So, I’ll bet most of you are thinking the answer to this question is, “This weekend is special because…

• in 1682, William Penn founded Philadelphia.
• 205 years ago the U.S. declared war on Britain and began the War of 1812.
• Napoleon was defeated by the British and Prussians at Waterloo this weekend 202 years ago.
• The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City in 1885.
• Amelia Earhart became the 1^st woman (as a passenger, not a pilot) to fly across the Atlantic in 1928.
• this weekend became the anniversary of the 1^st kidney transplant in the world (done in Chicago) in 1950.
• in 1963 the Supreme Court ruled that compulsory Bible reading and prayer in public schools was illegal.
• it was the weekend Sally Ride became the 1^stS. woman in space (7^th Shuttle Mission by Challenger 2) in 1983.
• South Africa abolished its last apartheid laws in 1991.
• 9 people were shot and killed inside the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, by a 21 year old gunman.

That wasn’t what you were thinking?  Okay.  Truth be told, neither was I. 

But there are several more reasons why this weekend is going to be special at Mosaic.  Just how special will partly depend on how many of us engage in the special experiences awaiting us.  Here they are:

Saturday, June 17

• The day kicks off with a special Coffee Talk for our women from 9:00-11:00a.m. at Mosaic. Ladies, come enjoy the genuine smile and gracious speech of the women whose love I’ve been enjoying for 35 years, Sandy.  She’ll be sharing something that has been instrumental in making her the wonderful woman she is!  Child care is available so bring the babies and kids.
• We need to move hundreds of bikes, frames and parts from a storage garage at 39 W. 21^st (near the entrance to Duncan Gardens @ Manito Park) to a barn near 37^th Avenue on the South Hill. If we had 12-15 people working together, we could be done by 2:30 or 3:00.  If not, it could get ugly…and a few of us are going to be working very hard for a loooonnnnngggg time.  (If that happens, I’ll probably have to show up to Changing Lives and Sunday Worship in my greasy jeans, t-shirt, hair, fingernails, tennies, etc.  Just saying.)  So come have some fun with bikes at 1:00 p.m. @ 39 W. 21^st Ave.  Trucks, trailers and PEOPLE are what we need.  So if you fit any one of those categories, I hope you will join us for some great fellowship!
• Changing Lives meets for worship, small groups and food-fellowship from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Mosaic.

Sunday, June 18

• Sunday is DADS & GRADS Day at Mosaic! If you want to see the Mosaic graduates and hear a little of their stories, plan to come to the 10:30 a.m. service.  If you want to see dads, come to either 1^st or 2^nd service and plan to have a donut with dad (yours or anyone else’s) between services (10:00-10:30a.m.).  Part of our time in the Word on Sunday we’ll be looking a bit at fatherhood through the lens of Samuel and 1^st Samuel 8, a passage that has a lot more than fathering in it.  See you Sunday!

Making a little history with you in Spokane,

Pastor John

P.S.  Another fun fact:  Father’s Day in the U.S. was actually started right here in Spokane, right across the street from where Mosaic is, at the then Central United Methodist Church.