Happy 12-12-12 Day!!!

What an amazing day. This will not happen until the year January 1, 2101 (01-01-01).

Some fun facts about the number 12…

1.      Twelve men have walked on the Earth’s moon

2.      There are 12 pairs of ribs in the human body-normally.

3.      In English, twelve is the largest number that has just one syllable.

4.      Under British law, when you reach the age of 12 you can buy a pet.

5.       There were 12 knights in King Arthur’s round table

6.      On Valentine Day 1990, Michael Jordan’s jersey was stolen before a game , guess what number he wore that day? That’s right, twelve!!

7.      Jesus’ first recorded speaking engagement was at the age of twelve.

8.      A group of twelve things is called a Duodecad

9.      For you who like Math: 12 a composite number, the smallest number with exactly six divisors.

10.  Frank Sinatra’s birthday is on December 12, 1915.

11.  In the book of Revelation the kingdom of God has 12 gates and is guarded by 12 angels.

12.  The Beatles released a total of 12 studio albums.

The number 12 has been a big deal all over the world on this day. However, biblically the number 12 has been significant for centuries. In fact, it is one of God’s favourite numbers -alongside 7 of course ;). It symbolizes perfection or completeness. It is the number tribes God separated his people into, the number of disciples Jesus chooses to walk the closest with him, and is a significant number in the construction of the new Jerusalem. It seems like every time the number 12 pops up in the bible, it is connected to something big God is doing in the world to advance his kingdom. Some biblical scholars even point out that 12 is the product of 3 (being the divine number) and 4 (being four corners of the earth). It is interesting that the combination of divinity and earth creates the perfection or completeness and how this is reflected in Christ’s coming to Earth.

This could just be a silly day to celebrate, but if it is an important number for God, let’s add some spiritual significance. Today marks an opportunity for you to advance God’s ministry in Scotland by partnering with us. What we are asking for is simple. We need 12 people to commit to 12 dollars for 12 months. This would secure all of the rest of the funds we need to return and make it possible to continue our work in Scotland. Don’t let this just be another day, let continue in God’s tradition of adding significance to the number 12.

 If you are interesting in being part of this, you can sign up here-  www.worldoutreach.org/donations

What a crazy three weeks! Update!

We are so blessed. Thus far our visit to the States has been great. We have been able to visit family, reconnect with old friends, meet some new ones and knock out a big chunk of our fundraising.

When we left Edinburgh we needed about $1200 a month to reach out bare minimum budget. Within the three and half weeks we have been in the States we have had about $800-900 committed. We only have about $350 a month to go in order to reach our goal.

We have been so blessed and surprised by the people God has sent to us and who are willing to support our ministry in Edinburgh. It just goes to show how much bigger the Church is than our congregations.  We are excited to see how God is going to move and who he will send our way in our last few weeks of fundraising. Thank you all for your support and prayers. It has been an incredible, crazy adventure thus far. We couldn’t do this without you backing us.

We need to raise the rest of our support before December 15^th, so we can have time to apply for our visa. We only need $350 more a month! If you can commit to a monthly gift at this time, but would still like to support us – one time gifts are a blessing as well. These gifts will go to cover the expense of our visa application – which costs about $2,500.

**If you are interested in supporting us financially please let us know. We would love to grab a coffee or meal with you and talk about what our ministry looks like in Edinburgh and how you can partner with us.

 

 

Support Update Letter

Dear Family and Friends

As you know we have been living Scotland for about 14 months now, and let me tell you it has been absolutely amazing. We love everything about Edinburgh, the culture, the people, the city itself. It is an amazing place to live, we are so blessed. This is where we have made our homeand meet so many amazing people we get to share our lives with.

We originally went to Scotland for Nic to get a Master’s degree for Edinburgh University and hopefully go straight into the PhD program. However our plans changed a bit. After Nic completed his Master’s Degree at Edinburgh University this August, we transitioned into working with a church plant called Mosaic full time. We feel like God has been preparing us for this and has called us to work with this amazing group of people.

