UBF ISBC 2023

Registration

Foreign delegates are those who join the International Summer Bible Conference (ISBC) from any countries other than USA and Canada. The country is not based on the nationality in the passport, but the permanent residency where you stay longer than half a year. If you are a foreign delegate and would like to join ISBC, please contact your church pastor and make a request. Your church pastor will discuss your interest and escalate your request all the way to continental coordinators. If approved, you will be invited via email to register.

Travel Requirements & Documents

Each country has different travel requirements to enter the USA. The following travel regulation map will help determine your travel requirements based on your passport country, what country you are leaving from and your destination.

https://www.koreanair.com/us/en/travel-update/covid19/map

Accommodation upon Arrival

When you register, you will be responsible for your conference fee. You are also responsible for your airplane ticket and other travel expenses. You are welcome to discuss your financial burden with your church pastor. When you arrive at the destination airport (ORD), we, the North America conference team, will make our best effort to provide you with room and board free of charge based on the information you entered during the registration.

We are prepared to welcome you at the O’Hare airport (ORD) and take you to the conference site at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC). Some may arrive at ORD before the start date of the conference, Aug. 3, 2023. In cases where you arrive before Monday, July 31, 2023, we will accommodate you at the Chicago church. For this purpose, please fill out the Hospitality Form on the Chicago website for visitors. But from Monday night, July 31, 2023, to Sunday afternoon, August 6, 2023, all accommodations will be at the UIUC dormitory. If you arrive at any airport other than ORD, your ride from and back to your selected airport needs to be individually discussed and arranged with us. However, we cannot guarantee 100% coverage of accommodation in such cases.

Accommodation after the conference

We will accommodate you according to your departure schedule after the conference is over. We are prepared to take you back to ORD if you return to your next destination via ORD and we can accommodate you near ORD until your departure time. We provide such a service only if you request them during registration or via modification after the registration. We have no other way to know your intention. We will host you till Thursday August 10, 2023, at the hotel Four Points by Sheraton and move you to the Chicago guest house if you stay beyond. Other details will be announced through the UBF Office during the conference. Please contact a staff member at the UBF Office regarding your inquiry.

Translation

At ISBC 2023, translation will not be projected on the screens. Instead, a live audio translation will be accessible through an attendant's smartphone connected via WIFI. Foreign delegates should bring headphones or a Bluetooth headset to connect to their own smartphone to listen in to the translation. Translation will be provided only for Korean and Spanish.

Visa

Some foreign delegates may need to apply for a US Visitor Visa to attend the ISBC 2023. In such cases, you will need to request a formal ISBC 2023 Invitation Letter from UBF Headquarters for your visa application. Please have your passport ready to provide the required information on the request form.

Frequently Asked Questions

I expect to arrive before the conference, where am I going to stay and who will pay for the expenses?

As noted above, you will stay at the Chicago church or UIUC depending on your arrival date and time. All expenses are covered under the hospitality of North America UBF.

I want to see my friends in other cities than Chicago and join the conference later, but before the start of the conference. Can I stay at the dormitory?

Yes. You are supposed to answer your check-in date during the registration. We expect to see you according to your entry and arrange for you to stay in the dormitory and enjoy a free meal upon your arrival.

Is there any group plan for visiting other churches/UBF chapters after the conference?

No, we do not have any such plans. You are welcome to contact the church/UBF chapter of your interest, discuss and make a plan with the respective pastor or friend, and visit accordingly.

Are there post-conference tours available?

Yes. Please refer to the menu Tours on the top of every page.

I will be flying out of ORD on Monday, August 7, 2023, the next day after the conference is over. Where can I stay for the night of Sunday, August 6, 2023?

As noted above, after the end of the conference, we will transport you from the conference site to a hotel near ORD and accommodate you there until your departure on Monday, August 7, 2023. (Caveat: The room and board is for Foreign Delegates, not for North Americans.)