Fall Events at JB’s Pizza

October 6 – Alternatives to Christian Nationalism

What happens when a growing number of Americans believe that the United States was and should be a Christian nation? That being a Christian is important if you want to be a real American? We’ll look at the roots and dangers of Christian Nationalism, and share thoughtful alternatives from some of today’s thought leaders.

November 3 – Understanding Our Emotional Selves
Registration opens October 7
This conversation offers a chance for participants to consider how their upbringing and past experiences impact their current emotional understanding and expression. Using a lens of science and cultural norms, Bethany Ackley DeBlaay (MA, LLP, SEP) will explore how to increase self-awareness and connection.

It All Hangs on Love

What is the greatest commandment?

It was a question meant to stump Jesus, but it didn’t trip him up: Love God. Love Neighbor. Love Yourself.

But that wasn’t all Jesus said. He went on to say that all of the commandments and religious laws and every word of the prophets hangs on love. Boil this life down — hone in on its center — strip away everything else but the core and you’ll find love.

In many ways we know this to be true. We have experienced the power of love — we have felt for ourselves the way in which love can fill us and the world. And yet, it can feel too simple. Almost, cliche.

Simple? Maybe. Easy? Definitely not. That’s why we’re taking the month of September to look closely and carefully at ‘the greatest of these.’ Have we misunderstood or underestimated love? Have we become cynical? What might be some ways forward for us to become people of greater and deeper love? We look forward to the conversation and we hope you’ll join us.

 

Our Story

Sundays in July and August will feature the stories of different Branch folks – stories of challenge, hope, discovery and growth.

As these stories are shared, we believe we’ll not only find the delight of learning new things about each other, but we’ll also see that each person’s story is a part of a larger whole. Each story is a thread weaving in and out of the stories of others – even intersecting our own. And so in a way, an individual’s story is our story too.

  • July 14 – Nate DeWard; Executive Director of Reach the Forgotten; stories of restoration
  • July 21 – Audri Freng; college student and traveler to Uganda; stories of complexity and joy
  • July 28 – CJ Proos and Elizabeth Orians; married couple in the LGBTQ+ community; stories of love and acceptance
  • August 4 – Dale Hulst; owner of Michigan Net Zero Homes; stories of vocation
  • August 11 – Terra Workman, Alayna Verkaik, Audri Freng; college students; stories of faith and development
  • August 18 – Deb Hitziger; retiree; stories of challenge and discovery

July at The Branch

July is a great month for vacations and outdoor fun! We also have some great opportunities to connect, learn new things and have fun with others at The Branch. Here’s what is happening in the life of The Branch in the month of July.

July 7 – Palmer Park Sunday – Discovering Our Connection

We’re going on a field trip! Instead of gathering at the building, we will gather at Palmer Park at 10am on Sunday, July 7.

Together we’ll explore Buck Creek to probe and discover what the natural world might have to teach us. For those feeling adventurous, you’ll step into a pair of waders and use nets to collect creek dwelling organisms. We’ll also need folks on land, collecting and identifying these cool creatures (there will be lots of ways to participate). Together, we’ll learn about the health and interconnectedness of the ecosystem.

For details on where we’re meeting and where to park click here: Palmer Park.

Fireside Chats

Every Tuesday evening in July, beginning on July 9 from 7-8:30pm, all are invited to the Herrboldt’s backyard for a time of connection and conversation…and s’mores of course! For more details and to let us know you are coming, click here.

Family Day

Each Sunday in July is Family Day at The Branch. For those Sundays that we will be at the building, there will be no BranchKids. We do this for a number of reasons. It gives our volunteers a chance to take a break from their responsibilities. And, it lets our kids know that they are a valued part of our community and we want to include them in all areas of our life together. We  know that having young kids in the sanctuary brings a different energy to our space – and we love that! We also recognize that kids might need some different ways to engage. To that end, we will be setting up a play space in the sanctuary with books, quiet toys and craft supplies. And, as always, our Art Cart will be stocked and available for anyone to use.

CREATE ’24 is here!

Join us June 25-27 from 6:30-8:30 pm for 3 nights of creativity and fun! Thursday night will end with an Open House for parents and friends to see what the kids have been up to all week, as well as an opportunity to join in the creative fun!

CREATE is an art camp for kids entering K-8th grade. Each child chooses one age-appropriate class to attend for those 3 evenings. They spend their time creating, getting to know one another and having fun. We love coming alongside kids as they tap into their own unique creativity – even when they don’t even know that creativity exists! Scroll down for the list of classes.

For the latest updates, be sure to like our facebook page (facebook.com/CreateGR).

