What is the HUB?
The HUB at 1206 and 1208 Madison St. in Maywood, IL is Chicago CEF’s strategic catalyst for growth to reach more of Chicagoland’s 1.1 million children with the Gospel. The HUB stands for Housing and Urban ministry Building. This building is a special 16-unit, 38-bedroom apartment complex in Maywood that is intended to launch new CEF missionaries into strategic communities all throughout Cook and DuPage counties. The HUB also has a missional affordable community housing aspect as well! In addition to housing and ministry in the Maywood community, we have missions trip opportunities connected to the HUB as well.
CEF has been rehabilitating this apartment complex since 2015, and there is still some work to be done. We would love to have you drop by and see the HUB, but because the missionaries who live in the building are usually doing ministry elsewhere in the city, please email [email protected] first so we can make sure that someone is there to show you around.
Housing
When a missionary is just getting started in the city, it is next to impossible to pay for all of the expenses, especially housing! Many would-be missionaries give up before even getting started because the task is insurmountable. The HUB is a place where missionaries can live for free while raising their support to a sustainable level. During this process, these missionaries are also being mentored in the ministry by experienced ministry practitioners.
Urban Ministry Center
The city is constantly changing, and ministry to children must change as well. The HUB provides a place for new missionaries to try out new ideas for reaching children with the Gospel.
Children who live near the HUB will be able to hear the Gospel while being engaged in healthy and practical activities like art, martial arts, basketball, and tutoring. These innovative Gospel activities can be developed by the very missionaries who live in the building, and new ideas can then be developed and deployed all throughout the city in our various ministries. In the Urban Ministry Center, kids will be able to come to the HUB and engage in activities with missionaries who care about them and will teach them to love and follow Jesus Christ.
Building
A building doesn’t seem like an abnormal thing; most organizations have buildings. However, CEF is not about buildings. CEF seeks to equip churches to use existing properties, such as public schools, as platforms to reach children for Christ. The HUB is a unique building in that it enables missionaries to go forth from the building all throughout the area.
The building also enables Chicago CEF to be a blessing to the community that hosts the HUB by offering eight much-needed, affordable, high-quality housing units to people from the neighborhood. The proceeds of this portion of the HUB can then be directed back into funding the missionaries’ housing.