Friday, March 27, 2009 Servolution Details Available!

More details are now available about what we're doing for the 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA!

Here is the website:
http://7dayshelena.weebly.com/

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE
Thursday, April 2 — To start the week, we will deliver gift baskets to show appreciation to volunteers/workers that serve the Helena community. [Facebook event here]

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Tuesday, April 7 — During the week, we help make the walking mall more attractive for everyone in Helena by washing storefront windows. [Facebook event here]

For more information on how you can donate items and get involved, read the website details here. [Facebook event here]

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9. Join with us now!

Join Us For Another Game Night

ABOUT THE GAME NIGHT
There will be no They like Jesus Discussion this fourth week on March 24. Instead, everyone is invited to this social gathering and game night (i.e. Killer Bunnies, Apples to Apples). Bring a game and a friend, as well as some pop or snacks to share.

It doesn't matter if you are in the group or not, you are invited. We'll be meeting at the Powell Home on Tuesday, March 31 @ 6:45pm. Email me if you have any questions or comments or visit the Facebook event listing here.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION
Resuming Tuesday April 14, the discussion group to explore why people who like Jesus, don't connect with church.

On discussion nights at the Staggering Ox, we're viewing DVD clips and discussing relevant topics from Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church.

While responding to six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church, we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion.

Invite some friends to the discussion.

Monday, March 23, 2009 Join The Servolution!

This April 3-9, Encounter Church will be taking part in 7 Days of Servolution, a week devoted to sharing God’s love and changing lives through simple acts of kindness.

We’re encouraging groups and individuals throughout Helena to take on this challenge and get creative with grass-roots efforts to serve our community.

There are four things you can do to get involved right now:

1. GET THE WORD OUT. Let everyone know about 7 Days of Servolution and encourage them to get involved. You can tell them to visit 7dayshelena.weebly.com and that we're inviting everyone to share simple acts of kindness each day from April 3 to April 9.
2. DISTRIBUTE FLYERS. You can download and duplicate the flyers and resources from the website and distribute them all over Helena.
3. GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED. We challenge you to take the opportunity to personally share at least one simple act of kindness as an individual in each of the seven days.
4. JOIN IN A GATHERED EFFORT. To start the week on April 2, we will "serve those who serve" by delivering gift baskets to the volunteers/workers of an organizations that serve the Helena community. During the week on April 7, we will gather to "serve our community" by making the walking mall more attractive for everyone in Helena and washing storefront windows. We need people and donations so click here for more.
   

To get the full details on the 7 Days of Servolution in Helena, visit the website at 7dayshelena.weebly.com.

JOIN THE SERVOLUTION!

Saturday, March 21, 2009 Discussion 3 on March 24: Does The Church Restrict And Oppress Women?

Join us this Tuesday, March 24 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our third discussion night. Come early if you want to enjoy a sandwich with us before the discussion.

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church — guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

Again, we're pretty excited about getting out of our homes and out into the public — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue. This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Does the Church Restrict and Oppress Women?"

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Thursday, March 19, 2009 The Servolution is Live in Helena

Here it is. The new 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA website is live!

7dayshelena.weebly.com

These 7 Days of Servolution in Helena an effort of individuals and groups partnering together and reaching out to our community through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God.

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9. Join with us now!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 Join Us For '7 Days Of Servolution' In Helena!

As a young church plant, it seems difficult to be able to make a significant impact in our community. We don't yet have a large base of people to mobilize. We don't yet have a sufficient financial backing.

At the same time, engaging culture is an essential part of who Encounter is and who we want to be. Our weekly The Like Jesus discussion group has suggested that we be positive agents of change within our city and community.

With this in mind, I've been perplexed about how to serve Helena right now ... until this afternoon when I visited the 7 Days of Servolution website. 7 Days of Servolution is a coordinated effort to join with individuals all over the nation and the world to share God's love and change lives through simple acts of kindness.

Go and check out the website now, then come back and continue reading.

The idea is to choose one day between April 3 and April 9 to organize a service project for your community (the week before Easter). The website lists many ways churches and individuals can get involved – for all sizes of groups and all budgets.

A 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA

Let's make these 7 Days of Servolution in Helena an effort of individuals that represent many churches. It's about partnering together and reaching out to our community through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God to people in our community. You can participate regardless of what church you may attend.

