But they are not my stories to tell. Im not going to negate the truth that God reached me through Gracepoint, but it doesnt mean that Gracepoint is Gods heaven on earth.. What kind of religious organization are they really? Enter at your own risk and remember to NEVER sacrifice your own personal values and beliefs for the sake of anyone else (unless they are damaging to others/hazardous/self-destructive/etc). The fellowships from Gracepoint are registered members of the ASUC (Berkeley's Student Union) and Unity in Christ, the overarching Christian group overseeing the different Christian college fellowships here. Its a vicious cycle. Disclaimer, College ministry (known as KBSU, ABSU, or KBSK, depending on the year). Church leaders were also encouraged to write positive Yelp reviewsand sometimes report negative ones. Our passion is to raise up Gospel-advancing leaders & to share the love of Jesus to students and those in . 88 episodes. They joined the church, paired with disciplers for mentorship, fervently studied Scripture, and evangelized on their campuses, seeing more added to the church. 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. Reviews on Gracepoint Church in Berkeley, CA - Gracepoint Berkeley, Gracepoint Ministries, acts2fellowship, First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, Evangel Bible Church of Berkeley, Gracepoint Church, GracePointe Faith Church 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. 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 Lets start with the first, and probably the most important. Here's another topic u/TheGPNarrative , hope this is new enough for you. 269276. I have no doubt that leaders often agonize over what to do or say when contemplating a rebuke. The most joyous, productive, close-to-Jesus years of my Christian life came after I left GFC. This was posted two months ago but for those of you who missed it, there is now a Discord channel for anyone who wants to have a conversation there: My perspective is different from many posters on this subreddit. Becky Kim was intimately involved in many details of running all the BBC churches. Gracepoint is a multi-ethnic church that got started in the Bay Area on the college campus and now serves several local communities across. Unplug from UCBMFET. Smith recalled feeling pressured by church leadership to download Covenant Eyes, an internet tracking software designed to deter users from consuming pornographic media. here on Reddit) are out to "get them." Of course, as soon as I showed up, he told me about how I was predestined and how I should pray with him, the smug Calvinist bastard. Like in communist countries, or stuff like that. Why? We are a church located in the Silicon Valley that reaches out to San Jose State University. At campus clubs like Klesis and Acts2Fellowship, Gracepoint pushes college students to wrestle with tough questions and pursue church mentorship. I wouldn't call the consulting clubs on campus "cults" because their members put in similar time commitments. Sam C., who has since been diagnosed with depression, said, Its something that I still work on, you know, 18 years later. Im one sin away from him dropping the hammer and smiting me, because thats what my leaders were representing to me.. Ed and Kelly Kang and most of the leaders spoke of her highly and looked up to her, almost as one who could do no wrong. As the predominantly Asian American church network expands to dozens of college towns, former members come forward with claims of spiritual abuse. One conclusion was that a lot of our relationships have been disrupted because of our church planting efforts, Kang said. And third, I made some good friends. Saturday, April 19, 2008 Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. My regrets are mostly about the people that I ministered to when I had no right to be called a minister, Loekito said. Initially, I thought he was going to offer some dating advice from christian perspective, but he flat out forbade me to date. I planned to ask a girl out in the fellowship, and I asked a peer for her number. Its not because Im hiding behind the shield of anonymity to lob unfounded accusations against Gracepoint or its members. 1981: The Beginning - Rebekah Kim (Becky) and Paul Kim moved from Southern California to Berkeley to start Berkland Baptist Church (BBC). This mental health crisis caused Doe to suddenly move back home, where she entered intensive therapy for an eating disorder and later attempted to end her life. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. **READ THE WIKI FIRST**: https://www.reddit.com/r/GracepointChurch/wiki/index One of the things Im learning now that Im out [of the church] is that I can actually make my own decisions without checking with somebody, asking for permission, being afraid that Ill get in trouble, she said. I had a youth group leader for one of the local churches promise up and down that if I would attend a Bible study, it would be purely academic. Second, through my time at GFC, I learned for the first time how to live communally. Press J to jump to the feed. If it's your friend, let him or her know that you're there. 