A gift…but not

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On Sunday we started a three week ‘mini-series on Ephesians 4:7-16 (you can listen to the podcast here).  At the heart of this passage is the idea that Jesus has given each one of us a portion of grace.  Or, as verse 8 puts it: a gift.  These gifts — listed in verse 11 as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher — are meant to build up the body and help the church become mature and unified.  And make no mistake — Jesus is generous in giving these gifts.  No follower is left out.  These gifts are for everyone.

But if you’re like me — and you grew up in the church at a time when spiritual gift assessments were a staple — then you may read this passage and think that verse 11 is a list of spiritual gifts, much like those found in 1 Corinthians 12 or Romans 12.  But are they?  Is being an apostle a spiritual gift — or is it better understood as a role or ministry that God gives to us?

Think of it this way.   Let’s say that God has given you the role of being a pastor (if that word freaks you out, it’s important to listen to the podcast).  You’re good at listening — you’re compassionate — and so one day you’re having coffee with a friend and not surprisingly they start sharing a struggle they’re facing.  In that conversation there will likely be moments when the spiritual gift of encouragement (Romans 12:8) will need to be exercised.  But there may also be moments when wise challenge will be needed (1 Corinthians 12:8).   The spiritual gift you use may change based on the situation, but your role won’t.  During the entire conversation you’ll be living out your role as a pastor — because that’s who you are!

Or let’s imagine that you’re an apostle.  You love to start things – you’re a dreamer – and so not surprisingly you find yourself passionate about a new mission you believe God wants you to help start.  As you begin working you find yourself exercising the spiritual gift of leadership one day — but the next you lean into the gifts of faith and knowledge.   Again: different spiritual gifts are used at different times — but all of your work is an extension of your role as an apostle.

You see…I believe that the list of gifts in Ephesians 4:11 are gifts — undeserved outpourings of grace — but they are not spiritual gifts.  They are best seen as roles that God gives to us — central parts of our identity as followers of Jesus.  Which means that the stakes in this passage are high.  This is about who you fundamentally are — day in and day out.  It is about the “special work” (verse 16) you have been given to do over the course of your life.

So…who are you?  What role does God want you to play?  If you haven’t taken the quick assessment – which is a good first step in sorting this out — click here.  Then talk to a trusted friend or family member and see what they think of the results.  We’ll keep teasing out these roles again on Sunday.  Looking forward to it.

 

 

 

Current Series: Textperience: Ephesians

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Reading Ephesians is something like taking an airplane ride over your city for the first time.  The streets you have walked countless times – the stores you have visited — the homes you know — all can be seen from a new angle.  And with this fresh perspective comes an understanding we didn’t have before.
In this letter to the early church we find those things we probably feel we know well: Christ, the church, marriage and family, salvation, the world and more — and we get a new look at them.  We discover different ways that they all fit together and impact our lives.  Join us for this in-depth look at Ephesians — and experience the text throughout the week by using our reading guide.

Here’s a sketch of what passage we’ll be looking at each Sunday. Our hope is that you will engage these passages on your own before we talk about them on Sunday. Doing so will not only benefit us as individuals, but will make our time together on Sunday even more fruitful.

5/19 – 1:1-10

5/26 – 1:11-14

6/2 – 1:15-23

6/9 – 2:1-7

6/16 – 2:8-10

6/23 – 2:11-16

6/30 – 2:17-22

7/7 – 3:1-7

7/14 – 3:8-13

7/21 – 3:14-21

7/28 – 4:1-10

8/4 – 4:11-16 Part 1

8/11 – 4:11-16 Part 2

8/18 – 4:17-24

8/25 – 4:25-5:2

9/1 – 5:3-10

9/8 – 5:11-20

9/15 – 5:21-33

9/22 – 6:1-9

9/29 – 6:10-17

10/6 – 6:18-24

Art Downtown

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The Art Mission Circle (whose mission is to support artists and the art community here in GR) will be curating a Michigan themed art space for Art Downtown.

Art Downtown is a free event on Friday evening — April 12.  Multiple venues throughout the city play host to hundreds of local artists.  So come on by, enjoy a night out, support local artists, and our Mission Circle.

For more info, click here.

