Last Tuesday night during University of Michigan's spring break, a group of 30+ HMCC members cleaned Crisler Arena to raise funds for our church's Destiny campaign. The group was diverse - ranging from undergrad freshmen to single adults, from Michiganders to international students. At least 6 different small groups were represented that night. Upon arrival to the stadium, our group grabbed some seats and caught the last few minutes of the men's basketball game. Northwestern vs. Michigan! Northwestern won 62-60...


Two weeks prior, 20+ church members cleaned Yost Arena in under 1 1/2 hours. Crisler Arena is much larger than Yost Arena and it took a couple of hours longer to clean, but the group didn't seem to mind. It was fun and worthwhile getting to know each other and partnering with members from such diverse backgrounds, all for the same cause of "building up" the body of Christ.


Plus, we had an added incentive. One of the stadium managers struck a deal with us. Originally, we only had to sweep and pick up trash in the bleachers. But if we mopped, the manager would allow us some game time on the court! Some of us could not resist the offer and took some extra time to mop the court. Due to limited time, the manager instructed us not to play any "games" with teams, scores, etc. So we promptly engaged in a "Knock-Out competition" for 15 minutes. We were excited to know we were shooting basketballs on such a historic court in college basketball history.


It was encouraging to see so many church members put in their free time to take part in, literally, building the church. The 40 Days to Destiny had not officially started then, yet here was a group working hard behind the scenes for a greater unified vision. Even a few single, working adults stayed the whole time to help out - past 2:00AM!

What a blessing night - we had the opportunity to mingle with members we normally don't see or meet, continued building good relationships with the Crisler staff, and raised $450 for the church. Though we could not physically see the money we raised or the building and ministry it would go towards, we had the awesome privilege of continuing to build a legacy for generations to come! The transformation vision is becoming a reality and we were part of history in the making. A humbling experience... and this is just the beginning of a new chapter in our church's story. Praise God!