Lehigh UBF New Center Dedication

by WMD   12-13-2012   0 reads

Lehigh UBF, USA

December 12, 2012
 
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.” (Mt 20:1)
 
Lehigh UBF began when M. Susy and Dr. Daniel Hong came to the city of Bethlehem, PA in 1988. (Lehigh is not the name of a city but a river valley region that encompasses several towns, and cities, including Bethlehem, and counties in Eastern Pennsylvania.) Dr. Daniel Hong had received a position as an assistant professor in Physics  at Lehigh University. Both missionaries pioneered Lehigh ministry with a manger spirit. They invited Lehigh students to Bible study and held Sunday worship service in their living room. It was an exemplary house church ministry, the kind of ministry which Priscilla and Aquila might have had in their house.
 
We will never understand fully the providence of God that took away Dr. Daniel Hong in prime of his life in terms of his career as a professor and as a shepherd. But we know one thing for sure that through his life and ministry prayers had been offered for the sake of Lehigh University and the seeds of the Gospel had been planted. Before he went to be with the Lord, among many other things he had left for the generations to come, he had procured a spacious and cozy Bible house.  It became the spiritual home for Lehigh UBF members for ten years. It was the place where Lehigh UBF members got together to study the Bible and worship. It was also the place where they found consolation especially during the time of grief after the loss of Dr. Daniel Hong.
 
Last year, in 2011, we studied the book of Joshua and received one word from Joshua 1:2, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.” This meant to us that we cross the Lehigh River and get close to Lehigh University. Right around that time we found an old church building right in front of the university that was for sale. It was available for an affordable price, but it needed much work. Bathrooms looked as if a tornado had gone through them. The sanctuary was dark. There was a big fellowship room, where we could enjoy meals together. But there were not any rooms for one to one Bible studies. After taking a year to take care of these basic problems, we held the center dedication worship service on December 1.
 
Every Sunday as Dr. Bill Pottenger and Wesley Jun (We take turns for Sunday messages.) stand behind the pulpit, we, especially Wesley Jun, try not to look at the empty pews but at those  people sitting there eager to hear God’s words. Sometimes it can be challenging. At the dedication, the church was packed with God’s precious people, who had come to bless us. The church probably had not been filled with so many people in a long time. We know that the previous congregation was not too big either.  Dr. Bill was so encouraged that he really delivered a powerful message based on Matthew 20:1-16. Everybody who took part in the program did so wonderfully. Women co-workers had prepared a mountain-like amount of food in a short time. I thought they would do very well if they began a catering business.
 
Several years ago we co-workers put together Lehigh UBF vision and prayer topics. Sometimes we wonder how we came up with such lofty vision and prayer topics. We often forget to pray for these prayer topics because of our lack of faith. But at the dedication service, Wesley Jun was so encouraged by the guests that he read these vision and prayer topics boldly and loudly. Please pray for us based on these prayer topics. Thank you very much.
 
Lehigh UBF Vision and Prayer Topics
  1. Lehigh UBF may grow into a temple of God as a Spirit-filled community of believers that loves and serves the Lord with our whole hearts, fully and joyfully submitted to Him, with one mind, one heart, one purpose, one Spirit, loving God and each other, and worshiping God perfectly in Spirit and in Truth by obeying the Lord’s command to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” through “offering our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—which is our spiritual act of worship.” (John 13:34 and Romans 12:1-2)
  2. Lehigh UBF may be a place where the hurting and confused college students in Lehigh Valley find love, acceptance, hope, help, forgiveness, guidance, and encouragement. (Matthew 11:28-29)
  3. Lehigh UBF may be a place of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with tens of thousands of college students and residents of Lehigh Valley. (John 3:16, Mark 1:15)
  4. Lehigh UBF may be an 120 member chapter—loving, learning, living in harmony together. (Colossians 1:10, 2Peter 3:18, 2Thessalonians 1:3, Ephesians 4:16)
  5. Lehigh UBF may be a community of people growing into spiritual maturity through Bible studies and discipleship training. (1 Peter 2:2, Ephesians 4:15)
  6. Lehigh UBF may be a missionary-sending church—hundreds of long-term missionaries and thousands of short term missionaries. (Matthew 28:18-20)
  7. Lehigh UBF may pioneer 12 universities and colleges in Lehigh Valley. (Acts 19:20)

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