I thought someone mentioned somewhere that PED suggested the people who criticize him and GP (i.e. October 7, 2014 ~ Leave a comment. Berkeley, California, United States. And the closest friends I have from my time at GFC are those who also left and who were deeply hurt by their experience, so I dont know how much credit GFC should get for that bonding experience. In April 2021, Gracepoint published a now private YouTube video of Ed Kang, the senior pastor of Gracepoint Church. Some experts see the rise in depression as evidence that the connections social media users form electronically are less emotionally satisfying, leaving them feeling socially isolated. She would openly rebuke some leaders during her Bible studies and they seemed honored to be loved by her in this way. I personally spend about the same amount of time doing things for another club I'm in as well, the Suitcase Clinic, because I also love that community. And third, I made some good friends. Peer will report you for that thing. Gracepoint Berkeley: Truth Project. Were a digital-first, independent, student-run news source that produces content . And all those culture wars. You can do that here. 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. During the early years, many others (who would later go on to start other churches) also started coming to the church. I had seen ita couple years before, when other students had trouble academically and seeing what standard practice was when the church is trying to help the students get their academics and I knew it was going to be [a] suffocating environment, Sam C. said. (LogOut/ Log In Sign Up 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. Content Warning: The following article contains discussion of depression, suicide and sexual abuse. Again, it is often a horrible, humiliating ordeal. 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). He and his fiancee didn't even interact like couples, so are other married couples. Gracepoint Berkeley Church in Berkeley, CA 94705 is Unclear: Non-Affirming in their LGBTQ Policy Tweet to request clarity Unclear: Non-Egalitarian in their Women in Leadership Policy Tweet to request clarity Updated on Nov 20, 2019 Church Information Address 2425 Stuart Street Berkeley, CA 94705 Leadership Pastor: Ed Kang Gender: Man Race: Sundays @ 8:15am & 10:00am. 1995-2005: Growth and Division - This was a time of growth and multiplication for BBC. Tjhen said that his own actions were totally inappropriate and not our church policy.. Why? Very silly, I know, but I know this is true because people have confided in me that they feel this way. 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. Gracepoint. Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. That familial attitude tied into the churchs model of whole-life discipleship. The church grew in number steadily. I'm not a historian criticism of GP is on the exact same level as those things. Church Online is a place for you to experience God and connect with others. Their teaching is unbiblical; the extreme emphasis and focus on sin is unhealthy. My daughter is involved with this church, as a leader. Explore Gracepoint Berkeley Church's 186,086 photos on Flickr! At campus clubs like Klesis and Acts2Fellowship, Gracepoint pushes college students to wrestle with tough questions and pursue church mentorship. Press J to jump to the feed. 2000 Northloop Drive. I have made my faith personal here, and I have truly devoted my life to God. You have to disciple them in a particular way, or you need to isolate them or separate them from certain influences, Tang said. They are a bit too rigid in their beliefs, to me. I work at a big company now, and its a company thats pretty good in its field. If it's your friend, let him or her know that you're there. 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.. Want to submit an op-ed or letter to the editor? Regardless of your background, we invite you to come check us out! From the perspective of GP: "if heaven existed, shouldn't you be spending your time telling everyone?". Sign up for our newsletter: A lot of damaged relationships with old friends, and new college ones all damaged with the the approbation of my peers and leaders at GFC and with a smug self-righteousness on my part. Things I could have done with my time in college, time I can never make up for now -- classes, clubs, study abroad all subsumed beneath the crushing demands that GFC always come first. I do think that this is part of a larger problem with Christianity in America. Will probably get downvoted for this, but I'm near positive that a good half of the religious fellowships on campus (whether Christian or otherwise) qualify as "cult-like". I feel that it's unfair to call Gracepoint a cult simply because of the time people spend. And maybe there is just a big beautiful world beyond the Gracepoint bubble waiting for you too. Last year, Pete Nguyen left Gracepoint after experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts while attending. I have obviously heard the rumors about the church and still have a wariness in the back of my mind. Im not sure who started calling getting rebuked, rocked, but it really turns something negative into something of a badge of honor. Besides, hearing out my story and telling me Im sorry you were hurt, but I dont think they realize that they almost had blood on their hands, Doe told The Triton. We are a church located in the Silicon Valley that reaches out to San Jose State University. Gracepoint started in 1991 as Berkland Baptist Church in Berkeley, California, as a church in the Southern Baptist Convention denomination. The group operates in 24 cities, and according to Kang, Gracepoint staff are now split between college and noncollege ministries. Because we know that laughter is the best medicine, right after Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture and Western medicine. #radio #devotions Growing up poor in Los Angeles he was headed for a life of crime and delinquency. By gracepoint In Devotion Text, Genesis with Comments Off on Bible Reading: Gen 19-22 Bible Text: Genes is 19-22 Here are some ways to process the readings for each day. There isn't a need to "brainwash" in the stereotypical way that people think when you use that term -- social pressure, from subtle to intense, will do the same thing just fine. Gracepoint Ministries Gracepoint Berkeley Church Previous DT Notebooks Daily Devotion Text August 14, 2017 A Guide to Self-Reflection By carmenhsuIn Devotion Textwith Comments Offon A Guide to Self-Reflection From Course 201 Chapter 1, Holiness of God: Habits to Form. This church has reviews on Yelp that you may find instructive. While oversight and granular life advice can be part of college formation and discipleship, Gracepoints influence grew more intrusive as members remained at the church. Undergraduate students were discouraged from dating and, in some cases, forced to break up. Gracepoint Berkeley Church, Alameda, CA. 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. There is not a single post-grad in GP who does not serve the church in some time-consuming way. Gracepoint Berkeley Church. She's deleted her Facebook and apparently cut off all relationships with people outside of her church. Rank in 1 month. Ed Kang received his law degree from Boalt and practiced for a couple or few years before quitting to attend seminary and . Smith also recalled getting reprimanded for using YouTube to listen to secular music, including Taylor Swift, and for watching a Japanese anime film that was part of her coursework for a film class. Couple new courses as well as continuation of several popular classes. For example, I think technically GFC affirms the fifth point of Calvinism, the perseverance of the saints. How often does this doctrine get taught? When it came time for the oldest daughter to go to grammar school, I was interested: church school or public school? (LogOut/ The leaders force you to confess to the point where you better start crying and feeling contrite. I realized I was never going to be able to prove that I was taking my sins seriously.. She appointed the leaders of the new churches, including Ed Kang and Kelly Kang at BBC Berkeley, the largest of the churches. We are Cal Alumni with a vision to build an Acts 2 community in Berkeley. Kelly Kang/Ed Kangaccused all of us of using the church for personal gain (marriage). ), but - I'm going to be honest - who doesn't spend time doing things they love? The media class is unfortunately not available but has been replaced by class that would touch on very similar . 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. Over the years, church members were told to avoid driving traffic to the online criticism and were instead encouraged to protect the churchs online reputation. At times, Gracepoint leaders asked staff and members to search and click on church webpages or positive blog posts at least three times a day to improve Google search rankings. We are a church where you can belong even before you have believed. Gracepoint is a multi-ethnic church that got started in the Bay Area on the college campus and now serves several local communities across. Gracepoint is one of the larger churches in the Berkeley/Alameda area (not that numbers necessarily matter), has very mainstream/middle-of-the-road Protestant beliefs, and is certified by the Southern Baptist Convention. Nguyen, who left in 2021 after attending Gracepoint for a decade, has spoken at length with his former leaders at the Riverside and Pomona campuses, as well as with Daniel Kim, about the ways he felt wronged. 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. But because it happened as a genuine outgrowth of Christian life. However, my opinion is that there is too much guilt-driven manipulation and fearmongering, and not enough careful correction. 1981: The Beginning - Rebekah Kim (Becky) and Paul Kim moved from Southern California to Berkeley to start Berkland Baptist Church (BBC). 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. Most of what Gracepoint preaches is standard Christian stuff, nothing crazy here. 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. My regrets are mostly about the people that I ministered to when I had no right to be called a minister, Loekito said. Or, to the contrary, are you constantly getting the feeling, encouraged by your leaders, that if you leave GFC, you might lose your salvation? You can disagree with me if you want, this is just my opinion, but it does seem to me that even the slightest amount of adversity will cause Christians to play the persecution card. Doe initially planned on returning to Gracepoint, until she realized it was no longer a safe place for her. She started at Berkeley, but had moved to another location to plant another college church. But I cannot bring myself to even say anything beyond its alright and I like the people I work with. Anything more think someone on LinkedIn saying Im proud of my company for accomplishing ____ just reminds me of the obsessively unending focus on Gracepoint, Gracepoint, how distinct it is, how much we love it. Ed Kang is the son of Korean immigrants. Ed Kang received his law degree from Boalt and practiced for a couple or few years before quitting to attend seminary and become a pastor at the church. While college ministries like InterVarsity and Asian American Christian Fellowship were launching programs to serve a growing wave of Asian immigrants and second-generation Asian Americans, Rebekah and Paul Kim (no relation to the other Kims) planted a church to minister to Korean Americans at UC Berkeley in 1981. I didn't say that, but they did in fact send her to the local public school. Please contact the team via Discord or reddit to help contribute with any corrections or additions. We continue to be a miracle in the making within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, and present an unconventional, but unique and exciting way of doing church. **READ THE WIKI FIRST**: https://www.reddit.com/r/GracepointChurch/wiki/index 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. I have no personal grudges, and really no serious negative interactions with Gracepoint leadership. Youre my true family. This includes "unhealthy addictions" and "sinful acts" which may include: partying, drugs, bad influences of friends, excessive social media use, etc. Imagine the disciples in the Bible who went around preaching to everyone. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Im not making this up. WORLD? After sharing with church leadership that he was put on academic probation, Sam C. was later summoned to meet with the pastor and his wife at their house in Davis, a meeting which he described to The Triton as a traumatic experience., According to Sam C, the couple scolded him for 20 to 30 minutes, and it brought me to tears, as if my parents were scolding me as a five or six year old.. They were expected to ask permission to go on vacation or visit their families, former members said. There are multiples in both categories, but lets keep it short. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and to help show content that is more relevant to your interests. 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. /*# sourceMappingURL=https://www.redditstatic.com/desktop2x/chunkCSS/TopicLinksContainer.3b33fc17a17cec1345d4_.css.map*/I would not go to NSWN; if I somehow accidentally did (as I think many people do), I would not go to GFC on Sundays; and, if I somehow accidentally did that, I would not get involved with a small group and spend all my free time devoted to GFC. 506 Followers 63 Following. Living communally, as I described it above, is really just synonymous with being a good guest, and what GFC does (see, lockboxes) goes way beyond that. July 2020 to August 2020 . Blog post title: More Hidden Yelp Reviews of Gracepoint Berkeley. 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? Some former members said their departures were mischaracterized within the organization, with current attendees saying that those who left did so to pursue the world by purchasing pets or getting Disneyland passes. I cannot emphasize enough how confusing the names get. Learn More. You can ask questions and have discussions regarding the Truth Project by responding to this post. 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? Of course, they are not trying to get rebuked on purpose (who wants that? 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. I remember all too clearlythe day thatmy entire classgot rebuked because one class member was found to be secretly dating another member of the church. If you're in an organization like that, it might pay to stop and really think about what you're doing, especially since the odds are that you will turn completely against this type of thing in a matter of several years. ), 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. However, I have found nothing but beneficial experiences so far. Gracepoint santa barbara is a collegiate church that meets near the ucsb and westmont campuses. 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. Some critics are taking their concerns offline. Summary: - Key verses - Sentence summary of each chapter and/or key events Several parents of former and current members, worried that the church is distancing them from their children, have raised concerns about the churchs fellowship groups to leaders at UC campuses and Biola University. This type of behavior is scummy, to say the least, and to be honest, every religious group seems to exhibit cult-like aspects in some way, but established, non-charismatic, non-evangelical organizations seem to inhabit the lower rungs of the ladder. this post). Want to contact us or send a tip? (LogOut/ Gracepoint Berkeley Church - Alameda. These included statements like You are a hopeless, morally bankrupt sinner, and nothing good can come from you.. Smith also noted this pressure to remain in the Gracepoint community also affected students relationships with their families. They have services Telegraph and Stewart. Change). 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. Vance Pitman, the networks president, has lauded Kangs kingdom leadership.). The building has since been demolished and there are now apartments/condos there instead. Some years later, they issued a statement renouncing past practices and saying that they'd been wrong in the past, but they'd be better now. But this is not the. It is the reason why many people who leave feel so traumatized. Early on, Ed Kang and Kelly Kang started attending the church as regular members. Again, not out of malice, but because, when youre at Gracepoint, you learn to fit everything into the Gracepoint narrative. Although the sites primarily focus on the issues surrounding the Gracepoint Berkeley church run by Ed and Kelly Kang, many of these issues are also manifested in other Gracepoint churches including Davis. Like Paul, Priscilla and Aquila were missionaries. May 2020 to March 2021. Both Unity in Christ at Berkeley and the Southern Baptist Convention check the practices and beliefs of member churches and college fellowships - meaning, if nothing else, that they do provide a layer of accountability and a church like Gracepoint literally could not join if it were a cult. Turns out, lying was a standard tactic of the group. When disciplers approved of a dating relationship, both parties were still expected to keep it private. The building was used for Sunday service, bible studies, prayer meetings, and many other church activities until the congregation became too large to fit into the sanctuary for Sunday service. Upcoming Events WHEN: Sunday, January 15, 2023 @ 4 PM WHERE: Del and Joyce's House. He told CT that eight people have contacted him since he first posted in April 2021. 