Registration is now open. CLICK HERE!

 

Class Options for Grades K-1:

GARDEN ART: We’ll use  found objects and art supplies to create projects inspired by gardens and the beauty of outdoors. 

S.W.A.T. (Squiggles.Wiggles.And.Twirls): Join our S.W.A.T. team. You can learn how to use squiggles, wiggles and twirls to create your own doodle art.

 

Class Options for Grades 2-4:

NAILED IT!: Love baking? Horrible at baking? Awesome! Baking can be tough. Let’s celebrate fun and failure!

WILD CREATIONS: Have fun with us using nature to make art using leaves, flowers, sticks and more. This nature based class will be wild!

MURAL PAINTING: Join us to create a one of a kind wall mural in the building that will represent inclusion, love and welcome when you enter the space. 

COMBO-BRACELETS/CLAY/PUNCH NEEDLE: Can’t decide? Try something new each day! Have fun each night with a new medium. Make bracelets like a Swiftie, create with clay and learn the satisfaction of the high texture embroidery of punch needle.

 

Class Options for Grades 5-8:

LEARN HOW TO PLAY CHESS: Learn the fundamentals of the game or level up your skill and strategy on your way to becoming a Grandmaster.

CHARACTER DRAWING: Character art is used in media like gaming, animation and manga. But it doesn’t stop there. Learn tips and techniques to bring your characters to life.

FELTING: Felting is a creative craft that involves sculpting shapes and figures using wool. Discover techniques that will allow you to create amazing creations with just a few supplies.

Summer GROUP Sundays

Sign up for a Group here.

In the fall of 2022, we felt that it was time to try something different. Not for the sake of being different, but because we wondered if the way in which we gathered needed to shift given all that has happened in the world and in our lives the last few years.

The result was an every other week rotation between ‘normal’ Sundays and ‘group’ Sundays. Normal Sundays were, well, normal in the sense that our gathering on those weeks looked a lot like it had previously.

Our ‘group’ Sundays began with all of us together for a quick time of connection and then we would head to the group of our choice. Each group centered around a wide range of topics and activities (we tried a bunch of things: Ultimate Frisbee, a reflective walking group, a group that made an art installation for Advent, a group that practiced silence as a spiritual discipline, and many more). What we found is that Group Sundays gave people more opportunity to connect relationally, try out a new skill or idea and look for God’s presence in what might seem like everyday, ‘non-spiritual’ activities.

Since then, we have offered a few different iterations of Group Sundays, learning more each time about what works, what is meaningful, and what we need to include. Below is a list of Groups that will be offered this June. Groups will run each Sunday from June 9-30.

Discussion: Nate DeWard will be hosting a discussion group where faith and current events will be discussed during Group Sundays. Nate has a history of independent thought and encouraging people to explore the perspectives of others. Through respectful listening, we hope to encourage thoughtful and wholehearted conversations that lead us into a deeper understanding of each other, of God, and of our world. *Note that this is the option for those joining online.*

Cooking: This is a group for both avid home-chefs as well as the novice cook! Some of us will learn new skills and some of us will get to pass on our kitchen knowledge to others! Each week, we will create a freezer meal together to donate to AYA Youth Collective. All ages are welcome in this group. If younger kids are joining us, we ask that an adult attends this group with them.

Movement: In this group, we will embrace the beauty that is Michigan in the summer and head outdoors. Two of the weeks will be a Reflective Walking group. The other two weeks will be Biking and Ultimate Frisbee. Come and experience connection outdoors with this group!

Silence: In a very noisy world, it’s hard to find time and space to be quiet. But that quiet space is so important as we try to live more fully as the truest version of ourselves. This group isn’t really a group. This will simply be a time and space to be still. There will be some gentle music playing in the background, but there will be no discussion or agenda…simply time to be.

In addition to these intergenerational groups, we will also have dedicated space for the youngest among us. The Nursery will be staffed for infants and toddlers. There will also be a specific BranchKids group just for kids ages 4-7 with active and creative projects so they can connect in meaningful, age-appropriate ways.

Sign up for a Group here.

Time to Celebrate!

It’s time to celebrate!

After months of discernment and work, we are celebrating becoming owners of the building at 973 28th St. SE!

Join us on June 2 as we reflect on our nearly 20 years at this location (as renters), mark this important transition, and dream together about how we might leverage this facility for the sake of transformation, healing and belonging for those at The Branch and the wider community.

Labor Day Sunday – Meeting at Garfield Park

On Sunday, September 1, we’re meeting at Garfield Park for a morning of slowing down and reflection. We’ll begin our time near the parking lot off of Madison Ave. at 10am.