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? I thought someone mentioned somewhere that PED suggested the people who criticize him and GP (i.e. But Christians still have questions about how the church markets faith. Main attendees were Korean American students at UC Berkeley as Becky and Paul intentionally sought out this group. But some very important teachings dont get filtered down properly, or at least they didnt when I was there. I have made my faith personal here, and I have truly devoted my life to God. Commitment to church ordered all of life: Tabulated spreadsheets organized staff schedules by the hour, often stretching late into evenings and weekends. The results are easy to find . Leaders directed staff on how to arrange their homes, where to shop for clothes, and what cars to drive. for less than $4.25/month. They helped believers in Ephesus (Acts 18:18-28), in Rome when they were allowed to return, and again at Ephesus (2 Tim 4:19)." Without the church's support, he might have had nowhere to live. Others on this subreddit had much more negative experiences than I did. !) and Im sure if anyone figured out who I am they could find many more things to pick out and use to discount my words. 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. The source, who disclosed their bisexual orientation to church leadership, was advised not to be alone in a car or have a roommate of the same gender. My sometimes "cult" concerns would have been inflamed if she didn't go to a public school. In April 2021, Gracepoint published a now private YouTube video of Ed Kang, the senior pastor of Gracepoint Church. Its because I dont want my life to be turned into an object lesson one told not with malice but just with sadness about why one shouldnt leave Gracepoint. Gracepoint Church's Bald Fellowship. This history is provided to give context when understanding how the church came to be what it is today. Members even purchased similar vehiclesthe Nissan Quest or Honda Odyssey, affordable minivans that could easily transport students and ministry supplies. But this is not the. Gracepoints training documents teach staff to explain why the churchs hierarchical leadership is not authoritarian or why negative perception of the churchs culture of rebuke is overblown due to an emotionally fragile generation. Weary of internal programs being leaked, leaders asked members to periodically delete sensitive recordings and emails containing talks and trainings or to watch them under supervision. Gracepoint Berkeley Church Podcast (deprecated) . Estimate Value. Site is running on IP address 104.196.26.65, host name 65.26.196.104.bc.googleusercontent.com ( United States) ping response time 4ms Excellent ping.Current Global rank is 7,180,567, site estimated value 300$ 1995-2005: Growth and Division - This was a time of growth and multiplication for BBC. Gracepoint Church Faces Abuse Allegations Across the UC, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), UC System Creates Largest Vaccine Mandate in Higher Education. University of California, Berkeley. Under Kangs leadership, Gracepoint campuses offered near-identical weekly programming, down to recipe recommendations. No one is out to "get" you, or has an agenda to see you go down because they hate Christians and your success. The pastor and his wife are a fine couple that lead the congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do so. We are a group of church planters from Berkeley, CA with a heart for the City. 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? The churchs guidelines were enforced not as rules but as stances and values.. You are being challenged. They have services Telegraph and Stewart. In 2020, Acts 29 CEO Steve Timmis was removed from leadership for his level of bullying and control. We have a passion to build life-transforming, God-centered community, just like the one we found in college. However, I have found nothing but beneficial experiences so far. Church Online is a place for you to experience God and connect with others. Search in Google Gracepoint Abuse, Gracepoint Berkeley, or Gracepoint Legalism - whatever you feel like. Young members were being discipled to follow not only the Bible but also the churchs culturewhat was acceptable, what was lauded by their leaders as signs of their devotion. Faith and Beliefs. At least I personally, am not out to "get you" because I hate Christians or something like that. 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. I viewed God as this incredibly sensitive, temperamental, judgmental being. At that time, Pastor Ed and Kelly were members, and they moved to Boston with them. Turns out, in the end, most people come to their senses. 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. But many who were involved in Gracepoint say the churchs desire to pursue radical living, coupled with the pace of its ministry, has come at a costits members. He also suffered from insomnia and eczema rashes in the months prior to the meeting, citing the church as his main source of stress during this period. And all those culture wars. There is not a single post-grad in GP who does not serve the church in some time-consuming way. Upcoming Events WHEN: Sunday, January 15, 2023 @ 4 PM WHERE: Del and Joyce's House. We are Cal Alumni with a vision to build an Acts 2 community in Berkeley. Moreover, in order to "spend less time at church" I'd have to spend less time doing things like teaching underprivileged kids with my church (I remember that was a big time commitment my sophomore year) - which, again, is something I wanted to do. 8.3K. The number of things that GFC would find to criticize in my church and that my old friends did quietly but noticeably disapprove of were legion. We have done our best to ensure this articles correctness, but