Sweet life on Sweet Street for Mosaic

Sunday service at Mosaic is just one aspect of their approach

For many people of faith, the physical building they worship in is an important part of their faith.

Be it a synagogue, mosque or church, the architecture of a place of worship can shape attitudes to that faith.

However, The Mosaic church group don't hold with such arguments - they believe that the church is made up of its followers.

So perhaps it's no surprise that their place of worship is a former warehouse in a rundown part of Holbeck.

Sweet Street in Holbeck is not somewhere you'd expect to find a flourishing church, with eager young members getting involved in their local community.

Despite large chunks of the area undergoing regeneration as part of the Holbeck Urban Village project, there are still decaying remnants of the industrial past and the area is a haven for prostitution.

However it's been the base for Mosaic, an evangelical Christian group, for just over two years. The group who've been operating in Leeds for five years in total started off as groups who met up in each other's homes, before graduating to the sizeable warehouse unit on Sweet Street.

Encompassing a large meeting hall for services, a kitchen and dining area as well as meeting rooms for discussion, the church building is used seven days a week.

Stephen Vaughan from Mosaic explained some of the background to the groups' faith and its work in the local community:

"Our place of worship may seem unusual to some, but for us the core material of the church is its members not the actual bricks and mortar. There are two services on a Sunday at Sweet Street but that's just the tip of the iceberg."

"We have mission groups based around people, places and passions. So, one group may discuss how our faith can help us interact within student groups or what we can offer to the homeless."

"Others may wish to discuss the practical realities of maintaining their faith within their workplace - be that as a doctor, journalist or factory worker. Passions refers to things like sport, film, theatre etc, and how our faith dovetails with those pursuits."

Mosaic believe they offer a vibrant, new brand of Christianity

"We still meet in informal groups in our homes because sometimes a big gathering can be a bit impersonal and people may have a need to seek practical or personal help and that kind of community is best found in smaller groups, from our experience."

"We don't divorce sprituality from practicality in Mosaic - it's two sides of the same coin. So, we like to get involved in community projects like Love Holbeck, which is a family fun day for the local area and we work alongside the St George's Crypt homeless project to help out in any way we can."

"I think people may have the wrong image of evangelical Christianity. We don't thrust it in people's faces. We find the website is the main portal into our church and word of mouth is the best advertising you can get."

"We're quite informal, although there are leaders who may set the agenda for services, meetings and take practical decisions on logistical matters - we hope that we're not seen as dictatorial. There's no cassocks or other formal garb - it's very much about who you are and what you believe rather than what you look like."

"Anyone who has faith and can impart their ideas successfully is welcome to help us spread the word - we welcome contributions from everyone in the church."