Covenant and Kingdom

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This Sunday we start a new series called Covenant and Kingdom. This six week series it is all about learning to understand Scripture and the grand story that God is calling us to live in. So many times Scripture feels like Shakespeare; we know itʼs significant, we know itʼs important, but we donʼt always know what it means! This series is about putting the Bible back into the hands of our people.  We really couldnʼt be more excited about it.
Make plans to join us — invite a friend — and if you want to go deeper, we encourage you to buy the book by the same title and read along during the series [click here for the reading schedule].  The Kindle version is easiest to get — but some hard copies are available from time to time through Amazon as well.
April 7 – Abraham and Sarah
April 14 – Joseph
April 21 – Moses

Women’s Bible study

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This session is a 16 week long study on the book of James by Beth Moore.  We will be starting the week of April 15 and finishing the last week in July.   There are two possible groups to join: a Monday morning group that meets at 9:15-11am with childcare available and an evening group — time and day to be determined based on group wishes, no childcare.

We desire these groups to be a place where we can learn and grow and truly live life together as believers.  We wholeheartedly invite all women that are interested to join in this rather crazy and wonderful journey we are venturing on.  Expect to be challenged, plan on tears being shed, and joy bubbling out in laughter.  Please consider this a personal invite to join bible study if we don’t get around to hassling you in person;) All joking aside we truly hope you will join us.

Co-leaders
Kara DelCarmen
Hanna Brennan

Email Kara (kfdelcarmen@hotmail.com) if interested.

BranchKids Job Opening

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At the Branch — children matter. More than that — we believe that kids have something to contribute — their voice and gifts are a valued part of our community. That’s why we’re looking for a BranchKids director that is passionate about the next generation and ready to invest themselves in the lives of the kids, volunteers and parents of the Branch.

All resumes can be submitted to Chris at chris@thebranchonline.org by April 15. Please include with your resume three references that can speak to your skills and abilities that are relevant to this position.

BranchKids Job Description

refugee resettlement. relationship. mission.

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Join the Refugee Mission Circle this Sunday, March 3, at 6:30 for dinner and conversation about this mission circle’s purpose and work.   It’s a great chance to connect with others — hear about what this MC will be doing — and discover how you could join in.  Kids are welcome — no need to bring anything.  RSVP by emailing MatthewZomerlei@gmail.com or MatthewZomerlei@gmail.comdowntowngr

art. relationship. mission.

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This Friday, March 1st, from 7pm to 9pm at the building our third mission circle invites everyone to an evening of great food and conversation.  Come and learn more about this mission circle, which is interested in helping the arts community — specifically artists — here in Grand Rapids.

At this meal we’ll share more about our first effort as a mission circle: curating a venue for Art Downtown Saturday, April 13. http://www.artdowntowngr.com  If you love art — want to support artists — or are just looking for a community to connect with, you are invited.  Come…join us in mission!  Please RSVP by signing up at the back table or email Nate at nate@thebranchonline.org or Heather Ibrahim at heatheraldridge@msn.com.downtowngr

Building FAQs

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FAQs about our relationship with Beechwood Reformed

After months of careful thought, honest discussion and God’s leading, we are excited to enter into a relationship with Beechwood Reformed Church.  Beechwood is located in Holland, Michigan; however, their work and ministry has spread beyond that city.  They have begun three Hispanic church plants: one in Holland, the second in Standale and the third in Wyoming.   For some time have been considering starting a fourth plant in Grand Rapids.  When we learned of this, a conversation began about what it would look like to share space.

We hope that this FAQ will provide some clarity on what this relationship will mean and how we think God may use it for the continued advancement of the Kingdom.

What will the relationship between the Branch and Beechwood look like?
As members of one Body, we believed that it was possible to have more than a tenant/landlord relationship with Beechwood.  And so we began discussing with them what a relationship rooted in mutual trust, respect and commitment would look like.  Our conversation was incredibly fruitful.  Together, we have outlined a covenant — a written expression of the commitments we will be making to each other, as well as the details of how we will share the building.  This covenant relationship is based on the commitment that each church will work to help the other succeed in its mission and calling.  We are excited to enter into this kind of a relationship together.

Who will own the building?
Just as the building was given to use two years ago by New Life, we will be giving the building to Beechwood.  By taking ownership, Beechwood will have a place out of which they can launch another church.  And, as owners they will also take responsibility for the repairs that the building needs.

Why would the Branch choose to give away the building?
There are three reasons that led us to this decision.  First, we believed that this was a clear opportunity for follow Christ’s example — being generous with what we’ve been giving.

Second, we honestly assessed the costs of owning a building.  Not only does ownership require a regularly monetary investment, but valuable time, energy and thought must also be given.  In many cases, a church is right to make these investments, given how they use their building; but for the Branch, the investment required did not match our limited use of the building.  This leads to the final point.

Third, owning a building is not central to the Branch’s values and strategy.  From the beginning, the overwhelming majority of our ministry has occurred outside of the church’s walls — and we believe this will continue.  Because a building does not play a key role in living out our calling — we have been free to explore other options, including giving the building away and becoming renters.

