BranchOut August 2017

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Women’s Bible Study ACTS and LETTERS Enter the life and times of the early church, the conversion of Paul, the conviction of Peter, and the hardships that followed. Let the power of the Holy Spirit astound you as you witness the miracles, signs, and wonders that were prevalent throughout the known world. Bring a journal, your Bible, and pen. Get ready to explore and discover that we have the same access to God’s profound love expressed through the Holy Spirit!

Register at thebranchchurch.org/women to receive the questions for Week 1. Purchase the required $6 study guide when you register. The additional commentary can be purchased for $11.50, but is not required.

Vista Ridge Campus: Mondays, September 11 - December 11 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Farmers Branch Campus: Wednesdays, September 6 - December 6 9:45 - 11:30 am

Estudio Biblico Para Mujeres Acompanenos en un vlaje del llbro de Hechos y janticipas lo inesperado! Una variedad de mujeres que sierven entre nosotras compartiran un mensaje fresco cada semana. Regístrese en thebranchchurch.org/women para recibir el material de estudio para la primera semana.

Children’s Bible Study 1

Children’s Bible Study is offered to the children of those attending the Farmers Branch WBS. Space is limited.

You MUST register your children if you want to take advantage of CBS. Registration is first-come, first-served.

Register at thebranchchurch.org/women

Women’s Ministry Fall Kick-Off Friday, September 1 7:00 - 9:30 pm Farmers Branch Campus FREE - No registration required (No childcare available) Ladies, come enjoy a night out! We will...

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Worship together

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Hear an engaging message from Lana Wisenbaker

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Get the inside scoop on this year’s calendar of events

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Learn about opportunities to plug into Women’s Ministry

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Relax with coffee and dessert while spending time with friends

thebranchchurch.org/women

Fall Women’s Retreat Fri-Sat, November 10-11 Camp Hoblitzelle Camp & Conference Center Cost: $50 Get out of town with friends! Rest in the outdoors of the beatuiful Hoblitzelle camp and conference center just south of Midlothian.

Restore your peace of mind with a relaxed pace and good food. Save the date!

Unfortunately, this year’s BELONG Tour has been canceled. We will be getting away together at Hoblitzelle instead!

Register at thebranchchurch.org/women

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TheBranch

ORIENTATION Interested in learning more about The Branch Church?

Do you have questions about what we do and what we believe at The Branch Church?

Are you ready to take the next step, become a member, and get more involved?

We want everyone who attends The Branch Church to engage in the activities we do together, and also to commit and submit to this body of believers. This is how we CONNECT, GROW, SERVE, and GO together! Whether you have attended for a short time, or have been here for years, make it official! Join us for The Branch Orientation.

Upcoming dates:

• October 15 (10:45 am Farmers Branch Campus, 12:30 pm Vista Ridge Campus) RSVP at thebranchchurch.org/tbo and let us know you’re coming. We look forward to having you!

Dynamic Marriage Saturdays, beginning September 9 (9 weeks) 6:00 - 8:30 pm Vista Ridge Campus Cost: $130 Why settle for ordinary? You’re 9 weeks away from an extraordinary marriage.

Dynamic Marriage is a 9-week course that will help you discover how your marriage can thrive and be more fulfilling than you ever thought possible.

Based on the “Love Bank” model from the book, His Needs, Her Needs

by Dr. Willard Harley, you’ll learn how communication and behavior styles affect the way you and your spouse act and react to each other.

Through an interactive learning process, you’ll identify behaviors that may be damaging your marriage, develop healthy ways to deal with marital conflict, and take concrete steps to meet each other’s needs better than you ever have before.

This class is limited to 12 couples, and is first-come, first-served.

Register at thebranchchurch.org/marriage

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Small Groups thebranchchurch.org/small-groups

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” ~ Hebrews 10:24-25 We all need friends. If you’ve got a group of friends here at The Branch (or elsewhere), have you considered meeting with them on a regular basis to hang out, talk about your lives in a Biblical context, and pray? That’s a Small Group!

If you’re not sure who to start a group with, contact your campus minister and he’ll help connect you with others who are in the same boat as you.

Need Group Content?

Sermon-Based Bible Studies

Tim Ketchersid

What is it?

Get your group talking with these weekly guides that are meant to coincide with the sermon.

tketchersid@thebranchchurch.org

Where can I find it?

You can quickly find it in The Branch Church App under the “Resources” option.