We invite you to participate in at least one of two ways:

1. Personally Share One Act Of Kindness Each Day
   Let's make this effort true to it's name by taking a full 7 days to serve our community. We challenge you to take the opportunity to practice at least one simple act of kindness as an individual in each of the seven days.
   One idea is to purchase a coffee for the person behind you at the coffee shop. Be creative! There are virtually millions of things we can do. Imagine if our neighbors all over Helena noticed a difference That one single week from April 3-9!
   
2. Join Together For One Gathered Effort With Others
   Let's join together for a single, gathered effort to share God's love through a coordinated simple act of kindness. We are meeting together to brainstorm and plan what exactly we will do and when. We will then post the details here.
   If you would like to join us for the brainstorming and planning meeting at 6:30pm on Friday, March 20, click here for more.

JESUS CAME TO SERVE, NOT TO "SELL" THE FAITH

Since the focus of this effort is on showing God's love through service, our goal is not necessarily to promote specific churches or to evangelize people. Just as Jesus came to serve, not be served — we, too, will be sharing the heart of Jesus by our actions through simple acts of kindness alone. Instead, let's focus our efforts on inviting everyone you know to get involved — regardless of whether they are from your church or are even a follower of Jesus.

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9 as we share God's love through simple acts of kindness so that lives can be changed through the power of Christ.

JOIN US NOW!

Thursday, March 12, 2009 Discussion 2 on March 17: Is The Church Negative, Judgemental, and Political?

Join us this Tuesday, March 17 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our second discussion night. We'll have a little St. Patrick's Day celebration of our own. :-)

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church – guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

Again, we're pretty excited about getting out of our homes and out into the public – among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue. This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Is The Church Negative, Judgemental, and Political?"

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Friday, March 6, 2009 Discussion 1 on March 10: The Danger Of The Christian Bubble

Join us this Tuesday, March 10 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our first discussion night.

There will be live music going on as we try to take in two DVD segments and discuss "The Danger of the Christian Bubble." At the same time, we're pretty excited about getting out of our secluded homes and out into the public arena — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue.

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church — guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

The Church of Tomorrow?

When I hear people refer to this generation as "the church of tomorrow," my heart breaks. Not because there is no hope for this generation, but quite the opposite. Seeing this generation as the upcoming generation means that we are tragically clinging to the past.

Dan Kimball is correct in the assertion that those in this generation are the primary shapers and influencers in our culture. He writes in They Like Jesus But Not The Church, "Musicians writing the songs that influence people at a national and global level are primarily in their twenties. The creativity and innovation of people in their twenties and thirties are used in the marketplace and in the music world, but are they given a place to help shape the church?"

Truth be told, this generation is "the church of today," not tomorrow! Unfortunately, the hearts and minds of many in this generation are being squelched because they don't conform to traditional structures of organized religion. The thought patterns and life experience of this generation are like no other generation in history.

From Craig Groeschel and a recent series over at the Swerve blog, let's highlight some important observations about this generation:

Our world is smaller and our perspective is broader.
Because of technology, The lines between global and local has been blurred.

We have a wider definition of "friends."
Today a friend can be someone you may not have ever met before they clicked on your Facebook page and asked to be your friend.

We're more experiential.
Instead of accumulating possessions like previous generations, our generation is into accumulating experiences.

We have been under-challenged.
Many in this generation have been given much, yet we’ve been challenged little. We have more potential than most realize.

Our world is gray.
Many of us in this generation have been told that truth is relative, but deep down we believe and are searching for absolute truths.

We’re searching for a cause.
This generation is looking for something, often anything, worthwhile to live for. When we find a cause, we'll go to extreme measures to make a difference.

We are conversational.
But before we listen to you, we want to know if you’re listening to us. This generation builds trust slowly. If you’ll get to know us, we will listen to you.

We want to be loved.
This generation craves intimacy in relationships. We want to know and be known. We are hungry for acceptance and affirmation and respond well to sincere Christian love.

If you’re quick to judge, don’t bother trying to connect.
Unfortunately, too many Christians are turned off or intimidated by the young, tech savvy, tattooed, and pierced young adults.

This generation doesn’t want to hear about what you believe.
We want to see your beliefs in actions. As strange as it may seem, we are drawn to faith that feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, heals the sick, and loves the outcasts—all in the name of Christ, the King. If you’re daring enough to live like Jesus, we might join you. And then one day, we might believe what you believe.

Care to add to this list? Click on the word "comments" below and add a comment...