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

/0 Comments/, , /by

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

/0 Comments/, /by

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).

CHANGE OF PLANS – JULY 2

/0 Comments/, /by

Change of plans! The forecast is calling for rain so we will be gathering at the building on Sunday, 7/2.

Sabbath

/0 Comments/, /by

As we begin a new year, our conversation on Sundays will center around an ancient practice and rhythm of rest called Sabbath — a practice we’re pretty sure most of us are unfamiliar with, but need nonetheless.

That said, this conversation is not first and foremost about developing a 24-hour period free of any work. That may be a very good goal, but given the pace of most of our lives it is likely not a realistic target to immediately aim for.

Instead, we’re asking two questions: what is the Sabbath meant to teach us about things like time, work, and relationships, and what are steps we can take right now to move our rhythms and patterns into alignment with what God teaches us through the Sabbath.

We look forward to the conversation together.

Upcoming Gatherings

/0 Comments/, /by

Here’s our holiday schedule as we celebrate Christmas and welcome in the New Year!

Christmas Eve – 5-6pm

Update 12/24 1:00pm: please note, we are still meeting in person tonight, but because of conditions encourage people to choose what is best for their circumstances. We will be streaming on YouTube as well. We look forward to being together!

Christmas Day – we will not be gathering

New Year’s Day – Brunch @ 10am! Bring something to pass and enjoy a fun (and delicious) start to the new year.

Summer at the Branch – 2022

/0 Comments/, /by

Summer Sunday Gatherings

We’re headed back to Garfield Park for most Sundays this summer (the last Sunday of each month we’ll meet at the building)!

Bring a chair to sit in. Our BranchKids program will be available each Sunday we’re in the park (except for July 3).

We will continue to stream on YouTube regardless of location.

Here is our summer schedule:

  • May 29, June 5, 12 and 19 @ Garfield Park pavilion. Click here for a map.
  • July 3, 10, 17 @ Garfield Park pavilion
    • July 24 and July 31 @ the building
  • August 7, 14 and 21 @ Garfield Park pavilion
    • August 28 @ the building
  • September 4 @ Garfield Park pavilion

 

2nd Sunday Brunch

June, July and August
After our gathering at the park, we’ll dive into some good food.
Sign up for something to bring. We’ll cover place settings.

CREATE

Evenings of July 11-13
Partner with us to serve kids in grades K-8 by creating spaces to
explore, discover, and stretch their God-given creativity. Be sure to like our Facebook page (facebook.com/CreateGR) for the most up-to-date information.

Partner Gathering

July 27, 6-8pm
After a two year hiatus, we’re gathering all Partners — those who are currently one and those who might be interested (a Partner makes an explicit decision to join us in our mission of renewal).

What are you up to? Share it with others! 

Heading to the beach? Taking a bike ride? Grabbing ice cream?
Share it in the GroupMe app. Join our group on the app (email teresa@thebranchonline.org) and you’ll get alerted every time someone is planning something fun and social.

New Series: Mapping Our Future

/0 Comments/, /by

If you’re joining us online on February 13, 20 or 27,

please use this Zoom link (click here) and read the description below.

Making a map requires at least two points: where you are and where you intend to go. With all that has happened in the last two+ years, we’re taking the month of February to discern together where we find ourselves today, and where we hope to be in the future.

February 6: Over the last three years, we have focused on three areas: Embrace, Grow and Contribute (or Participate). These areas remain relevant and important, but how we live them out might look different given all that has changed in the world and in our own lives. We’ll reflect on John 4 and consider where we currently find ourselves, both as individuals and families, but also as a community of faith.

February 13, 20 and 27: These three gatherings will look different than a typical Sunday morning as we plan to use most of our time for reflection and discussion. Each week we will go in depth on one of the three areas (Embrace, Grow and Contribute), spending time in small groups brainstorming and then coming together as a large group to process.

Whether you have been at The Branch for years, or are new, we deeply hope that you will join the conversation and help us chart a course together. Your input and perspective is important and needed.

Summer at the Branch

/0 Comments/ /by

We’ve got a great summer planned! There are chances to (re)connect, serve and grow for all ages! Click on the link below for the flyer!

2021 Summer Handout

The Journey of Advent

/0 Comments/, , /by

The stories leading up to and immediately after Jesus’ birth involve a lot of coming and going. Relatives make the trek to share joy about their shocking pregnancies. About-to-be parents travel to ancestral homes and then flee as refugees. Unexpected visitors arrive from a unknown land.
In the midst of all of these journeys we make one of our own. Yes, Advent involves retracing our steps through familiar stories and images, but it also holds the possibility of discovering new things. Things about ourselves, the world, even the about the Christ who we might be tempted to think we know all too well.
Join us as we embark on a journey through the stories that lead to the one story that shifted the course of history.

December 2 – Mary to Elizabeth

December 9 – Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem

December 16 – Angels to Shepherds

December 23 – Shepherds to Bethlehem
Christmas Eve – The Word to Us
December 30 – The family to Egypt

The Psalms: The Whole Earth is Full of Your Glory (7.8.18)

/0 Comments/, , /by

Psalm 104 and Psalm 8 remind of that God’s glory can be seen in all of creation. We are reflections of God’s glory, a picture of God’s creativity!

