v Why is that the name of the youth group?
“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
We must abide in Jesus Christ to bear fruit. Without Him we can do nothing. “The Branches” reminds us all that He does the work through us, we only have to abide. We cannot strive in our own strength to do His will; it is Him working in us. We cannot go off on our own. As a branch, we can do nothing without the vine (or the trunk of a tree). We must be firmly attached to the vine in order to do anything.
We want our name to be a reminder to us all that we must remain in Jesus Christ to be of any Godly affect on this world that surrounds us.
v What is the goal of The Branches?
The goal of The Branches will be to equip high schoolers with the knowledge and understanding of Scripture to stand up against the lies of the world. We want The Branches to be a place of learning, but also a place of refuge. The Branches will be a safe place to be yourself, to ask questions, to grow friendships and most of all to grow in your relationship with the God of the universe.
We not only want to grow strong and be firmly planted in the truth of God’s Word, but we also want to share that truth with those who are deceived by the lies of this world. By knowing the Truth, we will not be deceived.
We also want to encourage talk and discussion between teen and parents. We will let the teens know it is not only okay, but that we encourage them to talk with their parents about what they are learning; to ask them questions, to go to their parents with life concerns, problems, issues. We encourage parent involvement. If the parents have any questions or concerns, please talk to the youth group leaders, children’s ministry director or the pastor. We do not want anything to hinder growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
