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External Transcript Summary: Gary Sheng at Arena Hall South Congress Grand Opening

Date: October 3, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng (@gary-sheng.md), Evan Baehr (@evan-baehr.md), Zachary Smith (@zachary-smith.md), and ~30+ Austin entrepreneurs, investors, and community members Duration: Extended lunch event (2+ hours) Location: Arena Hall South Congress, Austin, Texas Context: Grand opening/prototype launch of Arena Hall's new South Congress coworking space (opened October 2, 2025)

Executive Summary​

This pivotal networking event captures Gary's public declaration of faith in Austin's entrepreneurial community, introducing himself as "an engineer and lover of Jesus, very interested in technology that helps support Revival." The gathering marks the soft launch of Evan Baehr's Arena Hall South Congress location, positioning itself as a future "Soho House for vegetarian nerds." Gary's conversations reveal his imminent Gulf baptism (October 4), ongoing supernatural experiences in Liberty, Texas, and vision for faith-integrated business spaces. The event showcases Austin's unique blend of entrepreneurship, faith, and community building.

Key Themes​

1. Arena Hall South Congress Launch​

Evan Baehr's Vision:

  • Timeline: "We got the keys, I think, a week ago... We'll be in this for maybe eight to 10 months, and then we'll start renovations"
  • Philosophy: "In the spirit of Ted Roosevelt, man or woman in the arena do hard things"
  • Future vision: "Soho House for the vegetarian nerds" - breaking ground May 2026
  • Current status: 25-30 dedicated desks sold in first two days

Team Introduction:

  • Lindsay (co-founder, 3.5 years)
  • Riley (operations, communications)
  • John Nelson (CCO)
  • Allie (hospitality)
  • Eden (events)
  • Celeste Machado (chef, 2.5 years)
  • Mike Esposito (creative/music curation)

2. Gary's Public Faith Declaration​

Introduction to Community:

Gary: "Hi, I'm Gary Sheng. Speaking of Revival, I'm an engineer and lover of Jesus, and very interested in technology that helps support Revival."

Baptism Revelation:

  • Scheduled for October 4 (day after event) in the Gulf
  • Gary to attendee: "It's one thing to have it in a pool, like a little tub... but to have it in the gulf, oh my gosh, it's like the river Jordan"
  • Chose specific pastor after discernment about who should baptize him

Supernatural Testimony:

  • Gary: "This one pastor healed my eyes. It's not that I was blind, but my eyes were not very good in terms of long range. Now they're significantly better because I got prayed on"
  • Returning to Liberty, Texas immediately after event

3. Gary's Spiritual Journey & Calling​

Conversion Story:

  • Kanye catalyst: "I saw Sunday Service... The YouTube one moved me so much, I was like, it's hard for me to deny that God exists if something can sound this good"
  • Grandmother's prophecy: "My grandma in China... broke down crying saying, believe in God"
  • Evolution: "I started to meet Christians that I didn't feel like were complete hypocrites"

Mission Vision:

  • Gary: "What will get us to the current level of belief among believers, and the number of believers, is, what got us here won't get us there"
  • Technology integration: "There's no reason why every single thing that God created or allowed us to create—business, technology, AI, crypto—there's no reason why all of this can't be used for God"
  • Missionary transition: "I'm kind of treating it like missionary work. I'm going to be supporting this one pastor that will be traveling a lot"

4. Vision for Christian Coworking Spaces​

Discussion with Arena Hall Team Member:

  • Prayer room concept: "I had this thought about Christian homes of the future having prayer rooms... What would a Christian-led or Christian-friendly coworking space look like?"
  • Regular programming: "I can imagine Tuesday and Thursday having some kind of prayer, Bible study type stuff"
  • Network effect: "You might start cracking open the Bible for the first time because the network's good"

Jewish Community Model:

  • Gary: "A lot of why Jews celebrate Jewish holidays, even though they're atheists, is because the network's good... They create such a culture around their tribe"
  • Application: "I would love to be part of a community of folks who speak about my work and intentions... And have that Bible study connect to my business work"

5. Zachary Smith's Updates​

Current Projects:

  • Working on standardizing VC fundraising deck formats
  • Continuing All-In podcast production
  • Brand book creation for nicotine products

Key Insight on Client Management:

Zachary: "Forcing a client into an exact workflow is actually a value-add, because it gives them a deadline and structure of expectations for themselves"

6. Notable Attendees & Introductions​

Investment & Venture:

