot repay you and you be rewarded. 636 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,040 When I come again in resurrection and Jesus is very 637 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:30,960 clear about that and and then in Matthew 25 is probably a more 638 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:36,200 stern spoke to to the fire there where he's it's it's judgment 639 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:39,200 and he says that they're standing before the king and 640 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:41,040 he's dividing the goats amongst the sheep. 641 00:32:41,750 --> 00:32:45,270 And he says the sheep, the people who are mine, are the 642 00:32:45,270 --> 00:32:47,390 ones who take care of the weak and the vulnerable. 643 00:32:48,150 --> 00:32:50,510 And I don't. I I see that that that's the one 644 00:32:50,510 --> 00:32:53,870 of the heartbeats of our church. Not only just the mosaic, but I 645 00:32:53,870 --> 00:32:56,190 mean you can see it across all of our care, recovery Mosaic, I 646 00:32:56,190 --> 00:32:59,350 mean all of our ministries. You see us stepping into places 647 00:32:59,350 --> 00:33:01,310 where people would not step into. 648 00:33:01,850 --> 00:33:05,810 And we're we're trying to reach people for the gospel not for a 649 00:33:05,810 --> 00:33:09,170 return of financial gain or anything like that. 650 00:33:09,170 --> 00:33:12,410 But I think it is one of the most unique places because I 651 00:33:12,410 --> 00:33:15,410 mean part of my role in the past was serving in the care and 652 00:33:15,410 --> 00:33:19,610 covered ministry and I thought that I loved it and and I I feel 653 00:33:19,610 --> 00:33:22,130 like that that's very similar in Mosaic as well. 654 00:33:22,730 --> 00:33:25,650 The people that have been ostracized to a certain degree 655 00:33:26,410 --> 00:33:29,930 and the gifts that they have and how that that's that's what our 656 00:33:30,010 --> 00:33:33,690 our call to do is. Yeah, well, it has been great to 657 00:33:33,690 --> 00:33:37,330 hear from both of you and see your passion and know this is an 658 00:33:37,330 --> 00:33:40,410 audio podcast. But I mean if people could see 659 00:33:40,410 --> 00:33:42,970 like you guys are excited about this and I'm real grateful for 660 00:33:42,970 --> 00:33:46,010 y'all and it's great to hear y'all stories and how this is 661 00:33:46,010 --> 00:33:48,210 getting kicked off and continues to grow. 662 00:33:48,490 --> 00:33:50,090 I mean thank you for the principles. 663 00:33:50,090 --> 00:33:53,570 I feel like all three of those are pertinent for me in my life 664 00:33:53,570 --> 00:33:55,790 and. I think just it's amazing. 665 00:33:55,790 --> 00:33:59,470 I mean, people with disabilities may seem weak, but they are 666 00:33:59,470 --> 00:34:02,390 indispensable to the body. And I think that's something for 667 00:34:02,390 --> 00:34:07,270 us to take away and think about and just that they can teach us. 668 00:34:07,510 --> 00:34:10,150 People with disabilities can teach us more about the gospel 669 00:34:10,150 --> 00:34:12,510 than we think. And so I'm really grateful for 670 00:34:12,510 --> 00:34:14,690 you guys and. I look forward to see what 671 00:34:14,770 --> 00:34:17,010 happens around the corner as y'all continue to steward this 672 00:34:17,010 --> 00:34:18,170 ministry. So thanks. 673 00:34:18,330 --> 00:34:19,730 Thanks for the opportunity to be here. 674 00:34:19,730 --> 00:34:22,530 And if you ever want to talk about it, we'd love to have a 675 00:34:22,530 --> 00:34:24,290 conversation. So reach out to us. 676 00:34:24,570 --> 00:34:25,850 That's great all. Right. 677 00:34:26,050 --> 00:34:27,170 Bye guys. Thanks for coming. 678 00:34:27,370 --> 00:34:29,810 Yeah, Well, as we wrap up today's episode, we want to 679 00:34:29,810 --> 00:34:32,330 thank you for joining us. If you have questions or want 680 00:34:32,330 --> 00:34:35,730 access to additional resources, be sure to check out the podcast 681 00:34:35,730 --> 00:34:39,010 page located in the show Notes. Thanks for joining us today and 682 00:34:39,010 --> 00:34:41,010 we look forward to joining you on the next episode.