Dec
06
TFN Gift Exchange Recap: Sly Dealin'
By Richard Y | 8 comments
What's better than getting a brand new set of Monopoly Deal at our Gift Exchange? Swiping someone's fabulous new S'mores making set during a Sly Deal rampage! That's pretty much what happened at our TFN and Christmas Gift Exchange last Friday. There were some incredible $5 gifts and some even more incredibly creative gift wrapping. After our scrumptious pork roast dinner, Pastor Daniel led us on an inspiring video journey through the Christmas story, showing us our need for a Savior and how Jesus came in such vulnerable love to rescue us from sin. Our eyes were opened as we saw Christmas from a new perspective--a fresh new look without all the consumerism surrounding the holidays that we've grown accustomed to. Through the Bible study, we were able to see the original meaning of Christmas--celebrating the incarnation of Christ so that we may be saved from our sins. Shortly afterwards, we began our annual Christmas Gift Exchange, and everyone got their teams ready to fend off would-be raiders of their carefully-selected gifts. Everything from blowing balloons to acting out a monkey riding a roller-coaster, stacking cups to doing the moonwalk, we had a rousing time of competition to score a chance to do some sly dealin', perhaps to help a friend get a better gift, or to ditch the pink beanie-baby piggy that ultimately landed in Pastor Daniel's hands. Sorry Pastor Daniel! The night was truly action-packed. Check out the Christmas Gift Exchange Flickr set for more action shots!
Nov
24
Recap: TSCB!!!
By Tracy
This past weekend was a whirlwind of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing,...and Bollywood dancing?!? If that made no sense to you whatsoever, let us back track to this past Friday when we did some last minute practice for Thanksgiving Service and Celebration Banquet. It had been two weeks since our last practice, but we had plenty of time for the SUPs do a couple of skit run throughs, and for the Freshmen to sing and record the soundtrack for our Praise God finale. Fast-forwarding to Sunday morning, we started off the day cooking up a storm at various staff houses. Thanks to all those who came at 9:30 in the morning to help out. There's no way we could've cranked out 200 servings of mashed potatoes, gravy, corn bread, stuffing, salad, ham, and corn all on our own. Also a big shout out to all who helped to set up and making the room festive for this special occasion. The Thanksgiving Service started off with some rocking praise from our student band. Next, Pastor Daniel gave us a message with the help of the SUPs skit and salvation testimony from Tony, one of the a2f staff. Pastor Daniel spoke on Matthew 18, the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. He showed us how detrimental it is to hold on to a pessimistic "glass half empty" outlook on life and how that closes our hearts from seeing all the things that God has given us including the fact that we have been forgiven. To put into practice what we just heard, everyone in the congregation took home some thank you cards to express our gratitude towards those who have impacted our lives. After service, we switched gears into Celebration Banquet mode. Like I said before, there was plenty of food to go around and everyone was amazed by the wide variety of sides to compliment the delicious turkey. The Freshmen surprised us with an intro act and dance to start off our banquet. Next we had a rousing round of Human Bingo where each group sent up their representatives for various competition categories. We heard some creative attempts at saying "Happy Thanksgiving" in multiple languages, harmonizing with "Row Row Row Your Boat", and a couple Thanksgiving-themed raps and haikus. We ended the night with the highly anticipated finale dance! This is definitely a night to remember for years to come. Hope you guys are enjoying the long weekend. See you back in SD next week!
Nov
15
Recap of the Thanksgiving Retreat
By Jesse C
Wow! What a weekend it has been! We just came back from our road trip up to the Bay Area for our annual Thanksgiving Retreat. The early birds who drove up on Thursday got to do a little sightseeing before the retreat. We took a trip to San Francisco to see the famous Pier 39! We checked out the lazy sea lions, the magic shop, Chocolate Heaven, and the crazy hat store. Besides Jessica Y being attacked by some ruthless seagulls trying to steal her food, we got to slurp down some delicious clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. It really hit the spot on a typical rainy day in SF. Next we went to Battery Park to marvel at the Golden Gate bridge, the scenic view of the Bay Area and recount the historic site of the Sardines-in-the-dark game that Michael and James' peers played during their undergrad years. But what made this weekend really special was that our sister churches from all over the world attended this retreat. Over 800+ people from Berkeley, Davis, Minnesota, Taiwan, Riverside, Austin, and San Diego all converged at Kofman Auditorium in Alameda High. We had a wonderful time of rocking praise, and through video sharings and testimonies, each ministry shared about what God has been doing in their respective groups. We are so blessed to be able to witness God's abundant provision and faithfulness and have the chance to make connections with each of the sharings. During the retreat Pastor Ed shared the story of Moses and how he avoided many perils as he floated down the Nile River and into the safe hands of Pharaoh's daughter. We also heard a message on the "strange sight" of the burning bush and how God revealed his heart to Moses and His calling and vision for Moses. What was also very memorable from this weekend was the opportunity to fellowship with brothers and sisters from the other churches. The brothers and sisters in Berkeley opened up their homes to let us stay with them for the weekend. Thank you Koinonia Berkeley for your hospitality! On Saturday night we had the ultimate Best of the Best competition across classes. We got into different groups based on our year in school to come up with group cheers, dances, and raps. That pretty much sums up the weekend. So many of us "gotta give thanks" for all that we have experienced this past weekend. Hope you guys can be thankful too this Thanksgiving season!
