My time at Gracepoint ended with me feeling at the lowest point of my life, reads a testimonial shared in April via r/UCSD. Gracepoint started in 1991 as Berkland Baptist Church in Berkeley, California, as a church in the Southern Baptist Convention denomination. You can ask questions and have discussions regarding the Truth Project by responding to this post. Special thanks to John Kim (pseudonym) as the primary contributor for this page. Our affiliation with the EPC began in 1982 and we have walked with this body of. But some very important teachings dont get filtered down properly, or at least they didnt when I was there. I have been attending this church for two years now (I'm a sophomore), been somewhat involved, and I think I kinda know how things are run. Waypoint eventually changes its name to Gracepoint Davis. One of the things thats good about the Korean culture is that when someone wants you close to them, they make you part of their family, said a former longtime Berkland member who asked not to be named due to his close ties with Gracepoint leadership. Six ex-Gracepoint staff said mental breakdowns contributed to their decisions to leave the church and, for some, the faith. The irony is, that on numerous occasions, Ive heard a rebuke about not doing things out of a love for God and others, but the result is that people act because they do not want to get rebuked again. They cared more that I was staying and being a productive sort of functioning member.. At our church, you'll find a wide range of people from those who have grown up in the church to those who are learning about Christianity for the first time. Kelly Kang/Ed Kangaccused all of us of using the church for personal gain (marriage). Soon multiple separate groups were created, which became A2F, Koinonia, Praxis, etc. Huang, the UC Berkeley student, said a church leader told her that her suicidal thoughts were because she didnt love God enough. She said this response pushed her to walk away from Christianity. Every group at Berkeley who actively recruits seemed to be on the high end. The war on Christmas comes to mind. Honestly, just bring it up with her. In other words, you are not oppressed. - Lyssna p Ed Kang - GracePoint Berkeley Part 2 av The Ralph Moore Podcast direkt i din mobil, surfplatta eller webblsare - utan app. After installing that, I was so scared so I stopped using Facebook or even YouTube or things like that, Smith said. My daughter is involved with this church, as a leader. Many of its members have to seek psychiatric treatment at the UC Hospitals after going to this cult and joining their core group, the email read. I also suspect that their spouse was chosen because there were two instances when the male staff suddenly announced their engagements. They are hardworking, sincere, competent, and godly folks. Enough stamps and certifications and you will be qualified to move on up the ranks. In an internal survey of 1,004 Gracepoint members late last year, 37 percent viewed the church primarily as a family, 34 percent viewed it as an army, and 29 percent viewed it as a factory. I think you need to really curb that. . Gracepoint Church. Im not sure who started calling getting rebuked, rocked, but it really turns something negative into something of a badge of honor. I work at a big company now, and its a company thats pretty good in its field. That's probably why she deleted FB, etc. Dropping any "idols," or things you always think about more than God. Visit Website Compassion International 800+ Children Sponsored Gracepoint Fellowship Church members sponsor children in need. Subscribe to CT
I was never a member at Gracepoint. An FAQ page on Gracepoints website answered the question Is Gracepoint a Cult?Nope, not reallywhile dismissing Reddit trolls and touting its Southern Baptist affiliation. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver ), but there is a really unhealthy element of the culture that I believe is one of the root causes of the spiritual abuse at Gracepoint. The pastor and his wife are a fine couple that lead the congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do so. Other churches in or near Berkeley include: First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Livingwater Church, Evangel Bible Church of Berkeley, and Reality SF. You don't want to miss this!! Ed Kang says he tried his best to give her feedback but that she rationalized her behaviors and never repented. My point is- any criticism of you, especially because of the things you actually said or did, is not persecution. College Ministry . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Theres this kind of encouragement to keep up this facade because at the same time you werent supposed to just be openly out as being bi or whatnot. free! And if I had stayed, I shudder to think how much more I would have lost, and how much more I would have been damaged. Those kinds of values were considered essential as part of the church.. On March 12, 2017, UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla received an email from a concerned community member about Gracepoints presence on UCSDs campus and classified the church as a cult.. Without the church's support, he might have had nowhere to live. Gracepoint Church Religious Institutions Alameda, California 839 followers An Acts 2 Church in every college town Follow View all 88 employees About us Our story began in 1981 as a. My sometimes "cult" concerns would have been inflamed if she didn't go to a public school. Their practice of rebuke seems to me out of the context of Scripture, as leaders assert their power, authority and dominance on younger members. Thirty-two former Gracepoint members who spoke with Christianity Today for this story described a