Here is the text of the video:
It’s hard to believe that everything got started right here in Ann Arbor back in 1996. God has been transforming lives and transforming the world since then. From that point on we have seen churches planted in Chicago, Austin, Jakarta, and Singapore. The reason why I wanted to take this time to share with you, is because my family and I, through a lot of prayer and discernment, have decided that we are going to indefinitely move out to Hong Kong in the summer of 2015. We will be moving out to start HMCC of Hong Kong.
I realize that God used several experiences in my life to help me have a heart for His mission. My first experience was back in college when I went to Kenya, Africa. That was the first time God opened my eyes, literally, to the whole world.
My second experience was back in 2002 when I had the opportunity to go to China. While we were in China, we were working with the underground church. It was at that moment when God put a burden on my heart for the harvest field. There were so many people who were lost and without the Gospel, while the workers remained few. That’s when I began to pray and ask God to send out workers into the harvest field.
The third experience was a bit more recent. As you know, my family and I went to Indonesia to start the international church there. While we were there, we saw God do some amazing things. It was from that experience that God gave me a greater heart for the nations.
The motivation for us to go to Hong Kong specifically, is due to the things that we have noticed in our churches. A lot of Hong Kong and Chinese students have been coming out. As they have been coming out, many have come to know Jesus Christ and have started to get discipled. It was then that we realized that God was bringing these people to us for a purpose.
The second thing that He revealed to me was that of the nine universities in Hong Kong, close to eighteen to twenty percent of those students are from mainland China. I started to think to myself: what would it be like to target some of these mainland Chinese students to do the same thing that we are doing here in Ann Arbor?
The third thing that was revealed to me happened while I was on my writing sabbatical to finish off my doctorate degree. During this time, my writing was focused on the Student Volunteer Movement and how God used students to reach the nations and the world. As I was writing, I found a greater sense of purpose and confirmation about everything that we have been doing the last seventeen to eighteen years.
There are so many people in China who have yet to hear the Gospel message; and there are many unreached people groups who have yet to hear the Gospel as well. It is our heart’s desire that as we reach out to Hong Kong, the “gateway city”, that we would be able to reach out to many people from China and who have yet to hear the Gospel message.
We believe that the best is yet to come. We’re asking you to continue in your prayers and support for us. More information about this church plan will be released, but in the meantime, please continue to pray for us. Thank you so much once again, and God bless you. We hope to talk to you soon.
I know that this is a big announcement and I am sure that you have a lot of questions; therefore here is a FAQ.
The best is yet to come.
It is all for His glory!