Week of Global Prayer and Outreach

From November 11-14, CCF hosted a week of global prayer and outreach for all the campus fellowships at Mac (If you were wondering, Nov 15 was a Friday where CCF went out for evangelism/prayer walk)! During both morning and evening prayer meetings, we prayed for the persecuted church, unreached peoples, social justice, Hamilton, as well as our very own campus, Mac. It was a great time to get to know one another in fellowship, especially praying with those from different fellowships for a common cause - to bring God's kingdom down to every corner of this world and for his glory to shine radiantly bright even in the darkest of places. 

A big thanks to all you came out :) Some have asked if they could get the resources we used for that week, and sorry for the delay, but here they are! 

Prayer for the Persecuted Church (Monday)

Prayer for the Unreached Peoples (Tuesday)

Prayer for Social Justice (Wednesday)

Prayer for Hamilton and McMaster (Thursday)

Life is so much greater than just what we can see and hear! So pray big and pray bold because we have a God above us, around us, and in us, that hears everything, knows everything, and is in control of everything. That being said, for those who came out, or those who could not, please continue thinking and praying and serving globally. There is so much more than this. 

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints," - Ephesians 6:18 

- Glory, on behalf of the committee :)

Clothes Drive

From October to November, CCF collected clothes to donate to the Good Shepherd in Hamilton, where 18.1% of the population lives in poverty... crazy to even believe that considering the lives we're living. Thank you to everyone who helped out by donating their clothes!!! :) Here are just some pictures and a quick blurb on the of why we did this! 

One Sunday at church, the pastor was challenging all of us why it seems like there is only one demographic in the church nowadays, and later on, how we can so often neglect serving the community and reaching out to the poor. We're all people created in the image of God and thus, that is how we should be treated. Like what John Piper once said, "Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on, and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery. Enough for us; abundance for others... copper will do."

Moving out all the clothes from Beauman into the car

Packing everything into one big box for delivery at the Good Shepherd

All the donations given to Good Shepherd so far this yr!

"Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” – Galatians 2:10

When Jesus talked about the poor, I believe he really meant the poor - like the actual, literal poor. The ones who are poor not only in spirit, but physically and financially as well... the outcasts of society. I really do firmly believe that Jesus loved the poor, the homeless, the oppressed, the outcasts. 

If so, why is the church full of those who are technically wealthy, those who go to school and are well off – those who are 'normal'? But Christianity is not for the rich, it is not for the well-off. Instead, Jesus challenges them. He dined with the tax collector (Mark 2:13-17), defended the adulteress (John 8:2-11), and reached out and healed the leper (Matt 8:1-4). I mean, Jesus loved them so much and had such an eager desire and mission to save them – which was God`s will (John 6:38) – that people thought he himself was a drunkard and a glutton (Matt 11:19)!

This all prompts me to ask the question… Where are the poor? Have you seen them in your pews? Do you see them in fellowship? Do you see the church reaching out and loving them as if they were also made in God’s image, which they are? Do you see the church actively laying down their own rights so they can go out and change the world (1 Cor 9:20)?

It's my prayer that CCF will become more selfless and sacrificial when it comes to how we conduct and prioritize our lifestyles - counting others as more significant as ourselves (Phil 2:3) and always remembering the poor (Gal 2:10)!

-Glory, on behalf of committee :)

The Heart of Men's & Women's Ministry

Tonight we had a men and women's night where we spent time in our respective genders. For each of them, the DGL leaders spoke of what they believe God has placed in their hearts for their respective gender ministries. We hope you'll join us in this. 

Bible Study: 1 John 4:7-21

Last week we had a bible study on 1 John 4:7-21 as it brings into mind much of what the vision is centred on: what is the love of God and then, what happens when we abide in it. For those of you who missed it, below are some notes but they are in no way all that can be learned from this passage.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Context:

   Previously in the letter, John has spoken of the idea that we are God’s children (3:1-2, 2:1) and uses this as a point to jump from. He has spoken of leaving behind the ideas of the world in exchange for what God wants. Even before Chapter 4, he has already mentioned the concept of abiding in God, that this is a lasting act. (2:17, 2:24-28) So in this chapter, he will return to this concept.·

Observations:
It's not an address to "people" or strangers or servants, but conveys intimacy and an established relationship with the audience who are to be sons and daughters of God as well

Interesting way to start off this section. Instead of a command to do, John says "let us", an idea of allowing ourselves to receive love. And even before that, he addresses us as "Beloved", a name that says that you are already loved. A couple words later, he mentions that love is from God, yet again receiving love (not from yourself). So already, we have this sense of receiving and abiding in love. He describes what love is. It is first shown in its fullest form through Jesus Christ, who God sent. God made the first move; we only know love because He loved us first.

