Monday, June 29, 2009 "Hell, Yeah!"

We recently got together and talked about ways we can continue to Engage Culture in Helena. The group had some great ideas and I am really excited about continuing to impact our community and about being a positive agent of change here where we live, work, play, and explore living a life following Jesus.

We've already been involved in Washing Windows at the Helena Walking Mall, and gathering Gift Packages for St. Peter's Hospital O.B. nurses, Broadwater School staff, and the Elkhorn Rehabilitation Center workers.

Two new project we're working on is Making Helena Greener by planting donated flowers at the YWCA, and Serving Friends at Memorial Park by hosting a rock wall, inflatable, and other booths at Memorial Park. We'll let you know more as the details come together. If you want to get involved, let us know now in our planning stages.

One of our favorite things to do is to extend Simple Acts of Kindness by handing out free Tootsie Pops and other giveaways like bottled water at various community events such as the Vigilante Parade and Alive@Five. It's such a simple way to brighten someone's day and let them know you care — no strings attached.

It's interesting that more than once as we've given free stuff and asked "would you like this free thing?" — we've gotten the response "Hell, yeah." I love that! It means that we're touching people's lives in a simple, yet relevant way.

In a culture that looks at church agendas and organized religion and says "Hell, no!" We're catching people's attention and allowing them to say "Hell, yeah" so they can eventually move forward in a faith journey with Jesus — we're freeing people to Encounter Jesus.

This is just one way to be a burning bush. It's just one way to be something out of the ordinary that captures the attention of a city so that people can hear the voice of God.

And to that I say "Hell, Yeah!"

Saturday, June 27, 2009 Support Us By Ordering An Encounter Tee!

We're going to be ordering Encounter tees this week! If you want one, let me know ASAP. They are available in sizes from S to 5X and will be similar to the image here with the Encounter Church logo and url on the back. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

When you order one for at least $25, anything above the $15 tee-shirt cost gets donated directly into the Encounter Church fund.

Of course, those of us involved in this Summer's community service projects will be able to get them at cost.

Click here to donate with check or money order.

Friday, June 26, 2009 EncounterCast 6.26.09: Love or Obligation?

Here is this week's EncounterCast from Memorial Park where we handed out free give-aways this last Wednesday at Alive@Five.

So what does it mean to pursue love — to have an honest and intimate relationship with Jesus? We'll explore "When You're in Love" this next Tuesday, June 30 at the next Crazy Love Discussion at the Staggering Ox at 6:30pm. Join us!

View the video above or on YouTube here.

Thursday, June 25, 2009 'Crazy Love' Discussion on June 30: When You're In Love (Love or Obligation?)

This current Encounter Discussions series from Francis Chan's book Crazy Love tackles what Jesus really meant about being the church, both as individuals and as a community of faith.

THIS WEEK: WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE
Why do so few people genuinely find joy and pleasure in their relationship with God? Why do most people feel they have to either pay God back for all He's done (buy His love)? Or somehow keep making up for all their inadequacies and failures (prove their love)?

Don't miss this week's topic titled "When You're In Love" at the Staggering Ox this Tuesday, June 30 @ 6:30pm. You're invited to join us for a weekly DVD clip and discussion response – a forum of honest interaction and exploration.

JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND
You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion. So even if you're just curious, drop by and bring a friend. Arrive early at 6:00pm and grab a sandwich with us.

Check out the Facebook event here or the Eventbrite event here.
Read more about Crazy Love here from the series introduction.

Friday, June 19, 2009 EncounterCast 6.19.09: Crazy and Sweet!

This week we're coming from outside Dairy Queen on North Montana Avenue. This installment of the EncounterCast shares a few 'sweet' events coming up this week that you will want to put on your calendar:

Crazy Game Night at the Ox.
Tuesday, June 23 @ 6:30pm.
Read more here.

Sweet Community Service Planning Meeting at Dairy Queen
Thursday, June 25 @ 7:30pm
Read more here.

View the video above or on YouTube here.

Have a 'Sweet' Time Planning to Serve our Community

As the impact of the 7 Days of Servolution in Helena continues to echo through our community, we're getting together to discuss and plan ways we can serve others throughout the Summer.

We already have some great opportunities coming our way, giving us the opportunity to serve needs and make Helena a better place. But we will need some more people.

So bring some services ideas and connections, as well as a friend or two that may be interested in getting involved. Then join us for a 'sweet' time of planning to serve others in the Helena community.

WHEN: Thursday, June 25 @ 7:30pm
WHERE: Dairy Queen, 2850 N. Montana
WHAT: Discuss & Plan Community Service
WHO: You and Your Friends, Everyone Welcome!

View the Facebook event here.

'Crazy' Game Night on June 23: Meet at the Ox

This current Encounter Discussions series from Francis Chan's book Crazy Love tackles what Jesus really meant about being the church, both as individuals and as a community of faith.