  • Patrick McKenna: Launched AI-generated band "Halcyon Cowboys," exploring consciousness and creativity
  • Jake Rosenblum: Entrepreneur in enterprise software, newly approved to start Girl Scout troop
  • Michael Fazio: Private equity, working on "virtualizing memory"
  • Kyle Reising: Launching first institutional capital fund for B2B SaaS investing

Political & Social:

  • Chris Gober: Former attorney, now Congressional candidate for District 10
  • Justin Dyer: Dean of new School of Explosive Leadership at UT (100+ students, hiring 40 faculty)

Health & Wellness:

  • Brian Sanders: Health podcasts, "Food Laws" docu-series, regenerative farm initiatives
  • Alex Weiner: Executive coach helping Evan lower A1C with less effort

Creative & Media:

  • Christian: CEO of Sycamore Studios (animation), acquiring rights to Madeline book series
  • Jonathan Jow: Founder of BTC, photo media experiences in 14 cities, AI event planning company

7. Faith Integration Discussions​

With Providence Church Attendees:

  • Discussion about Young Life ministry and reaching middle/high schoolers
  • Church culture observations: Traditional Presbyterian approach vs. revival movements
  • Art integration: "Really nice, tasteful art that points up above"

Theological Perspectives:

  • Presbyterian sovereignty: Discussion of God's sovereignty and human choice
  • Small church movement: Gary's interest in organic, relationship-based churches
  • LA Christian culture: "It's a city of black people [seeking fame]... How can I still be famous for Jesus?"

8. Gary's Practical Faith Applications​

Morning Routine Technology:

Gary: "Every morning I have my songs that I make. Instead of pulling up the Bible app... I just have my morning ones and my evening ones... Next Player, Psalms 91, Next Player, Holy Spirit Shepherd"

Integration Philosophy:

  • Gary: "Why has there been so much segregation of the most important things about reality? We kind of put it in two hours every week on Sunday"
  • Mission approach: "I'm transitioning to not having any [regular work]... It's almost like missionary work"

9. Community Building & Networking​

Arena Hall Philosophy:

  • Friday lunch gatherings for connections
  • Interdisciplinary community seeking cutting-edge people
  • Events including sound baths and various experiences

Gary's Network Approach:

  • Taking selfies with new connections for contact management
  • Offering to connect people (mentioned Matt Holm's walking club)
  • Building relationships across faith and business sectors

10. Evan Baehr's Personal Vulnerability​

Public Health Declaration:

Evan: "I'm Evan, CEO of Arena Hall, and I'm working on lowering my A1C"

Community Response:

  • Multiple offers of help and expertise
  • Celeste (chef) providing A1C-friendly meals
  • Alex Weiner offering executive coaching for health

Key Quotes​

On Revival and Technology:

Gary: "I'm an engineer and lover of Jesus, and very interested in technology that helps support Revival"

On Missionary Calling:

Gary: "I'm going to be supporting this one pastor that will be traveling a lot... This is a guy that's really under the radar. He's great... He gets invited to different places around the world"

On Faith Integration:

Gary: "There's no reason why every single thing that God created or allowed us to create—business, technology, AI, crypto—there's no reason why all of this can't be used for God"

On Community Building:

Gary (about Jewish model): "They create such a culture around their tribe... I would love to be part of a community of folks who speak about my work and intentions into [being], and have that Bible study connect to my business work"

Notable Connections Made​

  • Riley (Arena Hall team): Exchanged contacts, discussed faith and work integration
  • Providence Church attendees: Discussed Young Life ministry and church culture
  • Brett (New Story housing innovations): Just moved to Austin, potential faith connection
  • Various entrepreneurs interested in faith-tech intersection

Event Significance​

This Arena Hall launch represents a convergence of Austin's entrepreneurial and faith communities, with Gary publicly positioning himself at the intersection of technology and revival. The event occurs on the eve of his baptism, marking a pivotal moment in his spiritual journey. The openness to faith integration at Arena Hall, combined with the diverse network of attendees, suggests potential for future Christian-focused business initiatives in Austin's tech ecosystem.

Follow-up Items​

  • Gary heading to Liberty, Texas immediately after event
  • Baptism scheduled for October 4, 2025
  • Potential ongoing involvement with Arena Hall's faith-friendly initiatives
  • Missionary support work with Liberty pastor beginning

Notes​

The transcript captures a significant moment where Gary publicly declares his faith mission to Austin's entrepreneurial community, finding unexpected openness and interest. The timing—one day before his baptism and amidst supernatural experiences—suggests divine orchestration of relationships and opportunities. Arena Hall's positioning as an inclusive space for faith-based innovation could become a strategic hub for Gary's revival technology vision.