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Germany UBF
October 2, 2013

A New Start

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

Neuanfang, a Bible conference for German youth by German youth, took place on September 11 – 14th, 2013. Around 35 young adults from Cologne, Wuppertal, Heidelberg , Frankfurt and Freiburg came together at a youth hostel in Lindau, Germany. The conference centered itself on Philippians, the book of joy. Throsten Preg gave an opening sermon on Philippians chapter one, wherein he encouraged everyone to live each day worthy of the gospel. For the second chapter, Tobias Hergert stressed the humility of Christ and the importance of replicating Christ’s attitude in our relationships within the church. Jonathan Hong focused on Apostle Paul’s desire to know Christ, and illustrated how this desire comes from, and determines, our identity. Finally, Enoch highlighted the attributes of Christian life i.e. joy, peace, goodness, why this is so important and at what cost we are able to attain them. Each sermon exhibited the various gradients of Christian living, and how one might experience a new life in Christ. These messages were preceded, or followed by, group Bible studies, accompanying testimonies and by heartfelt worship.

In addition to these, there were workshops on the topics “Mission,” “Worship,” and “Marriage.” The facilitators rotated from one group to the next, affording everyone the opportunity to discuss each topic. The discussions were very lively; all the allotted leisure time was unexpectedly used up, and the schedule consequently underwent several adjustments! However these adjustments were in line with focus of the conference, which was on the quality rather than the quantity of programming. A good example of this was how all the attendees were given a chance to unwind at the end of each day at “Nicodemus Café.” Organized by “the Nicodemus angels,” this was a space and time for all the participants to share their lives together in a cozy setting alongside themed snacks, activities and occasional games. There were also impromptu “interviews” whereby a participant was asked to come to the front and answer a few questions about his/her reaction to the conference so far, as well as answering any additional questions the moderator presented in a comfortable, often humorous, manner. Finally, everyone was given the opportunity to go into the quaint town of Lindau and enjoy the beautiful weather, rustic houses, cobblestone roads, street musicians and the view of Austria and Switzerland from afar.

There were also special opportunities to apply God’s word to daily life. For example, new missionaries Paul Lee from Heidelberg and Curie Lee from Cologne, shared their life testimony on God’s calling to Germany. Another opportunity came through the worship team, led by Peter and Joy Kim, who prepared a spectacular night of songs. On the last night, Titus Keller led the group through various prayers of thanksgiving, repentance and intercession. We left the conference with joy. The conference was made possible through the organizational help of Paul Youk, Titus Keller, Tobias Hergert, Peter Jeong and Peter Kim as well as the prayers from our respective UBF chapters. It is our prayer that all those who attended the conference might continue to rejoice in the LORD as they go their independent ways.