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1. Review of 2014

Scripture for Sunday worship services

Last year God blessed our chapter to study Luke’s Gospel, from chapter 7 through chapter 17. Before each Sunday we held group studies on the Sunday passage, and during the week we had small group reflection sharing. We also had special reflection sharing at our worship service at the end of each academic quarter (early March, mid-June and mid-November). We thank God for helping us through Luke’s Gospel study to learn more of Jesus, for feeding us on his living word, and for helping us encourage each other in applying his word to our practical lives. During the summer God also blessed us to finish our study of Romans (chapters 12-16). To prepare our minds and hearts for the new school year in the Fall, I developed special lessons over three weeks in August: “Like Sheep Without a Shepherd” (Mt9:36); “I Have Become All Things To All People” (1Co9:19-23); and “Correctly Handle The Word of Truth” (2Ti2:14-16). To prepare for Christmas, we studied Matthew 1-2.

On average, throughout the year I gave the Sunday messages three times a month, and Abe spoke once a month. With my help, several of our young people also prepared and delivered a Sunday message last year (Brandon, Luther, Susannah, Max, David, Chris). It was encouraging to see them grow as messengers of God’s word. Caleb Choi also gave a Sunday message during the summer. Last year we had two special guest speakers: David Jumeau of Montreal UBF, and Jeff Ross, a former LPUBF member and generous supporter and prayer partner the past 20 years.

One-to-one Bible studies

Over the past year I thank God who enabled me to have one-to-one Bible studies with many of our young people: Luther, Brandon, Tim, Max, David, Chris, Rebecca, Susannah, Stephanie, Joy, Debbie, Peter, Marc and others. Mostly I studied Mark’s Gospel with all of them. It was a great chance for me to go through Mark’s Gospel with so many people one-to-one at the same time. It was the first time in my ministry that I’ve ever studied Mark’s Gospel so deeply. God helped us all to learn more of Jesus and his training of his disciples. And through our weekly one-to-one meetings we could pray for each other and for the ministry. I thank God who is at work in each of these young people, helping them grow them as Jesus’ servants, and for the privilege to study with and learn from each one of them.

Outreach

Last year God blessed our ministry with some faithful new members. Mike Richmond has been coming faithfully and brought his girlfriend Tahani. Cody (1st year, DePaul) and Sara (grad school, DePaul) began attending our Sunday services from the beginning of the Fall Quarter. A number of other people, both from DePaul, from the neighborhood, and from other UBF chapters, joined our Sunday services.

Women’s ministry

Thank God who helped my wife Kathy to serve the young women’s ministry last year. Those who attended were Sara, Mary, Josalyn, Lauren, Stephanie, Susannah, Bethany, Rebecca and Grace. They usually met on Saturday mornings twice a month. They have been going through the material called The Illumination Project from the Love and Respect ministry of Emerson Eggerichs and his daughter Joy Eggerichs. Through these studies and fellowship our young women have been strengthened and encouraged. I thank God for helping Kathy to serve this ministry while working full-time. I also thank God for her weekly one-to-one meetings with Lauren, Josalyn and Bethany.

Overseers’ ministry

Last year our ministry transitioned our group of elders to be a group called “overseers,” elected by official “members.” Our overseers include our three men missionaries (Dr. John Lee, Dr. Joseph Kim and Caleb Choi), and four American young people (Luther Loggins, Brandon Tiedeman, Max Beckman and Susannah Bayliss). Our intern pastor Abe Vucekovich also joined. We met once a month to study two books together: Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem and Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul David Trip. We also discussed our ministry’s issues and prayed together. Through these monthly meetings and book readings we learned so much. We felt enriched and better equipped to pray for and serve the ministry. I thank God for our overseers who prayed for and supported me as the pastor throughout the year.

