When I think about fellowship times we share at Koinonia, one of the things that comes to mind naturally is…food!! Because we sure enjoy a lot of good food almost everytime we get together. I think most people will agree with me that food simply adds that joy to times of fellowship. Not too long ago, we had all the Koinonia staff over at the Windsor apartments, where Del & Joyce, Henry & Margaret, and Sarah and myself live. It was quite a potluck feast! We packed into Del and Joyce’s apartment, and stuffed ourselves to an abundance of super delicious homemade dishes. Korean BBQ, octopus, honey walnut prawns, bean curd, and muscles to name a few dishes…and with Thanksgiving around the corner, this means there’s more awesome cooking and eating inevitably on the way…

This past Saturday we witnessed our very first UT vs. OU football game ever.  Coming from California, I never really had much interest for football.  I’ve personally never gone or fully even watched an entire game.  But I guess being in Texas and having friends at UT-Austin I had to at least watch one game, especially a game that was considered one of the most important in the season. So, we gathered at Pastor Manny’s house decked out in our burnt-orange, Longhorn gear, and even the kids were all wearing UT shirts.  As we all gathered to watch the game together in their living room, I realized something.  Football is actually fun.  Perhaps it was because I never gave it a chance or because Cal’s football team wasn’t really that good, but there was suspense, excitement, and the taste of victory that I never experienced back in Berkeley.  Plus, as you can see from the picture of my friends jumping up and down in victory, neither have they. UT won the game that day, and I have come to understand why so many people love this sport.

October 5, 2008 was a historical date in Gracepoint-Austin’s history.  We celebrated the official start of our church during the Inaugural service.  As we got to watch a slideshow of all the important events during the past 3 months we’ve been at Austin, I couldn’t believe that we’ve only been here for such a short time.  It feels like ages ago when we first had our Koinonia Bible Study when we cooked enough meatloaf to feed 30 people but no one came, so we ended up eating different variations of meatloaf the entire week.  I remember the first time we tabled and flyered on campus, and our first New Student Welcome Night when we barbecued 100 pounds of stead and wondered if anyone was going to come.  During the service I was amazed at how God has led us faithfully to this point and thankful that we could share this day with all the people that we’ve come to care for–new and old faces alike.  I was also thankful for all the brothers and sisters who came out from our home church in Berkeley just to help us prepare and participate in this celebration.  I’ve known many of them for about 8 years, and their presence was a reminder that our small team here is not alone but we are supported by a cloud of witnesses.  I was also excited that our new friends here at Austin were able to meet our friends from Berkeley, and we got to share some good laughs as we watched videos that accentuated Pastor Manny’s quirks, watched our Berkeley friends sing and dance and even pretend to act as grumpy old men.

Texas is the #1 football team in the nation. There’s no doubting that. A bunch of us from Koinonia crowded into Pastor Manny and Sunny’s place this past Saturday to witness the incredible prowess of our mighty Longhorns. What a way to spend a Saturday! We ate hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, salsa, threw a football around in the backyard, and to cap it off, jumped in jubilation as UT took down the #1 team in the nation, Oklahoma, in what is already being dubbed a classic.

Though I was cheering each time McCoy connected with Shipley, inside I could not help but feel a sense of anguish, anguish because I was torn inside with this sad reality…The team I’ve grown to love, my alma mater, the Golden Bears of the University of California Berkeley, better known as Cal, simply cannot hang at the level of a UT or OU. As much as I would like to fancy the idea that Cal is a top tier program and on its way back to the Rose Bowl, the reality is that they are simply is not there yet. Yes. I admit it. They are not there. Don’t get me wrong. I love Cal. In fact that is the reason why I must speak the truth. You see, I’m no fair-weather fan. I’m a true fan. I’m a golden bear. And I still hope. I hope that one day, I’ll be able to cheer in jubilation over a Cal Rose Bowl victory…(i tried uploading a video but blogger is giving me problems. so a photo will have to suffice…look at carlton’s hops!)

