(USA-VIDEO) Glory, Love and Unity in Christ Empowered the UBF Next Generation Leaders
- by UBF HQ
- Dec 08, 2022
- 1329 reads
By E*rick Lopez
On November 16, 2022, approximately 50+ next-generation leaders from across UBF North America chapters gathered for a retreat to connect, form bonds of love and pray for the future of their own church communities.
The title of our retreat was “Glory, Love and Unity,” with the prayer that the glory of Jesus would be displayed in our lives personally and communally through love and unity. We gathered to worship with songs of praise, study of Scriptures, fellowship, and the breaking of bread and prayer. We also had open, honest discussions about the communal UBF contexts and the struggles they have been experiencing, recognizing the various cultural and generational differences that can hinder love and unity.
On Wednesday evening, the retreat began with an opening address by E*rick Lopez, followed by the Life Testimony of W*illiam Larsen. On Thursday, S*teve Stasinos delivered a message on John 17:22-23, emphasizing the unity that Jesus prayed for future generations to display to the world. That same evening, Dr. S*arah Theresa Ahn led a workshop titled “Gospel Resolution and Communication to Inter-Generational Conflict,” giving an in-depth understanding of the differences between first-generation Korean missionaries and second-generation Korean Americans. Ultimately, we must all come to Christ and adopt His Gospel-centered culture for forgiveness, reconciliation, love, and unity.
On Friday morning, G*reg Lewis delivered a message on Acts 2:42-27, showing a concrete picture of what a healthy Church community looks like. And on Friday evening, J*ames B. Tetzlaff facilitated a time of open-mic sharing, where various attendees shared what God has done for them and what they have learned in their walks of spiritual well-being, community growth, and Gospel outreach.
In the end, God provided a temporal and physical space to answer our prayers for this gathering: 1) That leaders would form deep spiritual connections and have dialogue in a safe and open space. 2) Leaders would build bonds of love and unity and be empowered by the Holy Spirit to come together for the glory of God. 3) Leaders would be filled with thankfulness and reverence for what God has done through our church communities as we pray for the future.