OR visit thebranchchurch.org/resources

Farmers Branch Campus Minister

Ryan Rainey Vista Ridge Campus Minister rrainey@thebranchchurch.org

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Men’s Bible Study Saturdays, beginning September 9 7:30 am Both Campuses Breakfast, Bible study, prayer, and friendship on Saturday mornings. If you’d like to learn more, contact the leaders below.

Farmers Branch - Eddy Ketchersid:

eketchersid@thebranchchurch.org Vista Ridge - Ryan Rainey:

rrainey@thebranchchurch.org

Dr. Stephen Mansfield will be speaking at a special event for men at The Branch Church on Saturday, October 7.

Men, you’ll want to read “Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men.” You can find more encouragement from Stephen at: stephenmansfield.tv 5

The Branch

Family

Up dates

We Mourn With:

We Celebrate These Baptisms:

• Dennis Williams and his family in the loss of his sister,

5/7/17 5/14/17 5/14/17 5/28/17 5/28/17 6/4/17 6/11/17 6/18/17 6/25/17 6/26/17 6/26/17 7/9/17 7/9/17 7/23/17 7/23/17 7/23/17

Marcia Gianardi, on May 13.

• Billie Stewart and her family in the loss of her husband, Larry Stewart, on May 30.

• Lynn Ainsworth and her family in the loss of her father, Wallace Edward Waggoner, on June 5.

• Kevin Crank in the loss of his mother, Phyllis Crank, on June 2.

• The Muirhead family in the sudden loss of Greg Muirhead and his fiance, Shannon Foster Casada, on June 10.

• Judy Davis and her family in the loss of her sister, Betty Barnett Douglas, on June 12.

• The family of Eddie Plemmons who passed away on June 18. Eddie was our Children’s Minister from 2003 2005.

• Richard Phillips and his family in the loss of his mother, Frances Phillips, on June 21.

• Jim Hagood and his family in the loss of his wife, Jan Hagood, on July 3.

• The family of Mark Tharp, who passed away on July 31.

Derian Nall Maria Diaz Ana Ortiz Maria Alvarez Maria Rodriguez Presley Bryan Deborah Bowe Jared Hagood Jerrika Sanders Brendan Nall Gracie Sutherland Markus Schumacher Benjamin Schumacher Daniel Bowe Maria Soto Andrew Amos

Welcome These New Members: Farmers Branch Campus

Dorothy Kibler Karen Medina

We Celebrate These Births: 5/9/2017

Merlyn Grace St. Juste (F) Parents: Jean-Claude and Danick

5/28/2017

Phoebe Jean Peters (F) Parents: Sam and Brooklynne

6/2/2017

Mary Barbara Drew (F) Parents: Patrick and Kendra

Weekend Stats - May/June/July 2017: Attendance Average: 1,771 Giving Average: $74,108

Vista Ridge Campus

Derrick and Meagan Hemmelgarn Sal and Nichole Herran (Child: Eli) Rachel Hines Jonah and Keva David-Long (Children: Kylan and Ezra) Ryan and Michelle Richardson (Children: Piper and Stone) Alice Sims Chris and Rhonda Tan (Child: Lacey) Chad Timmons Cody and Becce Tomlinson Megen Tomlinson

Keep us in the loop! Send news and updates to:

kfox@thebranchchurch.org

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The money class that will

CHANGE YOUR LIFE Take control of your ďŹ nancial future once and for all. Sign up today!

Sundays beginning September 10 5:00 - 7:00 pm

more info

Farmers Branch Campus Cost: $93 per family

(Covers all materials)

Register at thebranchchurch.org/FPU 7 Enter your class date/time/location

Follow Chris on Twitter twitter.com/chrisseidman

This August, we are partnering with buildOn to provide bricks to build schools in developing nations!

Every 6 check-ins will provide one brick to build a school.

BuildOn’s mission is to build schools in villages that historically have had no adequate school structure. BuildOn has built more than 1,000 schools in seven countries around the world: Burkina Faso, Haiti, Mali, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua and Senegal. This month, check-ins at our location are going towards building a school in Nicaragua.

If you want to learn more about buildOn, you can check them out at: buildon.org The hashtag this month is #bricks4schools.

Thanks for checking in to help build a school in Nicaragua!

How it works: We make a donation to a Kingdom-building cause every time our community checks in on Facebook. It’s a great way to tell your friends about The Branch Church, and do some good in the process. If you need some help checking in on Facebook, just ask any of our staff members and we’ll show you how.

