Vamos a la Playa

UPDATE: Please SIGN UP for the Saturday Beach Trip! (NOTE the time change)

Hey guys, hope your week is going well. I know a lot of you just went through (or are still in the midst of) a barrage of midterms, projects, essays, and homeworks. Those are a few things that I’m grateful that I no longer have to deal with when I’m at work! (Then again, those of us who work have to be all there from 9am-6pm).

Here’s what’s happening this week:

Friday: Dinner (5:45pm) & Gracepoint Training School Courses (7pm)

We’ll be providing dinner @ the Unit 3 Ida Sproul lounge at 5:45. Afterwards, we’ll all walk over to 1st Pres for our GTS courses, followed by more G-Live practices! Woohoo!

Saturday: Vamos a la Playa

All of Kairos will be going to the beach this Saturday! Ultimate frisbee, ultimate volleyball, and ultimate BBQ! We’ll also light up a bonfire towards dusk, so I hope you’re looking for some relaxing time in the sand! We changed this to an afternoon trip due to the weather. But having a bbq lunch and sports is pretty awesome!!

Meet @ Parking Lot across from Crossroads DC @ 10am 2:30pm. We will be back around 3pm.  Sign up here!

 

Blast from the past

That's "Kairos." With a "2."

Sunday: Worship Service (11:15am)

As usual, our service will be held at 11:15am @ Willard Middle School.

See you all on Friday (if not sooner)!

Back to Valentine’s Day

On February 14, 2009, Kairos 2 and Kairos 4 students and staff enjoyed a very special Valentine’s day at a transition center in Oakland.

Johnny demonstrating how to "Get Down"

We arrived at the transition home around 2 pm to set up the cafeteria with space for singing and dancing and playing games. To tell you the truth, I was a little bit nervous to meet our young guests, because the building was only thinly scattered with people and I wondered if anyone would come. Soon the first family came in, and immediately, many of our students and staff got into a conversation with the family, from the mother to the older brother to the younger brother, who was nine years old. I waited near the door and a little girl came in with her mom. I immediately recognized her as Tori from last year’s Valentine’s day. Last year, I had a really hard time getting her to join in our dancing and singing because she just stood there looking like she was so bored. But today, Tori seemed a little friendlier as she saw the beading table and asked if she can make a necklace. Soon, Chanhee, Cristina (of Kairos 4) and I surrounded her and she started talking to us excitedly about her Tamaguchis (remember those?).

Stuffing the goodie bags for the kids

When more families arrived, we got ready for the singing and dancing time. Four of us were lead dancers since the kids are not familiar with the songs. We enjoyed the happy dance to “Majestic” and got a really good workout dancing to “Get Down” and ended with a meaningful “Your Love is Deep”. After that, Abe gave a message about the prodigal son while Richard and Robert acted out father and son convincingly (Guess who was who). Then we decided to dance to “Get Down” and “Your Love is Deep” again. It was great to see the kids dancing energetically (especially Tori, who was so bored last year during the dance and song).  Even some of the older kids got really into it!

Lin really getting into the song & dance (and Ryan, too...)

After the group time was over, we broke up into teams to make beaded jewelry for the children’s mothers/grandmothers, to play a cup stacking game, and to play King Kong Shower. It was not only a good time for the kids, but it was good to be a kid again for us college students. Even though spending Valentines’ day like this is uncommon, I can’t imagine spending it a better way. Afterwards, as we nursed our aching muscles from doing the Get Down move 40 times, we said goodbye to the families and ended our short Valentines’ Day of Compassion, even though it was more like Valentine’s day of gratitude and joy to us. I hope we can go back to the Center again next year and share a beautiful Valentines’ day with the kids.

Editor’s note: Even though we took many good photos at the transition home, unfortunately, we are not allowed to post them online. However, you could look at more of our practice photos here.

Saturday Fun: Frosh Snow Trip and Dimsum/Study-sum

Hi guys!
Well, since many of the non-frosh felt sad that they are going to miss out on the Snow Trip, we decided to plan something exciting for everyone else: Dimsum & Study-sum! Come join us for dimsum and then some hard core studying time to help you prepare for those midterms! So, for all those non-frosh out there as well as the frosh that cant make it to the snow trip, you are invited to this fun and productive outing!! Please let ABE know if you are interested in coming!