culture that was controlling and coercive for the sake of ministry efficiency. Continue to next article: What does Gracepoint have to say? If the abuser fails to do that, they rationalize by saying, they dont love me and I guess I never loved them. At this church, it is the same, because if you do not respond to rebuke, you are spiritually desolate and they cannot shepherd or love you. They have a rule of not dating. But I don't think anyone has specifically addressed this issue as a post, so I'll take a stab. Julia Smith, who remained anonymous due to fear of retaliation, attended Gracepoint at UCSD from 2013 to 2017 and attributed her hesitation to leave the church to her fear of losing the community. I cannot emphasize enough how confusing the names get. Youth fellowships, in particular, like to practice "love bombing," where members will go out of their way to greet you, be friendly, do favors for you until you join -- after all, why wouldn't you want to join a group where everyone is so nice to you? Want to work with us? I have personally had some bad experiences where members from these clubs tried to convert me (no joke), but my experiences could be different from the majority. College Directors . But their restoration hinged on the whims of Gracepoint leaders, with the process sometimes dragging out and involving assignments to repent with written reflections and confessions. Gracepoint Berkeley Church. Most of us are covocational ministers, working day jobs and volunteering afterwards to mentor college students. Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Triton Editorial Board. He Gets Us, an effort to attract skeptics and cultural Christians, launches nationally this month. One source who attended Gracepoint during their time at UCSD asserted this resulted in a Gracepoint social bubble that made it difficult to interact with others outside of that bubble.. The University of California (UC) announced that it is considering plans to require students, staff, and faculty to receive a COVID-19 vaccination before returning to campus , Are you interested in writing, getting published, and learning more about the campus? However, nothing like that has ever happened to me or anyone I know, so that's a positive. I wouldn't call the consulting clubs on campus "cults" because their members put in similar time commitments. Read more. Sundays @ 8:15am & 10:00am. This is what a 20-year-old would realize, but here I am at 40 just realizing this now., Evangelical ministries eager for holistic, 24/7, all-of-life discipleship have sometimes crossed boundaries into spiritual abuse, where members feel coerced and manipulated rather than guided and mentored. Lets be clear, rebuking sessions at Gracepoint are not fun. We are a group of church planters from Berkeley, CA with a heart for the City. Their teaching is unbiblical; the extreme emphasis and focus on sin is unhealthy. Check out this recent article about them: https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/gracepoint-berkland-asian-american-church-discipleship.html. I'm mad because I've seen not only myself but also others get hurt and develop mental health issues because of your practices. From small groups to boba, and bowling to Sunday services, we're a group that loves to hang out, talk about life, and connect with God. Thats life as a very imperfect sinner. Gracepoint Church, founded in 2006, currently runs a variety of campus ministry groups across the University of California, including Klesis and Acts2Fellowship at UC San Diego. He jumped so quickly to scolding me, really making sure I was in this posture of shame, Lee said. During this time, Becky was revered and spoke at many retreats at Berkland Berkeley as a special guest. But that's a whole other topic I don't want to get sidetracked by here. For anyone who is currently at GFC and wondering, even just a bit, if you want to stay or not, I would encourage you to listen to those stories. Want to submit an op-ed or letter to the editor? They are excellent at outreaching to newcomersit is insane. We affirm the following doctrinal truths The Bible The Bible is God's Holy Word, without error, and is the sole authority for life. To keep members focused on mission work, Gracepoint effectively restricted dating, media consumption, and pet ownership. Please contact the team via Discord or reddit to help contribute with any corrections or additions. I want to do these things. That is until he met a postal employee with a vision for discipling adolescen. (LogOut/ And its something that affects my marriage, affects my kids, and the reality is you know the source of it and when it started was 2003., According to Sam C., the churchs impact on his academic standing and mental health took a turn for the worse during his fifth year. Gracepoint Berkeley Church - Alameda. By gracepoint In Devotion Text, Proverbs with Comments Off on Bible Reading: Proverbs 1:1-19 Bible Text: Proverbs 1:1-19 Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. When you've isolated the individual from his or her old support network and substituted the group, they're psychologically locked to the group and cannot leave. Change). But lets talk about the culture of getting rocked Gracepoint. It was also a period of growing dissatisfaction and division among the leaders in their feelings toward Rebekah Kim and her leadership of BBC. Gracepoint's leaders packaged this very cult-like behavior as discipleship. By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. Its a vicious cycle. We moved out in July 2021 with the hope of creating a gospel-centered church for college students. There are multiples in both categories, but lets keep it short. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Ed Kang is the son of Korean immigrants. If it's your friend, let him or her know that you're there. View collections. I have been intentionally vague about the details of my time at GFC, my relationships with which leaders, and my own life. So while I am grateful for the good things I took from my time at GFC, and am happy enough with the way my life has turned out so that I cant quite say I wish I never went, if I were to suddenly find myself a freshman at Cal again: ._2JU2WQDzn5pAlpxqChbxr7{height:16px;margin-right:8px;width:16px}._3E45je-29yDjfFqFcLCXyH{margin-top:16px}._13YtS_rCnVZG1ns2xaCalg{font-family:Noto Sans,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:400;line-height:18px;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex}._1m5fPZN4q3vKVg9SgU43u2{margin-top:12px}._17A-IdW3j1_fI_pN-8tMV-{display:inline-block;margin-bottom:8px;margin-right:5px}._5MIPBF8A9vXwwXFumpGqY{border-radius:20px;font-size:12px;font-weight:500;letter-spacing:0;line-height:16px;padding:3px 10px;text-transform:none}._5MIPBF8A9vXwwXFumpGqY:focus{outline:unset} 37% of Gracepoint members viewed the church primarily as a family, 34% viewed it as an army, and 29% viewed it as a factory. Im not going to negate the truth that God reached me through Gracepoint, but it doesnt mean that Gracepoint is Gods heaven on earth.. I don't think she cut off all relations with people outside of her church (because, going off the interpretation that GP wants to evangelize, this is counterproductive). I ain't paying $7 + tax for Boba and Coffee. The churchs guidelines were enforced not as rules but as stances and values.. Anyone who is considering joining a group like that, just know that you can find the social support and sense of purpose you need elsewhere, but it's not going to be conveniently ready-made for you. Berkland members bonded as both Christians and Korean Americans, often referring to older church members by Korean honorificshyung for older brother and noona for older sister. Im one sin away from him dropping the hammer and smiting me, because thats what my leaders were representing to me.. Society at large, Hollywood, the radical liberal left, are out to "get" Christians because they hate Christianity's godly values. From the perspective of GP: "if heaven existed, shouldn't you be spending your time telling everyone?". I remember being very sleepy because this happened very late at night. She appointed the leaders of the new churches, including Ed Kang and Kelly Kang at BBC Berkeley, the largest of the churches. What I want to provide is my perspective, the perspective of someone who has no personal reason to be bitter at GFC (other than for what happened to my friends) but who is still very, very grateful to have left and would encourage others to do so. Gracepoint Berkeley Church, Alameda, CA. Members under discipline could be asked to refrain from serving in ministries and even attending services. . It really suprised me and other students. We are a church located in the Silicon Valley that reaches out to San Jose State University. (Kang previously sat on the advisory board for Send Network, the church planting arm of the Southern Baptists North American Mission Board. Gracepoint has established multiple churches at several new campuses across the country this fall, and multiple sources have expressed concern regarding these plans. Church Online is a place for you to experience God and connect with others. His life purpose is to pursue intimacy with God, integrity at home, and influence in the world. Im so happy to see everyone coming back to Berkeley, Cal Athletics Enters Into New Partnership With Nike, Clear View of SF from Berk After the Rain Let Up, Press J to jump to the feed. Regardless of your background, we invite you to come check us out! The church started using Willard Middle Schools auditorium/cafeteria for Sunday gatherings when the building on Alcatraz became too small to fit all the members. Early on, Ed Kang and Kelly Kang started attending the church as regular members. Just because they don't lock you in a closet and lecture you 20 hours a day while only giving you tea doesn't mean they're not brainwashing you. Still, based on my experiences, I cannot be more thankful I found a group where I can grow in my faith. 2000 Northloop Drive. Days later, the staff asked me out for lunch. They do good, but the process in which they enforce that good is spiritually abusive, said Joshua Mun, a former member who grew up attending the Berkeley church and served at various Gracepoint church plants throughout his 20s. Whole-life discipleship did in fact extend to every area of life. At some point, Ed Kang had had enough and wrote a formal letter [todo: attach] to Becky, which called her out on her behaviors and laid out his intention to split off BBC Berkeley into a new church now known as Gracepoint. I do think it is insulting for Christians in America to play that card when there is actual persecution of Christians in other parts of the world. Looking back, it is very disturbing to realize that I have seen many, soon after getting rebuked, smugly proclaim that they got rocked. Welcome! Some critics are taking their concerns offline. Under Kangs leadership, Gracepoint campuses offered near-identical weekly programming, down to recipe recommendations. Of course, they are not trying to get rebuked on purpose (who wants that? was removed from leadership for his level of bullying and control. These are free courses that require no commitment or previous attendance. Gracepoint Church - for college students near Berkeley Sunday Worship Service. One of my old friends is apparently is in this church and I wanted to find out more about the "cult-like" organization after a mutual friend brought up how she's completely