the branch.

Note: I invite you to read through some of the comments from young adults posted on Thursday. Please feel free to continue the conversation if you're interested!

A couple of years ago, The Ten10 Branch was born. For those of us who go down there, it’s just “the branch.” When the branch was created, it was created as an overflow gathering in the gym because of the large crowd attending the 10:10 service upstairs. At that time, something significant happened in that our church found Megan (Blosser) Hobbs – or maybe she found us. I think this is significant because Megan is a young person with a voice and a gift for leading people into worship.

So the branch became a place where this young person could work on her craft, so to speak. It is a place where she can learn to use her voice and exercise her gifts in the midst of close family.

What if the branch becomes a place where everyone has an opportunity to come together to use their voices and share their gifts as a community? I envision a place where we are able to plan and dream about worship through different teams of people with various talents. I picture a space where people of all ages can learn to use our voices together.

That’s why I am excited to tell you that, 10/10/10 at 10:10 in the gym, the branch is doing a new thing. The most noticeable change, at first, will be that Jeff’s sermon will no longer be broadcast on the big screen. Shawn Franssens and I, Josh Shepherd, will take turns speaking. It brings me a lot of joy to know that I will be able to work with Shawn to learn to use the voice that God has given me to speak love and “compare notes” with others on this Spiritual journey with Christ.

As we progress, there will be other changes. You may find that the worship space is more contemplative or meditative. We want to bring you into a softer space that hopefully eliminates distractions. There are certainly plenty of distractions outside, and we want you to be able to breathe deeply inside.

Shawn and I are looking forward to collaborating with Megan about creative ways to worship God. Because of our close relationship, it will be possible for us to work together to develop cohesive themes throughout worship. We are also praying and passionately hoping that God will send many, many more people who have a desire – not just to “attend worship” – but to work together in community to create captivating worship as an offering to God together. If you are interested in exploring this with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Another noticeable change is our desire to share Communion at the table with each other each week. We believe that Jesus has given us the Word and the Table so that he can communicate something of himself to us every time we gather. The Table is packed with layers upon layers of meaning, and we look forward to exploring these layers together over time.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as Shawn and I will be communicating about the expected changes as we near October 10. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to e-mail me at joshs@woodschapelchurch.org, or leave me a comment here!

with love,

Josh