To recap:

Frosh: Snow Trip, 8am-8pm, Cost= $5-10
Sign up now!

Non-frosh & Frosh who cant make it to the Snow trip: Dimsum & Study-sum!
Meet @ Crossroads @10:30AM–be sure to bring your books!!
Please let ABE know if you can come!

What’s happening this Week: 2/16-2/22

Hi everyone,

Hope you guys all enjoyed the three day weekend! It was good to see many of you at the Valentine’s Day of Compassion visit at Henry Robinson this past Saturday– hope you guys had a great time meeting the kids and families and with all the singing and dancing, playing King Kong Shower, beading, playing the stacking cups game etc… Personally, I’m still trying to recover from the “Get Down” song… Sigh…getting old

Anyways, here’s the news for this week:

Friday, 2/20

• 6pm All Kairos Frosh Dinner @ Dana house
• 5:45pm Dinner for everyone else (non-frosh) at Sufficient Grounds
• 7-9pm GTS classes
• 9-11pm G-Live Practice

Saturday, 2/21: All College Frosh Snow Trip!

All day to the Sierras. Leave Berkeley around 8am, back by about 8pm. We’ll be neck deep in fresh snow, throwing snowballs, dunking your friends, snowman contest, and more! It’ll be a blast, and the first of many fun, freshman bonding times as a class. This trip is across all the groups: Koinonia, a2f, and Kairos. Don’t forget: you’re going to need snow gear! If you don’t have any, just remember: don’t wear jeans, and get some plastic bags to keep your feet dry. If you have any questions, contact Roy at roy.lo@gpmail.org. The cost will be about $5-$10

Sign up now!

Sunday, 2/22

• 10am Prayer Meeting @ Willard Middle School
• 11:15am Gracepoint Sunday Service @ Willard Middle School

Note: Kairos is in the overflow gym for the month of February!

News for This Weekend

Hi all,
Since there’s a lot of things happening this weekend and some last minute changes, here is a quick re-cap of it all:

Friday 2/13
Dinner @ 5:30pm @ Smart Alec’s
7-9pm GTS Training Courses Special Bible Study w/Pastor Ed @ 1st Pres Church (haha! yet another change– we’re trying to keep you on your toes!)
9-11pm G-Live Kick Off

PLEASE NOTE: GTS classes will start next Friday, 2/20. However, tonight (2/13) you will meet briefly with your instructor to go over admin needs and expectations of the class.  So, please dont miss ou!

Saturday 2/14
Valentine’s Day of Compassion: Henry Robinson Center. Sign up now!
Meet @ 11:30am at Dana house, bring your own lunch
(Schedule: DT, practice songs for visit, 2-4pm Henry Robinson Center Visit)

Sisters: 6:30pm Valentine’s Day Party @ NL (Pls RSVP to Evite or let Michelle know if you are interested in coming)
Brothers: BBQ & Sports in Alameda (Pls let Abe know if you are interested in coming)

Sunday 2/15
10am Prayer Meeting @ Willard
11:15am Sunday Service @ Willard

GTS and Valentine’s Day of Compassion

ANOTHER UPDATE FOR SISTERS: Sorry to change things again but here’s a new plan for the sisters! We will not have a sleepover on Friday, but instead we will have a Valentine’s Party on Saturday right after the Henry Robinson Center visit!  Come join us for a fun bonding time over dinner, dessert and games–girls only!

Update: For Saturday, we’ll be meeting at Dana House at 12pm 11:30am. Please bring your own lunch! Don’t forget to sign up by Thursday! In other news, sisters will be having a sleepover after Friday Night’s Bible Study, and brothers will be going to Alameda for some BBQ and sports after our Valentine’s Day of Compassion.

