Gracepoint Berkeley's Worldview Camp & SummerFest

For you guys thinking about what to do with your summer, check out Worldview Camp, an annual tradition for college students to take a couple days to train and equip their minds with some of the most relevant current topics:

• Abortion
• Euthanasia
• Intelligent Design, Evolution, Science and Faith
• Sexual Ethics, and more...

Special Guest Speaker is Sean McDowell, son of famous Christian apologist, Josh McDowell. Sean joined us about a month ago and gave a riveting 15-minute presentation on having a reason to believe. I'm looking forward to him leading this year's Worldview Camp! Signups are online. If you've never gone to one, I encourage you to do this! We spend 4 years getting smart at Cal. Take a couple days and get smart about Christ and our culture.

This summer, we're putting on SummerFest for ImpACT (Impaction Asian Communities for Tomorrow), a non-profit organization aimed at academically and personally enriching underprivileged kids from Oakland elementary schools. SummerFest is going to be awesome, but we're going to need plenty of help from volunteers, everything from drivers to lunch prep to team leads to teachers, and much more. If you're interested, check out SummerFest Info and Signups page online.

If anyone in H.1 or H.8 have participated in either, comment away!

Summer Favorite Moments: Pirates

In the spirit of videos that are too good not to share, I feel compelled to post this for your enjoyment. The antagonists are Joe and Annie, H.2 leads:



Thanks to Jon over at H.2 for the priceless video.

Austin Farewell Dance!

Thought that this would bring back some good memories! Props to A2F-Gold junior brother Jeff Chiu for filming it!

Finals Overs, Barbecue Time

Hot Links
Originally uploaded by Kevan & Jenny

With Summer finals over, it's time to have a barbecue and throw the frisbee around in the waning days of summer... yes, folks, summer is almost over! Tonight, we're heading to the park to grill, throw the frisbee around, and stroll around in the early summer evening.

Afterwards, we'll head to NorthLoop to join the rest of the college groups and having a combined bible study (7:30 PM). Then, Olympics on the big screen in digital HD. Awesome.

Sierras Camping: Homegroups 1 & 5

We went camping to the Sierras this past weekend. We roughed it. However, "roughing it" applied differently to different groups of people. We arrived to Hampshire Rocks when the sun had already set, so the girls got busy pitching the tents and getting hot food ready. The guys... well, they got lost and took a sightseeing trip all the way to South Lake Tahoe before joining up with the rest of us.

Some trip highlights:

• S'mores around the campfire... not one night, but two.
• Running water
  
• Off-roading in 4 tough trucks
• Kevin D. playing guitar (his favorite song: Let Me Sing)
  
• Bowman Lake sweeping across the horizon
• Lake Faucherie, the most beautiful place in the Sierras
• Bigfoot Sighting

• Freezing cold waterfall
• Hiking at Faucherie
• Attacking the unsuspecting, trusting Homegroup RED
• Kayaking on Spaulding Lake
• Barbecue grilled dinner
• Hannah and Howard's stories
• Jenny's ghost stories
• Wendy and Maurice's jokes (turtles, "disagree," "can, nut, bread")
• Colossians 3 along the lake's shore at dusk
  

Sorry if you couldn't make it... maybe next time!

Here's the summer news

Hey folks, here's the news:

• DT Groups are changing up so they're student-run, student-led throughout Koinonia. How exciting. Sign up by emailing Grace Lin and she'll plug you into a group.
• We're going on a camping trip to the Sierras, 8/1-8/3. It'll just be our homegroup... Sign up below.
  
  
  
• Junior discipleship retreat this weekend. Get ready, and rides will be sent out soon.
• The rest of us will go on w/ our Friday intramurals, and then maybe we'll do something different for dinner and DT bible study. Maybe we'll go out now that we've gotten rid of those juniors.
• Suggestions for what you want to do is welcome. Things like kayaking, campfire, hide and seek at midnight outdoors. Just throw it into the comments.
  

In Austin... it's hot here!

The Austin Team

I've been in Austin the last couple days and will return to Berkeley tomorrow night. It's been an exciting several days here (aside from the business trip part!). The first night, I went with the brothers here to play basketball at UT's Gregory Gym. We didn't do so bad, mostly because Bryan S. was playing on my team... while there, we met some UT Austin sophomores and juniors, some of whom are avid Boston Celtics fans. Pastor Manny loved it and they got along famously. The next evening, everyone went to the DCs.I went to a DC called Kinsolving Dining Center, attached to a coed dorm of the same name. I sat down with two incoming freshmen and a junior--undeclared, engineering, and CS. It felt like I was back on the Berkeley campus! We've been meeting a lot of people--some UT students and others who are international or just visiting for the summer. The reception has been really warm and it's thrilling to meet UT students and learn about their university, and share my experiences from Berkeley!