Summer at The Branch

/0 Comments/, , , /by

Summer. There’s no better time to put your feet up and enjoy time with friends, new and old. Join us as we connect over good food and conversation at some pretty amazing places. Bring a friend. Everyone’s invited.

Every Tuesday, 6:30p: StoryTime in the Park
Join us for FREE BOOKS for all children 15 years old and younger and FREE ICE CREAM for all family members on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Storytime in the Park in located at 334 Burton St SE at Garfield Park. Children can also listen to captivating read alouds from 7:15-7:45 p.m.

Every Tuesday: 8p: Mountain Biking and Brass Ring
Meet in the parking lot of Brass Ring in Alger Heights at 8pm for an hour of mountain biking on local trails. Afterwards, join us for a drink at the Brass Ring.

June 15-17: Camping @ Fort Custer
Join us for a weekend of camping! We had a great time at Fort Custer last year, so we’re going back! They have mountain biking, swimming, fishing, etc. We’ll share the responsibilities of cooking breakfast and dinner. Lunch will be on your own.

June 22, 6:30p: CREATE Gallery Night!
Whether you’ve volunteered at or sent kids to CREATE or had nothing to do with it at all, come celebrate creativity at our Gallery Night! The art will be on display as well as 2 performances this year. There will also be a silent auction that benefits scholarships for next year’s CREATE. Oh, and there will be ice cream.

July 1: an Afternoon at the Beach
Join us at Painted Sky as Kevin & Mindy Freng host a BBQ at their cottage, which is conveniently located 200 yards from Buchanan Beach on Lake Michigan. We’ll have lunch together then enjoy an afternoon at the beach.

July 15: Pool Party
Nate and Liz Winkelman have kindly volunteered to host an afternoon of food and fun in the pool at their home.

August 24: End of Summer BBQ
To top off the summer fun, Jason & Mindy Law have invited us to their house for a Friday night bbq.

Check out our Facebook page to RSVP for camping or any of our summer bbq’s. For the other events, just show up! We’d love to see you.

Inhabit: Stories (6.3.18)

/0 Comments/, , /by

To wrap up our Inhabit series, we invited 2 couples to share stories about life in their neighborhoods, how they’ve built relationships, and how they’ve influenced the flavor of their neighborhood.

Recycling Needed!!!

/0 Comments/, , /by

We need your recycling! Two of the classes at CREATE will take your garbage and turn them into priceless masterpieces. Some call it upcycling, we call it art. Here’s the list of specific things that our two classes need:

  • Toilet paper rolls
  • Plastic bottle caps (all sizes)
  • Metal jar lids of all sizes (like from salsa or jam jars)
  • Paper egg cartons
  • Number junk (any and all things that have numbers 1-12)
  • Cassette tapes
  • Old toothbrushes (we’ll bleach them before letting kids touch them!)
  • Clean milk jugs
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Shallow boxes & lids
  • Paint of any color

You can bring any of these items on Sunday mornings by June 17, or email teresa@thebranchonline.org to make other arrangements. Thank you!!!

 

Inhabit: Beauty and Awe (5.13.18)

/0 Comments/, , , /by

It’s not enough to just see beauty around us. We are also invited to experience that beauty by entering in to the places where God is already at work. Where is their beauty in my neighborhood? What would it look like for me to enter into and experience that beauty? How might God want to re-ignite my imagination?

Inhabit: Regaining our Sight (5.6.18)

/0 Comments/, , /by

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
Henry David Thoreau

What do we see? How easy is it for us to see the less important things? How common, in our context, to become hyper-fixed on what is wrong, broken, dysfunctional? (is this easier? easier to keep our distance through complaint and hopelessness). AND, how easy it is to be distracted or anesthetized? What if we regained our sight for those things that are already beautiful? What if we had eyes to see the mundane, even the broken, as aspects of God’s work among us?

When we regain our sight, it leads to remembering that God is good, which leads to trust, hope and truth.

Navigating Conflict: Our Key (4.22.18)

/0 Comments/, , /by

We learned some Greek this week during the sermon! Sounds a little intimidating, but it’s actually very helpful to understand what Paul was trying to say in Romans 14. What are we doing when we judge someone else? Does that lead to building each other up or to division?

Navigating Conflict: Our Posture (4.15.18)

/0 Comments/, , /by

We continue our study of Romans 14, learning how God calls us to navigate conflict. What is our posture? Do we value being right over being in relationship? Is everything we do out of a desire to honor God? Listen here for a sermon that challenges us to think differently about our posture as we find ourselves in places of conflict.

Navigating Conflict: Our Aim (4.8.18)

/0 Comments/, , , /by

This week we started a new series, using Romans 14 to learn how we can best navigate conflict in our lives. It’s all around us and, if handled poorly, leads to destruction and division. But there is a way to navigate conflict so that it brings people together and builds relationships up. In this first week, we ask the question “In times of conflict, what is our aim?” Is our aim to win and defend ourselves or is our aim resurrection: for harmony and building each other up?

Easter: A Surprising Journey (4.1.18)

/0 Comments/, , , /by

This Easter, we are reminded that hope and new life can come from pain and loss. The journey isn’t pretty or easy, but the resurrection reminds us of our hope. He is risen! He is risen indeed!