Nov
07
TFN: The End of the Evil Beanbag-- Friday Night Recap
By Richard Y
Alas, all good things must come to an end… as we finished the final message in our 3-week PAUSE series (a.k.a. the Evil Beanbag series) this past TFN, Pastor Daniel gave us new insights into the story of the Prodigal Son parable and how it applies to our lives. After the message, many of us stayed to start practicing for the performances we will be having at our annual Thanksgiving Service and Celebration Banquet. In case you haven’t heard yet, we will be having our Thanksgiving Service and Celebration Banquet in 2 weeks! We had a great time practicing for the performances. Rich L even made an instructional video to help with the practice. Here's a quick sneak peek of what went down on Friday: Though a picture is worth a thousand words, you will just have to see for yourself on Sunday, November 20th at 2:00PM in the Institute of the Americas. If you live really far from ERC, you can catch a ride with us at 1:15PM at Mandeville Center near sun god lawn. You don't want to miss out on this one! Hope to see you there!
Oct
31
Bonfire and Dumpling Night (W)rap-up
By Richard Y
For those of you who couldn't make it to the second message from our "Pause" series, you missed out on some incredible Evil Beanbag drama. Don't worry, you can catch the gripping, edge-of-your-seat finale this Friday! Don't miss it! After Pastor Daniel's message, we packed up and drove over to Mission Bay for some sausages, s'mores and s'more around an epic bonfire. As you can see in the pictures below, the fire was pretty toasty, but we had many courageous skewer swordsmen who would not be daunted by the heat. After we had our fill of goodies, we gathered around and shared some scary stories, and our SUP brothers gave us a delightful rendition of "Lean on Me." Not to be outdone, the Frosh brothers gave their all--not only singing, but rapping for us as well! Saturday night we had a blast putting together some savory dumplings and devouring them to our hearts' content. We had a cozy time gathered around the tables throughout Pastor Daniel and Sarah's house, wrapping up delicious nuggets of dumpling goodness. Those who were totally new to dumpling-making were transformed into wrapping experts after a short lesson from our master wrappers and esteemed guests from Berkeley, Pastor Jonathan and Susanna! Not long after we all got to work, we were enjoying the fruits of our labor. Boiled, pan-fried, deep-fried--you name it! We even got to see some creative and artistic deviations from the norm--some of the biggest hits of the evening were the Dumpling Inception, the Potsticker Pirate, and the Wonton Wizard's Hat. We ended our evening with an epic King Kong Shower tournament, where our staff demonstrated masterful skills. They say that you can't have your cake and eat it too, but don't worry, you can make your own dumplings and eat them too. Join us next time if you missed out!
Oct
03
Recap: Night of Knights
By Richard Y | 2 comments
There was a battle to remember this past Friday after TFN, as teams sent forth their champions to compete at Cardboard Camelot. Each knight had to complete a challenging obstacle course and undergo the crucible of brute-force armor testing. Check out our Facebook page for awesome videos of the action!
Sep
29
Recap: a2f Kickoff & Bowling
By Mike K
This past Friday was our a2f Kickoff. We had a lively dinner and time of discussion for life groups, and then Pastor Daniel talked about the question that God asks from Genesis 3: "Where are you?" Afterwards, we had a rousing game of bowling, complete with pizza and breadsticks (unfortunately, no turkeys, though there were several close calls...) Congratulations to Kim and Justin, who had the high scores of the night -- 159! And honorable mention goes to Rich L, who posted an unmatched score at the other end of the spectrum of... 20 :) But good job to everyone, and see you next Friday!
