Remembering all that God has done in 2009!
Nov 13, 2009
Thanksgiving Retreat this year was very special with brothers and sisters coming from San Francisco, Davis, Austin, and even Taiwan! With nearly 900 of us packed into the Chabot Performing Arts Center, it was a sight to see and delineates a little of how God is working in our midst. With exciting praise to jump start our minds and hearts, we heard captivating and personal reflections from leaders across our various campus groups related to the theme of “entrustment”. Creative videos brought their words to life for all that God has done in the past year. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we enjoyed catering from Kinders and Panera Bread out on the grass and squeezed in some ultimate frisbee to get the blood flowin’. Our very own Kairos group has experienced quite a number of changes these past several months, but it’s been for the better and who knows…we may even see a Kairos group forming on the other campuses at the rate Gracepoint is growing. Nothing wrong with passing up the a2f name. =D Pastor Ed concluded the retreat with the prospect of starting 2 additional churches in the coming year in…too bad for those who didn’t come. You’ll have to ask your friends on the locations. Nice!
rocking praise
our church historian Jeannie Lee giving the year-end report..and also a special treat…
some kairos brothers enjoying the Kinder’s rib-eye sandwiches with BBQ sauce…
The Kairos freshman girls at their first ever Gracepoint thanksgiving retreat!
the Austin staff and students performing a moving song
thankful for the retreat..a time for remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness in the past year..also great to meet students from Austin!
oh..but i must say though..kelly doesn’t look that different in that picture than now…but pastor Ed though…
This Thanksgiving Retreat was probably the most memorable for me. I’m in awe of how God continues to multiply what little we offer.
I got to host the Austin Sophomores while they were here and they really enjoyed the time. I think they got a sense of the legacy and community that’s here and exactly what they’re entrusted with reproducing.
It was an amazing retreat and each year as I get to identify more and more with what other people in the Kingdom of God are doing, I get to experience greater joy. Glory to God, Glory to God forever!
With all the great music, testimonies, videos, and food, it’s not hard to see why this is Pastor Eds favorite retreat of the year. It was awesome to hear about all that God has done in our midst this past year. I was also especially excited for all the students from Austin who got to see what’s been going on here back at “home”.
This was my first Thanksgiving Retreat. whoooo! I am so amazed by how God continues to work in us. My favorite part was getting to hear the testimonies/reflections of staff from different departments. I’m Just sad that I missed out last year.
Historically, when placed in a large, often dark, auditorium, with people speaking for hours on end, I have been known to lose consciousness. But oddly, I not only managed to maintain consciousness throughout the day, but I also became more excited and filled with energy as the day progressed.
This alone speaks to power and work of God!
I’m actually being more serious than it seems…but really…it was quite amazing…and at some points chills would go up and down my spine just getting a glimpse of all that He can do when we offer ourselves faithfully…WHOOOOHOOOOOO!