In the evenings, I've been together with the team helping with the websites (UT Koinonia and Gracepoint Fellowship Church, Austin), writing copy for the brochures, and even practicing on the praise band for the first ever UT Koinonia bible study, which is tonight! Life here is hot, but it's wonderful being together with the team. We do DT and prayer in the morning, just like in Berkeley. We even had Prayer Band on Thursday morning, praying for the Hsinchu church as well as the Austin needs. And after bible study tonight, we'll be having shaved ice and go play games. Tomorrow (Saturday), I think we're taking a trip to San Antonio!! Wow!

Pray for the first ever UT Koinonia bible study tonight!

Announcements for H.1 in Berkeley:

• Summer IMs as usual at 6:30 PM @ Wood Middle School. Mike H. is in charge of rides if you need one.
• Afterwards, heading over to Steve & Suzanne's for dinner and DT sharing with some of the other Koinonia homegroups!
• Sophomores are off to Sierra Lodge for their discipleship retreat! Simon, don't get dunked or thrown off your kayak (ahem)!

See you guys soon!

Farewell for our Gracepoint Berkeley-Austin Team!

The day is finally here... our Austin team is leaving Berkeley, about to start a new Gracepoint Fellowship Church over in hot Texas, near the UT Austin campus. They'll have their own pastor--not our Pastor Ed Kang or Kelly Kang--but the team will be led by our very own Pastor Manny and Sunny. They're leaving early Thursday morning. But, of course, there's a farewell for them this Wednesday with videos, songs, and words of farewell that'll make you laugh and make you cry. Here's the heads up on all the stuff:

• SET & Prayer Meeting, same time, same place: 7 PM @ First Pres., tonight.
  
• Farewell song practice after prayer meeting... outside in front of Haas Pavilion, on the Berkeley campus!
  
• Last Koinonia picture w/ the Austin team, Wed., 7/9, 5:45 pm on the Sproul steps.
• Austin Farewell, Wed. night beginning at 6:15 pm at First Pres. If you come at 6 pm, you can get some boba.
• and last for this week, Intramurals @ 6:30 pm, Fri., 7/11, @ Wood Middle School. Mike H. in charge of rides so give him a holler.

Taiwan to Berkeley, Gracepoint Fellowship Church

Caroline, as you know, is in Taiwan w/ our Gracepoint Fellowship Church, Hsinchu, until the end of July. She took some pictures and I just wanted to share them with you guys, and also a note that she sent:

June photos are finally up! It was one PACKED month. At the beginning of the month, we were still with the Gracepoint Berkeley Taiwan team and going to Tainan with them. The rest of the month I was saying farewell to my NCTU Chinese classmates, taking my Chinese finals and proficiency test, and cheering on the NTHU/NCTU students with care packages for their finals! June was also the month where we witnessed our first Taiwanese friend become Christian!! It was almost unbelievable that this was happening so soon, but PTL! I am sure many of your prayers had to do with her decision to accept Christ... We also experienced our first NCTU and NTHU graduations. The graduations here are so different from the ones in America. Definitely more quiet and solemn. Not so hyped up. Actually, we had many students whose parents didn't come to see their graduation. Those students were very happy that we were there to cheer them on and act as their "family". One more thing we did for the first time was going to the theaters! We finally got the chance to go watch Prince Caspian together after FNP. Everyone loved it, but I must say - the book is MUCH better. By the end of the month, our Taiwan team exploded to 19 people as we welcome our new team members + Joy from Davis. God is good!!

thank you once again for your continual prayers!! I have less than one month left (*sighs*)...I plan to use this time to "go all out" with my Chinese and with God's Kingdom work!! I will see you SOON!

Let's keep praying for Caroline and the whole team plus their friends in Taiwan!

Caroline's moving back at the end of July from Taiwan to Berkeley, Gracepoint to another Gracepoint! We're looking forward to her return, and can't wait until our H.1 "fellowship" in Berkeley is completed with our last staff member... plus, did you know Caroline's quite the basketball player?

Worldview Camp 2008

Worldview Camp

A couple weeks ago, a whole bunch of us headed over to CSU Monterey to participate in the second annual Gracepoint Worldview Camp. While we lived in dorms and ate DC food, we were studying very earnestly and listening to some good lectures--some from our very own Gracepoint Berkeley people, and others from the very distinguished Dr. John Bloom, holder of multiple PhDs in Physics and Near Eastern Archaeology. Irene, Jenny, Emily and I attended. It was an opportunity to study how Christian truths and principles apply to areas of our everyday life: abortion, eugenics, sexual ethics, the study of science, cosmology, authenticity and veracity of the biblical account, and more. The sheer amount of stuff was dizzying.

