VALUES

  • After decades of first hand experience and listening to neighbors and practitioners alike, we have come to see that challenges within our communities cannot be solved without being committed to the following values.

  • Far too often when people outside of our neighborhoods attempt to identify and alleviate the problems within our neighborhoods they fall short of creating lasting change. However, the most creative and long-term solutions to the problems in our communities are grassroots efforts.

  • Reconciliation is the essence of shalom—restoring relationships where nothing is missing and nothing is broken.

  • The Mosaic Community Center is committed to seeing people and communities experience shalom (Ultimate Peace). We believe that relationships must be restored between us, our families and our communities – spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically, and socially.

  • The answer to ultimate peace is not just a job or a decent place to live but having a true relationship with others (And we believe with God as well). In addition, we sense that the way of Jesus is holistic. It responds to people as whole people; it does not single out just spiritual or just physical needs and speak to those.

  • Together, the Mosaic Community Center team is committed to the holistic wellbeing of our neighbors.

  • At the center of the leadership vacuum in marginalized and low-status communities is leadership and talent attrition. Too often, success is defined as being able to move out of marginalized and low-status communities, rather than remaining there. As a result, these communities may experience major drain on their local leadership talent.

    For the Mosaic Community Center, developing leaders from the community is a huge priority that requires absolute commitment; the payoff is that our communities will be filled with strong leaders who love their neighbors, and have the skills and abilities to lead our churches, organizations and other institutions that bring sustainable health to our communities.

    The Mosaic Community Center team restores, empowers, develops, and creates opportunities for leadership.We desire to help develop citizens of the community and not just clients of our programs. The core of leadership development is identifying, mentoring, retaining, and getting out of the way of leaders already in our communities.

  • The Mosaic Community Center focuses on recognizing and creating conducive environments in which we—individuals, churches, and communities—rely on one another and the power of the Holy Spirit (for Christians), understand our own gifts and resources, and work together with our neighbors in their gifts and resources for the development of our community. We fight against creating dependency. We aim for empowerment, not dependency. All people have inherited dignity by being created in the image of God.

    Many times, charity demeans a person and strips him or her of dignity. The principle of empowerment affirms a person’s God-given dignity and allows that person to use their giftings to contribute to the flourishing of the community.

  • The Mosaic Community Center desires to see it's work integrated into every aspect of life—engaging in the spiritual, social, economic, political, cultural, emotional, physical, moral, educational, and family dynamics of an individual and community in order to bring about community flourish.

  • Listening to the community, the Mosaic Community Center affirms the dignity of individuals and collaborates with neighbors to leverage community resources and assets to bring about sustainable change.

    Too often communities are developed by outsiders that bring in resources without taking into account the people who live in our communities. Mosaic Community Center practitioners are committed to listening to their neighbors and hearing their dreams, ideas and thoughts. By actively listening, we can identify community assets, opportunities, and needs and then cultivate, implement and benefit from a shared vision for our community.

    When practicing Community Development, it is important not to focus on the weaknesses or needs of a community. Rather, the priority should be the thoughts and dreams of the community itself and what the community members believe should be the focus. Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) focuses on identifying the assets of a community and then building upon them.

    At the Mosaic Community Center, it is the community members themselves that decide on areas for growth. After a community has decided where to focus attention, they then collaborate to determine the means with which they themselves can bring about this desired growth. Our program leaders ask, what qualities, talents, and abilities does my community have that can help promote community growth? Their focus is on community members seeing themselves as assets and as part of the solution to community challenges.

  • Redistribution means creating equal access to resources, power, and opportunity for all humanity.

    A lifestyle of redistribution confronts the unjust distribution of our economic, social, educational, and relational resources. It breaks down our systems of poverty & oppression and decreases the economic disparity in our communities. As a result, our communities are able to flourish with the resources they need to do so.

    The Mosaic Community Center continues to create opportunities for redistribution, for both those who have cultural power, and for those who need access to resources.

  • Reconciliation is the essence of shalom—restoring relationships where nothing is missing and nothing is broken.

    We believe Christianity could be summed up in two inseparable commandments: Love God, and love thy neighbor (Mt 22:37-39). Christian Community Development is committed to seeing people and communities experience God’s shalom. We believe that God wants to restore a right relationship between us, our families and our communities – spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically, and socially. Especially in this polarized moment.

    The Mosaic Community Center does this by creating space for relational connection between neighbors whether at learning groups, social events, community building activities, or mobilizing people to serve alongside one another.