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by Daniel Byeon

I AM DOING A NEW THING

"See, I am doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:19)

From July 8 to 12, 2020 Gwanak 3 UBF held its Summer Bible Camp (not overnight) with the title, "See, I am doing a new thing!" at Gwanak UBF center worship hall. 

At the beginning of our preparation for the Summer Bible Camp we were skeptical to have it with new campus students and raise disciples this year. Because all the campuses were empty throughout the world under the epidemic situation of covid -19,  we couldn't get any chance to see or invite any students from our campus.

But in this difficult situation, by faith all our coworkers made a decision to make the impossible possible by inviting students to the SBC in hope to raise disciples depending on God’s word. We held onto our chapter’ New Year’s key verse (Isaiah 43:19) " See, I am doing a new thing!" "Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the waste land."

God accepted all our student leaders’ & coworkers’ devotion to God in inviting students to the camp and in serving messages, testimonies and all the programs as their five loaves and two fish.

Through the SBC God greatly blessed us to see what “new thing” God has done among us through the Holy Spirit that made the impossible possible for us under the pandemic situation. God brought in 75 new students (47 offline & 28 online), exceeding our goal of 60 to our SBC. Indeed it was a marvelous work God has done among our students as if the Lord had made a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland according to Isaiah 43:19. 

We give all the glory to God the Almighty for allowing us to have such a heart moving SBC 2020 through the powerful & touching messages, graceful testimonies, wonderful video presentations and special music and all the programs.

Messengers: Opening message: Sh. Daniel Byeon “Jesus who Filled My Empty Net” (Luke 5:1-11)
Lecture 1: Sh. Abraham Kim “Jesus Changed the Water into Wine” (John 2:1-11)
Lecture 2: Sh. Jungsu Park “Jesus the Spring of Water Welling up to Eternal Life” (John 4:1-26)
Lecture 3: Sh. Junha Whang “What is My Real Identity?” (Mark 5:1-20)
Lecture 4: Sh. Gideon Bae “ The Cross that Covers My Sin” (Luke 23:1-43)
Lecture 5: Sh. Peter Cho “Do you Love Me?” (John 21:1-17) 

Testimony Speakers:

Lecture 1: Sh. Senghe You (wife of Sh. Abraham Kim) and Hyunku Kang / Lecture 2: Yejung Jang / Lecture 3: Miso Lee / Lecture 4: Soyoung Jung/ Lecture 5: Hyunsuh Kang and 8 new students shared their heart moving testimonies accepting Jesus’ forgiving love in their hearts at the meeting and there were other speakers as well. Some made a decision to feed sheep. 

1. God richly blessed our fishing ministry with many new students through online Youtube broadcasting: 

Before the SBC our student leaders prepared a special - video presentation, focusing on new students in order to invite them to the SBC. And then the video got many new students’ attention through Youtube video lectures. After watching it, many students got involved in Bible study with us and our regular Bible students were interested as well. Some new students directly joined our SBC after watching our Youtube videos. We were also able to connect with many other new students by the help of some students who have been in a good relationship with us since February during our fishing ministry. Likewise, God accepted our student leaders' devotion to God in serving the new students through online preaching & Bible study as their five loaves and two fish. 

The video presentation for new students also effectively supported all the lectures & program that opened new students’ hearts widely to the word of God, beginning from the opening message. Sh. Daniel Byeon gave a storytelling, opening message “Jesus who filled my empty net.” 

2. Before the SBC, in May we held a spring MT camp for the freshmen with the title, "Young Man, Get Up". God blessed our student leaders with many new students, having joyful fellowship with them through music & Bible study. This helped to build an intimate relationship with them during the MT camp. (We also observed the quarantine rules during the MT camp). 

On the first day of SBC, there was a video presentation by sister teams before the lecture. Agape team presented their video drama regarding their transformed new lives in Jesus along with joyful dances based on John 2. It opened all attendee's hearts. Between the lecture and testimony sharing, Sister Jiae Jung played the beautiful gayagum. 

On the second day before the message, sisters from Hesed & Nissi teams presented a video titled "3 Minuets Satisfaction". It revealed  about Jesus who came to fill thirsty souls. They also offered beautiful songs to Jesus. Brother Yejoon Jang showed his marvelous guitar skill by playing "Jesus, My Healer" beautifully. 

On the third day, just before the meeting, we heard a sudden news about a strong quarantine rule issued by the government that said all the church’s regular worship & meetings were banned immediately. However, God gave us wisdom to handle this matter. We changed our worship program into a prayer meeting (Friday) & youth worship program (Saturday), observing the quarantine rules and finished the rest of the program successfully. On that day, despite of that difficult situation, 16 new students didn't shrink back. Instead, they willingly came to attend our SBC and other 17 new students participated in the program online. Before the message, Sister Perfume team gave a beautiful video presentation revealing Jesus's heart moving love for wandering campus souls who do not know about their true life purpose & value before God. After the message, Peter Park performed a special song that moved all the attendee’s hearts. Along with Sh. Moses Lee’s beautiful- special Violin performance that followed.

The fourth day program started at 1:00pm on Saturday with a video presentation of the cross of Jesus and with a beautiful special song performed by Sh. Samuel You at the church worship hall. After the message of the cross, a special string quartet music touched all attendee’s hearts, letting them to meditate on Jesus’s deep forgiving love and many were in tears of thankfulness toward Jesus. At this time, for a while they had forgotten about covid 19, getting rest before the cross of Jesus. On that day God accepted our leaders’ devotion of their five loaves and two fish that surprisingly brought in 25 new students to the SBC and 12 new students joined in online. 

Afterwards, at 5:00pm we had a testimony sharing meeting for new students at our center building. Among them, 8 students were moved by the Holy Spirit; they came forward to the podium and shared their sincere testimonies accepting Jesus’ forgiving love. 

Through this we are greatly encouraged by the mighty work of the Holy Spirit among us, seeing a new vision to raise student disciples among 2020 freshmen who do not know Christ in SNU campus this year.  We named the new freshmen meeting as “Matthew Team 2020”  and we will continue this meeting every Saturday.

On the fifth day through the message, when Jesus asked,  “Do you love me?”(John 21), all the attendees responded and confessed their love toward Jesus because they were deeply moved by Jesus’s unfailing love.  

Most of all we give glory to God for accepting all our student leaders’ & all our coworkers’ devotion to God in preparing 2020 SBC as their five loaves and two fish. God has done a new thing among us making the impossible possible for us through the work of the Holy Spirit through the SBC.  We also thank God for the great work of the Holy Spirit among the new students and for allowing us to have the second week “Matthew team meeting” last Saturday along with many graceful testimony speakers among the new students.

Again, we give all the glory to God the Almighty for allowing us to have such a heart moving SBC 2020 through powerful & touching messages, graceful testimonies, wonderful video presentations and special music and all other program.

We pray that God may continue to bless our Matthew Team 2020 testimony sharing meeting every Saturday at 5pm and enable us to raise 12 student disciples in 2020.