This Week!

Hi all,

This week we're back in LIFE group. YAY! Remember, Friday, 7:00pm at respective apartments. If you need a ride, please meet at the cube at 6:45pm for a ride. We'll be back studying the book of James together.

Finally, we're tentatively planning to have FOCUS IDOL on August 1st at the T-Center. That's right. FoCus IDOL! More details coming.

Take care and God bless!

-Moses

This Week!

Hi all,

This week, we will NOT be meeting all together. However, we will be meeting in the Spirit! This Friday we have the night off so that we can reach out to our co-workers and friends who would normally not come out to church. I want to encourage all of you to use this time to be purposeful. It is our prayer that there will be many YAY GOD moments that come out of this. Julie and I are going to be hosting a dinner for our co-workers; we're really pumped! Please pray that this time will be fruitful!

The following week we'll be meeting back in LIFE groups.

Finally, remember that there is a Community Picnic on July 12th at 1:00pm for those of us in Focus, Covenant, and Latitude (Youth Ministry of HMCC). This picnic will be at Almendinger Park. Each of our LIFE groups will be responsible for certain aspects of this picnic. More details forthcoming.

God bless!

This Week!

This week we'll be taking a break from LIFE group and the book of James for our Focus Large Group Gathering. Instead of meeting at various apartments, we'll be meeting at the T-Center at 7:00pm. Also, we'll be having dinner! :) This Friday we'll be having a very pragmatic study on how to share your testimony. I think this will be a fun and helpful time for all of us.

For the following Friday (6/26), we will NOT be meeting because we want to leave a Friday open for people to spend time with their co-workers and friends outside of church. Julie and I have invited some co-workers and friends over to our place to dinner; we're really excited to be able to use this time to reach out. So please be thinking of ways that you can use this Friday night to be "winsome."

Also, this Tuesday we'll be having our bi-weekly Focus Prayer Gathering at 7:00pm at the T-Center. Please join us.

God bless!

Hi all,

I hope all is well.

We're in LIFE groups again this week, digging into the book of James to discuss the topic of hardships and trials. Just a FYI, we'll be doing our bible studies in conjunction with our Sunday sermon series throughout the spring/summer. If you need a ride to LIFE group this Friday, please go to the cube at 6:45pm - SHARP.

Some other FOCUS announcements:

• The following week (6/19), we'll be at the T-Center for a Large Group.
• For Friday, 6/26, we'll be having our version of FOCUS OUT. This means that we won't be having LIFE group that night because we want to provide a "free" Friday for you to go out with your co-workers and other friends outside of church.
• We're going to be doing more as a community to connect with the married couples of our church. Each LIFE group will be paired up with a Covenant LIFE group to do some activities each month. More details to come from your LIFE group leader.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me!

God bless!

Happenings

Hi all,

I hope you are all enjoying your week. 

For this Friday, we'll be in LIFE groups.  Your respective LIFE group leader will be in contact with you shortly regarding specific details.  For either LIFE group, however, if you need a ride, please go to the cube at 6:45pm. If you are going to be late for any reason, please email me back.

In LIFE group this week, we'll be studying the topic of prayer.  Also, each LIFE group will be having a "special" presentation.  It's a surprise and you don't want to miss out!

Some other announcements:

• This coming Tuesday we'll be starting bi-weekly Focus prayer gatherings at the T-Center at 7:00pm.  Please try to come out. It'll be for one hour and we'll be praying for the Focus community and the overall HMCC body.  
  
• If you haven't done so already, please click on this link to input your personal information into the Focus directory. Do it today!
• Each LIFE group will be collecting $10 for the LIFE group fund, so please remember to bring the money to LIFE group this week. The money will go towards community supplies such as birthday cakes, plates, utensils, cups, etc. Please remember to bring this money; the FOCUS leaders are getting poor. :(

Finally, HMCC is having a Yard Sale on June 14th to help raise funds for the Destiny Campaign.  For more information on the HMCC Yard Sale and other HMCC announcements, click here. 

God bless and have a great week!

-Moses

The Summer Happenings

hello focus folks. hope your weekends were straight. just wanted to shout out from my hometown of philly [suburbs... for you haters]. good times with the family are always refreshing, you know?

at any rate, the leaders are back from their summit and ready to head up this upcoming year. i heard the summit was good times and i'm pumped to see the good times coming for the summer. speaking of the upcoming events, read on for your weekly dose of focus.

