the drive of encounter is to live in the reality of Christ every day. our walk with Christ is to be fresh, vibrant, and filled with the reality of our life interwoven with His. every expression of encounter is designed with that in mind – from our worship, to the messages, to community groups, to youth and kids ministry.
for those burned in or bored by other expressions of church encounter exists for 3 types of people:
1) those who have walked away from church because they have been “burned” in some way. their hurts have driven them from church, but not necessarily from God.
2) those who have grown bored with other expressions of church. they have stopped experiencing the reality of Christ in the music, message, format, and hunger for something more.
3) those who are far from God.
what should i wear?
there is not a “dress code” at encounter. we encourage people to come comfortable. you’ll find some people in jeans, some in shorts, some in slacks, but always relaxed.
what should i expect?
worship
the encounter band leads the worship time. like most stage bands, it contains acoustic and electric guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals. the music in contemporary, upbeat, and edgy. during the worship time, everyone is encouraged to seek God in their own way – for some, that means singing and clapping along, and for others it means quietly reflecting on the words. Whatever your worship preference, it is our prayer, that it would truly be an interactive soul experience.
getting settled
entering the worship area, you’ll notice right away that things at encounter are a little different. the lighting is low; there are no pews or rows of seats. instead, you’ll find groupings of chairs with a table and candlelight. there you’ll find your “soul guide” that will explain more about “encounter”, upcoming activities, and how you can become involved.
offering
near the main doors to the room is encounter’s “wicker of worship”. this is the place for you to place any offering that you have brought. there is no requirement for anyone to give. it is an act of worship that expresses thanks to God for the great work He is doing in our lives. the offering helps encounter continue its ministry of reaching others in this generation with a message of hope.
message
encounter talks are conversational and relevant discussions about the Scriptures. they are designed to bring the truth of God into real life settings. talks are often experiential, in that they conclude with some practical way of applying what has just been discovered. the Bible says that Jesus was the Word that became flesh. that is the goal of encounter talks each week – that truth would come alive in our hearts as we meet with Christ. if you’d like, you can listen to many of our messages online by visiting the podcast page.
what about my kids?
babies and preschoolers
for parents who are interested, care is provided for bed babies and preschoolers. the caring and qualified staff will care for children while parents enjoy the worship time.
xlr8
kids in 1st – 4th grade will enjoy the high energy learning environment of “big kids encounter“. each week the kids staff helps kids encounter Christ through active games, interactive Bible study, and pure fun! kids can enter the main worship service with their parents. kids will be dismissed from the worship service to go to big kids encounter.