In the beginning of September, Nic came home for a short fundraising trip; however we were a bit over-ambitious to think we could raise all of our support in two weeks. We were able to secure about 50% of our annual budget. However because our visa application was rendered invalid, the cost of applying has increased. This means that once we apply for our visa application it will drop is back to 30% of our annual budget. So after much consideration we have decided to come back to the states to fundraise for a couple of months. Once we feel comfortable that we have secured enough funds, we will reapply for our visa from the States.

Our goal is to raise $1,800 a month. As of November 20th, we have about $1,200 a month committed. We have had a few small victories while we have been back in the states, which have bumped our support back up to 65%. While we are excited by the increase in support we have seen already; we also know that if we do not raise the rest of our support, we cannot return to our Edinburgh home unless we have reached our support goal by December 15th.

Would you please consider supporting our ministry in Edinburgh? We are asking for commitments of $25, $50 or $100 on a monthly or quarterly basis. We are also accepting on time gifts. We say this with all honesty, we cannot do this without you. Your donations are the only reason we can stay in Edinburgh and do this ministry, so please let us know your decision as soon as possible if you can help!

Thanks for your prayers and support. We look forward to hearing from you.

Nic & Ashley


PS. While we are in the States you con contact us by email or phone at 1(317) 372 8644

Our Schedule

Here is our schedule while we are in the States. We would love to meet with you! Please let us know if you are available. Our contact number is 1(317)-372-8644, or you can always email us at nic.ash.edinburg@gmail.com

 

November 16-30 - Indianapolis

 

Decemeber 1- 10/11- Bolingbrook/Romeoville

 

December 10/11-21 Indianapolis

 

December 22-30 Bolingbrook/Romeoville

Sometime in here we are hoping to take a trip to Central Illinois. If you live in central Illinois and would like to see us let us know and we can hoepfully set up a date :)

Looking forward to seeing you all!

Secrets and Surprises

We are back! Yes it is true… the Alexanders are back in theUSA.

If you have been following our blog or Facebook’ you are aware that we have had a few difficulties with our visa situation. In short,due to a random security hold on our bank account the UKBA was unable to take our visa payment, which rendered our visa application invalid. While we did not have to pay the visa fee for the first application (THANK YOU JESUS), this mess has caused our visa application to be more expensive. While we have raised about 50% of our annual commitment, once the fee for the application is taken out we will drop back to 30%. It is not wise for us to pay for our visa application with the possibility that we may not have enough support to stay in Edinburgh more than 3 or 4 months’ time. So after much consideration we have decided to come back to the states to fundraise for a couple of months. Once we feel comfortable that we have secured enough funds, we will reapply for our visa from the States.

Our goal is to raise $1800 a month and right now we are at about $600-700. So we still have a ways to go. If you have been considering partnering with us, please let us know. Honestly, we cannot do this without you.You all are a crucial part of our ministry through prayer support and financial support.

We will be splitting our time between Chicago and Indianapolis, and elsewhere in between. We will post up our schedule soon. We would love to see as many people as possible and cannot wait to catch up with everyone.

On a happier note: We are so excited to be here. While this is not an ideal situation, we are so blessed to come home and visit with family and friends over the holiday. See you soon!!

Please continue to pray for us as we will be traveling and pray for God's guidance for us and our ministry.

P.S. Sorry for the late notice- things developed very quickly and we had to make a fast decision.

eNews

Last night we sent out our first official eNews. You can view it here. http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=2fbb854adaebd1019404bec0b&id=c882320d84&e=5cb4c5efa5

Normally we will not be put it on facebook or on our blog, but we wanted to give anyone the chance to sign up if they didnt get the chance.

If you would like to receive our eNews, you can subscribe at the bottom of the eNews, or just add your email address here.

It's never easy...is it?

As some of you have heard, we have has issues with out visa application.

In case you missed it, here is the story:

After having an online bill payment be denied yesterday, Nic called our bank to see what was going on. Apparently they placed a "random" security hold on our account last Wednesday. Unfortunately, the UK Border Agency tried to collect payment for our visa applications on Thursday and were denied. And our previous leave to remain has expired

Nic spoke to UKBA this morning. They said this most likely means our visa applicaiton is invalid. However, there is a small chance they might just send us a letter saying your payment did not go through, please pay the fee. IF this is the case, all we need to go is pay the fee and we wont have to reapply. However if our visa appliacation is rendered invalid, we have 28 days from the expiration of our visa (October 12) to re-apply before we have to leave the country.