Worldview Camp

The days were packed with lectures, discussions with one another, (decent) food from the DC, games and sports at night, and even a bonfire on the beach on the last night. Add to this that we got a chance to hang out with Koinonia Davis who sent about 50 people, and it was a pretty great, community-building, intellectually-stimulating experience. Come next year!

Big Splash @ the Memorial Day Picnic

Big Splash

Early in the summer, all the college groups from Koinonia to Kairos, and the rest of Gracepoint Berkeley and SF's Praxis got together at Paradise Park in Marin County. It was a beautiful day... near the end of the event, Pastor Manny who was so exultant at his team's victory during the organized sports time, was at the receiving end of a massive conspiracy. This (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) was the result. Let me just say, it was "exultant" for the many others who were watching.

Our Summer Travelers

We have a whole bunch of folks away from Berkeley this summer... some people even across international waters! Some of them have blogs where you can read their stunning (mostly about food) adventures. Please pray for our brothers who are away... and give them a holler over Skype if you have a chance. Jenny and I (and Abigail) had a chance to talk w/ John C. a couple days ago. It was really wonderful seeing both him and Jasper as they sat in an internet cafe over in Shanghai.

• John C. is in Shanghai, participating in the PESI program. Jasper is there too (did you know Jasper's a part of A2F3?)
• Daniel S. was in Beijing for PESI, and then helped out at an orphanage. He should be back in the States soon, but will be leaving for GLDI very soon.
• Steve C. is in Taiwan. He was there w/ Taiwan team 1, is staying there for Chinese school at Tsinghua University, and then participating as a teacher in the English Camp starting in mid-July. He and a bunch of people from Koinonia, acts2fellowship, Kairos, and Gracepoint Berkeley are teaching English to incoming Tsinghua and Chiao-Tung University freshmen for 2 weeks. (did ya'll know that Steve's in H.4 w/ Daniel and Hannah?)
• Jay K. is in Korea now, but Jay's heading to China to study abroad for a whole year. By the time he gets back, he'll be fluent in Chinese and a senior! Please keep him in your prayers, and let him know once in a while over Skype that we miss him over here!
• Khanh is heading tot he Netherlands soon! She'll be there until the end of summer... just in time for the Euro 2008!

Alright, that's all for now. Keep these brothers and sisters in your prayer, and on your Skype account!

30-Hour Famine: the Grand Total!

Our homegroup raised $1787! That's really great! On Saturday, we got together in the morning to make activity bags for bed-bound children at Oakland Children's Hospital. Afterwards, we did our DT, hung out, went for a walk to the beach where we had a standing long jump contest. Irene and Mike Ho won... and then we went to the WorldVision Experience exhibit, where we walked in the shoes of an African child dealing with the consequences of AIDS and hunger.

Sunday morning, we got up early in the morning and had a bowl of UNICEF-recipe corn meal, which is served to children around the world. Then we had breakfast burritos, and the look of joy on some people's face (ahem, John K.), looked like they were going to pass out from the tingling sensations on their tongue and in their stomachs. As a church, Gracepoint Berkeley raised $72,063.65!

We're so thankful for the opportunity to participte in 30-hour famine. We got to experience just a little bit of the hunger which is so prevalent throughout our world, help raise money for a worthy cause, expand our own sense of vision, and be a little more grateful for the abundant blessings we have.

Welcome Back Dinner!

A summer Welcome Back dinner for everyone in the homegroup this Wednesday, 6/25. How exciting! We get to see our whole coed homegroup together...! Let me know if you're coming so we can prep food and arrange rides.

NorthLoop bible study & Worldview

Worldview Camp 2008 is happening right now, and Dr. John Bloom is speaking to the attendees even as I write this. I'm heading down to Monterey this afternoon, and will be giving my talk tomorrow. Please pray for me! I'll be gone until Saturday, and will return w/ the rest of the Worldview folks.

As for this Friday, dinner will be served at NorthLoop at 6:30 pm, and then all college department bible study will happen after that.

John C. left for China this past week. Daniel S. finished his PESI program at Tsinghua, and is in Tianjin now, serving an orphanage w/ some of the other PESI program students. The Rowland Heights juniors finished their Taiwan trip, and I think people are starting to trickle back in time for Session C.