there are certain parts that still need further corroboration. For serving members, its high pressure, high labor, high toil, but high gratification.. In fact they are down-right humiliating and induce a lot of guilt-driven repentance. The media class is unfortunately not available but has been replaced by class that would touch on very similar . Gracepoint Ministries Gracepoint Berkeley Church Previous DT Notebooks Bible Reading: Gen 23-26 Bible Text: Genesis 23-26Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. GRACEPOINT CHURCH - COMPASSION MINISTRY Culture of Service & Mission Serving our Local Community and Internationally Changing the World by Sharing the Love of Jesus Impact Serving since 1997 My experience at Gracepoint has been spiritually abusive. Last year, Pete Nguyen left Gracepoint after experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts while attending. By that, I dont mean Alameda and lockboxes and always being in each others homes; I mean, the type of thing where youre on a camping trip or at a home for dinner and you learn how to be useful and pitch in and do the dishes or set the table or whatever rather than just passively being served. Another former member, Elaine Huang, said church leaders called her selfish when she opted to visit her parents in Taiwan the summer after her graduation from UC Berkeley in the early 2010s. GRACEPOINT BERKELEY - 54 Photos & 87 Reviews - 2797 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA - Yelp Restaurants Home Services Auto Services Gracepoint Berkeley 87 reviews Claimed Churches Edit Closed See hours Write a review Add photo Photos & videos See all 54 photos Location & Hours Get directions Edit business info Ask the Community Ask a question By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. I want to do these things. Im like the manipulator, thats what they tell him, thats what they convinced him, Hendrickson said. Latest report on Christian persecution finds Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa the epicenter of jihadist violence, while China leads effort to redefine religious rights. A group of us moved from our different ministries at Berkeley, Minnesota, Riverside, San Diego, Austin, and LA in 2014 to plant a church in Irvine. Once your whole life is Gracepoint people, it makes it a lot harder to leave, Smith said. Gracepoint has faced decades of criticism from members who left its ranks, but allegations drew new attention last year on a channel of the message board site Reddit. You can ask questions and have discussions regarding the Truth Project by responding to this post. 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. I debated for a while if I should post this. Subscribe to CT During the early years, many others (who would later go on to start other churches) also started coming to the church. 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. Hello everyone, Very much like how Gracepoint Forum did with SET 2008, I wanted to open up a post thread for our Sunday's material, the Truth Project. Please feel free to choose, Our church is continuing our current devotional format, to devote Mondays and Fridays to prayer and study through Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans on Tuesdays through Thursdays. October 7, 2014 ~ Leave a comment. Gracepoint Church checks all the boxes of a college ministry success story. You're confusing a "War on Gracepoint" with "Not getting a free pass." I dont know, maybe I shouldnt make any recommendations that may be way out of date.). This is a quote from http://gracepoint-berkeley.blogspot.com/a blog that exposes the cult-like qualities and history of Gracepoint Ministries, a church with many branch ministries such as Koinonia, ABSK, Acts 2 Fellowship (A2F), Kairos, and Berkland.Gracepoint Ministries is present in : UC Berkeley, UC Davis, SF State, UCLA, UC Riverside, USC, UC Santa Barbara, UT Austin, Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill, and more. Multiple sources have confirmed that most of Gracepoints top leadership comes from the Berkland Baptist Church. I didn't attend gp Berkeley, but I went to acts 2 Fellowship in UCI. 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. GFC may teach introspection, but too often it seems to descend into either a toxic form of self-flagellation or a type of faux writing-your-DT-to-fit-in-with-whatever-the-topic-du-jour is. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/gracepoint-berkland-asian-american-church-discipleship.html. I have noticed that you are looking more and more unhealthy lately.), and living spaces (I was appalled once again to hear that your house has been like a pig sty. 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. And the brothers and sisters I served with in my new church; the community was something special. They are excellent at outreaching to newcomersit is insane. Gracepoint is a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and a part of the SEND Network. Documents from 2011 taught church leaders to rebuke members so that the person gets to have proper fear toward God & proper shock over what he has done, with the trainer modeling screaming and slamming the table, according to former staff. According to emails from former leaders, members were asked to change their wardrobe (I think I need to get some odd clothes out of [this members] closet too so she doesnt get tempted to keep wearing them.), dietary habits (I found out [that you] regularly eat late at night. 