Right now we are stuck waiting until officially (via post) from UKBA. There is nothing we can do in the meantime as they have all of our documentation- passports, marriage license, birth certificates, etc.  We covet your prayers in this hectic time. Please pray that we would get the easy way out and be able to pay the fee and not have to re-apply.

Other prayer needs:

- Ashley has TMJ -in short it is a jaw disorder which causes clench and grinding of teeth that results in extreme pain in the face and headaches and fatigue. She needs to wear a mouth guard at night; however we left it at the hotel we were staying at this weekend. We were hoping they would have kept it and they could post it to us, but they threw it away. Ashley now does not have a mouth guard and is starting to feel the affects. It is a catch-22 because she needs to go to the dentist to get fitted for another guard, however until we get a visa we cannot see the doctor or dentist.

-Ashley has really started to make connections at work. Pray that she would continue to build these and be a good example of Christ in her work place.

- Nic woke up last night with some stomach issues (we will spare you the detials). We are not sure if it is a virus, flu or food posioning. Please pray for healing and that he would recover soon! Also pray that his is not something serious as we cannot see a doctor until we get our visa approved.

- Also please pray for Nic and his sleep. He has been having a rough time sleeping through the night. He had this similar thing happen last semester and it really began to affect him. Please pray for him to get good sleep and not to be woken up in the night.

In general just please pray for us as we feel like things are getting more diffucult and we are feeling a lot of push back. We feel like we may be under attack and experiencing a bit of spiritual warfare.  Please pray for protection over us.

Gartmore House!

Nic and I are so blessed. This weekend, actually starting tomorrow we are headed here....

 

It is a 18th century mansion at the foot of the Scottish Highlands. 

 

Back Story: A friend of ours was raising funds to do missions work in Scotland, but then ended up studying at the University with Nic instead. Because he has already raised the funds for his work in Scotland, it was just sitting there. The donations we just going to be sent back to other people, but this friend asked if the fund could be used to send Nic and I and 2 other families to a conference all expenses paid. They agreed.

 

We are so excited! This is a much needed break from the normal everyday and to spend time together away from all of our responsibilities. We are also so excited at the possibility of connecting with other people who are doing the same kind of stuff we are all over Europe.

 

Below is a little information about the conference:

  

• Theme — "21st Century Disciples." Our discussion will center on 21st    century discipleship: What is it? How do we envision and pursue it in our missional communities?

• Invitation — "Come join us for a fun, enriching weekend of worship, fellowship and encouragement in the Scottish Highlands just north of Glasgow. Gartmore centre features walking trails, access to beautiful Loch Lomond and stunning scenery.

Can I ask that you would pray for Nic and I this weekend?

    

1. Pray that we would be reenergized, inspired and encouraged.
2. Pray for good connections to be made with others who are doing the same kinds of work we are.
3. Pray for our marriage to be refreshed this weekend as we get to spend more time together.
4. Pray for listening ears and hearts for whatever God wants us to take away from this weekend.

 

UKBA

 

OUR VISA APPLICATION IS IN THE POST!

Please pray for us that it will be approved--that we will not encounter any difficulties. Pray for favour at the United Kingdom Border Agency.

September Goals Recap

We cannot believe it is October already! Where did September go? While it seemed to go by so fast, it truly has been a fruitful month!

At the end of each month, we will look back at the goals we set out for that month. The reason for this is two-fold. 1. We want to be accountable to you and our supporters. 2. This is an easy way to keep track of our progress and what we are doing here.

So, here are the goals we set out for September

Our Neighbourhood
- Get acquainted with out new neighbourhood
- Being making connection in our new area
- Find a café/pub to call our own (visit at least once a week)

Young Adults/Uni Students
- Attend orientation events for Edinburgh Uni and make connections with incoming students
- Help students get settled (cell phones, flats, figuring out the city, etc.)
- Attend Christian Union at least twice

Community Building
- Host bonfire/barbeque in Mid-September
- Look for social groups to join
- Begin our own social groups
- Begin building a pool of people who might be interested in joining our missional community

Mosaic Leadership
- Nic continue to meet with Mosaic Leadership
- Begin researching/reading more missional community books
- Determine how we fit with the leadership team and how we can best help

So….How did we do?