What does all of this mean for New Life?
One of the first issues we considered in making this decision was how a relationship with Beechwood would impact New Life. Beechwood has been most gracious in ensuring that New Life will have the space and time they need to continue to worship as a congregation.  This means that New Life will continue to meet at the building rent-free, worshipping at their current worship time.

It is also important to note that New Life is in the process of considering when they may disband as a congregation.  This has been a decision they have been considering for some time.  When a date is set, we will diligently look for ways to remember and celebrate all of the good work this faithful congregation has done.  Stay tuned!

When will this new church plant begin worshipping?
The earliest a new plant would likely begin weekly worship is sometime this spring.  However, it is more likely that it will be late summer or the fall.  There are a number of steps that Beechwood will need to complete (securing funding, hiring a lead pastor) before the date is known.

What is this new church plant going to look like?
Beechwood is still determining the details – but it looks likely that this new church will be a Spanish-speaking Hispanic plant reaching out to the growing and transitory Latino community on the SE side of GR.  Its music and ministry will reflect the cultures of the people it is reaching out to.  We look forward to supporting this new church’s work.

Will the Branch and the new church plant share any forms of ministry together?
We will certainly be open to how God may weave our two ministries together in the coming years.  One thing is for sure: in 2013 the Branch will be taking intentional steps to help this new church get off the ground.  We are looking forward to be used by God to help something new begin!

Will our covenant with Beechwood impact the time that we gather on Sundays?
Yes and no.  In 2013, the Branch will continue to worship at 11am.  New Life will also continue at its current time of 9:30, and the earliest time a new church will begin worshipping is 12:45pm.

In 2014, the Branch will move its worship time a little earlier.  It is likely that we will worship at 10am, but this detail will be determined as we move closer to 2014 (we have agreed in our covenant that the earliest the Branch will worship is 10am with the new plant worshipping no earlier than 11:45am).

What will the Branch pay in rent?
The Branch will pay $800 in rent per month.  Currently, we spend roughly $1900/month on building maintenance and repair.

When will repairs begin on the building?
The flat roof will be first on the list and will be repaired as soon as the weather is warm enough.  It will be up to Beechwood to determine the timeline for the other repairs.

Why Use the Lectionary?

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There’s a number of reasons we use the lectionary throughout the year at the Branch. One reason is that it allows us to join with hundreds of thousands of other Christians around the world who are also using the lectionary. Reading the same passages at the same time reminds us that we are part of something much, much bigger than the Branch.

The lectionary also helps expose us to a wider range of biblical texts than we might normally encounter. After all, let’s be honest: we each have parts of the Bible we love and visit frequently, and parts that we rarely, if ever read. But follow the lectionary and you’ll find yourself in Deuteronomy and Hosea — along with Matthew and Ephesians. It is good for us to come into contact with the wide, sweeping, living Word.

Finally, reading the lectionary can help us see the countless connections between different parts of Scripture. This week’s passages are no exception. Psalm 27 and
Luke 13:31-35 each speak to the common theme of God’s protection. That same passage in Luke and Philippians 3:17-4:1 each have something to say about how easily God’s people wander away — and how much this break’s God’s heart.

We should be careful not to force connections upon the lectionary texts; but when they do exist we can give thanks — for in those connections we are reminded that God’s singular story of love and redemption is woven throughout the grand narrative we call the Bible.

What connections are you seeing this week between the lectionary texts? More broadly, what is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it?

Textperience – Lent @ the Branch

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Lent, which comes from the Germanic word for springtime, is often seen as a time of spiritual spring cleaning: a season in which we take inventory of our lives and lear out those things which hinder our relationship with Jesus Christ and our service to him.

For centuries Christians have done this spiritual cleansing through a variety of disciplines. This year we’ll be joining in that practice by spending Lent reading and praying the Scriptures in the belief that we will experience God and be changed.

Whether you read the Bible regularly, or never have; whether you’re quite comfortable spending time in conversation with God, or you’re not sure where to start — this Lenten journey is for you. First: make a commitment to join in. Carve out time. Put it on your calendar. And if you miss a day or two – don’t throw in the the towel. Stick with it.

Second: take advantage of the resources on this page.

Third: live Lent expectantly. God promises to meet us when we seek him. Believe this promise and get ready.

Read the Text

Each week’s lectionary readings has an Old Testament, Psalm, New Testament and Gospel reading. You can read one of the readings each day of the week — or read them all in one sitting — or focus on just one of the passages for the entire week. It’s up to you.