Aug
29
Summer Run!
By Richard Y
We did it! A four mile race this past Saturday. For most of us, it was our very first official race! And if you were wondering who came in first amongst us, the winner - Jesse Chen!
Aug
29
Recap: TFN at La Jolla
By Richard Y
This past Friday we had our Summer Bible study on the beach! And in typical Summer style, we had a bonfire with s'mores and hotlinks to top off the night; not to mention Korean bulgogi sandwiches for dinner. Yum! And some of us even had the chance to find sand crabs along the shore!
Aug
23
Recap: Yosemite Trip
By Mike K | 1 comment
Last weekend we had an awesome and action-packed trip to Yosemite! The food, fellowship, and breathtaking scenery were simply unparalleled! In other words, you had to be there... The highlights: hanging out at our very own Yosemite House, hiking through Tuolumne Meadows, lunch from the top of Pothole Dome, and -- some claim, oddly enough, that this was the highlight of the entire trip -- a game of Mad Gab in which the sisters eked out a narrow victory over the brothers... But, never mind that, here are some pictures! This is just a fraction -- check out the photo album for more!
Aug
09
Recap: TFN Fishing Outing
By Richard Y | 1 comment
Ever gone pier fishing at night? How about pier fishing at night with ramen? Well, up until this past Friday most of us haven't either, but it was a real treat. Although we didn't catch any fish, we did catch a crab and a lobster. And the evening was topped off with a special set of fireworks not too far away!
Aug
01
Recap: Mexico Mission Team Visit
By Richard Y
This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting junior high students from our Berkeley church who have signed up for a week-long mission trip to Mexico. They will be visiting and helping out at a number of orphanages as well as sharing their Christian faith with other students. We're excited for their courage and eager to hear what they will be able to experience. Please continue to pray for them.
Jul
27
Recap: Scavenger Hunt
By Richard Y | 2 comments
This past weekend after TFN, we had a hilarious time of criss-crossing through San Diego to capture moments on camera in our scavenger hunt. Some of the highlights included the creation of each team's original scary movies. They'll be up shortly so stay tuned for that!
Jul
18
Recap: Kayak in the bay
By Richard Y | 1 comment
This past Saturday, we had an incredible time of kayaking at Mission Bay and enjoying good bbq on the beach. The clear sky and warm Pacific water was a special treat for us all.
Jun
21
Brothers' Night Out
By Richard Y | 1 comment
This past Sunday, the guys had a night out to the driving range, batting cages, San Diego's famous Hodad's, and topped the evening off with Sean Connery's award-winning performance in The Hunt for Red October.
Jun
20
Post-TFN at Belmont Park
By Richard Y | 2 comments
This past TFN, we enjoyed a fun time together at Belmont Park, riding classic roller coasters and having funnel cake! We all had a great time, although some of our bodies weren't quite able to handle the exhilarating rides.
Jun
14
Recap: Bible Study on the Beach
By Richard Y | 2 comments
The beach Bible study - always a summer hit! And although the weather has been June Gloom, there's nothing more enjoyable than sinking toes in soft sand, no matter if it's a little brisk out.
Jun
06
Recap: Farewell to Lem and Karen
By Richard Y
With a mixture of laughter and tears, we said our farewells to Lem and Karen this past Friday after bible study. Many people recounted how their lives were touched because of Lem and Karen in this one year of being down here in San Diego. We will miss you Lem and Karen!
May
31
Recap: Camping in the clouds!
By Richard Y
For those of you who joined us for our camping excursions, we experienced literally walking in the clouds. And if you've never expereinced this pleasure, I can tell you that it is very cold being in up there! The place to be was near the smoky fire. Thankfully, we had a great time of hiking, but all the fish eluded us at the lake. Maybe next time!
May
16
Recap: Weekend Activities
By Richard Y
We had an incredible time on Friday after TFN, as we went out to Tea 'N More together and devoured scrumptious appetizers, such as their fantastic fried tofu and beef bowls, just to name a few. Some of us racked our brains over Speed Scrabble and others tried their luck at Monopoly Deal. On Saturday, we had our historic first-ever a2f San Diego Retreat! What an incredible time we had to hear many amazing testimonies of students from our sister fellowship groups in Berkeley as well as an opportunitiy to take a break from the chaos from classwork and hear messages regarding the holiness of God from R.C. Sproul and Bible studies from Daniel.