The Branch Church Farmers Branch Campus

The Branch Church Vista Ridge Campus

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Kids Branch is what we do to teach kids about Jesus every weekend at The Branch Church. Our committed volunteers reinforce the values and teachings you work so hard to instill in your kids. We worship, play, and dive directly into the Bible each and every week. Your kids will grow to love engaging with God, while making great friends!

Serve in Kids Branch and join the team!

Find Kristan or Brittany on the weekend, or better yet, send them an email telling them you’re ready to serve! You can also fill out the form at: thebranchchurch.org/serve

Kristan Renshaw

Brittany Moore

Farmers Branch Kids Minister

Vista Ridge Kids Minister

krenshaw@thebranchchurch.org

bmoore@thebranchchurch.org

For more information, call: 972-855-8506 or email: contactus@thehayesschoolofwonder.com

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The Branch Student Body is our ministry to 6th - 12th grade students. This is an important time of transition into maturity in Christ, and we encourage all of our students to attend and serve in our weekend services with their families. We have several ways for students to connect including weekly gatherings, occasional activities, and special events like Branch Camp, retreats, and overnighters!

D/GROUPS DISCIPLESHIP GROUPS

D/GROUPS THE BRANCH STUDENT BODY

Farmers Branch

Vista Ridge

High School • Wednesdays at 6:30 pm Middle School • Sundays at 9:00 am or Wednesdays at 6:30 pm

High School • Wednesdays at 7:00 pm Middle School • Sundays at 9:30 am

The primary way The Branch Student Body meets is in weekly Discipleship Groups (D/Groups), where students grow closer to God, their peers, and their leaders. This is critical to their development as followers of Christ.

**Weekly schedules and locations are subject to change.

Contact Josh or Kyle for the latest updates and details.**

Kyle Poff

Josh Brake

Student Minister Vista Ridge Campus

Student Minister Farmers Branch Campus

kpoff@thebranchchurch.org

jbrake@thebranchchurch.org

Student Body Overnighter Middle school: Sat-Sun, September 9-10 High school: Sat-Sun, September 23-24 Student Body Overnighters are great opportunities for students to take a break from their busy, stressed out routines, have fun, and grow in their relationships with other believers in the same life stage. Because Overnighters provide extended time together, they are the perfect opportunity for students to form and deepen friendships within the ministry. This also provides the perfect chance for students not yet involved in The Student Body to meet friends and get plugged in! Overnighters generally begin with an exciting and fun event Saturday night. Then students break up into age- and gender-specific host homes, spend the night hanging out together, wake up, and conclude back at the church building for Sunday service.

Register at thebranchchurch.org/overnighter

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metrocrest services Metrocrest Services is a comprehensive emergency assistance agency located in the crest of the Dallas metropolitan area, making it convenient for local families and seniors in need to receive vital services in their own neighborhood.

Serving the community for more than 45 years, we provide case management, emergency rent/mortgage and utility assistance, nutritious food pantry items, financial education and coaching, and employment programs designed to lead each family to self-sufficiency. Programs for seniors include transportation, home-delivered meals, and home modification options to help foster independence. We also conduct a variety of seasonal programs for the community.

If the client is hungry or has no electricity or home, then these barriers must be tackled first. Our approach is to use this need for emergency assistance as a mechanism for addressing the deeper concerns of the family.

Individuals enter our doors as a referral or by word-of-mouth, like Carrie, who came to us through her local church. “I don’t know how I will pay for this month’s rent” Carrie says, adding “I only have $6 to my name”. For over 27 years Carrie earned a decent wage in the healthcare field, when a sudden crisis arose and she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2015, putting her career on hold.

The medical crisis drained her savings and she was struggling to make ends meet.

Currently, she is cancer-free and is meeting with one of our Workforce Development Specialist about her next career move.

Services like the ones given to Carrie are only possible by generous support from donors like you. If you or anyone you may know is experiencing the threat of life’s challenging moments, please call our office for more details on how we can help.

Address: 13801 Hutton Dr, Suite 150, Farmers Branch, TX 75234 Phone: (972) 446-2100 E-mail: info@metrocrestservices.org Website: metrocrestservices.org

The mission of Metrocrest Services is to provide programs for individuals, families and seniors that lead to self-sufficiency and foster independence.

