“WHAT’S IN A NAME?” A 3 Day Re-Branding BASH!!

With new developments emerging in its programs to help support the impoverished in Omaha, Mosaic Community Development will unveil its new identity during a three-day celebration at the end of July.

“What’s in a Name? A three-day re-branding bash” will take place at Mosaic Community Development at 1258 S. 13th St. in downtown Omaha. Expected to draw over 500 guests, the event is slated to start Thursday, July 30 and last until Saturday, August 1.

An Omaha “TweetUp” is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. This nationally emerging networking activity will allow Twitter followers of MosaicCD to come together and mingle in person.

Friday’s festivities will also commence at 6:30 p.m. and feature live music, an silent art auction and reception. Mosaic will officially announce its new name to all its patrons at this time. $10 door donation is suggested.

Friday’s art auction will carry over into Saturday starting at 11 a.m. and last all day. The third and final day of “What’s in a Name?” will showcase the work of “Just Rest,” a local artist collaboration dedicated to creating poverty awareness.

Mosaic has kept its new name behind its own doors, and executive director Christian Gray is hopeful this event will be an opportunity to not only move forward with Mosaic’s new identity, but also establish the organization in the minds of Omahans who may not know about it. The non-profit’s support programs and financial stability are based entirely off personal and community relationships.

“Our goal is to expose as many people as possible to the organization’s newly refocused vision and mission, to deepen current partner relations, and to cultivate new partner support among individuals, organizations, and businesses throughout the Omaha metro,” Gray said. “In order to further its mission, Mosaic Community Development must distinguish itself among the other dynamic community organizations in the area, as well as invite in a broad base of community volunteerism and partnership.”

Another “Mosaic” emerged in Omaha in 2003 when Bethphage and Martin Luther Homes consolidated to create support for local developmentally disabled individuals.

“With 180 combined years of organizational development and heritage, this larger Mosaic clearly overshadows its grassroots, downtown neighbor,” Gray said.

Friday is expected to be the most-attended portion of “What’s in a Name?” Patrons, partners, volunteers and the general public will have the opportunity to be the first to experience Mosaic’s new identity.

A BIG THANKS to Equitable Bank for partnering with MCD in presenting “What’s in a Name?”

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Phil Ervin, Summer Associate

World Refugee Day

On Saturday June 20 people from all across Omaha gathered at Benson High School to celebrate World Refugee Day. World Refugee day is an international holiday to remind the public about the millions of refugees worldwide and the issues they face and to also celebrate the diversity that they bring to the communities in which they settle.

The event started with an opening ceremony, including a parade of flags led by children clothed in their native dress. It was a very colorful and joyful celebration to see how all the refugees supported one another as their flags were presented. The day also included song and dance performances by many refugees, including a dance by the Hmong community, and songs performed by the Sudanese and Karen community.

There were free health screenings and fire safety classes for refugee families in attendance. Due to cultural differences, refugee families experience a higher number of home or apartment fires. The Red Cross designed a presentation to meet the specific needs of refugee families in relation to fire safety. A display was set up of a refugee camp, including a small tent made of a tarp, so that those who were not refugees themselves could see what meager living conditions many of our friends had to endure on their journey here.

A few more highlights included the delicious food and samosas provided by the Karen community, the stories shared by many refugee speakers, and a children’s’ carnival. Samuel Deng  shared about his experiences as one of the “Lost Boys” of Sudan and his travels as a pre-teen across hundreds of miles of African plains to find refuge in a camp in Kenya. He is currently in college in Omaha and hopes someday to return and help his family back in Sudan. It was encouraging to hear so many refugees tell their stories of determination and hope in God’s leading, despite their difficult situations.

It was fun to see many of the members of Harambe (local church Coram Deo’s ministry to the Burundian community) participating in the events. Many children that attend Harambe returned over and over to the Mosaic booth to laugh and point at their pictures displayed on our information board. The day ended with an awards ceremony for those who have gone above and beyond in their involvement with the refugee population in Omaha and a fashion show. Many women and children from Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, and the Karen population were proud to model and display pride in the clothing of their countries! It was a celebratory experience as everyone clapped, danced, and cheered for each other and the wonderful contributions they bring to our community.

Lydia Elliot, Summer Associate

Life on the Brick

Summer time is here. The sun is shining in full force, the days are hot and long and people are out and about enjoying every minute of it (with the exception of the intense heat and humidity we experienced last week).

Summer is a time when people travel, go visit friends and relatives, or just get out of town for a while. It is no different with our Life on the Brick friends. Summer has brought about many different faces. Some of our regular friends are moving around and visiting other places and each week we see our own share of new faces sitting around the table.

In the midst of all the changing faces, the culture at Life on the Brick has changed as well. In addition to acquiring two more regular meal partners (Grace Baptist Church and the Omaha Vineyard) we have been intentional about raising the bar spiritually at Life on the Brick. We have worked toward this in a couple of different ways. First, we have set up regular prayer times, one before LOB and one after LOB, where we can bathe the evening in prayer and ask God to do whatever it is that He wants to do. It is not just an agenda we have set and then to close the evening and “seal” it in prayer as well. Secondly, we have encouraged, empowered and released all of our team members to engage our guests as God leads. This can mean opening a Bible and sharing with them what is on their heart, including the Gospel message, praying for healing or whatever their need may be, and just loving them the way that Christ loves us.

As the summer continues, our desire to meet people’s needs will also carry on as well , not just physical, but spiritually as well as we offer them not just bread for their stomach, but the Bread of Life for their soul.

Kip Givens, LOB Coordinator