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Welcome
Thank you for visiting the Adventist Students for Christ webpage. If you have any questions regarding our group, please feel free to direct them to ASforC@gmail.com. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Who we are
We are a student group at the University of Michigan that is dedicated to sharing the Word of God and the good news of the imminent return of Christ. We believe that as Christian students, it is our responsibility to do our best for the glory of God in everything we do. We also promote healthy lifestyles through diet, exercise, fellowship, and service. It is only with a sober mind and sound body that we can serve our Lord to the fullest in striving for both academic and spiritual excellence.
This group first started in 1999 and has been growing larger every year. Our group is very diverse and multicultural and we endeavor to provide a comfortable family atmosphere where students can feel safe and comfortable away from home. We would like to see a personal revival in all of our members' lives and our pastors, leaders, and missionaries are available and willing to help students wanting support or spiritual guidance.
We have weekly small group Bible studies, Tuesdays with Jesus - a mid-week bible study, Friday night vespers, and a Saturday church service to meet the spiritual needs of our members. We also have social, outreach, and service events that happen throughout the semester as well as intramural sports and exercise to contribute to our physical wellbeing.
What we believe
We firmly believe in the Bible and that a Bible-based revival is taking place on the campus of Michigan. We are also associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and are a branch of their campus ministry program.
You can learn more about the Adventist beliefs HERE.
History
Back in 1998, Leticia Addai was walking on the campus of the University of Michigan and she overheard a conversation between two other students. One of the students asked the other, "What church do you go to?" and the other student replied, "I'm a Seventh-day Adventist". From that point, Leticia was convinced that there were other Adventists on campus and that there was a need for an Adventist student organization. That year, she and the other Adventist students that she already knew formed the student organization known as ASC - Adventist Students for Christ. Leticia was the first president.
In 1999, Dr. Pipim moved to Ann Arbor to establish C.A.M.P.U.S. - The Center for Adventist Ministry to Public University Students. That school year, the first batch of missionaries came for missionary training program. The second semester, three of them, Esther Dawes, Israel Ramos, and Stephen Row, stayed on to finish off the school year. The connected with the Adventist students and were instrumental in bringing unity among the group, particularly breaking down the racial barriers that existed. That second semester, the student organization, Campus H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Prepare for Eternity), was formed to be the outreach wing for the Adventist group. Michael Orlich, a medical student at the time, was the first president. By the end of that year, the growing Adventist student group, now multicultural with Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, and Asians, met for Tuesday evening Bible Study on campus, Friday evening vespers, and for collegiate Sabbath School at the Ann Arbor Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The next school year, God blessed the students and as they grew spiritually, their dedication and their vision also grew. Special events and programs were conceived with the purpose of spreading the Adventist message to the rest of the campus. Praise Nights, Vegetarian Taste Fests, Adventist Awareness Week, Morning Manna, and Campus Ministry Retreats were some of them to name a few. One Sabbath out of the month was dedicated as the CAMPUS Sabbath and all of the students would take turns attending one of the local churches. This brought awareness to the local churches and as a result we gained the support needed to help our ministry grow. By January 2001, a bold move was made to start a campus church that would be completely student run and organized. God truly blessed as each semester Campus H.O.P.E. Church grew. Potluck that was provided by members of the Ann Arbor Seventh-day Adventist Church followed by Sabbath afternoon outreach became a weekly part of the Sabbath program.
Thus, the two student organizations, distinct in purpose and mission flourished as the Spirit of God worked on the hearts of the Adventist young people. A.S.C. was designed to be the in-reach wing, which provided not only spiritual enrichment during the students' busy week, but also fellowship and activities where Adventists students and their friends could grow closer together. Campus H.O.P.E. continued to be the outreach wing, where active ministry to the rest of the campus was exercised each week. And these two student ministries, strengthened by the support and guidance of C.A.M.P.U.S., were influential in impacting and converting hundreds of students who have come through the University of Michigan as well as the missionaries through the training program.
Today A.S.C. and Campus H.O.P.E. Church still continue to be a beacon of a light on the campus of the University of Michigan. C.A.M.P.U.S. has spread its influence to nearly all of the major public universities in Michigan as well as other secular campuses across the country. However, the vision remains the same- to establish a "Bible-based revival movement in which every student is a missionary" and in turn to "prepare secular campuses for the imminent return of Christ".
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