Missions Week

Our annual Missions Week is a special week devoted to the topic of missions. During Missions Week 2007 our congregation was immersed in broadening our missional perspectives through daily morning prayer, small group biblestudies, and weekend gatherings with a special guest speaker, Dr. Tennent. It was our privilege to host him - as the Professor of World Missions & Indian Studies and Director of Missions Programs at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary he had much knowledge and insight to share with us.

Mission Week closed off with a special International Sunday Celebration. We experienced a longtime vision become reality as we held our first ever trans-cultural worship gathering. We heard Scripture readings and sang corporately in various languages, including Malay, Setswana, Mandarin, Spanish, Hebrew, Korean and English.

The Celebration was also a significant time as we introduced the new church theme: Think Globally. Train Locally. We caught a glimpse of the greater vision of world transformation and learned about the strategy of training locally. As we have seen God moving in Ann Arbor and Chicago, we believe that as we reach campuses we will be able to reach communities, which will allow us to reach world-class cities and ultimately reach the nations for the glory of God.

Transformasphere Update

On September 23, 2007, the Transformasphere Movement was officially birthed out of obedience to God to bring Christ's restorative power outside the four walls of the church and into the spheres of (c)ommerce, (h)ealthcare, (a)rts & media, (r)eligious institutions, (g)overnment, (e)ducation, and (d)omestic issues.

Since that time, our church has rallied together to go beyond the walls with our resources and talents and into spheres where we can make significant impacts. A few examples from recent months:

• Our single adult ministry spent a full Saturday to work on a Habitat for Humanity project in inner city Detroit.
Dental students from the Medical Outreach Ministry provided an interactive teaching session on basic oral care to an underprivileged community.
• A church small group rented out a local café in order to dialogue with young professionals in Ann Arbor on the topic of purpose in life.
• Some members, wanting to get involved in the political process, filmed questions and posted them on YouTube for the Republican YouTube presidential debate.
• Burdened for the global AIDS crisis, members hosted an AIDS awareness event in the community and gave a moving presentation to other members at an ACCESS gathering.

We praise God for our church members who are being mobilized to influence our community and society!

For more on the Transformasphere Movement, please check out: www.transformasphere.com

HMCC of Chicago Update

At HMCC of Chicago, this November set the foundations for discovering the heart of God for the lost and for the world. Renewed from the Undergraduate Retreat, we were plunged into missions week and began learning about the world around us and praying for the different world religions during morning prayer. The sermons in Access, "Faith in Action," opened our eyes to the spiritual needs around us. We saw that the very foundation of Christianity is God knowing us in our spiritual poverty; God entering into our lives as man; and God choosing to speak his word to us.

If the beginning of November consisted of this learning, it was closely followed by living it out through our small group hang-outs and Thanksgiving dinners. In the "busy-ness" of serving (whether it was shopping for food or mashing potatoes for hours straight) it was humbling to see that God's heart for this campus is so real and practical! He brought out unexpected people we hadn't met, through people we did not even know, and began to build relationships. He opens doors and breaks down barriers, because He is the pursuer and the good shepherd. The truth in the final bible study of November brought out a renewed urgency: the gospel is what this world needs to hear! And sacrificial love is what this world needs to see to support those words like a beam under a bridge.

Alumni Spotlight: Deb "Cougar" Kim

Location: Washington DC, USA
Profession: Government/Military
Job Title: Intelligence Analyst
Company: US Government

What significant changes have happened for you since you left HMCC?
After I graduated from college, I started working full-time and going to school full-time for my Master's Degree in Security Policy Studies from George Washington University. After two very painful years, I am finally done and ready to move on with my life!

Please share some of your favorite memories from HMCC
One of my favorite memories was the summer I spent in Ann Arbor. I was part of a small group called Alias. We really devoted ourselves to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.

I also really enjoyed playing powder-puff football with the Pebbles (2005) class. We were a great team together!

What did you take away from HMCC that you are thankful for, or that has positively impacted where you are today?
I really learned how to serve at HMCC, which has positively impacted the way I serve at my current church. A few months ago, I started leading the rock climbing events for the Athletics Ministry . I think all the things I learned from HMCC about serving (i.e. ministry mindset, every meeting counts, remembering names) really made an impression on my ministry team leaders. Thanks HMCC for everything!

What are some professional and personal goals you hope to attain in the future?
Professionally, I hope to be surrendered and obedient to God's plan for my life as I've learned so many times (the hard way, of course!) that my plans aren't always what God has in store for me. Personally, I hope to stay faithful all the days of my life.