The staff of CSUEB Koinonia had the privilege of preparing food for the hundreds of college students involved in Gracepoint Live. We spent entire Saturdays leading up to G-Live, as well as the days of the performances, making sure the students were well fed (and boy can they EAT!). Each of us were constantly on the move - setting up tables and canopies, washing fruit, making coffee, replenishing drink coolers of water, OJ, lemonade and iced tea. We scattered across the Bay area in teams to pick up Vietnamese sandwiches from Oakland and Hayward, 100 boxes of pizza from the Richmond and San Leandro Costcos, numerous coolers full of hot meatballs from various church members’ homes in Alameda, boxes upon boxes of apples and pears from Oakland Chinatown, and much more.
Through this experience I learned a valuable lesson about the body of Christ as described in 1 Corinthians 12:12 - " The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body." We didn’t have a more front-end role in G-Live, but I realized I was playing a role in working with others to make it happen, even if my role went unnoticed in the eyes of most. For the students to have consistently delivered their lines with gusto throughout the long days of rehearsals, they needed our provision of three square meals, along with an endless supply of snacks and drinks. It was rewarding to see the smiling faces of the students at the sight of food prepared for them; when one student picked up an apple, she commented, "Wow. You even washed it for us? Awwww." I am truly grateful for the opportunity I had to give my all to serve the students and honor God’s name. Despite the immense fatigue I felt afterwards, serving on the food prep team was quite a memorable and rewarding experience.