1. focus/impact prayer gatherings [5.13-14] transformation center @ 7pm :: the retreat is approaching and it's as good a time as any to prepare for the retreat through some corporate prayer. come out to the transformation center this coming wednesday and thursday evenings for some concentrated times of crying out to the Lord for the retreat. let's also pray for the retreat individually and with one another.
2. experiencing ministry [5.14] transformation center @ 7pm :: oy! if you're a walking, talking, breathing member of hmcc and would like get involved in other avenues to serve the church, there're plenty of opportunities through ministry teams. take the experiencing ministry class and you can sign up to serve the church through awesome food, exquisite photography, shaking hands with a smile, and all sorts of good stuff. sign up here!
   
3. focus/impact retreat [5.15-17] miracle camp @ 7:30pm :: the retreat is this weekend! woot! gear up and ship out on friday to miracle camp. don't know where miracle camp is? me neither, but it's all good. those details will be sorted out this week as you also get your driving assignments. look out for emails regarding details for the retreat [drivers, times, directions, etc.]!
4. sunday celebration [5.17] transformation center @ 10am :: for those of us who are unable to make it to the retreat, fear not. luckily, we're part of a larger church and sunday celebration continues with the 2nd part of the "fresh take" sermon series called, "intimacy." it's always a celebration, so if we miss you at the retreat, enjoy the celebration.

that's about it for this week. as always, if you have any quesitons about any of the things mentioned here, please let me know!

love God, love people, and have a great week.

cheers,

john

The Summer Happenings

hey all. hope your weekends were all right. huge shoutout to moses and julie lee, our fearless leaders, tying the knot this past saturday. they're chilling in jamaica right now, so give 'em some love when you see them next. since we're on the topic of upcoming events, keep your head on a swivel by hitting up the following dose of focus.

1. focus/impact retreat [5.15-5.17] miracle camp :: sign up now! early registration has officially ended, but you can still hit up the regular registration date. hit this link and sign up. as stated before, financial jams are definitely possible and that's why there's a solution for that. please indicate that you're in a jam, but you'd still like to go, and things may be worked out in everyone's favor.
2. sunday celebration [5.10] transformation center @ 10am :: it's always a celebration! this sunday we'll be starting a new sermon series called, "fresh take" with the first part, "on intimacy." remember that during the summer we only have one celebration on sundays at 10am.
3. focus spring bbq [5.10] southeast area park @ 6:30pm :: just as a reminder, please read susan and moses's emails about the upcoming bbq we'll be having at southeast area park. this bbq is for all focus, members now and new members. be sure to rsvp and sign up for the potluck portions. there're a couple of new heads coming up from undergrad and from out of town, as well, so it should be good times.
4. experiencing ministry [5.14] transformation center @ 7pm :: if you're a member of hmcc and you'd like to get involved in some of the ministries that help the church run, please sign up for experiencing ministry. this class is offered to help discover our various giftings and perhaps apply them to some of the sweet teams available to serve the church.

that about wraps it up for this week. if you have any questions at all regarding anything mentioned above or anything regarding focus, let me know.

here's to praying for God-centered work weeks.

cheers,
john

The Summer Happenings

hey all. we have officially hit up summa summa time in michigan... well, almost. it's a bit muggy, it's sunny, it's blue skies, then it's thunderstorms, lightning, and lots of mosquitoes. i think it's fair to say it's here, no?

at any rate, we're on a bit of a break now as the leaders get together and strategize/plan/pray for the upcoming year. while they're doing that, let's support them in prayer while maintaining our community in various ways. the great part is that, as part of the larger church, we have plenty of opportunities to get involved, so here's to staying connected. keep on reading for your weekly dose of focus.