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EDUCATION FUND the Branch

The Branch Education Fund has been established to support active members of The Branch Church who are enrolled in college and have completed their freshman year. A history of involvement at The Branch, financial need, and academic performance are considered when making scholarship awards.

Contributions to The Branch Education Fund may be made online or indicated in the memo line on a check. The fund will be used to support additional scholarships awarded each school year.

For the 2017-2018 school year, five individuals have been selected to receive scholarships:

Everett Bullock has attended The Branch since 2004.

He was active in both Kids Branch and The Branch Student Body. During the summers since graduating from high school he has served as a Kids Branch teacher and Branch Camp counselor. He is entering his junior year at Texas A&M University studying electrical engineering.

Donovan Jeanne has attended The Branch since 2011.

He was involved with The Branch Student Body in high school, and is entering his senior year at Southwestern Assemblies of God University studying history and coaching. Donovan has volunteered at Sack Summer Hunger and Go Weekend during the summers.

Zane Strickler has attended The Branch since 2001. He was active in both Kids Branch and The Branch Student Body, and is entering his senior year at Harding University studying finance. For the past several years, Zane has played guitar in the Vista Ridge worship band, and has served in various roles in Kids Branch.

Edward (EJ) Young has attended The Branch since 2013.

He has actively been serving on our Event Services Team on Sunday morning during services, and assisting with teaching children on Sunday nights during small group time. He is entering his junior year at Southern Methodist University studying business finance and management.

Keaton Yowell has attended The Branch his entire life. He was active in both Kids Branch and The Branch Student Body. In addition, he has served as a Kids Branch teacher, and as a counselor at both VBS and Spotlight. He is entering his sophomore year at Abilene Christian University studying kinesiology.

Learn More: thebranchchurch.org/education-fund

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Featured Events Calendar Days

Dates

Thurs-Sun Wed

8/17-20 8/30

Event

Times

Back-to-School Weekend

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Small Group Leader Summit

6:30 - 9:00 pm

Fri

9/1

Women’s Ministry Kick-Off Event (pg. 2)

7:00 - 9:30 pm

Wed

9/6

Women’s Bible Study Begins (Farmers Branch Campus) (pg. 1)

9:45 - 11:30 am

Sat

9/9

Dynamic Marriage Begins (Vista Ridge Campus)

6:00 - 8:30 pm

Sat-Sun

9/9-10

Middle School Overnighter

(pg. 3)

TBD

(pg. 10)

Sun

9/10

Financial Peace University Begins

Mon

9/11

Women’s Bible Study Begins (Vista Ridge Campus)

Sat-Sun Sat Fri-Sun

9/23-24 10/7 10/13-15

(Farmers Branch Campus) (pg. 7) (pg. 1)

5:00 - 7:00 pm 6:30 - 8:00 pm

High School Overnighter (pg. 10)

TBD

Manly Men - Fall Men’s Event (Farmers Branch Campus) (pg. 5)

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Middle School Campout

3 days

Sun

10/15

The Branch Orientation (Both Campuses)

Farmers Branch 10:45 am

Sat

10/28

Branch Equip

9:00 - 3:00 pm

Sat

10/28

Student Body Paintball

TBD

Sun

10/29

Trunk-or-Treat (Farmers Branch Campus)

6:30 - 8:00 pm

Women’s Fall Retreat

2 days

Fri-Sat

11/10-11

Vista Ridge 12:30 pm

(pg. 2)

Weekly Events Calendar Day

Time

Event (Location)

Start/End Date

Sun

Early Service

Student Body: MS D/Groups

Mon

6:30 pm

Women’s Bible Study (Vista Ridge)

Tues

7:00 pm

Celebrate Recovery (Vista Ridge)

Wed

9:45 am

Women’s Bible Study (Farmers Branch)

Wed

6:30 pm

Student Body: D/Groups (Both Campuses)

Thurs

6:45 pm

Thursday Night Church (Vista Ridge Campus)

Sat

7:30 am

Men’s Bible Study (Both Campuses)

(Both Campuses)

Office: 972-247-2109

thebranchchurch.org

*Begins September 11

*Begins September 6

*Begins September 9

Email: info@thebranchchurch.org

Farmers Branch Campus

Vista Ridge Campus

3035 Valley View Lane Farmers Branch, TX 75234

3601 Huffines Boulevard Carrollton, TX 75010

Sundays: 9:00 & 10:45 am

Thursdays: 6:45 pm Sundays: 9:15 & 11:00 am