Fri 7pm: Gracepoint Training School (signup)

For those who have never taken a course at Gracepoint Fellowship Church, we highly recommend Course 101: Christian Foundations. As Craig Hazen said this past Friday, Christianity is a highly testable religion. We will cover topics such as man’s purpose, our longings, the existence of God, the historicity and authenticity of the bible, to who was Jesus, why did he die, and what evidence is there for his resurrection.  So please sign up — deadline is this Wednesday (2/11)!

Afterwards, we’ll be getting into our G-Live groups!

Sat Evening: Valentine’s Day of Compassion (signup)

We’ll be going to the Henry Robinson Center to share God’s love with them. As many of our own students found out last year, we felt more blessed to be with them than the other way around! Sign up and experience this for yourself!

Football @ Memorial Stadium (more photos)

Right before finals time last semester, several Kairos 1 and 2 brothers played football at the Memorial Stadium! The teams were split between Staff+Frosh against The World. In the end, it doesn’t really matter who won and who lost; it was spectacular just playing in the Stadium. But there’s something about those guys holding the football victoriously…

Edison dusting James (of Kairos 1)

Ryan showing us how to kick a football

Ron showing us how not to

Ha ha!

Team World

Team Staff+Frosh: holding footballs in a rather victorious way

But in the end, there were no hard feelings, right?

Week of Changes: The Sequel

Update: The Craig Hazen talk for tomorrow (Friday) has been moved up to 7pm. Thus, we’ll be having dinner at 5:45pm (still at 100 Wheeler). Please come on time! We don’t want to be late for the talk.

First (and possibly last) Kairos 2 group photo for the Spring

Hey everybody, a lot of things happening, so here’s the next two weeks at a glance (look below for more details):

• Fri, 2/6 5:45pm. Dinner @ 100 Wheeler. Invite your friends! Walk over to Craig Hazen event later.
• Sat, 2/7 10am-4pm @ Willard. Craig Hazen in-house training session. $10. Signup!
• Sun, 2/8 11:15am @ Willard. Sunday Worship Service with baptism afterwards. (Note change in time.)
• Fri, 2/13-5/1, 7-9pm @ 1st Pres. All-college courses (such as c101, sk1, etc). Signup!
• Sat, 2/14. Valentine’s Day of Compassion. Signup!

Christianity in a World of Religions (Speaker: Craig Hazen)
Friday, 2/6, 7pm @ 155 Dwinelle

Dr. Hazen is an excellent speaker (I’ve heard him personally when I was a junior in college), and he’ll be talking about Christianity’s exclusive claim to truth in this world of many different religions. Although the event itself is at 7pm, we’ll be providing dinner @ 5:45pm inside 100 Wheeler. Don’t forget to invite your friends!

The following Saturday, there will be an in-house training session with Dr. Hazen. He’ll be equipping us on the topic of World Religions. It’ll cost $10 (which covers lunch and use of the facility), and it will be held at Willard Auditorium starting at 10am. Please signup if you’re interested.

Gracepoint Fellowship Church: Sunday Worship Service
10am Prayer time | 11:15 Service w/ Baptism 

We’ll be having our baptism service this Sunday immediately following our Worship Service. Please note the change in time — we’re starting at 11:15am from now on. If you’d like to join us for prayer time, that’ll be at 10am. At least the location is always constant. (Actually, not always.)

All-College Friday Courses
Fridays, 2/13-5/1, 7-9pm @ 1st Pres

Starting next Friday, we’ll be having our Friday night courses! Whether you’re a Christian or one learning about Christianity, you can sign up for Course 101, where you’ll learn the intellectual foundation for the Christian faith. If you want to grow and mature as a Christian, you can take the Survival Kit courses. It’s all happening next Friday, so please signup!

Valentine’s Day of Compassion
Saturday, 2/14, afternoon @ Henry Robinson Center 

Each year on Valentine’s Day, rather than focusing inwardly at ourselves via romantic love, many groups within Gracepoint goes out to convalescent homes or homeless shelters to show others what true love is all about. This year, Kairos 2 and Kairos 4 are joining forces: we’ll be going to the Henry Robinson Center to share God’s love with them. Last year, we had a wide range of children, from second grade to those in high school. It was such a pleasure to see their faces light up last year — I’m sure it’ll be the same this year! More info to come, but if you’re already interested, please signup!