Yesterday was an intense but amazing day; I attended three Mosaic gatherings in three different parts of the city, and had three completely different experiences. The first gathering was at 9:30 am in Pasadena. Conveniently, only a few hundred yards from my house… literally. It was a pretty big group of people whom had come together to start a new series entitled “Concrete: Stuff you can build on.” For this location, and the two others I attended yesterday, the talks were being lead by Erwin McManus. Walking up to the facility, it was amazing to see their book store, coffee shop, connect groups, etc. etc. all outside in the sunlight and warm California air. There was a DJ setup also outside, providing a smooth trip-hop soundtrack to peoples conversations as they stood around exchanging hugs, handshakes and huge smiles. It was really a nice way to start the day. And of course, it was really cool to see Erwin speak again.
The second location, for which I had to leave Pasadena early, was in Beverly Hills at Beverly Hills High school. Somehow Erwin beat me there… I left Pasadena before him, and arrived in Beverly Hills 10 minutes after him… I am fairly confident that I took the WRONG way. None the less, I made it in time to get the full Beverly Hills experience. This particular gathering meets in the auditorium of the high school, which by the way is ridiculously posh. These students even have their own private parking garage… a multi-story parking garage… crazy. Erwin also spoke at this location and I also saw many of the friends I have been getting to know over the last few days. It seems amongst my circles, that Westside (Beverly Hills) is the most commonly popular. (shhh… I think I liked Pasadena better.)
After BOTH of those services, and the extensive drive between them, it was time for some lunch in Beverly Hills with some great people. Nearly replaying our Filipino dinner from Friday night; I joined Neil, Lito, and Stephan for some awesome Thai food in a really great (and not too expensive) restaurant. We laughed and cut-up quite a bit, it is obvious that there are some deeper friendships forming. I feel really fortunate to be making such friends.
FINALLY, last night… I was able to attend the Mayan. If you’ve ever heard me talk about Mosaic, then you have probably heard me talk about the Mayan, although I had never been until last night. The Mayan is a nightclub in downtown LA, it’s the same club where Rockstar INXS was filmed a few years ago. ‘School of Rock’ filmed its grand finale concert at the Mayan, as well as several artists and bands performing concerts, and having concert DVD’s filmed at the Mayan. It’s a top-tier nightclub and to be blunt, it is incredible. What is even MORE incredible though, is that Mosaic has a gathering in this nightclub every Sunday night, and it is really done WELL.
The ambiance is perfect, with DJ’s playing intro music and creating the atmosphere. The walls are covered in Aztec and Mayan statues with dramatic lighting reminiscent of a theme park, it’s just the perfect location for a church… lol Even the main bar of the club is put to use, and becomes the “bookstore” or media table, alongside with connection opportunities, and information. It was so cool!!!
I could go on and on about the location, the music, the atmosphere, because it really was ALL top notch. However, the most impressive thing to me was the group that came to experience that night. They came to experience community, and to maybe experience pieces of faith for the first time. This is by far the least “churchy” of all the gatherings I attended yesterday (and none of them were really churchy at all) and the design is to create an atmosphere for those who otherwise might not ever go to a church. I should say that it is working, and working well. The entire club was packed, people were sitting on stairs, floors, and tables because there just weren't enough chairs for everyone. The music was incredible, the message was the same as had been preached all day, “What to do with the Bible” but suddenly, that night, it felt more poignant than ever before. It was never so clear that there were people in that audience who were thinking about those things for the very first time… and that makes me VERY excited.
Sorry for the long post… There is really so much to say, and I am even cutting it short. I’ll undoubtedly write more about the Mayan in the future. I expect I will be giving a lot of myself there.
I'm so pleased that you had such a wonderful first experience! Can't wait to hear more about your AMAZING journey!
Posted by: Amy Agimudie | September 21, 2009 at 10:18 AM