Younger kids will be able to spend time with one of our staff, playing on playground equipment and considering a story from the Scriptures while other kids and adults will walk through the park and adjoining nature reserve, reflecting and discussion questions based on Matthew 6 and Psalm 65.

Vision Sunday

On 5/19 we took a good part of the morning to have a conversation about our vision – breaking into groups, debriefing each other, and collectively identifying what it could look like if we worked together to see our vision become a reality. Because of the unique nature of the morning, we do not have an audio recording; however, the entire morning can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Easter Weekend

Good Friday

We’re doing something different this year. Instead of a Good Friday gathering, we’ve set up stations of the cross in the sanctuary and are inviting people to come anytime between 5 and 7pm. You’ll walk through the stations at your own pace with a guide that provides Scripture, questions for reflection and a prayer for each station.

 

Easter Tailgate

We kick off Easter with food and joy. Join us at 9am (the forecast leads us to assume we’ll be downstairs in the community hall) for Easter Brunch! We’ll be providing place settings and a few basic foods. Feel free to bring something to share (homemade or store bought – it’s not a picky crew 🙂

 

Easter Gathering

Our worship gathering will take place at our normal time of 10:00am

A Conversation on Israel and Palestine

Sunday, March 24, 5:00-6:30pm

Please invite anyone who might be interested.

Please register by clicking here.

After spending over a week in Palestine and Israel as part of a twenty three member, multi-denominational delegation, Chris and Josh Vis will share stories and reflections from their time in Palestine and Israel.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine — which has now been going on over 70 years — has reached an unprecedented moment. We have are living through a pivotal, historic event and while it may feel like there is little we can do, the truth is that as Americans we have more potential influence than anyone else in the world.

Learning about the facts on the ground will not only inform but inspire us to do what we can to move toward justice and peace.

You can either join us in person or on Zoom.
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85066828752
Meeting ID: 850 6682 8752

If your are coming in person, parking is available on Madison, south of Burton.

The Seventh Story – Lent

Stories help us make sense of the world and our place in it. Some stories are adopted by entire cultures (i.e. the story of the rugged American individual), while some even transcend time and place. This Lent, we look at seven stories common throughout humanity and ask: where do they show up in our lives, how do these stories shape us and what story do we choose to live by?

RESOURCES

  • Listen to the Learning How to See podcasts (season 5) from Brian McClaren and Gareth Higgins.
  • Catch up on The Branch’s sermons from the series. Click here
  • Buy the ebook written by Brian and Gareth. Click here
  • Buy the children’s book. Click here

 

SERIES

February 18 – The story of Domination
February 25 – The story of Revolution
March 3 – The story of Purification
March 10 – The story of Isolation
March 17 – The story of Victimization
March 24 – The story of Accumulation
March 31 – The Seventh Story (Easter)

Ash Wednesday

On Ash Wednesday we are marked on our foreheads with a reminder of our mortality. The same palms we raise up and wave on Palm Sunday each year are made to know the sting of death – we burn them. And the following year, in an ever-curious act, we pick up the ashes and we mark ourselves with them.
What does it mean that we don’t just talk about the ashes, or even reverently observe them, but that we physically smear them across our faces? Perhaps, in the marking, we approach solidarity. We remember that the same fate that haunts you, haunts me. The same beauty that birthed you, lives in me. And that this comes as a mark on the body, I think, reminds us that the Lenten journey of self-examination is deeply entwined with the physical world.

from Black Liturgies; Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human

Join us Wednesday, 2/14, at 7pm as we begin the journey of Lent together. Our hour long gathering will be a time of reflection on both the challenges of our world and our lives as well as our hopes for the future.

Sundays in January

Who do you want to be?
Who will you choose to be?

These questions are related, but they are not identical.
We may want to be many things, but without intention and action our desires remain just that.

As we begin a new year — who will we choose to be?
Who will I choose to be? Who will you choose to be?

How we answer that question matters. It matters is our lives, in the lives of those we love, and it even matters to the larger world. We consider three choices before us this year: will we choose to become people of humility and people who foster belonging and people who practice boldness.

Brunch! New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, we’ll spend our time together enjoying a brunch, singing a few Christmas carols (it is technically the first Sunday after Christmas according to the church calendar), and reflecting on the year. Bring something to pass if you’re able — it can be as simple as a box of cereal and a gallon of milk. There will not be separate programming for children or students.

Two things I’m wrestling with as I watch the war in Israel and Gaza

The attacks by Hamas, as well as Israel’s response, have created so much pain and destruction. Our hearts are heavy with the weight of this war and the decades long conflict that has preceded it.