Our Neighbourhood
- We think we have done a great job connecting with people in our neighbourhood. 

- We have met a few people in our new complex and had a few conversations with them, but honestly we have had better connections with people outside of our complex. I think this is just due to the culture here. My colleague at work was telling me just today that Scots are very private people, who make sure their blinds are closed and doors are shut. It is hard to make connections with them unless there is a reason, such as being in a social group together.

- There is a church building right across from our flat that houses a charity for recycled furniture. We have spoken with them and they have agreed to let us clean up their grounds and plant a garden. Our goal for this project is simple: to bring beauty back into our neighbourhood. There is nothing in it for us, except maybe some exercise ;)

- We have found our pub—it is called the Harp and Castle. And it is only about 4-5 minutes’ walk from our flat. Nic is now attending poker night on Wednesday and has already made a few friends who have recognized him and talk to him outside of the pub while just walking around.

- Also, the people around our neighbour have started to recognize us, which is always good to identified as a local. We have really seemed to connect with the homeless guy who sits in front of the Scot-Mid (local grocery/convenience shop).He is really nice and now we just need to find out what we can do for him and how we can connect with him.

Young Adults/Uni Students
- We have not done as well with connecting with the University as a whole. Without Nic as a student, our connections with the University are more limited and can sometimes seem forced. We want our connections with people to be natural and organic, so we have to develop a new approach to connecting with students. However we have connected with one new student in particular who has become part of our Mosaic community and we have been spending a lot of time with her. She is now a part of Ashley’s Life Transformation Group, which meets weekly and will be a part of our missional community group as well. Nic has been able to help her a lot with school related questions, as he went through everything she is just one year ago.

Community Building
- We did not have a bonfire/barbeque, basically because we don’t have funds currently to get a grill or bonfire pit. However we improvised and had a pizza and movie night. It was a good low-key first chance to get together with a bunch of young adults. 

- As for social groups, Ashley is currently in one craft group, and looking to start a new one in November. She is currently brainstorming the structure of it and looking for a free venue.
- Nic has joined a poker group, which he will blog more about shortly. But basically there is a poker league around the city held at different pubs. The Harp and Castle (mentioned above) holds a Poker Night—Nic went to check it out last week and was so impressed with it and community that is built there.

- It has been encouraging the more and more people we meet who are interested in this different form of church. We gathered a group of about 8-10 young adults to be part of our missional community and are still adding.

Mosaic Leadership
- We are both on the teaching team for our Mosaic Gathering. We had our first meeting last night and it went well. We are going to have to be creative in the ways that we approach teaching and thinking out of the box, but we have a great team to work with. 

- Ashley is on the Creative team, which is in charge of planning creative events for our third Sunday gathering. The third Sunday will still go along with the theme the teaching team comes up with, but with just a different expression of it.

Other accomplishments/happenings in September
1. Nic had a two week trip to the USA for vision casting and fundraising.
2. We have moved flats, to our new neighbourhood in Leith
3. Nic was ordained at one of our Mosaic gatherings about two weeks ago.
4. Ashley has been starting to make more connections at work with her colleagues and trying to find ways to engage them in conversation and get to know them better.
5. We have 50% of our yearly budget raised/committed.
6. Ashley has found a new other social events/groups to take part in.

We will put up out October goals this week :)

BIG NEWS!

Post by: Ashley

Not that we had any doubt, but we were so excited for the offical notification for the University!

 

I am so proud of all the hard work, time and energy Nic has put into this program.

Congrats my love!

Waiting....

Post by: Nic

Just a quick update to keep everyone posted on some things that are developing. It's shaping up to be a really big couple of weeks for us!

I've never been very good at waiting for results. Good or bad, I'd rather just know! So you'd think waiting for my dissertation to be graded ( been month and a half or so now) would be driving me crazy, but it's not been so bad. Actually, with all that's been happening here since my return from the States, I often forget about my unsecured masters Degree. I've not officially passed until I hear back from the school, and we cannot apply for our new visas until I've been notified either way. But this is it, this is the week I should hear back!

