(USA) 120 in the Great Lakes Region Gathered Together For Their 2026 Regional Conference

Mar 26, 2026

By Peter Park
 
The Great Lakes Region held its 2026 Spring Conference from March 13–15 at the Beulah Beach Conference Center in Vermilion, Ohio. The conference, titled "Love One Another,” based on this year’s UBF key verse, brought together members from 10 regional chapters, along with guests from Cincinnati. A total of 120 people attended the conference.
 
We are thankful for the powerful messages: 
Main Message: "Love One Another" (John 13:1-38) – Kirk Kayser (Columbus)
Opening Message: "Love Never Fails" (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) – Mason Birch (Akron);
Closing Message: "The Fruit of Love" (John 15:1-15) – Joseph Kim (Cleveland). 
 
The conference featured 2 insightful lectures: “Discovering Your God-given Identity: A Journey to Kingdom Work” by Bill Drosos, and “Be Alert in the AI Generation” by Dr. Paul Hong and Missionary Daniel Choi. We thank God for the active participation of young adults, with 33 in attendance. Nine young adults shared testimonies while also leading praise, worship, and special music. Our leaders approved financial support for young adults registering in NAYAC. Furthermore, the conference supported house church ministry, which is the foundation of 8 of the 10 chapters in our region.
 
We praise God that every chapter contributed to the success of the conference through service, reflection, sharing, and special music. Additionally, CBF and HBF (children's) programs ran alongside the main conference, providing wonderful fellowship for our children.
 
We prayed for the leadership transition of the Columbus chapter. After faithfully leading for many years, Dr. Henry Park retired on March 15, 2026, passing the leadership to Shepherd Jeff Gathergood (Director) and Shepherd Kirk Kayser (Assistant Director). Regional leaders gathered to lay hands on them in prayer.
 
 
We humbly ask for earnest prayers for Dr. Henry Park. He has been diagnosed with kidney cancer requiring immediate surgery to remove a kidney, with further oncological evaluation needed for spots on his lungs. He is scheduled for surgery in early April. Please pray for complete recovery, healing, and for God to perform a miracle. He may relocate to Chicago on March 27 for comprehensive care. We thank God for his grace in bringing us together for this conference.