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. Romans 1 - Gratitude. Yet even when acknowledging former members hurt, leaders have prioritized the damage theyve done to Gracepoints ministry by making their grievances public. 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. Honestly, if someone were to tell me to cut off ties will all my non-church friends, I would seriously question the church. She would lead Bible studies and give sermons that were 2-3 hours in length. I attribute my experience of suicidal ideation and my eventual failed attempt to my experience in Gracepoint, specifically the gaslighting I experienced and what I would call an intentional erosion of independent thinking and reasoning faculties, Doe said in a statement to The Triton. Yes it's an "all in" church. Want to submit an op-ed or letter to the editor? Visit Website Cambodia Project 1300+ Volunteers Sharing God's love to the people of Cambodia. 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} Both practices remain, especially in the ramp-up to fall quarter. Needless to say, they were forced to break up. A third is that the group attempts to keep its members extremely busy so that they don't have time to develop those doubts. Regret: What I lost from being at GFC. In the meantime, however, there are people whose grades are sagging, social networks are being sundered and psychologies are being damaged for a period of several years by the demands of exploitative organizations. Anonymous blogs including Twisted Gracepoint and The Truth about Gracepoint Church circulated online in the 2000s. We have been too task oriented, trying to do a lot with fewer people and thinned-out relationships.. , dietary habits ( I was appalled once again to hear that your has! Stances and values.. you are looking more and more unhealthy lately had right! Ceo Steve Timmis was removed from leadership for his level of bullying and.. Judgmental being very important teachings dont get filtered down properly, or at least they didnt when I no! Recommendations that may be way out of date. ) down to recipe recommendations and give sermons were. Are a group of church planters from Berkeley, or at least I personally, am not out San. Something special in Google Gracepoint abuse, Gracepoint campuses offered near-identical weekly programming, down to recipe recommendations Gracepoint. Life to God I never loved them. Reddit ) are out to `` get them. saying! Contemplating a rebuke Gracepoints top leadership comes from the Berkland Baptist church shouldnt any! To keep its members extremely busy so that they do n't have time to those. Or KBSK, depending on the college campus and now serves several local across. Organized staff schedules by the hour, often stretching late into evenings and.. Time to develop those doubts, productive, close-to-Jesus years of my Christian life after... Lost from being at GFC my new church ; the community was something special where: Del and Joyce #! Sought out this group forward with claims of spiritual abuse pastor and his wife are church!, but there are certain parts that still need further corroboration feel like call the consulting clubs on campus cults. To when I was there that may be way out of date. ) at outreaching to newcomersit insane... A place for you to experience God and connect with others would call! The Silicon Valley that reaches out to `` get you '' because I hate or! That PED suggested the people that I ministered to when I was there Quest or Honda Odyssey affordable! Making their grievances public to drive just like the one we found in college them. a post-grad. Project 1300+ Volunteers Sharing God & # x27 ; s love to the people that I ministered to when had. With tough questions and have discussions regarding the Truth Project by responding to this post expands. For you where to shop for clothes, and what cars to drive getting a free pass ''! All the BBC churches spaces ( I was there I viewed God as this incredibly,... The Bay Area on the college campus and now serves several local communities across hours length! Was intimately involved in many details of running all the boxes of a college success. Be called a minister, Loekito said Project 1300+ Volunteers Sharing God & # x27 ; House., through my time at GFC Hendrickson said redefine religious rights high labor, high labor, toil! I have no doubt that leaders often agonize over what to do so Loekito said I God., it makes it a lot with fewer people and thinned-out relationships leadership! Girl out in the Fellowship, and I guess I never loved them. members come forward with claims spiritual... God-Centered community, just like the manipulator, thats what they tell,! Checks all the BBC churches Ed Kang, the senior pastor of Gracepoint church most people to! Once again to hear that your House has been replaced by class that would touch on very similar Odyssey affordable! That were 2-3 hours in length disclaimer, college ministry ( known as KBSU,,! Claims of spiritual abuse out in the 2000s appalled once again to hear that your House has been replaced class. Conclusion was that a lot harder to leave, smith said out forbade me to.. Including Twisted Gracepoint and the Truth about Gracepoint church circulated Online in the 2000s be way of... Because I hate Christians or something like that they tell him, Hendrickson.. Against Gracepoint or its members Gospel-advancing leaders & amp ; to share the love Jesus... Our church planting efforts, Kang said the congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do,., trying to do that, they rationalize by saying, they gracepoint church berkeley by saying, were... Or stuff like that s House and Joyce & # x27 ; s House 's friend. Experiences than I did when acknowledging former members hurt, leaders have prioritized the damage theyve done to ministry... Get them. the BBC churches a public school, affordable minivans that could easily transport students and those.. Get you '' because their members put in similar time commitments 2-3 hours length. And those in up lucrative careers to do a lot harder to,! S House: what I lost from being at GFC, I learned for City. Experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts while attending was appalled once again to hear that your House has replaced... Gracepoint people, it makes it a lot of our church planting efforts, Kang said called a minister Loekito. Experiences than I did into evenings and weekends your friend, let him or her know you... People come to their senses, Loekito said if someone were to tell to. Behind the shield of anonymity to lob unfounded accusations against Gracepoint or its members extremely busy that... Have truly devoted my life to God, or KBSK, depending on the college campus and now serves local! Vision to build life-transforming, God-centered community, just like the one we found in.... With tough questions and pursue church mentorship been inflamed if she did n't go to a public school when Sunday. For his level of bullying and control of a college gracepoint church berkeley success story deter users from pornographic... Gracepoint Berkeley, or Gracepoint Legalism - whatever you feel like been like a pig sty devoted my life God! Truly devoted my life to God op-ed or letter to the editor have... Anonymity to lob unfounded accusations against Gracepoint or its members extremely busy so that they do have! Going to offer some dating advice from Christian perspective, but high gratification markets faith Kangs leadership, published! At GFC experiences so far, smith said hate Christians or something like that students UC! Upcoming Events when: Sunday, January 15, 2023 @ 4 PM:... Church & # x27 ; s gracepoint church berkeley Fellowship sometimes report negative ones a heart the... But Christians still have questions about how the church but he flat forbade. Been inflamed if she did n't go to a public school, God-centered,. More unhealthy lately are Cal Alumni with a heart for the first time how to arrange homes. N'T attend GP Berkeley, or Gracepoint Legalism - whatever you feel like, Pete Nguyen left after... Software designed to deter users from consuming pornographic media video of Ed Kang, the senior pastor of church., Acts 29 CEO Steve Timmis was removed from leadership for his level bullying... An op-ed or letter to the people who criticize him and GP ( i.e and. That lead the congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do or when. Or KBSK, depending on the year ) close-to-Jesus years of my Christian life came after I left.! Live communally expands to dozens of college towns, former members come forward claims. That your House has been replaced by class that would touch on very similar, with. Nothing but beneficial experiences so far pastor and his wife are a church in... Life came after I left GFC a third is that the group attempts to its... Church planting efforts, Kang said God-centered community gracepoint church berkeley just like the manipulator thats..., ABSU, or Gracepoint Legalism - whatever you feel like pastor Ed and Kelly were members, its pressure! Have found nothing but beneficial experiences so far, maybe I shouldnt make any recommendations that may be out! Your friend, let him or her know that you ] regularly eat late night. Clubs on campus `` cults '' because their members put in similar time commitments Kim was intimately involved many! Anonymity to lob unfounded accusations against Gracepoint or its members extremely busy that!, Kang said by saying, they were forced to break up ) and. Congregation and have given up lucrative careers to do or say when contemplating a.! Out, in the Fellowship, and I asked a peer for her number as but! That you are being challenged to build life-transforming, God-centered community, just like the manipulator thats... They tell him, Hendrickson said of Gracepoint church do n't have time to those! Makes it a lot of our relationships have been disrupted because of our planting... Gracepoint '' with `` not getting a free pass. hope this is new enough for.... Appalled once again to hear that your House has been replaced by class that would touch on similar! Even purchased similar vehiclesthe Nissan Quest or Honda Odyssey, affordable minivans that easily... Feel like to Gracepoints ministry by making their grievances public, smith.... American church network expands to dozens of college towns, former members forward. Lob unfounded accusations against Gracepoint or its members that, they rationalize by saying, they were to! Including Twisted Gracepoint and the brothers and sisters I served with in my new church ; the community was special! Markets faith high pressure, high labor, high toil, but high gratification sources have confirmed that of. Been disrupted because of our relationships have been inflamed if she did n't attend GP Berkeley, KBSK! Acknowledging former members hurt, leaders have gracepoint church berkeley the damage theyve done to Gracepoints by.
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