1. Origin and Purpose

1-1. Origin

The University Bible Fellowship was founded on September 1, 1961 in the midst of national turmoil following the 4/19 nation-wide demonstration and the 5/16 coup d'etat. At the time, Korean college students who were supposed to be the future leaders of the country fell into deep despair due to the social instability and the deteriorating value system of the times. At that time, Dr. Samuel Lee (1931-2002) was ministering to college students in the Daein Church, in Kwangju after graduating from a Presbyterian seminary. Dr. Lee met Missionary Sarah Barry who volunteered to come to Korea to help this war-devastated country. She was sent by the Board of World Missions of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.-Southern, and is currently working at the Chicago U.B.F. as a world representative.

They shared a common belief that the best way to help Korea and the world was to plant faith and hope for the future in the hearts of college students with a life-giving spirit, that they would grow to be future leaders. To this end, they began to pray with the prayer topic, "Bible Korea, World Mission," and studied the Bible with college students. This was the beginning of the University Bible Fellowship.

1-2. Purpose

The University Bible Fellowship is a non-denominational, evangelistic campus organization focused on raising disciples of Jesus who can live sacrificial lives for the gospel and contribute to society and their nation by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to college students and young people. U.B.F. serves world evangelism by raising lay missionaries and sending them throughout the world. For this purpose, U.B.F. teaches the Bible to college students and young people and helps them to live according to the teachings of the Scriptures and to practice the world mission command of Jesus (Acts 1:8). The University Bible Fellowship is a mainline evangelical organization and is dedicated to the task of student evangelism.

 Why study the Bible?

The Bible contains 66 books and was written over a period of more than 1600 years. Yet it is one book with a consistent theme: God's love and salvation for fallen mankind. Thus it is the source book of Judaism and Christianity. It has stood the test of time and the attacks of critics for the last 2000 years because it is the inspired word of God.

How do we study the bible?

The Bible is the word of God, written by Holy men of old who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. We must not approach it critically but prayerfully in order to learn what God is saying to us and to obey Him. There are three steps:

• Observation: What does it say?

• Interpretation: What does it mean?

• Application: What does it mean to me?

Our approach to Bible study is the question and answer session followed by personal reflection and testimony writing.

Why study "one-to-one"?

There are many different ways to study the Bible, such as through personal reading and meditation, listening to sermons and lectures, discussion groups, or on a one-to-one basis. All are good. But our ministry is uniquely committed to one-to-one Bible study. God saved the ancient world through one man, Noah. God gave his covenant to one man, Abraham. Jesus taught Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman one at a time.

Our one-to-one Bible study is evangelistic in purpose, that is, we seek to lead people -- one at a time -- to meet the God of the Bible personally and come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.