Launched at the start of the 2024–2025 academic year, AUMSA has distinguished itself through its mission-focused initiatives, with members contributing positively across the Lake Union and in the nation of Myanmar.
Khai-Khai Cin, a Master of Divinity student at Andrews University, was the founder and first president of AUMSA during the 2024–2025 school year. Despite dozens of Myanmar students attending and graduating from Andrews over its 150-year history, AUMSA is the first club to focus on Myanmar or Burmese culture, said Cin. After he learned other students were interested in starting a Myanmar club, he worked with his peers and the Office of Student Life to develop AUMSA and its three core values: empower, belong and serve. The goal was to balance providing Myanmar students with community and a “sense of belonging on campus” alongside the vision “to make sure there is inclusivity and diversity,” broadening the scope of people involved in AUMSA through social and spiritual events.
These core values and focus on ministry have defined the club in its inaugural year. “The best [way] we can represent our culture is by our actions,” said sophomore Pau Mung, AUMSA’s religious vice president last year. “Obviously, there’s the way you dress and outward appearance. But the best [way] we can represent [Myanmar] culture is how we talk to people, how we treat people, the way we act around people, or how we represent God.”
AUMSA has hosted several vespers programs on the University campus, including one featuring University President John Wesley Taylor V as the guest presenter. The group has also worked with Pioneer Memorial Church to present for Sabbath School. AUMSA’s mission-focused initiatives additionally included a fundraising drive to support victims of the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar in March 2025.
Perhaps the most impactful examples of AUMSA’s mission-focused ministry are its Service Sabbath trips throughout the Lake Union. Service Sabbaths are University-wide events overseen by Andrews’ Center for Faith Engagement (CFE). They give students an opportunity to contribute socially and spiritually to neighboring communities, typically in the afternoon after church services. Cin and AUMSA took Service Sabbaths a step further by making them day-long affairs.
“We try to reach … all the Myanmar refugee church plants [within the Lake Union],” Cin explained. “Most of the Myanmar churches [have] refugees or immigrants, so we are here to reach out to them and have that sense of community and belonging for our students.”
Both Cin and Mung come from immigrant families and, having dealt with the pressures of assimilation in the United States, understand the importance of continual support from one’s cultural community. This is something they want AUMSA to provide to both its student members and the churches they visit.
AUMSA visits churches in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana. On Service Sabbath church visits, AUMSA is responsible for Sabbath School, the main service and the Adventist Youth afternoon program.
AUMSA has made eight Service Sabbath trips to seven different churches, visiting congregations as far as over three hours away. Cin views these opportunities as beneficial for the students—who gain experience in ministry and have opportunities to connect with more people from Myanmar—and for the churches—who receive the blessing of the ministry and services put on by the youth.
The group visited Battle Creek Zomi Seventh-day Adventist Church in Michigan twice this school year and had an overwhelmingly positive impact, said Tiji Pau, a member of the congregation.
“They were mingling with our teens right away, and they were like friends right away. We were impressed by their testimonies and preparedness,” said Pau. “We would love to have them again in the future, because when they came, they were role models for our young children to serve for the Lord.”
AUMSA’s Service Sabbath trips draw both members and non-member students, some from other cultures and ethnicities. The group has also received support from its faculty club advisors, Joel Raveloharimisy, director of the Community & International Development program, and Jacob Gibbs, University associate chaplain.
Gibbs offered guidance and ideas for the club’s ministry efforts. He also assisted the club by driving the University bus and preaching for one of their Sabbath services in Battle Creek, Michigan. He admires the club’s focus on their mission to help refugee churches in the Lake Union. “The mission focus comes from a burden for people,” he said. “The club blesses the people that they are connected to. I would like to see all clubs learn to have a mission that focuses on people outside of Andrews University.”
Another highlight of AUMSA’s first year was participating in the annual AUnited Weekend Showcase from March 7–9, 2025, an event which allows different student clubs to display their culture to the Andrews community. Although AUMSA had only a few dozen members, theirs was one of the highlight performances in the Saturday night fashion show, displaying intricate and authentic cultural expression, including apparel and music.
Mung, who was involved in planning many of the Service Sabbath programs, wants to continue to build upon the previous year’s progress. “I would love to get more social events, like playing volleyball outside, for example. But we are going to be still very mission minded.” As a future pastor, he has enjoyed the opportunity to connect with his culture while practicing ministry.
Mung will serve as AUMSA president during the upcoming 2025–2026 school year. “I’ll try my best to empower the members and officers to show God’s character by their fruits.”
After just one year, AUMSA has represented God, Andrews University and the diversity of Myanmar culture to many in impactful ways.
Andrew Francis is a senior communication and behavioral science major at Andrews University and a blossoming journalist who loves reading and sports.