So thats one "waiting" period thats almost over. Another is about to begin. Ashley and I are currently here in a student visa. Which is sort of funny, since I haven't been one Ina few months now :). Anyway, our old visa expires October 12 and we need apply for our new WORKER visa by that date. There are a few things that need to happen before we can apply, ALL of which need to go smoothly if we hope to get our application accepted. So Please pray that everything flows smoothly ! Assuming all goes well, we'll be sending our visa applications in at the end of the week! Could be up to a couple of months before we officially have permission to stay in the country, but hopefully it comes much sooner!

Just a quick financial update. We have just crossed over the 50% mark for our annual support raising goal! High thanks to all if our supporters! What a blessing you guys have been for us on ministry and life. :) if you would, please continue to pray that God would help us connect with and find more partners (financial and otherwise) do that we can continue to be part of what Gods doing here in Scotland.

Nic's Ordination

This past Sunday, at our Mosaic Gathering, Nic was ordained by the leaders. It was quite the experience. I put together this little video to capture Nic's ordaination and a few other thoughts from people in our community.

 

Please see video here: Vimeo: Nic's Ordination (Sorry I couldnt get it to attach or embed here)

 

 

Recent Happenings

I cannot believe it has been almost two weeks since our last post! The time has flown by. Apologies for the lack of communication! We have been SO busy and we are without wifi at the moment. We are in the process of getting our internet set up at our new flat, but in the meantime I only have internet access at work or if we go out to a cafe. :(

 So since we have been off the grid for the past two weeks here is a quick update:

1. We moved to a new flat. And by we I mean myself with the help of friends. Nic was still in the States for another week, but our move in date was the 1st. So I rounded up some friends with cars by bribbing them with food and they helped me move all of our stuff. I will put up pictures shortly :)

2. Nic was finishing up his trip in the States. He had a great trip and will update you more on that later. :)

3. We had a new student, Kayla, who will be studying at the University come in with her parents. It worked out perfect that they could stay in our old flat since we didnt have to be checked out yet. Cant wait to get to know her better.
4. We celebrated Express Thanks/Christmas with Adam, Caroline and the Michaels. Adam and Caroline (friends through the University and Mosiac) left Edinburgh to head back to the states and get married, but we didnt want to miss out on Thanksgiving or Christmas with them so we did it express style.

It has been a crazy two weeks. We will update more when we have access to wifi. But until then you can pray for us in these specific ways:

1. We are still in our fundraising stage and we are trust God that we will be provided for, even when we dont know how.

2. Nic is still suffering a bit from jetlag (he says it is his old age getting him down). In addition neither one of us have not been sleeping well at night since our mattress is terrible and we are in need of a new one, but dont have money to buy one just yet.

3. I am really starting to connect with people at work and build more of a relationship with them. Nic and I went out with a few colleagues of mine last night and spent about almost 6 hours at the pubs, it was great to connect with them outside of the work place. We really hit it off with a few of them and hope to spend more time with them.

4. Things for Mosaic are happening fast! We are launching new missional communities and worship ideas in October, but there is a lot of preparation to be done before that can all happen.

5. In the past month, we have had 3 more young adults join Mosaic. This is exciting for friendship, missional communities, and the potiential we have to impact other young adults. Pray for Calvin, Amanda, and Kayla who are all in a transition period and trying to adjust to Edinburgh.

Check this out!

Catch a glimpse of the beautiful city of Edinburh, where we live and will be beginnng our ministry.

Emails Updates?

If you would like to receive email updates from us, please leave a comment below with your email address or email us at nic.ash.edinburgh@gmail.com and we will add you to the list.

P.S. We wont flood your inbox, we promise! We are only going to be sending about 1-2 emails a month. ;)

Announcement

We are so excited to announce that we now have a Missionary Agency assisting us! World Outreach Ministries will help as our Stateside office. They will send Tax Deductible receipts to our supporters and facilitate all donations to our account. Please direct all future support to their office and designate it for Nic & Ashley Alexander #172.

