Georgia Mjartan is the Executive Director of Our House, a shelter in Little Rock that provides the working homeless with safe housing, food, child care, education and job training. Her story speaks to the compelling nature and power of unity:

“I visited Mosaic for the first time on January 14, 2007 and on that day, Christ came into my heart. Before then, my concept of ‘God’ was very abstract and removed from day-to-day life. When people referred to God as someone who was working in their lives, I thought they were being disingenuous.

“In the summer of 2006, a man named Corey Ford came into the shelter. Corey is 6’2” and has tattoos up and down his arms and neck. A former drug addict, he spent four and a half years in prison. Yet, here he was working in my shelter and truly concerned about the welfare of those around him. So when Corey told me how God was working in his life, I believed him. How else, but by the power of God, could someone be so truly transformed?

“In January, Corey invited me to attend his church, Mosaic. On that Sunday, we arrived early and just in time for the weekly prayer meeting. Sitting with others in a small circle of prayer, I felt God’s presence. Here were people of all different backgrounds, whose prayers sounded different - different intonation, different words - and all of these people were praying together to one God. Somehow I knew that God could hear these prayers. I did not have a question about that anymore.

“As the room filled, I felt overwhelmed with joy. There were black people and white people, Hispanic people, Deaf people, Asians, families with babies and the Blind. We were young and old, students and professionals, wealthy and poor. I felt at home in this place and with these people. I felt God’s presence in the music, in our connectedness and in our prayers.

“During the service, there was also a time of communion. Whenever I had witnessed communion as a visitor in other churches prior to this, I had always stayed in my seat. I knew what communion represented and I knew that participation meant personally accepting Christ’s sacrifice. However, when communion began at Mosaic, I knew I was now ready to take part. In that moment I chose Christ, accepting Him and His sacrifice for me.

“After communion, there was worship and praise. I closed my eyes. I told myself that it wouldn’t matter what anyone else thought of me. This was between me and my God. As I began to worship, I felt Christ’s glory all around me. My hands lifted up to Him. Christ had come into my heart and He is now a part of my day-to-day life!”