Easter Sunday and this week's News

Good Friday and Easter Service are over. We had a wonderful weekend celebrating the cornerstone of our Christian faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross. I hope it was a meaningful weekend for everyone, a chance to personally connect with the God who loves us. Afterwards, we had a great potluck with all of Koinonia, played sports, and enjoyed the sun. More pictures to come, but a couple are up on our Flickr site.

Some quick announcements:

LIFEgroups this Wednesday, 4/15. Check with your smallgroup leader for more info.

Home Time (that means dinner) at Kevan & Jenny's on Thursday night, 4/16. You're welcome to come over, eat, and hang out. If you need to study, bring your books. We'll lock you up in the apartment next door! If you need a ride, let me know (at kevanhoATgmailDOTcom).

GTS this Friday, 4/17, back at First Pres, beginning at 7:00 PM. If you have homework, make sure to do it!

Baptism Service this Sunday, 4/19, we have 23 people getting baptized at Gracepoint Berkeley's worship service. You're invited to come and hear their stories. We won't be able to hear all their stories, but we can celebrate all together. Worship Service starts at 11:30 am, following the 10:00 am prayer meeting. (Note: Koinonia is in the overflow for the month of April)

If you want a Summer DT Journal (spans all 3 months!), order them online. Order form will be closed May 6.

GLive Is Over...

Gracepoint Live is really over... As we all decompress, breathe a collective sigh of relief, and wistfully recount all the fun, laughs, and hard work with our friends, it's time to start sharing pictures and stories.

But got a couple announcements:

• Tues, 4/7, 7:00 pm at First Pres: Prayer Meeting. This is Passion Week, a time when Christians traditionally observe the last week of Jesus' life, reflecting on his Passion (from dictionary.com: a) the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper. b) the narrative of Christ's sufferings as recorded in the Gospels) leading up to the cross and resurrection. Basically, it's an important week in the Christian calendar. If you have time, see you at the prayer meeting. It'll be a good time to think and prepare our hearts for the week


• Good Friday begins at 7:30 pm (4/10), Kofman Auditorium at Alameda High Auditorium. If you need a map or directions or a ride, let one of the H.1 staff know.


• Easter Sunday Service begins at 11:30 am (4/12), also at Kofman Auditorium! It'll be a festive day for us to celebrate the risen Christ!

If you need a Passion Week reader, a collection of excerpts and articles from fine Christian writers (John Stott, A.W. Tozer, Chuck Colson, Soren Kierkegaard, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis, Karl Barth, Leo Tolstoy and more!), you can let one of the H.1 staff know if you still need one. These articles together with the Gospel Passion account narrative can help prepare your heart and mind to reflect on this very pivotal (central!) event. Recommended reading.

To wrap up this post, we can start reliving GLive (before the DVD comes out) because Conrad (a2f Gold) and Abe (Kairos 2) put up the GLive Intro video for our viewing enjoyment (and so you can show all your friends who didn't make it a little bit of what they missed):


Gracepoint Live 2009 Intro Video from Conrad Chu on Vimeo.

Shown April 4, 2009 at Willard Auditorium at Gracepoint Live (http://www.gracepointlive.org), to a packed crowd. This year's theme was "UNDO".

Gracepoint Fellowship Church (http://www.gracepointonline.org) is a church located 6 blocks from the UC Berkeley Campus. We have various ministries & small groups for working professionals, singles, couples, college students, youth and children. We have a diverse congregation and various opportunities to get involved both in church and in the Berkeley & Oakland community. Whether you are new to this whole Christianity business or looking to grow in your faith with a tight knit community come on by.

A Hymn to Dwell On

We sang a hymn tonight, Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted, at prayer meeting. The words were so dense and packed with meaning, I thought it'd do us good to have them here so we can think and reflect on them a little bit more.

        1. Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,
       See Him dying on the tree!
       'Tis the Christ by man rejected;
       Yes, my soul, 'tis He! 'tis He!
       'Tis the long-expected Prophet,
       David's Son, yet David's Lord;
       Proofs I see sufficient of it:
       'Tis the true and faithful Word.

       2. Tell me, ye who hear Him groaning,
       Was there ever grief like His?
       Friends through fear His cause disowning,
       Foes insulting His distress;
       Many hands were raised to wound Him,
       None would interpose to save;
       But the deepest stroke that pierced Him
       Was the stroke that Justice gave.

       3. Ye who think of sin but lightly
       Nor suppose the evil great
       Here may view its nature rightly,
       Here its guilt may estimate.
       Mark the Sacrifice appointed,
       See who bears the awful load;
       'Tis the WORD, the LORD'S ANOINTED,
       Son of Man and Son of God.

       4. Here we have a firm foundation;
       Here the refuge of the lost;
       Christ's the Rock of our salvation,
       His the name of which we boast.
       Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
       Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
       None shall ever be confounded
       Who on Him their hope have built.

Passion Week news

Every year, Christians around the world observe Passion Week, the last week of Christ. For those unfamiliar with its Latin roots, "Passion" in this sense doesn't refer to love or emotional romantic fervor. It refers to suffering, as in the suffering of Christ. Wanted to let you know some of the things happening this week:

• Prayer meeting tonight (3/18) will include Praxis as well, and starts at 7 PM, First Pres.
• Ben's having reading and reflection time at the YWCA everyday this week from 9-10 PM. From 10-11 PM, there are prayer rooms available for people to use as well. You're welcome (and encouraged) to join him if you have time.
• Mid-week Course 101: same place, same time on Wed. night.
  
• There's a viewing of Passion of the Christ on Thurs., 3/20, 8-9:30 PM @ 145 Dwinelle.
• Good Friday Service is at 7:30 PM, Willard Middle School.
• Saturday, 3/22, some of us are going to Golden Gate for a one-day prayer and reflection retreat. If you'd like to join us, let me know.
• Following our Easter Sunday Service, we'll have a barbecue picnic together as an entire church.
• Spring Break Yosemite details coming up soon. Stay tuned.
• If you need to pick up Passion Readers, you can pick them up tonight at First Pres. Just look for the book table in the lobby.

Lots of announcements, huh? Very full week.

Also, it's a tradition for many Christians to fast on Friday in observance of Christ's death on the cross. It's not merely an exercise in denial or self-inflicted starvation, it's to set aside time to reflect and pray throughout the day. Just wanted to let you know as many of the staff will be doing this.