Highlights of 2014

I thank God who blessed several of our members last year. Joe and Rebecca Kim had their first child, Elliot, in June. God also blessed Joe to study for his MBA at the U of C and was promoted at Abbott Labs. Luther Loggins got a job with the TSA at O’Hare and passed the exam to work in U.S. Customs. God blessed Chris Ash to graduate from DePaul’s Theater School in June. I thank God for his faithful Bible studies with Jonathan Choi. I also thank God for Stephanie Sidak who faithfully met with Eva Lopez. God blessed our young men to form a music group called “Lamp” (David Curtin, Max Beckman, Chris Ash, Abe Vucekovich and Aaron Cauble). Last June God blessed them to record their first album at a recording studio in Austin, TX. I thank God for their serving our praise and worship on Sundays throughout the year. God also has been using their music ministry to reach a larger community of non-believing young people in Chicago while performing at local venues. Last year, David, Max and Abe moved out of the Bible house and got an apartment in the nearby neighborhood of Logan Square. At the end of the year, Tim Little moved into the Bible house, along with Brandon Tiedeman and Chris Ash. We pray for them to grow through common life together, and as stewards of the Bible house and Sunday worship services. Last year God blessed our youngest daughter Joy in her violin studies at IU, and at the Aspen Music Festival during the summer. We pray for her in the midst of this music training to continue to grow in Jesus and be a blessing.

Supporting other ministries

I thank God who helped us to support other ministries last year. All our LPUBF members faithfully prayed for the UBF ministries in Springfield, IL and Austin, TX, as well as in Minsk, Belarus. We thank God for using John and Rebecca Lee to serve the student ministry at UIS. And we thank God for using Josh and Mary Jeon and Isaac and Jihan Kim to serve the student ministry at UT-Austin.

I thank God who helped Kathy and me in 2014 to continue visiting chapters in North America, with the continued support of our LPUBF members, both financially and in prayer. In January I attended the installation of Andy Stumpf as the new leader of Waterloo UBF. I also attended the CIS Directors’ conference in Israel and was able to visit our LPUBF former member Aaron Iny and his wife Rebekah in TelAviv. In February Kathy and I attended the Mid-Atlantic Regional Staff conference hosted by Lehigh UBF. In April, Kathy and I visited Triton UBF. In May God enabled me to visit the UBF ministry in Malaysia, and a young American missionary family in Gifu, Japan, Caleb and Amy Eby, who visited us this past summer and whom we continue to support in prayer. In June God allowed Kathy, Abe and me to serve the North American staff conference in New Hampshire. In July Kathy and I visited West Loop UBF. In August I attended the European Summer conference along with Abe, and John and Deborah Lee. In August Kathy and I also attended the CIS Summer conference along with Brandon. In October, Kathy and I visited Hyde Park UBF and Kansas City UBF. In November we attended the autumn conference of West LA UBF. In December we participated in the Chicago-area Christmas worship service. We thank God for the faithful lives and love of our coworkers around the world and pray that we can continue to support them in prayer and however God allows. I thank God who enabled Kathy to be one of the main speakers at the Well conference in late December. May God continue to use her as a blessing at LPUBF and in the larger UBF community this coming year.

I also thank God for Abe Vucekovich who served our ministry throughout the year. I especially thank him for being a good steward of our Bible house, a good friend to our young men, and supporting me and serving the Well ministry and conference in 2014. I pray that God may continue to lead him in 2015 to serve him with all his heart and to trust his leading.

2. 2015 Key Verse and Plan

In 2014 my key verse was Acts 20:28: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” I chose this verse to help me to be vigilant about my own spiritual life, including personal repentance and prayer, and as a prayer servant and shepherd in my own chapter and in my role as North American UBF coordinator. This verse helped me to view people as God’s flock, bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and it helped me to think more about the great shepherd’s heart of Jesus.

In 2015 I want to choose this verse, Acts 20:28, again as my annual key verse. I have much to learn to grow as a watchful and faithful shepherd and man of prayer. I want to grow more in the shepherd’s heart of my Lord Jesus in 2015. I want to learn how to be a better spiritual guide and mentor of God’s flock, to help them live life to the full in Jesus. May God help me to struggle all the more to hold onto this verse.

In 2015 our LPUBF ministry plans to finish our study of Luke’s Gospel by Easter. We are praying to study a new book of the Bible, perhaps Revelation. We’ll also begin the study of one of the Gospels when the new academic school year begins in the fall.

This spring we are praying to send some representatives to Minsk, Belarus to attend the UBF Easter celebration. We also pray to participate meaningfully in the Midwest Region summer conference. Kathy and I plan also to continue our visiting ministry to local chapters in North America throughout the year, as God allows.

This year Kathy and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary. We pray to continue to grow in Christ as his servants and to support his ministry through our lives.

Most of our young people in LPUBF have finished college and faithfully participate in our ministry. We pray for them to continue to grow in Christ as good shepherds, prayer partners and Bible teachers in our student ministry.  We pray God that may continue to guide them in their careers. And we pray that God may guide each of them in the future to marry in Christ and live as salt and light in this dark generation.