Tag Archives: holidays

Valentine’s Day of Compassion

Posted on by
February 14, 2010
2:00 pmto5:00 pm

VdayCompBanner Valentines Day of Compassion

410987054 Valentines Day of CompassionJoin us as we have our annual Gracepoint Valentine’s Day of Compassion. Every year instead of buying into the commercialization of Valentine’s Day, hundreds of us spread out into various different homeless shelters and elderly care facilities around the East Bay to share true love with those who are in most need. This year, IGSM will be going to the Rounseville Rehabilitation Center in Oakland, CA at 2pm.  If you are interested, please come to 110 Barrows by 1:30pm on Sunday.

Happy New Year 2010!

Posted on by

On behalf of IGSM, I want to wish you and your family a very happy and blessed year in 2010. We joined the Watch Night service put on by Gracepoint – Berkeley on the last day of 2009 to welcome 2010 through praise, prayer and countdown. This is an annual tradition at Gracepoint as we recounted as a church how God has worked in our midst. It made the turning of the year (or decade) much more meaningful.

On the first day of the new year, IGSM had our annual dumpling making party. Kate, dubbed “The Dumpling Queen” in IGSM, prepared the filling for the dumplings and demonstrated to us how to make dumplings the right way. Some of us are trying pretty hard while others are looking for their own ways to make their perfect dumpling. It was fun and rewarding because we got to eat the fruit of our labor right away.

Continue reading →

2009 Christmas Eve Dinner

Posted on by

We had a sumptuous potluck dinner at Chul & Sharon’s place on the eve of Christmas. The potluck dinner was composed of fried chicken pasta, oven-baked mussels, broiled tri-tip, BBQ chicken, pan-fried sole fillet, pineapple chicken, and assorted desserts including fruits, pies, and cakes. It was absolutely delicious, and we all had our fill.

Given that the dinner is to celebrate the coming of Christmas, we sang two well-known Christmas carols: O Come All Ye Faithful and Joy to the World. Sharon explained the lyrics and the meaning of these songs prior to singing, which allowed us to reflect deeper the meaning of Christmas. It was a very informative and touching time as we thought about the magic of Christmas together. And the singing was wonderful in a small house.

After we were done with singing, we went out to the Thompson Street to see Christmas lights. This is an annual IGSM tradition to see all the houses on this street decorated with beautiful and creative Christmas lights. It was a nice walk together despite the cold temperature at night.

IGSM Christmas Party (12/18)

Posted on by
December 18, 2009
6:00 pm

xmas flyer 09 IGSM Christmas Party (12/18)

Come join us for a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We will start the night out with dinner, have a talent show, a short message about Christmas and finally a gift exchange with a twist (promise it will be fun).

Note: To participate in the gift exchange, please bring a new, wrapped gift ($5-$10).

Date/Time: Friday, Dec 18 at 6pm
Location: Lipman Room (top floor of Barrows Hall)

Combined Bible Study and Christmas Caroling (12/11)

Posted on by
December 11, 2009
7:00 pm

This week, we will take a hiatus (pause) from our weekly Friday Forum and join with our other campus groups from Gracepoint Berkeley to have a combined Bible Study and a time to get into the Christmas mood singing Christmas Carols on campus.  Join us for this memorable night.

Date/Time: Friday, Dec 11 at 7pm
Location: First Presbyterian Church Sanctuary (corner of Channing and Dana)

Mother’s Day Cardmaking 2009

Posted on by

We made our own Mother’s Day cards after Bible study so that we could send them to our moms in time. Guys and gals alike were creative and artistic in putting the cards together.

Happy New Year!

Posted on by

New%20Years Happy New Year!Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  (Xin nian kuai le!)  Can’t believe 2008 is over and 2009 is here.  Time really flies!

Before we leave 2008 in the past, I know that not everyone has seen our Year in Review video.  (It’s the same one that we produced for our Thanksgiving Celebration in Gracepoint Fellowship Church Berkeley)  Jesse and others put in many many hours to produce it, so we wanted to make sure you had a chance to see it if you missed our TC.  The link is here.  Enjoy!

Anyone have fun New Year’s Resolutions to share?

Christmas reflection

Posted on by

jesusinmanger thumb Christmas reflection At the Gracepoint Fellowship Church combined Bible study last week, we studied 1John 4. Verses 9-10 say: “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” One point from the Bible study that really struck me and touched me was that Christmas (i.e. the birth of Jesus) was a big “I LOVE YOU!” proclamation from God. This simple and yet powerful truth pierced through my heart, which was cluttered by the frenzy of the holiday season. I was thankful that I was brought back to this foundational truth about Christmas and about life in general: God loves us.

Christmas Lights on Thompson Street

Posted on by

familyxmasdinner 014 thumb Christmas Lights on Thompson Street On Christmas Eve, Chul and Sharon hosted a wonderful dinner at their house for those who are still in the area. We got to know one another a little bit more by sharing about our most memorable holiday experience or our most memorable gift. Each one of us shared a very interesting story; as a result, the whole sharing time lasted over one and a half hour. I thoroughly enjoyed that time. After the sharing, we went to see the Christmas lights on Thompson Street in Alameda. This is a well-known street in Alameda because every house on this street block is decorated with Christmas lights every Christmas. Although it was raining, the lights were still on and we were able to walk through the street. The rain, the chill, and the dazzling Christmas lights made it quite a memorable Christmas for me.