Ways to Give:

1. Mail checks to
World Outreach Ministries
P.O. Box B
Marietta, GA 30061
Nic & Ashley Alexander #172

2. Donte Online
https://worldoutreach.org/donateonline
Our name is listed in the drop down list. From there you can follow the step by step instructions.

Thank you all for your support! We are overwhelmed by the enthusaism of everyone we have spoken to. Your support is so important to us. Thanks for being a part of our lives and minstry.

P.S. Nic told me that we have commitments for 10% of our yearly budget! PRAISE GOD! We are astounded by the response thus far. And so thankful for God's continual faithfulness and how he always provides!

Prayer Walk through Edinburgh

On Friday, we went for a prayer walk around Edinburgh. We figured since Nic is completely finished with this Master's program this would be a good first step for our ministry. We took photos along the way so you could journey with us as we prayed for different areas of the city.



 

Pray for our friend who works at Yum Yum(one of our favorite take out shops). Nic has really hit it off with him and has started to have some really good conversations with him. Pray for wisdom and guidance that Nic will have to right things to say.

 

 

The Last Drop has been a great and special place for us to develop friendships. Pray that these friendships with University Students would continue to grow.
 

This is Grassmarket, our "neighborhood." It is a really large and popular public gathering area, between really lively nightclubs and stripclubs. It is already a place a joy and entertainment, but  Pray that Grassmarket would continue to be a place of joy, but that the joy would be found in Christ.

 

This is Cowgate; it is notorious for drunkenness, partying and mischief. Pray for the safety of those who are out late at night in this area. Also pray for wisdom and boldness for us on how to engage some truly broken people.

This is part of the University of Edinburgh, called New College: Divinity School. This is where Nic attended and completed his Masters of Theology this past year. There is a good mix of Christians and non-Christians among faculty and students. Pray that God’s word will be taken seriously, and that Christian students would grow deeper in their faith and prove that Christianity and academia can co-exist. Also pray that students who are not believers would come to know the truth of who God is through their studies.
 

This is the student union called the Teviot Building. It is FULL of students all the time, amongst the 2 bars, club, and other rooms designated for student groups. This would be THE PLACE to get best connected with the student population. Pray that we would make connections here and that God would guide us as we engage students from all over the world.

Currently Edinburgh is hosting multiple festival, the more prominent being the Fringe Festival. There are thousands of comedians, actors, musicians, and other various performers doing shows all around the city. These shows reflect the values and attitude of the culture of Edinburgh, especially of young adults. Sex and nudity is everywhere, faith and religion are the butt of many jokes, and overall many performance are degrading and disrespectful. Pray for conviction for those who are attending and those putting these performances. There are some Christian performances that come and try to make their mark on the Fringe. Pray that they are creative in their presentation of the gospel and are received well.

This is the Scottish Parliament building. Pray for the Scottish government to be infused with more Godly leaders who are interested in advancing the Kingdom.

This is our new flat! Pray that we would have a smooth transition (move in date September 1). Also pray that we would actually get to know our neighbours and find a way to fill needs in the community.

 

 

This is Leith Walk. It is the main street in our new area of town, called Leith. It is a couple miles outside of city centre and has more “real” (local) people, not a many tourists. We have been told about the great community Leith has and are anxious to become a big part of it. Pray that we are accepted into the community and that we have energy to actively pursue and develop relationship.

 

This is “The Boat” (i.e. Ashley’s work). We have been so blessed by this job and couldn’t have asked for a better fit. Ashley came on as an admin, but she was promoted within her first 2.5 months to a Project Manager. Pray that Ashley would continue to work hard and excel at her job. Also pray that as she continues to develop relationships with her co-workers that she would be an good example of what Christianity real is.

Arrived!

Posted by: Ashley

Nic is officially Stateside. He arrived in Chicago yesterday at 2pm (Chicago time) and headed for Indianapolis shortly after landing. I received a message at 3:20 (Edinburgh time) that he had arrived safely. :)

Please continue praying for Nic as he travels around the Midwest. Lots of people to see and places to visit. You can see his schedule here....http://down-to-earth-edinburgh.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/coming-soon.html.

Pray for me to that I will keep busy and not be too lonely. It has been strange without Nic here and I am not quite sure what to do with myself.

