Questions regarding the mailer,
"Mosaic: a LOOK BACK on 2007 and a LOOK AHEAD to 2008"
Mosaic L.A., the congregation led by Erwin McManus, recently sent out a mailer entitled: "Mosaic: a LOOK BACK on 2007 and a LOOK AHEAD to 2008."
A copy of this mailer was provided to me by a former member of Mosaic.
The mailer is high on hype but low on useful information regarding the relationship between the California registered "non-profit" corporation "Awaken Humanity" and the IRS tax exempt church, Mosaic L.A.
The Mosaic mailer has the appearance of a slick, promotional brochure. On the first inside fold there is a list of Mosaic trivia, "highlights from 2007," followed by short descriptions of the various aspects of Awaken Humanity 2006-2007 (Goal: $100,000, Given: $124,318.89.)
[The following nformation and excerpts are from the mailer:]
Awaken Africa
This sections mentions Breath of Heaven Children's Village in Zambia, "Informal Settlements" (Emthonjeni?) in South Africa and church planters among remote Zambian villages.
Awaken Europe
This section mentions the existences of teams to plant "Mosaic churches" in Germany, France, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden.
Awaken Los Angeles (excerpt)
"Through ServeLA, we helped our city through projects including Yelo with SEA (character and strengths training for at-risk students), Anti-Human Trafficking movements, ministry to the homeless, clean and sober recovery groups and Neo-Underground Railroad."
Global Leadership Conference (excerpt)
"A "time of encouragement and rest for our Mosaic International leaders, overseas workers, and their families in the summer of 2007." Also mentions care packages, Mosaic leadership development materials, "communication and re-entry needs to our international leaders."
The next fold of the mailer features a colored graph of yearly giving at Mosaic with the following information:
2005: $2,327,334
2006: $2,818,340 (Up 121.1%)
2007: $3,306,088 (Up 117.3%)
2008: $4,093,558 (Up 123.8%) This last column is in red and must represent a projected increase.
On the same page is a pie chart demonstrating Mosaic's"2007 Budgeted Expenses $3,977,782."
The pie chart is divided into:
52% Mission Support (Wages and Benefits)
24% Rents and Leases
21% Operations/Departmental Expenses
3% Awaken Humanity Giving
On the back of this fold is another pie chart illustrating Mosaic's 2008 Budget (2008 Budget $4,464,386.)
48% Mission Support (Wages and Benefits)
25% Rents and Leases
22% Operations/Departmental Expenses
5% Mosaic Alliances & Humanitarian Projects
There is also this personal message from Erwin McManus:
Thank you all for your generosity and your commitment to partner together to serve the world in Jesus' name with your time and resources to Mosaic!
Advancing the Invisible Kingdom,
Erwin R. McManus
(A photo of McManus is featured next to his signature.)
The last part of the brochure is a panel with brief descriptions of the focus areas for Awaken Humanity Projects 2007-2008, Goal: $150,000, Given $56,000.
Awaken Africa
This has the same basic information as that given for 2006/2007.
Awaken Asia and Middle East
Lists the following Projects: teaching teams, children's creative arts teams, arts teams for the Beijing Olympics, Yelo leadership teams, and a team to stop human trafficking. "Donations will also towards the building of Living Stones Village Orphanage in China for the handicapped and abandoned."
Awaken Ensenada and Honduras (excerpt)
"Bringing love and encouragement to communities lving well below the poverty level in Ensenada, Mexico, with construction, medical, children's and church leadership needs. Further south, we are helping with entrepreneurial and educational opportunities for families in the trash dumps of Honduras."
Mosaic Alliance Projects
(This category appears to be replacing the 2007 Awaken Europe) Church plants in Germany, New Zealand and Southeast Asia.
Awaken Los Angeles (NOTE: "ServeLA" appears to be the new umbrella ministry title for the following:)
"Through ServeLA . . . " projects include Yelo with SEA, Anti-Human Trafficking, homeless ministry and clean and sober.