I went to Sierra Lodge last week for SLT (Servant Leadership Training) retreat w/ Pastor Ed and Kelly. It was a really special time, and I'll post some pictures in a little bit. We had Sunday Service together, and then went to the Truckee River on the last day, where we got on rafts and boats and had a water brawl.

SET and GTS

All these acronyms! SET [Summer Evangelism Training] starts tonight. Here's an email from Jeannie:

I hope you’re excited about our Summer Evangelism Training, to start tonight!
Just a heads up on the schedule and a reminder that you need to have read the first chapter of Keller’s book “The Reason for God”

· 6:30-6:55pm: Snacks (for NL only)
· 7-7:05pm: Welcome and orientation (for tonight only) – please pick up a syllabus as you enter
· 7:05-7:40pm: Drill groups (this is the “head” portion, to go over keller’s reasoning to make sure that we understand and can articulate his arguments)
· 7:40-8:20pm: Message portion (this is the “heart” portion of the night)
· 8:20-8:40pm: During the “hands” portion, we will be meeting by ministry groups to share and pray together
· 8:40pm: Prayer Meeting


College will be meeting at St. Augustine’s for this week only and thereafter at 1st Pres.
And post-College will be meeting at North Loop.
Please also be sure to bring the $10 registration fee and give it to your drill group leader. This fee goes towards facility rentals and snacks.

Additionally, if you want to sign up for GTS [Gracepoint Training School] summer classes, sign up online. I'd encourage you to take Survival Kit 1 or Church 101.

Questions? Let me know.

Good Bye to some people... and Welcome to others!

Summer and the changing of seasons sometimes brings w/ it other changes.

I sent a long email already, but did want to officially welcome Jenny, Caroline O., Mike Ho, and John Cai (who's no stranger) to our H.1 staff! Jenny's junior girls will be joining our homegroup too! How exciting!

BUT... we have to say goodbye to Ben who will join Helen to lead H.3. Some of the junior guys will go with him. And Wenjie and Steve Choi will join Daniel and Hannah's group, H.4. And the other new grads will join Praxis.

Don't be sad! Be glad!

GSI Tonight & Tomorrow

Gracepoint Summer Institute w/ Dr. Jon Choi starts at 7 pm tonight, First Pres. in Berkeley. Tomorrow's session begins at 9:30 am at NorthLoop, and lunch is provided.

Take your brains off the summer shelf and brush off the dust and bring them tonight. See you guys soon!

Summer Courses & Intramurals: signups

Hey summer peoples, more administrative stuff for you:

• Gracepoint Training School's got some summer courses available if you'd like to participate. There's Course 101, Survival Kit 1, Church 101. Descriptions and sign up available online.
  
• Summer Intramurals are here. Soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee. It'll be fun. Sundays, after service, at Willard Middle School. Bake in the sun, get a tan, pick up some skills, and have fun too.
• Prayer Meeting this week at NorthLoop, Tuesday, 6/3, 7 PM.
  
• Gracepoint Summer Institute with a smart guy, Dr. Jon Choi, at First Pres this Friday. He'll be surveying the Old Testament on Friday night. On Saturday, he'll talk about Narrative Reading Strategy. For the Saturday session, you'll need to sign up online so you can get lunch.
  
• I talked about Summer Multiply Your Talents before. Sign up online, watch the video and laugh. You can make videos like this too.

Hope summer's treating you well. In other news, the Grand Central guys have moved in. The Taiwan team has moved to Tainan, where they'll be performing GospelFest. John Kwon has come back into town, and John Cai too. We learned how to make Seco de Pollo the other night. Watch out world.

Summer Position: Berkeley Academics

From Suzanne--Do you want a part time summer job at $20/hr? Do you want some actual classroom teaching experience to see if you like it? Do you want Fridays off?

Berkeley Academics will be having our annual summer camp in Alameda and we are hiring teachers/tutors!

Qualifications:

• Prior experience working with children (1st-8th)
• Proficiency in your subject area
• Displays a willing and eager attitude

Dates:

• Session 1: 6/23 – 7/3 (M-TH)
• Session 2: 7/7-7/17 (M-TH)
• Session 3: 7/21 – 7/31

Subjects; (grades K-8th)

• Math (9-10:30am)
• Critical Reading (10:30-12pm)
• Essay Writing (9-12pm)
• Word Power (1-2:30)

If you are interested please email me (suzanneDOTsuhATgpmailDOTorg) and we’ll provide more information. For college students, if you don’t want to teach and just want classroom volunteer experience, please let me know as well. Visit our Berkeley Academics website.