Only then, after he makes that point, he uses love in an active tense, and this is now giving love ("whoever loves"). This reminds me of our theme, how we have to remember to receive love from God before anything - loving, serving, etc.

An important thing to see is that all three parts of the trinity are in this passage. God the father is the one who in love sent Jesus Christ to show us perfect love. And then we see that the Spirit is in those who abide in God. And what is the role of the Holy Spirit? Let's look at another writing from John:

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. - John 14:26

We see that the Spirit is given to teach and remind us of the truth that was shown in Christ Jesus. So in this idea of abiding in the love of God, not only is God the Father important, but we must see that the Holy Spirit's role cannot be neglected. 

Questions:

1.       What does the writer mean by “love being perfected in us?”

 Perfected in this context means mature, God’s love in us is mature. His love is mature or perfected in us inside of us.

Once we grasp the magnitude of his perfect love and abide in it, we will be able to act on it by loving others as the passage states. We experience perfect love through Jesus Christ but we cannot express perfect love. We are being transformed by the Holy Spirit in a continual process until Christ comes again.

Relation to the Theme:
As was said before, this passage written by John has heavy ties to our theme this year. It begins with a depiction of what the love of God is. Firstly, it is in God's character to be loving. And He has given perfect love in the form of Jesus Christ who came and died on the cross for us, doing all this while we were still sinners. And when this love takes root in us, it begins to change us. Continuing to live in this love, abiding, requires the constant in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. This love is completed when it begins to bear fruit, like a vine. It is continually changing us so that we develop a greater love for God and by that extension, develop a deeper love for others. 

Abiding in the Love of God

Two weeks ago, we had a night of vision casting where our chair, Matt Ho, preached on what it means to abide in the love of God. Below is a summary of the night. 

Frosh Connexion

Hello!

If you are an upcoming Mac first year who has stumbled upon this blog or if you’re already in HCCF, we may have news for you =) 

Every year HCCF is part of an event called Frosh Connexion that is held in Toronto for all frosh who are coming to Hamilton in the new year. It’s essentially a venue where incoming first years can meet upper years from the CCF or ACF within that fellowship. There is a BBQ [free to frosh =)] as well as worship and a short sermon for all universities as a large group. That is then followed by some time for each university to meet separately. 

Honestly, it’s a really great opportunity to meet upper years as well as fellow frosh and get your questions answered if you have any. I know when I went I don’t really remember much other than the frosh leader’s awkward video but I do remember feeling assured that there was indeed a community at McMaster that I could join and grow in. So come on out =) We’d love to see you. 

Details: 

August 13th
5pm-9:30pm @ Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church

As is consistent with all modern day events, here is a Facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/327007640767349/ 

- Chris Chung

Another year of endings and new beginnings

In an attempt to stay up to date, here are this year's grad videos: 

From the melodramatic frosh: 

From the eccentric sophas: 

From the musical third years (actual footage is below): 

And from the graduating group themselves: 

We hope you enjoy =)

A house cleaning

Hello!
I realize that this blog hasn't been updated in a while which is kind of a waste. 
There hasn't been a post since the committee of 2 years ago and I figured it might be a good time to restart this. 
I'm not sure who reads this blog since it's been out of commission for so long but I remember when I first started looking for a fellowship that I looked at the blog at the time and found it to be decently informative. Not to say that the updated-ness of a blog speaks any volume of the fellowship, but it's probably important to have it around. 

So stay tuned as we go through an update. We'll probably be throwing up testimonies and cool things in the upcoming weeks. 

Until then, have a good summer and continue seeking the Lord. 

- Chris Chung 

So much love!

Video from the frosh:

Dance by the sophas:

A response from the grads: