Gracepoint Fellowship Church @ Magic Mountain

Like you heard on Friday night, Gracepoint Fellowship Church's college department - acts2fellowship, kairos and koinonia  - is going to So Cal's Magic Mountain this summer! 

June 8, 2009 - be there for some serious fun.  i love roller coasters!

We need a head count so sign-up and just to let you know - it's probably ~$23/person and then another $10 for a private picnic buffet with our own cartoon characters!

Koinonia Year End Video

hi all, here's the koinonia year-end video for 2009. 

"Being home is...hard"

True for you? i know it was for me. my greatest temptation in high school during the hot summer days in MD was to stay indoors, sleep until the sun burst through my shades and watch TV for hours until i was bored of TV. and then i would sleep some more. boy, thank the Lord that the times have changed and i have changed.

Here's a great article that gives some more perspective on this topic and some great advice about how to have an "Intentional Summer Break" from Boundless.org.

Sign-ups got your noodle scattered?

Well, i thought i would aggregate all the sign-ups in one place for y'all:

::MYT::

WHERE: Berkeley

WHEN: Starting Friday 6/5 

COST: $10

8 weeks, 12 classes, great training, and tons of fun! Fridays at 7pm starting on June 5, Gracepoint Fellowship Church will be offering these MYT classes in what has become an annual tradition.  

Sign-up here

::WORLDVIEW CAMP:: 

WHEN: 6/17 - 6/20

WHERE: NorthLoop in Alameda

COST: $60

Come join us as we're lead in worldview training by Sean Mcdowell. 

sign-up here. 

::SUMMER DISCIPLESHIP RETREATS:: 

JRS: Fri-Sun (7/17-7/19) 

SENIORS:  Fri-Sun (7/24-7/26)

WHERE: Sierra Lodge

sign-up here

DEADLINE TO SIGNUP: 7/3

::SUMMER DT journals:: 

1) it will be for June-July-August, made especially for those of you who will be out of town!

2) DT journals will (hopefully) be ready for pickup by the 2nd Sunday of May (but will be available for pickup every sunday through to mid-June).

3) because it will span 3 months, the price will be slightly more... TBD.

4) Order form will be CLOSED on May 6.  Any journals requested after this deadline will cost extra (i.e. up to $2 more for the large journal, summer journal only), so order now!!! :)

ORDER here:

Gracepoint '09 Worldview Camp

Our annual Worldview Camp will be from 6/17-20 this summer in Alameda. Our guest speaker will be Sean McDowell! Please sign-up online (www.gracepointonline.org/signups) if you would like to attend. It will be $50 if you sign-up by 5/15 and $60 thereafter.

Even if you can only make it for a portion of the time, it's well worth your time and money!  Plus you can hang out with us in Alameda afterward for some late-night fellowship!

Gracepiont MYT 2009

Hi everyone,

i can't wait for this summer's MYT classes!  It's one of my favorite church core values - Training Up - and maybe you'll be able to make a snazzy video like this one.  Sign-up here!

Gracepoint MYT Promo 2009 Video from john ko on Vimeo.

I'm back...

man, it's been a long time...but i'm going to be trying to post more regularly. of course, i'm always open to submissions! anyway, please keep this page bookmarked and link to me through your own websites and blogs, etc... =-).

one piece of news - went to the A's game with some junior guys last week!

it was a great game and we had wonderful seats - right behind homeplate!  thanks craiglist! we even got free Holliday jerseys!  can't wait to go again.  

One of these Days...

SNOW TRIP!

we had a blast this past Saturday at Sierra Lodge! check out this video

Valentine's Day of Compassion

Hi everyone,

this year we will be going to Clinton Village for our Annual Valentine's Day of Compassion! Here's the info:

Time: 12-3pm (need to practice beforehand)

Location: The Y and then Clinton Village

Please sign-up below so we can arrange rides and such.  thanks!

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone,

Happy new year and welcome back!  it's hard to believe that we're in 2009 and we're at the start of another semester.  I'm really thankful we could start the year off with the winter retreat where we learned a lot about the brokenness of our lives, our sins and God's amazing love and faithfulness.  I hope that you can all keep pressing on in knowing God deeper this year.  One way we can really do this together is through our Devotion Times or DT.  So please be sure to SIGN-UP and get plugged in.  You can also ORDER DT journals, which have the text and some reflection questions printed out. 

Winter at Gracepoint!

This winter schedule is packed and we have lots of opportunities for you to get involved, equipped and have a lot of fun!


DECEMBER
12/5 - Koinonia Bible study at First Pres
12/12 - All College Combined Bible study at First Pres
12/17-12/27 - Taiwan Winter Mission Team
12/19 - All College Bible study/Potluck at North Loop
12/20 - Angel Tree Christmas Party
12/31 - New Year's Watchnight Service

JANUARY
1/1 - New Year Celebration
1/4-1/15 - Cambodia Winter Mission Team
1/4 - 1/9 - Advanced C101 Training Camp
1/12 - 1/16 - GLIVE Tech & Arts Training Camp
1/13 - 1/15 - Soph Discipleship Retreat
1/15 - 1/18 - Senior Discipleship Retreat
1/17 - Snow Trip
1/23 - 1/25 - Church-wide Winter Retreat - SIGN-UP HERE

November's Bible Study/Post-Bible Study Activity Schedule

Here are November's Bible Study and Post-Bible Study Activity Schedule

11/6 - GONE

11/7 - UPDATED: 

6pm: BYOD (bring your own dinner) to Dwinelle - meet on the steps.

