By Daniel Park, Germany
The autumn Bible conference of Cologne UBF — which included participants from Düsseldorf, Neuss, Wuppertal, Freiburg, Hannover and Wiesbaden — was richly blessed through God’s Word from Ephesians 4. The conference was held October 23–25, 2026, at the Nideggen Youth Hostel.
There were many new participants who joined because of the warm invitations we extended. A student from Hamburg was keen to participate alongside a missionary from Hanover and finally met Maria Y. in person, someone with whom she had previously only been in contact online. Praise God!
Lukas S. (See footnote 1), Henoch S. and Peter Yook prepared and delivered excellent sermons on the theme of "Unity in Diversity." On the mornings of the second and third days, we studied the lessons in small groups and shared our personal reflections.
Thanks to the beautiful weather, the afternoon activities (hiking and sports) were wonderful, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the games that evening. That same evening, we heard reports on the mission to the Karen people (presented by Missionary Daniel Yu, see footnote 2) and the medical mission (presented by Dr. Ulrike Gross). The children prepared a beautiful choir performance for the Sunday worship service.
In the evenings, Rainer Wieland and Daniel Park shared their life testimonies with a touch of humor. In particular, the testimony of Milka from Bolivia touched our hearts when she confessed how she overcame her cancer by believing that "life belongs to God alone!" She is a blessing in the church of God. Rebekka's report on the ministry in Freiburg was very encouraging.
Everyone left feeling joyful and determined to use their individual gifts for the church of God, in unity with one another. Thank God for the team that led the congregational singing, under the direction of Noah Kang, which made the conference such a joyful experience. Praise the Lord for the preparation team, who worked behind the scenes to make everything possible! There is a strong desire to hold future Bible conferences at this lovely youth hostel once again.
Footnotes
1) Lukas S., who is currently studying theology, mentioned during his sermon that he misses the time he spent studying the Bible with us. He noted that the Bible is rarely studied in his formal theological training; therefore, he wants to encourage us and the German churches in general to prioritize Bible study!
2) The Karen people (Living in the border area of Thailand and Myanmar) number approximately 4 million and lack legal status or citizenship; they do not even possess passports. Through the mission to the Karen people, the people are receiving heavenly hope. This mission focuses specifically on establishing schools for training nurses and medical professionals. Discipling followers of Jesus among young students and medical professionals is the core task.