First four days of Lent (Feb. 13 [Ash Wednesday]-Feb. 17)
Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16, Romans 10:8b-13, Luke 4:1-13

Second week of Lent (February 18-February 24)
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27, Philippians 3:17-4:1, Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

Third week of Lent (February 25-March 3)
Isaiah 55:1-9, Psalm 63:1-8, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, Luke 13:1-9

Fourth week of Lent (March 4-March 10)
Joshua 5:9-12, Psalm 32, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Fifth week of Lent (March 11-March 17)
Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4b-14, John 12:1-8

Sixth week of Lent (March 18-March 24)
Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 31:9-16, Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49

Pray the Text

Each day of the week we’ll be posting a prayer on our website and on Facebook and Twitter. Praying an already-written prayer may feel unfamiliar, so here are a few tips.

Slowly read the prayer of the day– perhaps read through it a few times (they’ll be short). Once your mind has quieted down and the words have begun to sink in, begin to make the words of the prayer your words. Say them to God (out loud may be helpful). If the prayer has a request – make it your request. If the prayer offers praise – make it your praise.

To have these prayers delivered directly to your inbox, enter your email address into the box at the top of the right hand column.

View All Prayers

Ash Wednesday

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Join us on Wednesday, the 13th, from 7-8pm for a unique evening of music, reflection, Scripture and prayer as we begin the season of Lent together.  Childcare birth-PreK provided.

Next Steps

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Join us from 5:00-6:30pm on Sunday, the 10th, as we discuss the next steps with our building as we move forward with Beechwood.  Hear details and ask questions.  If you need childcare please email chris@thebranchonline.org.

food and family

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We hope you’ll join us on Friday, February 8th at 6:30 for a chance to enjoy good food, meet new people and catch up with old friends.  Specifically, this meal is a chance to welcome the refugee family from Thapa that our Refugee Mission Circle is working with.  Bring a dish that represents your own ethnic origins — and enjoy a great night together.  No need to sign up – just come!

Chasing the Carrot

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Ever feel like you’re running on a treadmill with that carrot dangling just out of your reach? Whether it’s getting a new job, a bigger house or just trying to make enough money to pay your bills and be comfortable…we all feel the pressure of looking ahead and being urged on to the next, bigger, better thing. But what if the reality is that where you are and what you have already makes you…rich? Where do you go from here?

70×7

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Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” – Matthew 18:21-22

What is our response when someone hurts us? And what is the response when we hurt someone else? Come join us as we explore these questions and what it means to forgive and be forgiven.

January 6th – When You Fail

January 13th – When Others Fail

January 20th – When the Church Fails

 

Christmas Gift Drive

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We’ve partnered with a local school to extend the generosity of God to children and their families this Christmas.  Here are ways you can help:

  1. Purchase a gift.  Families have provided us with detailed needs – gifts range between $15 and $20.
  2. Deliver gifts.  Drop off gifts to homes on the evening of the 19th or afternoon of the 22nd.  Commitment: roughly one hour.

If you’d like to help out in either way, email chris@thebranchonline.org

Create a Profile

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Creating a profile on our website is simple and quick, and we’ll never give away your information.

That said, you may still be wondering why you should consider creating a profile?  Well….doing gives you access to all kinds of information about the life of the Branch.  You can join discussion groups, share ideas, receive updates, comment on posts and participate in conversations.  And here’s the best part: we’ll send you an email every day or every week (you decide on how often) that will summarize all of the activity on a particular topic or group.

For example, if you serve in our preschool room in BranchKids, you can join the Preschool group.  Once you’ve done this, anything that is posted in that group (be it a ‘lesson-learned’ or a funny story someone wants to share) will be sent directly to your email.  Of course, you can always log into the website to share your ideas and funny stories too.   But if you’re simply looking to stay updated, all the info is brought right to your inbox.

If you’re looking for a good place to start, join the “Branch-wide Info” group.  This is where we’ll be sharing all general information about the Branch.

Oh…and it may be helpful to note that some groups on the site are not public.  That’s because the information shared in that group might be personal and not ready to be broadcast across the entire internet (anyone on planet earth can create a profile).  But that doesn’t mean you can’t request an invite. Private groups are not exclusive — just a little more careful about who is able to see their information.

Beneath the Tree

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Thank you to all of our volunteers who did amazing work decorating, serving, making food for our volunteers and hosting.  It was an amazing effort and well worth it!  Thank you!

Forgotten Virtues

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Honor. Purity. Loyalty. Integrity. Gratitude. Are they gone? Did we leave true character behind? Join us as we learn what we can do to reclaim these Forgotten Virtues.

September 9: Honor

September 16: Purity

September 23: Loyalty

September 30: Integrity

October 7: Gratitude