7-10pm: TC PRACTICE

11/14 - UPDATED: Bible study @ St. Augustine's and TC Practice afterward
11/21 - 6pm - Koinonia TC - at the Lipman Room in Barrows Hall
11/25 - Prayer Mtg/Bible study/HG gathering

GONE

In 24 hours, Today will be YESTERDAY and it’ll be GONE. Join us for a time of LIVE MUSIC, PERSONAL STORIES, a THOUGHT-PROVOKING TALK and some boba and food.
You don’t want to miss GONE.

Thanksgiving Retreat - Sat Nov 15

I've been attending Gracepoint now for over 14 years.  I know I look like I just stepped foot on this campus =).  Well, over the years our ministry has changed, matured and grown in many ways.  14 years ago, we were mainly doing ministry on just the Berkeley campus and there was just one college group.  But now, we have a2f, koinonia and kairos on the Berkeley campus and we have koinonia's all over the bay area - from CSUEB to SFSU.  And this of course, doesn't include our sister ministries like Bridgeway and Waypoint. 

Over the years people have said to me that gracepoint seems so large and it's hard to know everyone.  And it's true that there are more people now than before and more ministries.  But I personally learned that getting to know others requires one to be pro-active.  It means getting to know someone else's name and remembering that person and saying hi the next time you see him/her in line at the ASUC or at the DC or RSF.  Building community takes effort, no doubt, and I know I myself need to be pro-active to get to know others.  

And that's why I also really love the Annual Thanksgiving Retreat. It's a time for me and for our whole church to "get to know each other" better. You get to hear testimonies, stories, and facts of how God has been working in many people's lives right in our midst.  It can be learning about what's happening in Impact or Joyland or ISM.  And it's also a time to hear how one person struggled to grow in his/her relationship with God.  And especially those stories have really helped me to grow myself.  So I hope that everyone can take a day out and come to the Thanksgiving Retreat. 

Sign-up here: http://www.gracepointonline.org/signups/thanksgiving_retreat

oh, and here's our trailer:

TC Trailer

So, it's that time of year again, when we go all out to make Thanksgiving really special.  So we, as Koinonia and as a church, celebrate Thanksgiving in a grand style.  

On 11/21, we'll be having the Koinonia-wide thanksgiving celebration full of song, dance and laughter. Then on 11/23, we'll get together as a church to witness all the amazing things God has been doing through our church and give thanks!  And we'll also see some more song and dance and a whole lot of laughter.  And we'll finish off the night with a grand old Thanksgiving Dinner - with all the turkeys, fixings and trimmings.  To inspire you, here's our trailer!

October's Post-Bible Study Activities

Just wanted to give you a heads up for this month's activities after Bible Study, so you can mark your calendars. 

10/3 - Bowling

10/10 - Homegroup Gathering at our place in Alameda

10/17 - UPDATED: Movie Night at our place - Watching "Glory"

10/24 - HG Activity

10/31 - UPDATED: Sports/Game night in Alameda.

Sierra Barn...do we own a farm?

OK, so you may have heard about something about Sierra Lodge or Sierra Barn and maybe you're thinking barn...do we have a farm?  Well, we don't although maybe one day we will be able to have some horses around!  But we have some land up in the Sierras that we have been developing as a retreat site and a home for our getaways, camping trips, hiking trips, etc...  But as hg RED has already blogged about this, i'll let them tell us all about it. Check out the link here:

http://koinoniaberkeleyfellowshiphg7.blogspot.com/2008/09/sierra-barn-construction.html

Bowling This Past Friday

Hi,

last Friday, hg5 and hg7 a.k.a R.E.D, went out to Country Club Bowling in San Rafael. Here are some pics from this past Friday's bowling. Sorry, couldn't get everyone. ps...if you don't want your pic here, let me know and i'll remove it =). 

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

God doesn't waste...

This past Sunday, we had a special Sunday at Gracepoint Fellowship Church as we had a Baptism Service and our Open House, which highlighted the different ministries at our church.  I think the Baptism service was my favorite part and I think I always tear up as I hear the testimonies of the people and hearing how each person has come from such a different place and yet we find ourselves so similar.  Despite our pasts and history, we have a common theme in our lives; we're disconnected from our Maker in Heaven - God.  And our sin has separated us and has often led us down very dark roads - pursuing the wrong things in our life instead of God like partying, drugs, alcohol, romance, and other addictions.  But again, I love that part when each person comes to his/her senses and realizes, just like the prodigal son, that they have been living apart from God and what they were pursuing didn't and couldn't satisfy but only God could.  They find what's always been missing. 

Hearing Mike Kim's testimony also reminded me that God doesn't waste anything in our lives.  He explained how during one of the Brothers' sharing time in which he heard Jesse Kim (one of the staff interns in our homegroup) share his testimony and struggles really hit him.  After hearing the testimony he talked to Jesse for hours and Jesse got to really share his struggles and battles with sin and his own future as well.  I know that for Jesse he had some tough struggles but had it not been for those struggles and growing in his own trust in God he would not have been able to share with others what God has done in his life and ultimately help Mike come to know the gospel.  I really thanked God as I thought about this amazing event.  Even the difficulties and struggles we go through, God can use and He doesn't waste.  That's awesome!