Awaken the World (excerpt)
"When moments of crisis occur, we can be ready to move and to serve - anywhere in the world."
All of this information looks pretty straight forward but how does it compare against the information that was originally posted at both the Awaken.org and Mosaic.org websites?
AWAKEN.ORG: Awaken Humanity
This is the text that appeared at awaken.org/awaken-humanity back in May of 2007:
(Please note: the text at www.awaken.org/awaken-humanity has been altered since May of 2007 but I have retained a copy of the May webpage with the following text in place. I have added the highlights.)
(Humanity) the quality of being humane
Awaken Humanity is a documentary film project dedicated to making a difference on the issues of poverty, HIV/AIDS, and human trafficking.
Entitled “Things You Should Care About,” each film highlights a community or organization that is actively moving towards global change in their local community. Awaken Humanity strives to help people feel deeply about human suffering and become apart of a global force to bring about change.
* * *
“Awaken Humanity 2007″ - a chance to change the world with the gift of compassion and humanitarian service. GOAL: $100,000 to bring faith, love and hope to millions around the world!
*AWAKEN AFRICA
Zambia and South Africa
Africa is in a state of unprecedented crisis. In response to the human and spiritual poverty that threatens to devastate an entire generation, Awaken Humanity will be focusing on village outreach, training local leadership as well as providing transportation for local leaders to travel to remote
areas.Breath of Heaven Children’s Village in Zambia cares for children orphaned by the impact of HIV/AIDS. Your donation helps support the shelter, health, education, and spiritual development each child deserves.
Informal Settlements in South Africa are concentrated areas with displaced inhabitants and orphans, the majority living with HIV/AIDS. Your contribution will enable community development, AIDS relief and care, along with leadership training for local leaders and church planters.
*AWAKEN L.A.
Los Angeles has its own battles with gang activity, drugs, alcohol and spiritual hunger. Awaken Humanity mobilizes service to the needy and disadvantaged living in Los Angeles. Gifts will be used to fund some of the following projects:
SEA (Soladad Enrichment Action) serves at-risk youth in a final effort to encourage graduation from high school. Awaken Humanity would like to fund 400 students (and all 14 schools eventually) to participate in Yelo, a course in “StrengthFinders” and character development, to help students discover and use their unique abilities.
Nightlight L.A. is an organization in Bangkok, Thailand, and Los Angeles committed to combating human trafficking and the exploitation of women and children through outreach, transformative healing, economic and educational opportunities. NightLight encourages involvement in advocacy and follow-up care for women and children by developing a public awareness of the physical, psychological, legal, and economic consequences of prostitution and trafficking.
Homeless Service is in cooperation and support with other agencies such as L.A. Mission and Union Rescue Mission.
Clean and Sober provides assistance and support for those with life-dominating habits especially addiction to alcohol and drugs.
Neo-Underground Railroad encourages disadvantaged children and youth in South Los Angeles to experience and develop their abilities through a free creative arts and tutoring program.
*All donations are tax deductible. Please make checks payable to “Awaken” and indicate “Awaken Humanity” on the memo line and send to the Awaken offices
at:Awaken
1443E. Washington Blvd. #659
Pasadena, CA 91104-2650
*Note this is a mailing address and not an office address. Or, give online with the link below.
Donations will be distributed according to the need of each
area.
[In the above text, under Awaken Africa, there were two embedded video clips. The first featured Breath of Heaven Children's Village, the second featured "Emthonjeni" - this name was clearly visible in the video.]
It seesm fairly obvious that the Awaken Humanity described at awaken.org and the Awaken Humanity mentioned in the Mosaic mailer must be one and the same.
Both:
* Set a fundraising goal of $100,000
* Mention most of the same "projects" the money was being raised for.
