(HQ) 2026 Founders Day Celebration: Delight in the Word of God
- Oct 13, 2026
- 11 reads
By Paul Koh
Psalm 1:2: “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”
The 2026 Founders Day Celebration was held on October 2 at Chicago UBF with the theme, “Delight in the Word of God.” Reportedly, this was one of the best Founders Day celebration. The sanctuary was packed with young people, with more than 260 in attendance and approximately 1,500 online viewers.
The program began with opening prayers by Dr. Abraham Song and Annie Lee. This was followed by a solo performance of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Dr. Henry Park.
The highlight of the program was the testimonial message by Dr. Mark Yang. The blessed man is one who delights in God’s Word and meditates on it day and night. Dr. Yang explained why we should delight in God’s Word. First of all, through the power of God’s Word, we grow in the image of Christ and become more like him. We also experience the joy of discovering the hidden treasures in God’s Word. Above all, Dr. Yang emphasized the importance of discipleship in doing God’s work.
At the beginning of his pioneering ministry, Dr. Yang did not know how to raise disciples of Jesus. Later, through studying Mark’s Gospel, he discovered many principles of discipleship. Numerous disciples were raised, beginning with the “Seven Tigers.”
When Dr. Lee went to America, Dr. Yang was appointed chair of the Bible Study Material Department. He studied the Bible intensively every morning, Monday through Friday, together with other staff shepherds. Through this, he experienced the joy of growing in Christ. God then blessed his Sunday worship service, and attendance grew from 100 to 700. In addition, 230 missionaries were sent out. Praise God for his fruitful ministry. His ministry demonstrated the truth of Psalm 1:3: “Whatever they do prospers.”
God also blessed four testimony speakers. Ji-hoon grew up in an abusive and broken relationship with his parents. Through one-to-one Bible study, he experienced healing and was changed into a new creation. He is now growing as a shepherd for SNU students. Dima loves the Word of God and shepherds God’s flock in the midst of war. He could have fled the country, but he decided to remain in Kyiv in order to shepherd the suffering people of Ukraine. May God bless his shepherd heart and make Ukraine a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Between the testimonies, Dr. Moses Lee Jr. performed Elgar’s “Salut d’Amour” on the violin, together with Professor Kang Dong-kyu on the piano.
The testimonies of Daniel and David Byun Jr. revealed the transforming power of Christ and the fruit of their parents’ daily, tearful prayers. In the past, they pursued worldly pleasures, money, and success. But they have now been transformed and called to serve as missionaries to K-nation together with their parents, focusing on pioneering campuses in Astana as well as the 10/40 Window.
Finally, God blessed the video presentation titled “Chemistry of the Bible.” Many people were deeply touched by Dr. Lee’s Bible study. The following is an email from a staff shepherd in Korea:
“The video about Dr. Lee was a great challenge and inspiration. Let us become people of the Bible. It was inspiring to see that during 18 years of attacks by deprogrammers, he did not fight a battle of flesh and blood but instead devoted himself to studying Luke’s Gospel. He mentioned that it took him 12 years to understand the differences among the four Gospels. I also learned for the first time that his 1985 lectures on Luke’s Gospel were among his most heart-moving messages. They are currently sitting unread on my bookshelf. I felt a strong desire to read those precious notes thoroughly and carefully. Furthermore, hearing that a shepherd should ‘smell like studying the Bible’ filled me with shame as I realized how shallow my own meditation on the Word has been.”
The program ended with announcements and prayer topics by P. Mark Vucekovich followed by P. Ron’s benediction.
Behind the scenes, many servants of God devoted themselves to making this program successful, including Joshua M. (Video and Tech), Moody S. (Various Stewardships), David Kim (1,000 Invitation Letters), Mark Vucekovich (Marketing), Faith G. & Monica S. (Food Service). Most of all, the unceasing prayer support and close coworking of Pastor Ron Ward have helped make the Founders Day Celebration possible for the past 24 years.
Beginning next year, the Founders Day Celebration will rotate among the 5 continents, starting with Korea. The 2027 Founders Day Celebration will be held on October 8 at the 100-Year Centennial Hall in Seoul, Korea.
May God help us all to delight in the Word of God and meditate on it day and night. May He raise many men and women of the Bible and use them as fruitful disciples and disciple makers for this generation.
