Written out Sunday Prayers at Gracepoint Berkeley

Sep 30, 2009 10:16 AM
Written out Sunday Prayers
by makestraight

[update 10/2/2009]

Based on anon’s feedback in the comment section after I posted this, I’d like to first mention as a disclaimer that the subject of this post is not a large issue. It’s a rather minor one, but I point it out only to contribute to a larger, fuller picture of the culture at Gracepoint Berkeley.

I pointed out somewhere in this blog before that one effect you’ll see as a result of Gracepoint Berkeley’s fear and guilt driven culture is that you’ll have genuine, individual spiritual growth being stunted.

One need not look further than the Sunday prayers by staff members to see this.

Every staff member will have a typed out piece of paper they wrote out, and take it out, and read it during Sunday Worship Service. I understand if the staff has been serving as staff only for 1 or 2 years. But staff members who have been serving for 10+ years, and even directors who have been at Gracepoint longer will do the same.

Also, almost every staff member dreads their turn on the prayer rotation [I certainly hope this has changed].

Why?

It’s because they worry and fear that they might essentially “pray wrong”, and their prayer has to be “good”.

What I mean is that they are afraid that they may have forgotten to pray about an important topic that came up during the week. If they fail to cover something, they are afraid to be addressed by their leaders, or by Kelly herself, about “How could you forget to pray about that?” Some resourceful staff members will ask the person(s) in charge of the bulletin, or ask their friends who are more “on top of things” at church.

Kelly Kang will sometimes send out emails after prayers, stating why you should NOT pray like such, and how you should instead pray like this. Don’t use these words, use these words. Make sure to say “please” even. I mean, come on! Jesus himself taught us how to pray with the basic structure in the Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus isn’t caught up in grammar, but he teaches us in a straightforward fashion that we should give glory to God, seek forgiveness for our sins, and ask God for providence, and for protection from sin. Prayer is talking with our Abba Father, not a presidential speech.

But Kelly even micromanages people’s prayers.

Why?

Because I believe she’s into how Gracepoint looks and sounds. She wants control over everything to how she thinks it should be, because Gracepoint is about her, and Ed. There’s only one way to glorify God, and that’s how THEY deem it to be worthy. They serve as pope or judge-like figures who guard the gateway to God [the same thing they accused Becky Kim of doing]. Almost every staff member seeks their approval, and are afraid of them [very few will openly admit this]. If they admit they are afraid, they will be talked to, because it’s THEIR problem for being afraid, not Kelly or Ed’s. It’s the staff’s problem for not “trusting and obeying” enough. The pattern of the blame being cast solely upon the staff or member is repeated constantly.

There’s minimal sense of freedom and grace at Gracepoint [again, an ironic name for the church].

Kelly even admonishes staff about how the “reflection” they wrote was written poorly and reveals how “unspiritual” or “unreflective” they are.

I hope that people there [both staff and members] who are unhappy and suffering under the legalism and spiritual abuse can gather the courage to leave. Such an environment does NOT foster individual spiritual growth. It might make the church as a whole look good on the surface, but God does not care about the outside, He cares about the heart.

God will be with you wherever you go. Just continue to seek Him.

Jesus said in Luke 11:11-13

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

God will give you the Holy Spirit to be with you if you ask Him.