THIS WEEK: CRAZY GAME NIGHT AT THE OX
We're taking a break from the usual discussion this week. We're letting our hair down, getting jiggy with it, and having a "crazy" game night social.

This time it'll be right where we've been meeting at the Staggering Ox on Tuesday, June 23 @ 6:30pm.

It'll be an opportunity to meet new people, get to know each other, and get some "game on" with friendly competitions of your favorite board/card games (i.e. Killer Bunnies, Apples to Apples, etc.). If you've been coming, it's a great week to invite a friend.

JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND
If you've wanted to check us out, this is your opportunity to come and just have some fun and interaction. So even if you're just curious, drop by and bring a friend. Arrive early at 6:00pm and grab a sandwich with us.

Check out the Facebook event here or the Eventbrite event here.
Read more about Crazy Love here from the series introduction

Friday, June 12, 2009 EncounterCast 6.12.09: Skate Parks and Leftovers

Here is this week's EncounterCast from the Helena Skate Park by the YMCA. This week I'm hinting at some great opportunities to serve needs in the Helena community. Join us Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30pm because we're hoping to discuss these opportunities at the next Crazy Love Discussion at the Staggering Ox.

View the video above or on YouTube here.

Thursday, June 11, 2009 'Crazy Love' Discussion on June 16: Serving Leftovers To A Holy God

This current Encounter Discussions series from Francis Chan's book Crazy Love tackles what Jesus really meant about being the church, both as individuals and as a community of faith.

THIS WEEK: SERVING LEFTOVERS TO A HOLY GOD
Is the idea of a non-fruit-bearing Christian something that we have concocted in order to make Christianity "easier"? Following Christ isn't something we can do halfheartedly – it must be central to everything that we are. Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at the wrong things.

Don't miss this week's topic titled "Serving Leftovers to a Holy God" at the Staggering Ox this Tuesday, June 16 @ 6:30pm. You're invited to join us for a weekly DVD clip and discussion response – a forum of honest interaction and exploration.

JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND
You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion. So even if you're just curious, drop by and bring a friend. Arrive early at 6:00pm and grab a sandwich with us.

Check out the Facebook event here or the Eventbrite event here.
Read more about Crazy Love here from the series introduction.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 Crazy Thoughts From Helena's Prayer Vigil

Last night, Andrea and I gathered with at least 300 others from the Helena community to pray for peace and healing. In response to last weeks' shooting, Helena's faith-community gathered people together at Anchor Park to offer a forum of reflection and healing through a Vigil of Peace.

During the event, we sent positive words to encourage those we know. If you received one of my texts, please be encouraged in this...

Although we are a broken, lukewarm people, although we have pasts that cause us pain, God can make us complete. He wholeheartedly loves us and is changing us — even this very moment — into a people who will love God back and love others with His crazy love.

Pastor Rick mentioned the John Mayer song Waiting for the World to Change

me and all my friends
we're all misunderstood
they say we stand for nothing and
there's no way we ever could

now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it

so we keep waiting
waiting on the world to change

While we understand Mayer's sentiment, we disagree. We believe that it's time to STOP waiting. It's time for us to fulfill the purpose for which God created for us — to take an active role in seeing His kingdom move forward through us.

I challenge you to take a moment to ask God what He is preparing you for — and then let His crazy love shine through you.

Monday, June 8, 2009 EncounterCast 6.8.09: Profile Of The Lukewarm

We have some great church planting friends over in Indianapolis who are doing amazing things for God in the heart of the city. I have been inspired to follow suit with one of their ideas, a periodic video update that we're calling EncounterCast.

Perhaps this snowy, rainy, 33 degree June day video shoot will make a great first-ever installment...

View the video above or on YouTube here.

On Boats And Safety

Since we've been talking about boats and safety recently, I found the following entry this morning in Oswald Chamber's My Utmost For His Highest. It's quite interesting. He writes...

"If you yourself do not cut the lines that tie you to the dock, God will have to use a storm to sever them and send you out to sea. Put everything in your life afloat upon God, going out to sea on the great swelling tide of his purpose, and your eyes will be opened. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get past the harbor into the great depths of God..."

Are we spending all our time in the calm waters? In the safety of the harbor?

Don't get me wrong, Jesus died to bring us peace. He came to give us rest and comfort. But that safety is found in Him alone – not in our retirement plans, not in our job security, nor in our convenient participation of church activities. The safety we seek is granted within and despite the chaos of the raging storm.

I see this daily as I am reminded how crazy it is to launch a new church in a city that already has dozens; when I am reminded that we are in economic hard times; when I am reminded that Helena is not immune to the violence and heartbreak of tragic events like last week's shooting.

While we find peace and fulfillment in Him, may we remember that Jesus didn't die to make us safe. He died to make us dangerous — to the storms, to spiritual apathy, to the evils of this world, and to the status quo.

