|
Inside This Issue
Past Issues
|
HMCC of Ann Arbor Undergraduate Retreat
This year, over 185 participants, including 52 eager freshmen, chose to spend the Friday through Sunday of their fall break at the annual HMCC undergraduate retreat. This was the largest undergraduate retreat attendance to date, and required the use of Faholo's newly refurbished Tabernacle. The large dome-like facility, capable of fitting 500 people, fully resonated with laughter, praise and prayer from morning to night.  Students tightened their relationships with others in their class throughout the retreat. From the opening ice breaker games where the classes battled, to creative skits performed by classes, the bond among each of the classes strengthened. It was amazing to see what our students can do with unusual props like heart-shaped pillows and Christmas Lights. Each class also spent a time of sharing and prayer on Saturday, which also involved Pastor Seth meeting privately with the freshmen to encourage them to make the most of their college years. A highlight of the retreat was the special Transformasphere session that was held on Saturday morning. Students were given the choice to attend any of the C.H.A.R.G.E.D seminars that were led by various leaders and members of Covenant (married couples ministry) and Focus (single adult ministry). The seminars gave students a picture of what the Transformasphere movement could look like in practice within their future sphere of study or work, and created connections among students within each sphere.  The evening sessions on Friday and Saturday were focused on corporate worship and prayer. The messages centered on themes of God's strength in weakness and faith-based prayers. A new phrase came out from Saturday night's prayer time: "BOOYAG! Prayers"...Big, Outrageous, Over-the-top, You're Awesome God Prayers. The retreat was capped off with a Sunday Celebration that included an open time of testimonies where students shared how God ministered to them at the retreat. Though there wasn't enough time for everyone to share, testimonies continued to spread in the weeks after the retreat-including testimonies of students who accepted Christ at the retreat, and during the week after. It was a memorable weekend for the students, and according to the testimony of many of the older leaders, one of the most powerful retreats in our Church history. We praise God for all that He has done in this month alone, and are looking forward to the year ahead! |
|
HMCC of Chicago Undergraduate Retreat The week leading to HMCC of Chicago's first Undergraduate Retreat was dedicated as a time of preparation and prayer. Small groups fasted together and we gathered each night to pray and seek the Lord together. It has been said that you can always tell how a retreat will be depending on how significant the prayer leading up to it. The times of prayer with the college students of our church showed a certain depth of hunger and anticipation for what God would do. On Friday (10/26), we packed into the church van and cars and drove through the nasty Chicago traffic and arrived at Lakelawn Resort, in Delavan Wisconsin two hours later. Perhaps what stands out most about the retreat is the worship experience. The band from Ann Arbor was able to merge with some of our band members and lead us during the times of worship. We began to experience together a spirit-led time of worship and deeper times of corporate prayer. It was great to be able to see our undergrads catching on to the vibrant and transformational spirituality that is distinctively HMCC. Another highlight was being able to spend time with one another. There's something about being out in nature away from the regular routine of classes and schoolwork that allows us to slow down enough to reflect and spend time enjoying the community. Whether it was through the crazy class activities of "whacky mini golf" or whether it was shivering by the lakefront, that sense of unity was experienced almost organically throughout the retreat.  We closed off the retreat with a time of prayer. As the students came forward to receive prayer and as they began to pray for one another, there was an undeniable extension of God's grace. Not surprising since the messages for our very first retreat was about the depth of God's grace in our lives. As the truth about God's enormous love for our church's undergrads settled in, the natural reaction was that many were able to move forward in their relationships with God. Though we had to drive back to Evanston late in the night and the band back to Ann Arbor, many of us couldn't help but to marvel in the midst of our tiredness and admit to one another that "it's worth it!" How true it is - when college students are able to experience God (some for the first time), when we are able to tangibly represent the biblical principle of unity and when we are able to begin participating in Kingdom work, we can't help but to say that Christ is worth it!
|
H-Games Champions: Fight Club
|
2007 H-Games An inflatable pool, Super Mario characters, massive ropes, face paint, and complicated math problems...all were elements of this year's H-Games. Familiar elements were included as tradition: the opening ceremony but this time with a Super Mario theme, a relay that included people spinning around a dowel rod, and of course the intense Tug-of-War to conclude the event. However, there were many new components that kept the day even more interesting. First, there were the 'intermissions' presented by Building Blocks ministry that hosted mini competitive games for the toddlers and children. One of games included the children doing a tug of war against three of their biggest teachers. Second, was the first-ever math based competition so that H-Games can be remember as not only a battle between brawn, but also a contest of the mind. Thirdly, small groups were allowed to earn pre-H Games points through a recycling contest; whichever small group raised the most money through recycling cans not only were able to earn significant H-Games point, but they contributed to help fund the Undergraduate Retreat. And lastly, this was probably one of the first H-Games in years that had over 75 degree weather! The warmth allowed small groups to get even more creative with face paint-that eventually became body paint.
H-Games has become an important tradition to HMCC since it is one of the few special events where all 25 life stage small groups, from children to married couples, can gather together. It is remarkable to see our group photo on the hill get bigger with every year. Congratulations to this year's H-Games trophy winner, one of the Focus small groups: "Fight Club"! |
|
Medical Outreach MinistryIt has been a busy and fruitful season for our Medical Outreach Ministry! In late September, members of our church had the privilege of hosting a pre-health conference for Undergrads who were thinking about careers in healthcare. We provided different informational seminars encompassing a variety of medical disciplines (including medicine, nursing, physician assistant, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry) and had the opportunity to share from our own experiences about different opportunities we've been involved with as Christian healthcare professional locally and internationally (medial missions). Since the majority of our team members are working professionals or graduate students, it was a great joy for us to be able to spend time with Undergrad students who were just starting out in their career paths.
This past month, members of our Dental Team had the opportunity to visit a local housing community in Ann Arbor. Eight dental students from our church did an interactive workshop with the children (ages 3 to 14 years old) emphasizing the importance of oral hygiene and proper brushing and flossing technique. It was a great avenue for us to step out into the community and practically make an impact utilizing some of the things we had been learning in our lectures and lab sessions in school. We had a great time interacting with the community residents.  This past Saturday October 27, a team of nine members from our medical Outreach Ministry hosted a Flu Clinic at Hikone Community Center. Along with the University of Michigan MFIT department, we provided flu vaccinations for 48 adults and children. We had a great time interacting with the community residents and talking to parents about flu prevention. Additionally, we held a second Flu clinic at GreenBaxter Community center. Sixteen community residents received flu vaccinations. We were able to reconnect with community residents and spent time talking with patient about different health needs. These flu clinics were a great avenue for us to go beyond the four walls of the church and into our community while providing an important health service for our patients. As a ministry, we are thankful for all of the different opportunities we had to engage our local Ann Arbor community as well. If you are interested in learning more about HMCC Medical Outreach Ministry please contact Susan Ahn (susan.ahn@hmcc.net). |
|
Alumni Spotlight: Leji Varghese Location: Mundelein, IL USA What do you do in your job? What significant changes have happened for you since you left HMCC? Please share some of your favorite memories from HMCC What did you take away from HMCC that you are thankful for, or that has positively impacted where you are today? What are some professional and personal goals you hope to attain in the future?
|