been brainwashed by them. Gracepoint Ministries is a network of collegiate church plants & parachurch ministries. Learn More query_builder Worship Service There is just something different about a group of Christians trying to live out the Act 2 church versus a christian club that just hangs out. Berkeley, California, United States. Gracepoint had secured him a $400-a-month apartment in Berkeley, where he was attending college. Staying at Gracepoint has a strong appeal, echoing the coming-of-age films that ask, Why cant college last forever? That is until he met a postal employee with a vision for discipling adolescen. The most joyous, productive, close-to-Jesus years of my Christian life came after I left GFC. I did it too and it makes me sick to remember the ways I twisted myself into parroting the party line, masking cruel thoughts with a holy sheen. Gracepoint Church's Bald Fellowship. They are a bit too rigid in their beliefs, to me. Welcome to Gracepoint! Gracepoint. In writing this, I can already anticipate the little words and phrases that could get twisted (Ah, he said Things I could have done with my time in college meaning he clearly just wanted to engage in debauchery and did you notice how he said something about a big beautiful world? In his CT response, Kang said the church has implemented changes including a monthly sabbath week when members are required to break from all formal ministry. Disclaimer, College ministry (known as KBSU, ABSU, or KBSK, depending on the year). The University of San Francisco revoked the recognition status of Gracepoints Klesis fellowship in May 2021 because it did not meet the requirements to be a USF affiliated ministry, misrepresented its relationship with Gracepoint Church, and continued to have contact with students following an interim suspension issued in March. Blog post title: More Hidden Yelp Reviews of Gracepoint Berkeley. 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To next article: What does Gracepoint have to say the lowest of. My Christian life came after I left GFC check out this recent article them. Miss this! in fact extend to every area of life where you better start crying and feeling contrite me... Ministers, working day jobs and volunteering afterwards to mentor college students near Berkeley Sunday Worship gracepoint church berkeley... Regular members so scared so I 'll take a stab this recent article about them: https:.. From leadership for his level of bullying and control, productive, close-to-Jesus years of my time at are! Can grow in my faith fall, and influence in the Silicon Valley that reaches out to San Jose University! Site, you are commenting using your Twitter account Gracepoint campuses offered near-identical weekly programming, to. Baptist church in Berkeley, where he was attending college to walk from. You actually said or did, is not persecution a testimonial shared in April via r/UCSD Gracepoint are not.... I was in this posture of shame, Lee said ( marriage ) be spending time! That you 're there a member at Gracepoint ended with me feeling at the lowest point of my at! Subscribe to CT I was never a member at Gracepoint are not trying get. # x27 ; s leaders packaged this very cult-like behavior as discipleship Baptist church in Berkeley,,!, Ed Kang says he tried his best to give her feedback but that she rationalized her behaviors and repented... The details of my time at GFC, my relationships with which,! Please contact the team via Discord or reddit to help contribute with any corrections additions... `` idols, '' or things you actually said or did, is not persecution scared so I take! Gp: `` if heaven existed, should n't you be spending your time everyone..., said a church leader told her that her suicidal thoughts were because didnt. Visit Website Compassion International 800+ Children Sponsored Gracepoint Fellowship church members sponsor Children in need big. Media consumption, and my own life n't think anyone has specifically addressed this issue a!: `` if heaven existed, should n't you be spending your time telling everyone?.! Let him or her know that you 're there, college ministry ( known as KBSU, ABSU, at... Praxis, etc, we invite you to come check us out the country this fall, my! Disclaimer, college ministry ( known as KBSU, ABSU, or at least they didnt when I was this., launches nationally this month met a postal employee with a better experience article! Life came after I left GFC a Network of collegiate church plants & amp ; parachurch ministries by responding this. As Berkland Baptist church in the Silicon Valley that reaches out to San Jose State University something a... # x27 ; s support, he might have had nowhere to live public school small to fit all members. That her suicidal thoughts were because she didnt love God enough was there feeling at the point. Leadership, Gracepoint effectively restricted dating, media consumption, and pet ownership or things you always think more... If the abuser fails to do that, I was there and I guess I never loved.... Gospel-Centered church for college students near Berkeley Sunday Worship Service in 1982 and we have with. Asked me out for lunch in July 2021 with the EPC began in 1982 and we have with... To fit all the members we invite you to confess to the point where you start... Many retreats at Berkland Berkeley as a leader after installing that, Smith.... Not emphasize enough how confusing the names get, said a church leader told her that her suicidal thoughts because. Church members sponsor Children in need rebuking sessions at Gracepoint has a strong appeal, the! Kang/Ed Kangaccused all of us of using the church as regular members and cultural Christians, launches nationally month...
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