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“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15

In 2014, God has blessed Edmonton UBF ministry abundantly.  God helped each leader to bear fruit through the weekly one-to-one Bible studies and fellowship with the Bible students.  2 Timothy 3:14-15 gave us the clear direction to continue in what we learned and have become convinced of: the Bible, God’s words that make us wise and equip us with salvation through faith in Jesus.  God definitely worked in our Bible students through His words.  Throughout the year, Edmonton UBF served the students of University of Alberta and of Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) with the Holy Scriptures.  Since Edmonton UBF is registered as a student group at University of Alberta, we met on campus for our Sunday worship services and meetings.  In the fall, we met more students through the clubs’ fair which happens in the first week of the semester.  We set up a booth for Edmonton UBF and our leaders and Bible students actively invited students.  As a result of that, Angela, Angus, Monica and Esther joined the Bible study.  On average, we had about 20-25 students attending the worship service regularly.  Throughout the year, Pastor Noah and M. David Chang have delivered the Sunday messages, alternating each week.

This year, God blessed our 1:1 Bible study ministry.  Every leader served weekly 1:1 Bible studies.  God gave us his words from the book of Daniel and John’s gospel.  M. David served Kit Christopher, Yinzhou Yu, Angus MacDonald, Yixuan and Chris Gu.  M. Esther served Meris Liborio, Petra, Monica, Esther Juyoung, Joy, Alicia and Julie.  M. Grace served Jane.  Pastor Noah served Tim.  Deborah served Angela, Miso and Jie with God’s words.  Kit Christopher is a 2nd year power engineering student.  He’s been faithfully studying the Bible and serving as the presider for worship service since fall.  Meris Liborio is a 2nd year education student.  She signed up for Bible study at Clubs fair last year.  Since then, she has been faithfully studying the Bible each week and actively involved in God’s work in Edmonton UBF and growing in faith and spiritual leadership.  She also actively invited other students at her dormitory to the Bible study and worship service.  She’s been a great source of blessing.  Several new students who signed up at the clubs’ fair have been studying the Bible faithfully and getting to know Jesus.  Some of them never studied the Bible or heard about Jesus in their entire lives.  It was a great work of God to open their hearts to Bible study.  Some 2nd Gens, Petra Lee and Miso Kim have been growing as committed spiritual leaders.  We continue to pray for their spiritual growth and school study.  Angela is an exchange student from England who signed up for Bible study at clubs’ fair.  She was very excited to join Edmonton UBF from the beginning.  God continued sending students to our ministry throughout the year and some of the Bible students even asked to study the Bible twice a week.  Thank and praise God for sending precious students to learn and be convinced of the word of God: the Bible!

This year, Edmonton UBF held a Baptism ceremony for the first time.  God granted us to do this during the Easter worship service.  Meris Liborio, Yinzhou Yu and Jie shared their life testimony and were baptized by Pastor Noah.  It was a great work of God!

God granted us a very fruitful summer in 2014.  In June, Dr. Paul Hong from Toledo UBF visited Edmonton for his academic conference.  He gave us a special lecture and counseled and prayed for our Bible students.  It was a great time of fellowship.  In July and August, we were busy preparing for Summer Bible conference.  This summer, God granted us to organize and participate in Western Canadian UBF Summer Bible Conference in Kelowna, BC.  All of the UBF chapters in Western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Evanston, Vancouver, UBC, Victoria) joined together.  It was the very first time we met altogether in one place and had a Bible conference together.  God made it happen and blessed it!  We, Edmonton UBF members, packed two cars and took on a 12-hour road trip to get to the conference place.  It was a great bonding time with the Bible students.  The theme of the conference was ‘Dry bones! Hear the Word of God!’ based on Ezekiel 37.  At the conference, our Bible students did a skit based on Ezekiel 37 and served the conference through praise and worship.  Through the conference, God revealed the power of His words that revive dry bones into the soldiers of Christ!  Our precious Bible students, Meris, Petra and Chris, shared their life testimonies at this conference and Kit served as a presider as well.  M. David served the closing message on Jeremiah 1.  Through this conference, God planted a great vision for Western Canada in each of our hearts.

Throughout the year, God also blessed everyone’s career lives as we hold onto Matthew 6:33; Pastor Noah continues to work in renovation business.  M. David continued to advance in his job as a business banking manager, God recently granted M. Esther to open her own oriental medicine/acupuncture clinic (Kyunghee Clinic) in Edmonton.  She also worked as an instructor and taught acupuncture and traditional medicine to students at Reeves College.  M. Deborah worked as a teaching artist for an orchestra building program at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  She also started her Master’s study in fall.  On top of work, she auditioned for the program and God granted her an admission with a big scholarship. 

Recently, God abundantly blessed our Christmas Worship Service.  Until last year, all the missionaries organized the program. But this time, all the Bible students were actively involved in organizing and preparing for the programs.  We saw that God is really working in the hearts of all our growing Bible students.  They took the ownership and really poured their hearts to give glory to God through this worship service.  Several students including Meris, Angela, Thea, Petra, Miso, Monica and Yinzhou prepared the invitation cards and handed them out to students on campus.  Especially, Meris put the invitation cards underneath each dormitory room door in her residence.  They also organized and performed beautiful Christmas singing, dramatic Scripture reading of Luke 2 and came up with the idea of changing the lyrics of 'Do you wanna build a snow man? from Frozen to 'Do you wanna Bible study?' It was very creative and had an encouraging message about the importance and the power of Bible study.  The main message was delivered by M. David on Luke 2.  Calgary UBF, Evanston UBF and M. Matthew Sumibcay’s family from Grant MacEwan UBF joined as well.  M. Matthew Jun from Calgary UBF served as a representative prayer servant and his three precious children, Esther, Daniel and Joseph Jun, served special music through Saxophone and Clarinet.  It was a joyful celebration of baby Jesus’ birth and a great time of fellowship together.  Thank and praise God and baby Jesus for a wonderful Christmas Worship Service!

God continues his work in Edmonton UBF ministry and we pray to raise committed disciples of Jesus.  We pray to continue a powerful 1:1 Bible study ministry next year and to grow disciples and Bible teachers among our Bible students.  We also pray for M. David and Pastor Noah’s Sunday messages each week.

For the New Year 2015, we are praying based on John 21:15: “When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?’” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”  As we just finished John’s Gospel Bible study, the last chapter 21 really spoke to us.  We are praying that each of our growing Bible students and leaders may hold onto John 21:15.  Especially may each of us hold onto Jesus’ love and His command, ‘Feed my lambs.’  As a sheep or lamb, one is used to receiving love and being served by others.  Peter, as a sheep, used to receive Jesus’ care and love and was used to being served by Jesus.  But Jesus told him, ‘Feed my lambs.’  Jesus wanted Peter to grow as a shepherd and love and serve others, instead of just being loved and served by Jesus all the time.  We pray that each of our leaders and Bible students may not just remain as sheep and receive love, but instead actively give love and serve others through Bible study and prayer.  May Jesus raise shepherds who feed His sheep in 2015.  May God lead us to the right Scripture to study in the New Year now that we just finished John’s Gospel.  May God bless Canada national Summer Bible Conference in summer 2015 as well.  We pray that our students may participate in this conference although it requires travelling all the way to the eastern part of Canada.  In 2015, may Jesus’ unfailing, unending, unconditional love continue to fill each of our hearts and work mightily at the University of Alberta campus! Amen!

One Word - Do you truly love me? Continue in what you have become convinced of: the Bible, and feed Jesus’ lambs!