1. moslie wedding [5.02] korean presbyterian church of metro detroit @ 4pm :: that's right! after years of prayer, awkward moments, and nervous giggling, our leaders are tying the knot and we're going to party it up at the wedding this saturday. if you've RSVP'd, we'll see you there! let's keep them in prayer for this last week of preparation as our leaders and friends. show them some love when you see them!
2. encounter: the focus/impact retreat [5.15-17] miracle camp :: for this year's focus retreat, we'll be combining with the impact [grad students] crew and some single adults from chicago as the post-undergrad/pre-marriage life stage of hmcc. it's going to be awesome hosting pastor pete to preach the word of God to us as well as chilling together as Christ-followers. it'll be an awesome time to get away for a bit, rehash those commitments, and recharge and prepare for the summer months. early registration ends this coming sunday! so sign up!

not kidding, that's it. haha, summer is so sweet. we do have some bbq's and various events planned for the month of may, so keep your head on a swivel and lookout for further updates.

have a great week.

peace,
john

The Happenings

hello all. hope you had an awesome easter weekend. it was pretty packed with all the great things going on. i hope it was a sweet time of remembering Christ's purpose on earth and God's plan for us. as we begin a new week of work, i'm praying we can collectively represent Christ in our passion, devotion, and faithfulness at work. holla. on that note, we have an interesting transition into the summer months coming up on our hands and the best way to keep your head on swivel is to stay abreast of all the information we'll be spitting. read on for your weekly dose of focus. note: all the following events take place at the transformation center unless otherwise noted.

1. focus community group [4.17] weatherstone clubhouse @ 7pm :: since our ministry follows the university academic calendar, the end of april and beginning of may is a period of transition for us as we head into the summer. as details come, please note that the community group this friday is the last one of the 2008-2009 season. we'll be celebrating all that God has done this past year with praise and worship. come out and we'll testify together. glory to God.
2. city serve [4.19] 11am :: how crazy is this? there will be no sunday celebration this coming sunday. we'll meet together at the transformation center for a brief exhortation, then we'll split off into our various groups, each some lunch, then flip ann arbor upside down with some genuine, Christ-centered service. it's going to be crazy as we do this with the whole church! details will be coming very shortly regarding the groups that will be going to various areas. please keep it in prayer as we act as lights for Christ in ann arbor. you can check out more details at www.gocityserve.com.
   
3. focus/impact retreat [5.15-5.17] miracle camp :: we'll be getting together with impact and some focus folks from chicago to retreat for a bit and worship God together at miracle camp. haha i don't know about the name, but i'm excited for this time we'll have together to build our ministry while growing and deepening our relationships with God. it's going to be pretty awesome, so believe the hype... if there is any. also, we know there've been some questions about the price. please regard moses's email about that and ask if you have any questions at all. keep a lookout for an email with registration details.

there aren't that many, but each event or activity mentioned is pretty crucial to our ministry. as we grow in ownership of it, please regard them with care. as always, if you have any questions, please let me know.

have a great week.

peace,
john

The Happenings

hey folks. cheers to another week. i think i'll keep it fairly short this week, but have a good one. just wanted to encourage you to live for that daily faithfulness because tomorrow's in good hands. read on for your weekly dose of focus. note: all the following events take place at the transformation center unless otherwise noted.

1. church-wide prayer gathering [4.2] 7pm :: we're having our 1st church-wide prayer gathering for april and we hope to see you there. as p.pete was sharing this past sunday, there's been a sense that God is doing something through our times of prayer, so let's join in on what God is doing!
2. focus LIFE group [4.3] various locations @ 7pm :: we're having LIFE groups again this friday at our respective apartments. bring your friend/co-workers out for a great demonstration of biblical community. i can't think of a better way to show Christ's love through any other group of people. if you have any questions, let me know!
   
3. bryant community party in the park [4.4] bryant community @ 5:30pm :: if you have volunteered to help the transformasphere actionable idea group, be there this saturday with the appropriate gear [i.e. food] and anything else you think would be good. contact me and i'll get you in touch with junia if you have any questions asap! it's at bryant community park!
   
4. sunday celebration [4.5] 9:30/11:30am :: it's a celebration, every sunday. come out to the transformation center this coming sunday as we wrap up the "irresistable" sermon series with the 2nd part called, "witness." also, please don't forget that there is pre-celebration prayer every sunday at 9am up on the balcony.
5. missions luncheon [4.5] 11:30am/1:30pm :: the jakarta missions team will have prepared a lunch for purchase after each celebration this coming sunday. this is great way to support them while learning about the church plant. you can interact with them and learn of the various prayer requests they have. go after one of the celebrations and encourage them!

alrighty. that's about it. as always, if you have any questions, let me know!

have a great week.

peace,
john