My College Experience in the Church in Berkeley, John Perng

I was born and raised in a Christian family, and since my youth I became interested in the things of the Bible and about God. I received the Lord when I was 11 years old. I remembered praying the simple prayer, “Lord, I'm a sinner, and thank You for dying on the cross for me. Please come into me and cleanse me.” Soon after, I was baptized and began my journey of Christian life. Although I loved the Lord and tried to read the Bible everyday, my experience of Christ was greatly influenced and affected by my environment. I remember especially during high school, I would go through periods of highs and lows in my pursuit of the Lord. Deep within me, I wanted to give my whole life to the Lord to know Him. So, before going to college, I prayed to the Lord from 2 Timothy 2:22 that He would grant me to find “those who would call on the Lord out of a pure heart,” ones who are not ashamed of Christ, and ones to whom I could open my heart and fellowship with in spirit.

Toward the end of my senior year in high school, I received my acceptance letter from The University of California at Berkeley. Prior to my visit, I had already heard about how liberal and `free' Berkeley's philosophy was, and I was really afraid. I heard about living with other students meeting with the local church to study and pursue the Lord together, and I decided to check it out. I remember the first time I walked into the student center at the church's meeting hall. There were a few sisters in the Lord playing hymns and a few more brothers in the Lord singing around the piano. I had never seen any group of young people enjoying the Lord like that. It was so sweet, so spontaneous, so liberated and without a trace of pretense or self-consciousness. I was touched by their genuineness, and I sensed a flow of life coming out of their singing. I also love singing hymns to the Lord. Deep within, I told the Lord, “I have found the place that I am looking for. I have found the people that I want to be with. This is the place where I want to live and spend my college years. I am coming to Berkeley, and I am definitely living with these brothers.”

Four years have passed, and I do not have any regret. The Lord has not only answered that prayer according to 2 Timothy 2:22, He has done even more. He has not only given me a group of companions to pursue with, but He has also given me a family, a family that includes the entire church. Right after I moved into Berkeley, many believers in the church began to take care of me. They would invite me to their homes for dinner and fellowship every Friday. Their family became my family, and their home became my home. While we were eating we would talk about our week and share something we enjoyed from the Word. Many times after a rough week at school, I would go to the home meeting feeling completely exhausted, but when I came back from there, I always felt strengthened, nourished and supplied spiritually. Gradually, the home meeting became the highlight of my enjoyment, and what I anticipated the most every week. It was in the homes that I got shepherded and encouraged to go on in my spiritual life. It was often through the older brother or sister's testimony or sharing, that I received much spiritual help to grow in life. We would pray for one another, read the Bible, and share our portion of Christ with one another.

Before that, I used to think of the church as just a place, or a gathering of some Christians, but now when I think of the church in Berkeley, I think of the family, I think of real believers who shepherd and care for me, I think of the mutual enjoyment and fellowship we have together every Friday night. It was no longer just a group people, it is a group of people that I am closely connected and built up with. After my four years in the church in Berkeley, the brothers and sisters became deeply impressed upon my heart, and I believe that I have also become deeply impressed upon their hearts.

It was through meeting with the family that I began to see that all the experiences we have, and the help we received is not just for ourselves, but it is for other's spiritual growth and benefit as well, so that others could receive the same blessing from us. It was not until coming to Berkeley that I began to experience the practical daily church life. The Lord has shown me the vision of His economy, His eternal purpose and His heart for the church. I found life, joy, peace and satisfaction. My Berkeley years were especially marked by the fellowship and prayer I have had with the brothers and sisters. I cannot express how much I treasure my time here and how thankful I am to all the believers who were such a pattern to me.