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. Each of us have our own story of how God found us and transformed our lives, and we believe that college is a prime time for students to explore and grow their faith! Please download the NEW 2023 devotional notebook. I think it was at that point when I realized that [the church] really did not care for my well-being, Lee said. Gracepoint Berkeley. Others on this subreddit had much more negative experiences than I did. CONTACT. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. You are being challenged. Still, based on my experiences, I cannot be more thankful I found a group where I can grow in my faith. Loekito said his eldest daughter spent large portions of her early childhood at the churchs babysitting ministry while he and his wife were participating in events. Waypoint eventually changes its name to Gracepoint Davis. 87 reviews of Gracepoint Berkeley "I first went to this here when I started going to college. Sign-up link here Im like the manipulator, thats what they tell him, thats what they convinced him, Hendrickson said. 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. As the predominantly Asian American church network expands to dozens of college towns, former members come forward with claims of spiritual abuse. Kang told CT the church is focusing on dialing down the excellence in response to internal reflection and public criticism. 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. In fact they are down-right humiliating and induce a lot of guilt-driven repentance. 8,076$ at proverbs 31 ministries our deepest desire is to connect women all over the world with truth. Also, Ive even seen leaders refer to how they got rocked by Pastor Ed or Kelly with a smug smile. 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. Humor site for Gracepoint Berkeley Church and church plants at Davis, Austin, Minneapolis, San Diego, Riverside, Hsinchu, Los Angeles, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Seattle. 2022 Gracepoint Church - for college students near Berkeley Sunday Worship Service. 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. Trena Hendrickson, whose son started attending Gracepoints UCLA chapter in 2016 as a freshman, echoed Smiths sentiment and told The Triton that her son came home less often due to his involvement in Gracepoint. 269276. Independent, student-run news source at the University of California, San Diego. Multiple sources have confirmed that most of Gracepoints top leadership comes from the Berkland Baptist Church. You sit there, being yelled at, belittled, guilt being heaved upon you, sometimes getting tag-teamed by two or three leaders. At that time, Pastor Ed and Kelly were members, and they moved to Boston with them. We moved out in July 2021 with the hope of creating a gospel-centered church for college students. One of the biggest differences in the lives of current teenagers and young adults, compared to earlier generations, is that they spend much less time connecting with their peers in person and more time connecting electronically, principally through social media. BBC Davis (located near UC Davis in California) became Waypoint Church for some time while remaining affiliated with the Berkeley Branch, from now on referred to as Gracepoint, GP, or Gracepoint Berkeley. They have a rule of not dating. Here's another topic u/TheGPNarrative , hope this is new enough for you. 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). They met in a building on Alcatraz Ave on the border of Berkeley and Oakland, hence the name Berkland. Im not going to negate the truth that God reached me through Gracepoint, but it doesnt mean that Gracepoint is Gods heaven on earth.. 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. However, nothing over the line. Many other BBC churches followed suit, with some remaining affiliated with each other and others going their own way. School amends "all comers" policy to exempt religious student group leaders. Whole-life discipleship did in fact extend to every area of life. 295 were here. We have a passion to build life-transforming, God-centered community, just like the one we found in college. I was very involved as fully involved as any college student for a couple years when I was in college at Cal, but I left after graduation. Kang told CT the church tries to mitigate the effects of the media-entertainment complex and tech companies and has historically discouraged the use of televisions and social media. The majority (something like 60%) of evangelical youth are completely out of organized religion of any sort by the time they hit 25 years of age. In 2020, Acts 29 CEO Steve Timmis was removed from leadership for his level of bullying and control. Kang confirmed the church no longer operates on the campus, though some students still attend the San Francisco location. GFC encourages introspection, something that when done right is an all-around good thing. Recently, the news exploded out of the Christ-o-sphere: A popular Berkeley, California college-based evangelical church, Gracepoint, fueled its meteoric success through iron-vise-grip control and devastating emotional abuse. All I learned from this was to perform kindness, love, and care in order to check as many boxes as possible. Please, do not get sucked into this cult. I viewed God as this incredibly sensitive, temperamental, judgmental being. 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.
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