Thursday, September 23, 2010 Encounter Grand Opening - The Beginning of Something New!

I was both excited and nervous this last Sunday — at 5:30pm in the Dunphy building, we held our third and final Sneak Peek Worship Gathering at Encounter Church in downtown Helena.

We saw more volunteers than the previous two Sneak Peeks. The music was awesome and creative. And the message focused on what we call "burning for others" — engaging and transforming our community by "bringing the kingdom near to them".

This Sneak Peek was our last chance.

It was our last chance to get it right before the Encounter Grand Opening in just over two weeks. It was our last chance for volunteers to step up to the table. It was our last chance for musicians to join in with an awesome creative band. Our last chance for people to tell their friends what an amazing thing God is doing in Helena through Encounter. It was our last chance, but was it?

It was not an end, but a beginning.

With the Encounter Grand Opening on 10-10-10 only 17 days away, we are more excited than ever to celebrate the true beginning — the official birth of a new community of faith here in Helena. The Grand Opening will be our first publicized worship gathering and the beginning of a new regular schedule. We are asking all our friends along the way to come join us in this celebration gathering.

Show your support on this Grand Opening day!

We're also inviting the many people with whom we have connected to come find out what Jesus can do in your life. Literally, thousands of postcards are being delivered to homes near downtown Helena, inviting our neighbors to join us as we officially "ignite" the fire of Encounter.

There will be an opportunity to connect every Sunday.

Starting October 10, the 1st and 3rd Sundays each month will provide the opportunity to meet together in small group settings that we call LifeGroups — we'll build authentic relationships and do life together.

Then Encounter worship gatherings will take place on the 2nd and 4th Sunday each month to celebrate the awesome things that God is doing in our midst — we'll explore scripture and reflect creativity of our unique God .

In addition to these, we'll still gather monthly to connection with and impact our community — meeting needs and serving people.

Something awesome is happening in Helena.

A creative and unique community of faith is emerging and inviting you to be a part of something greater then yourself. You are invited to come serve our community, to be free from legalism, escape politics, explore faith in Jesus, and go deeper in your Christian walk. And the invitation is broad — to young and old, believer and not . This invitation goes out to those who are desperate to see this generation and beyond encounter God in a real and tangible way. It goes out to anyone who has tried traditional church and found it lacking — to anyone who desires to explore faith in Jesus, but wants to be free from the baggage of organized religion.

This invitation is for you!