Perhaps God is moving you right now to sever the lines of complacent safety. Perhaps He's calling you to take an active part in being a positive agent of change in Helena. Contact us — we would love to talk to you about what Encounter is doing and how we plan to conquer these storms through Jesus.

Saturday, June 6, 2009 Getting Out Of The Boat

We are in a boat. We're in the boat of our lives.

For some of us, our boat is going to church, reading our bibles, listening to the message, listening to the music, and trying to be a good person. All these things are our little boat.

They keep us safe.
They keep us afloat.
They keep us from drowning.

It's a good little boat to be in — but isn't there something more?

Our little boat does make us comfortable. It's a nice little boat to be in. We don't make anyone angry. If people ask us about Jesus, we'll tell them. We think "yeah I'm going to heaven. I'm saved. I know how to do the Christian thing." So what's wrong?

Why do we feel like there is more?
Why are we dis-satisfied with the status quo?
Why are we NOT dis-satisfied with the status quo?

A BOAT STORY

In Matthew 14, Jesus was on the shore, praying. The disciples were out in a boat when the winds began to pick up and waves began to crash on the side of the boat. The sky got dark and the storm began to pour down on the disciples. Of course, the disciples began to be afraid for their lives because they thought the boat was going to flip over and they were all going to drown.

One of the disciples looks out onto the water and he sees what he thinks is a ghost walking on the water. And then they hear a familiar voice that says "Take courage, it's me. Do not be afraid"

It was Jesus!

Jesus was walking on water out in the middle of the storm. And then Peter says "Lord if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water."

And Jesus says "Come."

So Peter steps out and he is miraculously able to walk on water and walks toward Jesus. While he soon begins to doubt and begins sinking, Peter calls out for help. Jesus grabs his hand and pulls him up.

Peter never had to leave the comfort of the boat. He could have easily hid with his life jacket on, hid from the storm, and stayed in the boat. But there was one problem.

Jesus wasn't in the boat.
Jesus was out in the middle of the storm.
Peter knew he needed to be with Jesus.

A CHOICE

We too, have a choice to make. We can continue on staying in our boat — with our family, with our friends, with our schools. We can pray to God everyday. We can read our Bibles. We can try to be nice people. But if we do, we never leave our boat. We never say Jesus is worth risking our life for. Jesus is worth drowning for.

Jesus told Peter to come.
And He's telling you to come.
Get out of your comfort zone.
Get out of your boat.

And come walk on water with Him.

NOW IS THE TIME

These are the “early moments” of a movement within Helena to lead a generation into a growing relationship with Christ. Let's get together today. We are currently gathering people who will launch Encounter Church. If you haven't already thought about it, we challenge you to seriously and prayerfully consider being part of the Launch Team.

These notes from the Encounter Informational Meeting and a video by GreaterLess Films called "Boat."

Friday, June 5, 2009 'Crazy Love' Discussion on June 9: Profile Of The Lukewarm

This current Encounter Discussions series from Francis Chan's book Crazy Love tackles what Jesus really meant about being the church, both as individuals and as a community of faith.

THIS WEEK: PROFILE OF THE LUKEWARM
Has your relationship with God actually changed the way you live? Do you see evidence of God's kingdom in your life? Or are you satisfied with being "godly enough" to get yourself to heaven?

Don't miss this week's topic titled "Profile of the Lukewarm" at the Staggering Ox this Tuesday, June 9 @ 6:30pm. You're invited to join us for a weekly DVD clip and discussion response – a forum of honest interaction and exploration.

JOIN US AND BRING A FRIEND
You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion. So even if you're just curious, drop by and bring a friend. Arrive early at 6:00pm and grab a sandwich with us.

Check out the Facebook event here or the Eventbrite event here.
Read more about Crazy Love here from the series introduction.

Thursday, June 4, 2009 Get Involved: PRAY

In our recent Informational Meeting, we explained four challenges to personally get involved – to step out of the boat that you are in and take an active role in what Jesus is doing outside the boat to impact this generation and beyond in Helena.

WE CHALLENGE YOU TO PRAY REGULARLY

We challenge you to pray regularly for the work and impact of Encounter Church – for the launch team that we are developing and for the people of this city.

Your prayers are an indispensable part of planting this new church. We already have friends and family all over the world that are part of our intercessory prayer team. We're asking you to join them by committing to pray for us regularly.

When you become a prayer partner, you will begin receiving our Encounter Prayer Updates by email, keeping you updated on Encounter and letting you know our specific prayer requests.

To sign up click here and mark " Prayer Partner Updates."

Read Get Involved: PRAY
Read Get Involved: SHARE
Read Get Involved: JOIN
Read Get Involved: TELL

Get Involved: SHARE

In our recent Informational Meeting, we explained four challenges to personally get involved — to step out of the boat that you are in and take an active role in what Jesus is doing outside the boat to impact this generation and beyond in Helena.