Questions about this comparison:
Based on this side by side comparison, the Mosaic mailer raises far more questions than it answers but I'm only going to address a few of these questions:
*When were "Awaken Europe" and the "Global Leadership Conference" added to the Awaken Humanity 2007 campaign? These were not a part of the original fundraising appeal at awaken.org.
*Why wasn't the original appeal at awaken.org amended to accomodate these changes?
*Since adding more causes to the original campaign would result in less money being donated to each individual project, shouldn't donors have been notified of these additions?
*What happened to the "documentary film project?"
Back in April of 2007, I posed this very question to Mosaic's Executive Pastor, Eric Bryant (who is listed as the Agent for Service of Process for the California corporation, Awaken Humanity.) His response was:
"$0 given towards Awaken Humanity goes towards films. All the
money goes towards the projects listed."
Email from Eric Bryant, 4/20/07
*If what Eric Bryant said is true, then why did awaken.org say "Awaken Humanity IS a documentary film project?"
*What is the relationship between Erwin McManus' Awaken, Awaken Humanity and Mosaic?
It's very confusing how these three separate, legal entities keep referring back to eachother as though they were all a single organization. For example:
*If donations to Awaken were already "tax deductible" AND Awaken Humanity was listed as a part of Erwin McManus' Awaken, then why does Awaken Humanity now appear in a mailer sent out by Mosaic?
*Does this mean that Awaken Humanity is no longer a part of Awaken.org but is now a part of Mosaic?
*Does this mean Awaken Humanity is no longer seeking separate 501c3 status with the IRS?
I was told by Eric Bryant that Awaken Humanity would be seeking 501c3 status in the summer of 2007. Eric Bryant never responded to my request for a copy of the letter of intent to the IRS, a request that I am entitled to make under current IRS regulations.
The fact that "Awaken Humanity Giving" now appears as a "slice" in the Mosaic 2007 budgeted expenses suggests that it may no longer be seeking it's own tax exempt status but will remain as a "ministry" of Mosaic.
*Does this mean that Awaken Humanity will be dissolving it's corporate status with the state of California or will it remain, seemingly abandoned, in the California Business Portal database along with Erwin McManus' Awaken Center for Creativity and Awaken International?
MOSAIC.ORG: Mosaic Newsletter, August 2007
This is the information that appeared under the banner "Awaken Humanity" in the Mosaic Newsletter for August, 2007: (This version of the Mosaic Newsletter is no longer available but I have retained a copy for my files. I have added the highlights to this excerpt.)
Awaken Humanity:
Mosaic 2007 Global Focus for Year-Round Giving and Action
Giving update: As the summer is in full swing and many of these projects are in progress or already completed we wanted to give you an update.
So far this year we have raised $118,519.09!
Our original goal of $100,000 raised to bring faith, hope and love around the world has been met! You have exceeded our expectations, let's continue to support these amazing projects as giving will continue year-round and projects will be reviewe and updated in October. If you would like to serve with one of these projects or have additional projects you would like to be considered for Awaken Humanity focus, please let Janice know at Janice@mosiac.org. Thanks for your generosity. Your gifts are making a world of difference!
Awaken Humanity General: $68,828.40
Your giving has allowed for the Mosaic community to support the projects listed to the right, as well as assist our overseas workers to continue to expand the kingdom of God.
Awaken Africa: $40,412.69
Zambia and South Africa
Primary purposes: Breath of Heaven Children's Village in Zambia
Informal Settlements in South Africa
Providing a boat for transportation of local teams to remote, unreached
areas.
Awaken Europe: $2,300.00
Reaching major cities of influence.
Primary purposes: Mosaic Dusseldorf, Germany
Mosaic Paris, France
Teams in Dublin, Ireland and Zurich, Switzerland
Global Leadership Conference: $4,268.00
Assisting, Training, and Supporting our Overseas WorkersPrimary Purposes: Overseas workers covering Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Middle East, Africa, Europe, and South Africa.