What are we to do in the face of such violence and loss? What can we do, if anything?

Chris shares some of his wrestlings from the last few weeks and invites us to wrestle too — not just with this war on the other side of the world, but with the way vengeance and demonization can easily took root in our own lives.

After our gathering, we had 30 minutes of Q&A, which can be found here

Retreat

Join us Sunday, October 15, at Camp Scottie for a day long retreat.

We’re stepping away from our normal routine to intentionally slow down, connect with each other and consider our own personal values. We’ll be back at the building on 10/22 (see the blog post on Group Sundays)

If you didn’t sign up for the retreat, but would like to come, reach out to Teresa (teresa@thebranchonline.org) or Chris (chris@thebranchonline.org).

Winter GROUP Sundays

Sign up for a Group here.

Last fall, we felt that it was time to try something different. Not for the sake of being different, but because we wondered if the way in which we gathered needed to shift given all that has happened in the world and in our lives the last few years.

The result was an every other week rotation between ‘normal’ Sundays and ‘group’ Sundays.

Normal Sundays were, well, normal in the sense that our gathering on those weeks looked a lot like it had previously.

Our ‘group’ Sundays began with all of us together for a quick time of connection and then we would head to the group of our choice. Each group centered around a wide range of topics and activities (we tried a bunch of things: Ultimate Frisbee, a reflective walking group, a group that made an art installation for Advent, a group that practiced silence as a spiritual discipline, and many more). What we found is that Group Sundays gave people more opportunity to connect relationally, try out a new skill or idea and look for God’s presence in what might seem like everyday, ‘non-spiritual’ activities.

We learned some things and we made a few adjustments as we offered this new rhythm  this past Spring and again in the Fall. Below is a list of Groups that will be offered as well as the schedule for the weeks leading up to Lent.

Faith & Contemporary Issues: Nate and Micah DeWard are hosting a discussion group where faith and current events will be discussed during Group Sundays. This Father-Son duo has a history of independent thought and encouraging people to explore the perspectives of others. Through respectful listening, we hope to encourage thoughtful and wholehearted conversations that lead us into a deeper understanding of each other, of God, and of our world. *Note that this will be the only option for those joining online.*

Cooking: This is a group for both avid home-chefs as well as the novice cook! Some of us will learn new skills and some of us will get to pass on our kitchen knowledge to others! Each week, we will create a freezer meal together – some to take home and some to donate to AYA Youth Collective. All ages are welcome in this group. We will sprinkle in some fun “Nailed-It” type challenges along the way to keep things fun and interesting for the younger kids!

Games: Each week, we’ll gather to play games or do a puzzle together. Learn a new game or play an old favorite. Make new friends or connect with an old one. Have some fun, laugh, and delight in the gift of play. We will have both video games and board games available each week.

Silence: In a very noisy world, it’s hard to find time and space to be quiet. But that quiet space is so important as we try to live more fully as the truest version of ourselves. This group isn’t really a group. This will simply be a time and space to be still. There will be some gentle music playing in the background, but there will be no discussion or agenda…simply time to be.

Sign up for a Group here.

  • January 14: Group Sunday
  • January 21: Worship Gathering
  • January 28: Group Sunday
  • February 4: Worship Gathering
  • February 11: Group Sunday
  • February 18: Worship Gathering (beginning of Lent)

Core Values – Week 3: Relational Grace

Listen here for Week 3 in our Core Values Series. This week, we talk about Relational Grace.

Fall Series – Core Values

We all have values. That’s true as individuals, households and communities. We elevate and hold up certain ideas over others, and if we are lucky, find others who can help us live them out.

After receiving input from The Branch community earlier this year, we’ve given new language to the building blocks of our life together. In many ways, the heart and soul hasn’t changed, but we felt that the words we use to communicate our values needed to be updated to reflect our changing world.

Each week we’ll look at one value — all of which fall under our vision of becoming a community united with Christ in the renewal of all things.

September 10 – Partnership

We cannot do it alone.
The problems of the world and our lives require the support of others.
We choose to live interconnected lives.

September 17 – Inclusiveness

Everyone belongs.
God is ever inclusive.
All are invited to fully participate in our life together.

September 24 – Purposeful Presence

God’s promise is to be with us.
We offer that same gift to each other and the world,
honing in on specific ways we can be a presence of love.

October 1 -Relational Grace

We will disagree.
When we do, our posture will be that of Christ’s: one of humility and grace.
We can hold our convictions and still be curious and kind.

October 8 – Courageous Creativity

The world is dramatically changing.
The way forward is unknown.
But in trusting God, we choose to take risks and try new things.