News > HQ

by Charles Kim, Chair

• Introduction

History Committee hosted Campus Night in March 6, 2015 with Education Committee. The committee will host the Mexico Night in March 4, 2016. I attended the Asian Directors Conference and encouraged the attendants to have a sense of history and write chapter history in God’s time. 

• Review of 2015
  • Campus Night

As UBF grows more than 50 years, UBF consists of all walks of life. Its members age from babies to great grandparents. In fact one founder Sarah Barry approaches 90 years old. As the demography changes, UBF faces its own challenge in carrying out campus mission where students are mostly in early twenties. Through this event we reviewed campus mission in various organizations including UBF and explored efficient and effective way of carrying it out as a church. The presentation was published in the special Newsletter. All the materials were posted on the history web site as well.

• Asian Directors Conference

This year I chose to join the Asian Directors conference. Through this I will meet many national directors/coordinators from Asia and encourage them to write history. Someday I want to invite one country to Chicago and present its history.

• Anniversaries

UBF has chapter over 100 countries. Many chapters have the age more than 30 years. Some chapter directors have a sense of history and celebrate its anniversaries. For example, the Washington chapter in USA held a ceremony for 40th anniversary. The Nagasaki in Japan also held a ceremony for 25th anniversary. It is an opportunity to write the chapter history. Gwanak I in Korea published its own history for the last 40 years. I pray that more chapters do the same according to their situation. 

• Web site

We have added more materials to the web site. 

• Plan for 2016
  • Mexico Night

USA holds annual meeting and publish reports by each chapter director. Mexico does not have such meeting, nor publish annual report. Abraham Kim and I set up Mexico Night and prayed to use this event to encourage our chapter directors in Mexico to write its own history. I worked closely with Abraham Hwang and Barnabas Choi. Twelve chapter directors wrote history. Some of them will come and present it during Mexico Night. The UBF press will publish a Newsletter afterwards.

• Miscellaneous

There are many reports and materials on the UBF history. Yet there is no textbook for UBF history. This can be used to introduce the UBF history to the young leaders in each chapter or the missionary candidates. The committee has a vision to publish one. The committee will host another annual event in 2017. Please pray for the topic. Somang Chung graduated from the University of Toronto with the major in English literature. She likes to translate Korean into English. Upon my request, she volunteered to be a staff for translation. We will work on the translation.