Everyone remembers the incredible performance of Jamaica’s sprinter Usain Bolt at the recent Olympics in Beijing. What sticks out about Mr. Bolt is the way that he demolished the competition, but also the flair with which he accomplished it.
Last Friday night, Koinonia went bowling, and let’s just say, Pastor Manny was on fire, very similar to how Usain Bolt was in Beijing. I mean, he had such command of that bowling ball that he was pulling out strikes and spares at will. Though the eldest competitor in all of Koinonia, Pastor Manny showed the young ones what’s up…
In the video, you’ll see his impressive skills, as well as some striking similarities to Usain Bolt…

There are times when it’s hard to put into words all that you’ve experienced from an experience or period of time. I think this past weekend is one of those times. On Sunday, I had the privilege of being a part of the Inaugural Service of Gracepoint Fellowship Church – Austin. It was a special time indeed as many people packed into the sanctuary with UT students, special guests, and nearly 70 of our dear precious brothers and sisters from the Bay Area. It kind of felt like I had been transported back to Berkeley at times seeing so many familiar faces…

Our senior pastor from GFC Berkeley, Pastor Ed, brought the message from Romans 16. He challenged us to be like the early church, that we might become a people who are close to one another because of our bond in Christ. After reading Romans 16:1-16, it’s very clear that Apostle Paul had this intimacy with fellow brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world. Pastor Ed also challenged us to become people who claim one another in love. That is what the church is, a place filled with people who claim each other in love. I think this is an appropriate message for me personally as I serve here in the Austin church. I’m reminded that the reason I moved out here is to become a person who loves God and people zealously.

Well, Ultimate Week and the Inaugural are all over now. As I look back, I’m just so thankful for the many friends and leaders who flew out here this past weekend to be with us. It gives me great strength to know that everyone back at home in Berkeley, Davis, and Taiwan continues to run this race alongside all of us here in Austin, and that we are all in this spiritual battle together, contending together to honor our awesome God. So it’s official…Gracepoint Fellowship Church Austin has been birthed! Happy Birthday GFC Austin!

It’s Rudys time! Yes, indeed it was for our 12 friends who arrived from California just two days ago. I must say, Rudys BBQ is the best place to go for a bite to eat with a group of 10+ people who are hungry, and wanting something tasty. And what’s even better is that it’s cheap …about 5-7 bucks/person.

Well, I’m very excited to see them all here in Austin. They’ve been working real hard (though not obvious in this picture here), and have been an encouragement to the rest of the Austin team members.

And what a week this is going to be with them all here! Tonight we had a devastating time of fun outdoor games at South Mall for our Ultimate Sports event, and last night we had a great time at the Anna Hiss gym for our Ultimate Games event. I’m looking forward to this Friday, our Ultimate Study Break event, and of course our climax on Sunday, the Inaugural Service for Gracepoint Fellowship Church Austin. For more info on these events, definitely check out the details at our college group Koinonia website
By the way, I know for those of you who were there tonight at the Ultimate Sports event, it might have seemed that some of us “older” ones were a bit slow during the game capture-the-flag. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I know that for at least myself I was wearing sandals and this definitely hindered me from playing at the top of my game

Hi everyone! This is my first post for our sister’s small group blog! I hope this blog can be a place where we can share our thoughts, memories, and just other stuff you want to talk about. Hope you enjoy it!

I’ll start off by sharing my own experience with small group during my freshman year, which was also how I met Sarah Song! (she was Sarah Oh back then). We met in one of the girl’s apartments right before Sunday Service at Gracepoint Fellowship Church in Berkeley, and share from our Devotional Time (DT) text or another passage. I remember having a grand ol’ time, eating breakfast that our small group leaders prepared, griping about the upcoming test or midterm, sharing prayer requests, and getting to know one another. Little did I know that many of them would end up being my good friends, or more like my true sisters (which was a whole new thing for me, being an only child!). I look back on those times with a lot of fondness… Sigh…

Now it’s pretty neat that Sarah and I are still together, now in Austin!, helping lead our own small groups. We hope you’ll look back on these times with fond memories too, whenever you pass by the Atrium at McCombs. We’ll be going through Course 101, a course on the basics of Christianity, for the fall semester. Hope you’re enjoying it so far!