WE CHALLENGE YOU TO SHARE FINANCIALLY

Starting a church is never a small endeavor, but we believe God is calling us to this task. In particular, it will take significant funds to create the types of environments we believe will impact this technological, media-driven generation.

While we have already been blessed with a number of financial partners, both churches and individuals, we need to raise at least an additional $1000 per month in one, two, or three year commitments of monthly gifts.

For startup funds, our goal is to raise a minimum of $90,000 for our public launch and grand opening. That includes stuff like technical and a/v equipment, administrative needs, signage, printed materials, kid's ministries, curriculum, and a host of other stuff.

We want to be a burning bush — something out of the ordinary that catches the attention of a city. No matter how large or how small, we dare you to dream with us how your monthly support or one-time gift could impact the lives of many people who are far from God.

To find out how to donate click here.

Read Get Involved: PRAY
Read Get Involved: SHARE
Read Get Involved: JOIN
Read Get Involved: TELL

Get Involved: JOIN

In our recent Informational Meeting, we explained four challenges to personally get involved – to step out of the boat that you are in and take an active role in what Jesus is doing outside the boat to impact this generation and beyond in Helena.

WE CHALLENGE YOU TO JOIN THE LAUNCH TEAM

You may not live here in Helena and God may be nudging you to move. You may have been disconnected from or hurt by your church years ago and He may be calling you to get involved with a different kind of church.

We are a new community of faith that is not safe and comfortable, but a dangerous church — taking risks by boldly following Jesus.

Much needs to be done in the months before our public launch and we are still looking for people to join with us in Helena as part of our launch team. Your involvement as part of this team will involve four essential expectations...

• ENCOUNTER | To serve strategically in launch team meetings to publicly launch the Encounter worship gatherings

• EXPERIENCE | To participate in an Encounter LifeGroup (small group) or Discussions

• ENGAGE | To invest your life into those far from God, both personally and through Encounter community impact and awareness events

• +EXTEND | To extend yourself relationally and financially during your commitment with Encounter

If you have a passion to see those of this generation experience a life changing relationship with Jesus — God may be calling you to join with us in planting Encounter Church and changing the spiritual landscape of Helena.

To contact us click here and we'll talk more over coffee or a meal.

Read Get Involved: PRAY
Read Get Involved: SHARE
Read Get Involved: JOIN
Read Get Involved: TELL

Get Involved: TELL

In our recent Informational Meeting, we explained four challenges to personally get involved – to step out of the boat that you are in and take an active role in what Jesus is doing outside the boat to impact this generation and beyond in Helena.

WE CHALLENGE YOU TO TELL EVERYONE

We know that while some of you live near us, others live half-way across the country. All of you, regardless of your involvement can be part of our team. As you read our blog and prayer updates, you are still part of what we're doing here.

We ask that you tell everyone you know of these crazy people who are starting a church for this generation and beyond in Helena – especially those 20s and 30s who haven't found church to be relevant and essential to their lives – a church for people who don’t like church.

• You can send your coworker to the website.
• You can bring a friend to our Encounter Discussions.
• You can pass out some of our awareness cards.
• You can give someone our contact info to find out more.

Read Get Involved: PRAY
Read Get Involved: SHARE
Read Get Involved: JOIN
Read Get Involved: TELL

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 Wanna Start A New Church in Helena?

Last week, we held our first-ever Encounter Informational Meeting at the Placer Center, downtown in the Helena Walking Mall. The May 28 event was an opportunity to share our strategy to impact this generation and beyond – to invite others to "step out of the boat" and join in with what Jesus is doing in Helena.

A lot of our friends meeting for the Encounter Discussions at the Staggering Ox really stepped up and helped make the Informational Meeting a success — Thank you guys!

Highlights of the evening for me were hearing from others what a church like Encounter in Helena means to them. It was fun to answer Encounter questions from text messages sent during the meeting for Q&A. And finally the door prizes were just plain cool — powerful little red LED flashlights (think burning bush).

THE CHALLENGE
We challenged the nearly 30 people that attended to:

PRAY regularly
SHARE financially
JOIN the launch team
TELL others.

I will be posting what these mean and adding links over the next week. For now, I suggest you check out the "Hot Topics" and "Encounter Links" in the sidebar to the right.

FROM THE MEETING
Our worship is edgy and engaging, our culture is relational and outward focused, and our theology is grounded in the Scriptures. We seek to be a burning bush that captures the attention of a city — something out of the ordinary that draws people in, so that they can hear the voice of God.

FIND OUT MORE
We are following up with people right now. If you missed the meeting and want to know more about Encounter Church and how you can help launch a new church here in Helena, send us an email. We'd love to get together with you and just talk.

View some pre-event photos here.