Awaken L.A.: $2,710.00
Local Influence
Primary purposes: Nighlight L.A. (human trafficking)
Homeless Ministries
Neo-Underground Railroad (creative arts for kids in South LA.)
Yelo with SEAClean and Sober
I've already commented extensively on this particular entry in the Mosaic newsletter in my previous post, "Shining Daylight on Erwin McManus' Awaken, Part 3", http://solidfoods.blogspot.com/2007/09/shining-daylight-on-erwin-mcmanus_03.html. Please read this post for my analysis on approximately how much money each charitable cause received based on this "update" provided by Mosaic.
At the time this newsletter appeared, Mosaic was reporting that the total amount raised by the Awaken Humanity campaign for 2007 was $118,519.09. According to Mosaic's mailer, this amount rose slightly to $124,318.89, an additonal $5,799.80.
PLEASE NOTE! The Mosaic newsletter mentioned the exact same four categories given in the recent Mosaic mailer:
Awaken Africa ($40,412.69 was given to this category as per the information in the newletter.)
Awaken Europe ($2,300.00, " ")
Awaken Los Angeles ($2,710.00, " " )
Global Leadership Conference ($4,268.0, " " )
*But what about the $68,828.40 that went into something called "Awaken Humanity General?" This category is missing from the recent Mosaic mailer.
*Since the final total was even higher than reported in August of 2007 (by $5,799.80), exactly how much money went to the original charitable goals and how much ended up in the unspecified "general fund?"
*Why didn't the recent mailer from Mosaic give an updated breakdown on these projects?
*What happened to the money in the Awaken Humanity General fund?
A few concluding thoughts:
According to the pie chart representing Mosaic's 2007 Budgeted Expenses (found in the Mosaic mailer) 3% of last year's $3,977,782 was spent on Awaken Humanity Giving.
The pie chart for Mosaic's 2008 Budget projects an ambitious increase in giving to:
FOUR MILLION, four hundred sixty four thousand, three hundred eighty six dollars.Of this projected amount, a mere 5% has been designated for "Mosaic Alliances & Humanitarian Projects." That is an interesting choice of words given that the very same mailer includes information on Awaken Humanity Projects for 2007-2008. Please note that the pie chart DOES NOT say, "Awaken Humanity Projects."
*What does this mean?
*Is Awaken Humanity a part of the Mosaic budget or isn't it?
I have recently heard from both insiders within Mosaic and outsiders who have attended conferences sponsored by Mosaic that Erwin McManus has begun to voice "concerns" about the financial health of his church.
Could part of these concerns be due to the "$650,00 interest only loan" that Mosaic recently paid off on behalf of it's newest campus, Mosaic Inland (formerly Inland Community Church) This is reported in the Mosaic 2007 Highlights of the recent mailer, "Mosaic: a LOOK BACK on 2007 and a LOOK AHEAD to 2008."
What about the addition of "19 paid staff bringing the total to 42." (Again, this information is the mailer.)
Then there are the "major renovations to Mott Auditorium - new lights, seating and interior design." (Mosaic mailer)
Why is Erwin McManus suddenly so concerned?
In any case, referring back to my previous post regarding the breakdown of the funds for Awaken Humanity 2007, "Shining Daylight on Erwin McManus's Awaken Part 3, http://solidfoods.blogspot.com/2007/09/shining-daylight-on-erwin-mcmanus_03.html it appears as though the $100,000+ raised for that campaign was not effectively distributed since it had to be divided among so many different charitable causes.
In the final analysis, if the numbers provided by the August Mosaic Newsletter were correct, some of the charities mentioned received hardly any funds at all when compared against the total amount raised.
***Wouldn't it have been wiser to cut back on the number of charitable "projects" and given each of the remaining causes a much larger donation?
Now for the year 2008, Awaken Humanity has set a goal of raising $150,000 but has added even MORE charitable causes to its roster of "projects."
I think this is the saddest thought of all:
Yvonne W.
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