The most joyous, productive, close-to-Jesus years of my Christian life came after I left GFC. WORLD? Again, not out of malice, but because, when youre at Gracepoint, you learn to fit everything into the Gracepoint narrative. Soon multiple separate groups were created, which became A2F, Koinonia, Praxis, etc. It took me a year of therapy and an unsuccessful suicide attempt to start dismantling those things that I was told about myself, Doe said. 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. As the predominantly Asian American church network expands to dozens of college towns, former members come forward with claims of spiritual abuse. Early on, Ed Kang and Kelly Kang started attending the church as regular members. 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. The experience I have had at this church has led me further away from God, and I really hope no one will experience what I underwent. That's probably why she deleted FB, etc. I have no doubt that leaders often agonize over what to do or say when contemplating a rebuke. - Lyssna p Ed Kang - GracePoint Berkeley Part 2 av The Ralph Moore Podcast direkt i din mobil, surfplatta eller webblsare - utan app. I planned to ask a girl out in the fellowship, and I asked a peer for her number. Ed Kang is the son of Korean immigrants. I thought I was the only one that got a cult-like vibe from them and noped the fuck out. (Kang previously sat on the advisory board for Send Network, the church planting arm of the Southern Baptists North American Mission Board. Independent, student-run news source at the University of California, San Diego. March 2021 to Present. I work at a big company now, and its a company thats pretty good in its field. One thing that we must not do is be persuaded by criticism that theres something wrong with us.. It was also a period of growing dissatisfaction and division among the leaders in their feelings toward Rebekah Kim and her leadership of BBC. 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. The church changed its name to Gracepoint in 2006 when Ed and Kelly Kang split from the founders. I made a lot of mistakes. I go to Gracepoint and no, it's not a cult. If they decide to break, they'll have a much better chance of recovery if they have someone to help them land safely. free! Becky Kim was intimately involved in many details of running all the BBC churches. A few years later, they returned to Berkeley, and Pastor Ed took over the senior pastor position. Learn More query_builder Worship Service 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. Fill out an application here. But lets talk about the culture of getting rocked Gracepoint. Very silly, I know, but I know this is true because people have confided in me that they feel this way. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. In fact, she might even ask you to go to church with her :). #radio #devotions Some of them left, and I was able to reconnect with them and say Im sorry for what I did to them. 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. Honestly, if someone were to tell me to cut off ties will all my non-church friends, I would seriously question the church. 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. Gracepoint Berkeley Church Podcast (deprecated) . Peer will report you for that thing. Sam C. told The Triton he wished to avoid seeing Gracepoint personnel on campus. Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. Six ex-Gracepoint staff said mental breakdowns contributed to their decisions to leave the church and, for some, the faith. 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. Yes, finally, what you did caught up to you, it got addressed by the leaders, and if you repent, you have a small stamp of approval. Anonymous blogs including Twisted Gracepoint and The Truth about Gracepoint Church circulated online in the 2000s. this post). 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. Now let me address one regret I have, and one lasting consequence. After all, there was a lot of yelling, most likely some crying, and maybe some forced fervent and desperate prayer. That is until he met a postal employee with a vision for discipling adolescen. I could never spend time with them without feeling like I needed to get away, like I needed to be back at church.. 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. Saturday, April 19, 2008 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. Unplug from UCBMFET. Also, Ive even seen leaders refer to how they got rocked by Pastor Ed or Kelly with a smug smile. Gracepoint Church. Members said they were manipulated into confessing sins, screamed at by leaders, and overloaded with obligations to the point of illness. Who We Are Undergrads Join us for Sunday Service 1:00 PM @ KAM Isaiah Israel, 5029 S Greenwood Ave ( 12:30pm rides @59th St near Harper) Connect with makenew Grads / International 10:30 AM @ KAM Isaiah Israel, 5029 S Greenwood Ave (Contact us for rides!) He didn't give me the number. Join us online Past sunday service messages. I think you need to really curb that. Turns out, lying was a standard tactic of the group. On a new church podcast launched last month, Isaiah Kang, Eds son, said anonymous posters are not messengers from heaven. He added, Whatever else may be trueyou may be wronged, you probably were wrongedthat doesnt make what you do right.. CONTACT. One Thanksgiving, Austin Lee (no relation to Paul) was berated for not tithing enough after moving cross-country to help plant a church at the University of North Carolina without consistent employment. Address. 70 70 Campuses 40 40 Cities Catch the vision 2 Parachurch Ministries Reaching out to the world. Gracepoint. Traumatizing and the message was clear. Online criticism of the churchs high-pressure environment did not start with the Reddit posts. Please contact the team via Discord or reddit to help contribute with any corrections or additions. 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. The leader, Suzanne Suh, said she did not recall the conversation but would not talk to someone who is suicidal using this type of approach or using these kinds of words.. There is not a single post-grad in GP who does not serve the church in some time-consuming way. They are excellent at outreaching to newcomersit is insane. Im not making this up. 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. Doe stated that during the repentance process, the church leaderships repeated statements about her character eventually made her question her reality. Gracepoint Berkeley: Truth Project. From the perspective of GP: "if heaven existed, shouldn't you be spending your time telling everyone?". 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. GFC encourages introspection, something that when done right is an all-around good thing. Last year, Pete Nguyen left Gracepoint after experiencing severe depression and suicidal thoughts while attending. When I had my unsuccessful attempt, thats when everything kind of came to light for me like, Oh, I was spiritually abused, Doe said. May 2020 to March 2021. Anyone remember this checklist for how "relational" and "righteous" you are? During interviews with The Triton, multiple sources who participated in Gracepoint ministry groups recalled feeling encouraged by church leadership to only interact with other Gracepoint members. Society at large, Hollywood, the radical liberal left, are out to "get" Christians because they hate Christianity's godly values. 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. 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.. 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. 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. 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. Continue to next article: What does Gracepoint have to say? 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. During the early years, many others (who would later go on to start other churches) also started coming to the church. Ed Kang received his law degree from Boalt and practiced for a couple or few years before quitting to attend seminary and . Days later, the staff asked me out for lunch. Walking through the doors of Gracepoint or watching an online service you will probably see someone who remind you of, well, you. 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? I have been intentionally vague about the details of my time at GFC, my relationships with which leaders, and my own life. . And maybe there is just a big beautiful world beyond the Gracepoint bubble waiting for you too. She started at Berkeley, but had moved to another location to plant another college church. The Triton is a student publication that believes it is our responsibility as students to be an integral part of UCSDs community and future. Sarah Naughten is an Assistant News Editor for The Triton. After installing that, I was so scared so I stopped using Facebook or even YouTube or things like that, Smith said. jesus centered and bible based short devotions. Want to work with us? She appointed the leaders of the new churches, including Ed Kang and Kelly Kang at BBC Berkeley, the largest of the churches. Read more. 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. 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