Dear Friends,
As I look forward to returning to Korea in July it is with mixed feelings of gratitude and uncertainty. I’m grateful to God for answered prayer concerning my health. I am grateful, too, for the way in which God has blessed the University Bible Fellowship during this year of absence. Regular letters from Mr. Lee and the students show growth in stewardship, and deeper commitment to the task of reaching the universities of the nation for Christ in this crucial time of Korea’s history.
God has blessed the work in Kwangju. U.B.F. is continuing to penetrate more deeply into the universities. God has also blessed the pioneer outreach to other campuses. Cheju students have organized a small prayer council and students there are assuming more financial responsibility for their own work. Small witnessing communities of Christian students have been planted on campuses in at least three other cities and they are growing.
One of the real problems in Kwangju are the very human tensions created by growth. The place where this tension is most evident is in the Student Center building. The whole membership of U.B.F. – some 600 or 700 students only meet together when they can rent a hall or have an outdoor meeting. Each Sunday afternoon 85 or 90 students squeeze into the 30’x30’ downstairs room for a short lecture followed by group Bible Study.
On Sunday mornings Tae In Church, which was pioneered by First Presbyterian Church when the center opened, has around 90 members meeting to worship. They now have a full-time minister and if they had a larger place to meet, the congregation would continue to grow. In addition, David Ross has begun high school work, also using the center. There’s not even room for an office for him. The tension between these growing groups trying to squeeze into our small center building is mounting. Trying to expand in a downtown location is pretty hard. All of us are very much in prayer about this, however, surely God will open a way for us to expand before we explode!
The feeling of uncertainty which I mentioned is with regard to my own work. Mr. Lee and the staff – Miss Choon Soon Kim, Miss Han Ok Kim, Mr. Soo Il Chung, Mr. Kwan Ok Kim, Miss Chung Han Choi, together with the 45 member Student Prayer Council have assumed full responsibility for the direction and for the hard, front-line work of campus evangelism and Bible study in both Kwangju and Cheju, as well as for pioneer points in other cities. It looks like the time has come for me to leave Kwangju and pioneer in a new place. It is a joyful kind of uncertainty – but uncertainty just the same. I hope you will join me in prayer as I seek the Lord’s leading in this matter.
Sincerely,
Sarah Barry
Commentary:
Regular letters from Mr. Lee and the students show growth in stewardship, and deeper commitment to the task of reaching the universities of the nation for Christ in this crucial time of Korea’s history.
These letters Barry talks about are unfortunately not online. The only places one can find and read them is at UBF's museums.
The feeling of uncertainty which I mentioned is with regard to my own work.
How do you Barry that it's not the Holy Spirit telling you something?
Mr. Lee and the staff – Miss Choon Soon Kim, Miss Han Ok Kim, Mr. Soo Il Chung, Mr. Kwan Ok Kim, Miss Chung Han Choi, together with the 45 member Student Prayer Council have assumed full responsibility for the direction and for the hard, front-line work of campus evangelism and Bible study in both Kwangju and Cheju, as well as for pioneer points in other cities.
In reality Lee is the one in charge and the one who has the real power.