We will keep you updated! Thanks for praying.

COMING SOON!!!

Post by Nic

IT’S ME! I AM COMING SOON!

I will be in the States from August 23- September 6 and I hope to meet with as many of you as I can. I have lots of places to visit and lots of people to see.  So I thought it would be a good idea to schedule times for a quick chat in advance. If you would like to meet with me take a look and see what works best for you and let me know. You can comment below or send me an email (nic.ash.edinburgh@gmail.com) or send me a message on Facebook. Can’t wait to see you all J

Here is where I will be when:

Indianapolis, IN – August 23-27

Springboro, OH- August 28-29

Lincoln, IL- August 30-31

Bolingbrook, IL- August 31-September 4

Chicago, IL – September 5-6

Greetings from Scotland!

Nic is a few weeks away from finishing his Masters of Theology. Studying at the University of Edinburgh has been a phenomenal experience for Nic. He has learned and grown so much as an academic and a scholar. However, it has become SO clear to us that God brought us here for more than JUST school.

Since moving to Edinburgh, we have been heavily involved with a church movement called Mosaic. They are a small community of believers that are trying to be and show Jesus to a culture that rejects him and finds the church cold, out of date, and irrelevant.  It was only about 100 years ago that Edinburgh was selected as the location for the world missionary conference and was considered the beacon of Christianity in Europe. However, with the rise of postmodernism/postchristianity, interest in the Church and Christianity experienced (and continues to) sharp decline. The rise of Secular Humanism has only added to the idea that church is unnecessary and there is no need for exclusive faith-based religion, never mind life devotion to God. Here people are encouraged to be self-sufficient at a young age and think that they can find life’s purpose on their own.

While, Edinburgh has gorgeous cathedrals and chapels throughout the city; many of them struggle to retain (and grow) their congregation, others stand vacant and some do not even functioning as a centre for worship any longer. While some churches trying to become more contemporary and relevant, many of the churches in Edinburgh remain quite traditional, or at least outdated.  Environments such as these are not exciting, attractive or inviting to those who are really in need of a church community and experience. It has become clear that for ministry to be effective here it must look and function differently.

Mosaic has realized the need for a new and different approach in order to reach people and it attempting to penetrate the city for Christ through alternative means. This is done through weekly worship gatherings, community groups, and missional living. Mosaic has been a great place of growth and encouragement for both of us even in the relatively short time we have been connected with them. One of the things that we love most about Mosaic and their vision is that they recognize and encourage everyone to use the gifts and passions they have to reach people within their immediate communities, those they see every day.

 Through Nic’s connections and relationships at the University, we have discovered our passion for engaging and interacting with young adults and the university students. The leadership of Mosaic has recognized and affirmed our calling and gifts to this group. As a student at the University, Nic has had an opportunity to understand the heartbeat of young adults here. We know their struggles and needs, the difficulties they face as young adults, and the important cultural, political and religious issues they wrestle with because we are right there, living life alongside them. There are 10+ colleges and universities in Edinburgh, and the city is crawling with students (over 57,000 in total), all of who are craving community and a sense of purpose in their life. We want to help them find both!

 We believe God has used this year as a time of preparation and growth for both of us. Since May, we have been intentionally praying and thinking about this ministry. The Mosaic leadership has asked us to officially partner with them and for us to develop a ministry for university student and young adults. We are beginning this ministry in September and have committed to this ministry for a minimum of three years. The basics of our ministry will include: 1) building up and disciplining a Christian community through worship, small groups and missional living; 2) joining and facilitating social groups to engage and make relationships with non-Christians throughout the city; and 3) taking part in social activism/justice opportunities to make a positive impact for the kingdom.

 Our goal is to raise about $1800 USD per month for living and ministry expenses. It would be great if you could support us in this new adventure. Whether or not you are able to financially support us, we really need your prayers and encouragement. Enclosed you will find a letter from James Petticrew, the leader of Mosaic, as well as a commitment card. We look forward to hearing from you. Nic is making a trip to the States on August 22- September 6 to generate interest and support in our ministry and would be glad to meet with you.

 Yours Truly, 

Nic & Ashley Alexander