Friday, June 24, 2011 2011 Summer Fun & Concert at the Park - July 12 @ 5pm

The Summer Fun and Concert event on Tuesday, July 12 was canceled due to rain and thunderstorms. We are currently working on rescheduling the event soon.

You and all your friends are invited to a community Summer Fun Day & Concert at Memorial Park on Tuesday, July 12 @ 5pm.

There will be a Rock Climbing Wall for all ages, Kids Inflatable Jumpers, as well as free Cotton Candy, Popcorn, and Snow Cones.

Plus, you'll enjoy some rockin' live music from two great Helena bands Insufficient Funds Band and Stonehouse, plus solo artist Sarah Frazier!

You don’t want to miss this free event for the Helena community, for families, youth, and individuals.

This non-alcohol event is hosted by Encounter Church and rated "E" for everyone. You can help us get the word out by downloading a flyer or passing on this link to a friend.

WHAT: Summer Fun & Concert in the Park
WHEN: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 @ 5:00pm
WHERE: Memorial Park in Helena
WHO: All Ages | Families, Youth, Individuals
PRICE: FREE Entry, Activities, & Food Items

View or download an Invite Flyer here:

http://is.gd/2011HelenaSummerFunFlyer

View or download a Color Poster here:

http://is.gd/2011HelenaSummerFunPoster

Send this link to your friends:

http://is.gd/2011HelenaSummerFunConcert

Monday, June 20, 2011 Rock Wall at Alive@Five in 2011

As we move into Summer 2011 in Helena, Encounter will be hosting the Rock Climbing Wall for free at Alive@Five. We invite you to come climb the Encounter Rock Climbing Wall and come say "Hello!" For us, it’s just an opportunity to serve our awesome community and let you know who Encounter is and what we are all about. As you may know, we believe that we are most like Jesus when we serve others by giving ourselves away and by "being the change" we want to see in our community.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 @ 5PM

Join us at Womens Park on Fuller & Lawrence.
Postponed from June 8 due to rain & flooding.
Canceled on June 15 due to weather.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 @ 5PM

Join us at Womens Park on Fuller & Lawrence.
Canceled on July 20 due to logistic issues.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17 @ 5PM

Join us at Womens Park on Fuller & Lawrence.
Canceled on August 17 due to logistic issues.

If you can help as the volunteer SERVE team to help setup or operate the rock wall, help out with waiver table, or hand out flyers & Tootsie Pops at Alive@Five, please contact us here.

Sunday, May 15, 2011 Tootsie Pops at Alive@Five - June 22 @ 5:30pm

Come down to Alive@Five in the Great Northern Town Center and connect with the Helena community by giving away Tootsie Pops.

It will be a great way to meet people and to make conversation. Plus we ave friends from First Baptist Church of Clinton coming to help.

It's just a simple way to let people know that we care about Helena! Join us by the fountain near ExplorationWorks.

WHAT: Tootsie Pops at Alive@Five
WHEN: Friday, June 22 @ 5:30pm-6:30pm
WHERE: Great Northern Town Center (by ExplorationWorks)

Monday, May 9, 2011 Serving Helena at the Spring Art Walk - May 20 @ 5:30pm

Join us as we connect with and serve those coming out for the Spring Art Walk in Downtown Helena.

As warmer temperatures approach, we plan on giving away FREE water bottles and conversation along the route of the Fall Art Walk.

We'll meet and setup just outside the capitalFRET music store at 335 Last Chance Gulch. It's just another way to be a burning bush in our community.

WHAT: Serving Helena at the Spring Art Walk
WHEN: Friday, May 20 @ 5:30pm-9pm
WHERE: 335 Last Chance Gulch (capitalFRET on Last Chance Gulch)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 Easter Sunday Egg Hunt @ The Pattern House - Afterburn

Easter Sunday, April 24, was Encounter's very first Easter Sunday Worship Gathering. Despite snow and rain throughout the week, Easter was a beautiful, sunny day — and it was the picture perfect day for a Super Fun Egg Hunt outside!

We had over 24 first-timers on Easter with lots of kids. We explored what it means to "Come Awake!" and how we are called to "rise up from the grave" of the broken things in life through Jesus. Listen to the podcast here.

After the great music and discussion during the worship gathering, we held a drawing for the "Biggest Easter Basket Ever!" It was certainly the biggest Easter basket in Helena with items donated from individuals and businesses throughout Helena.

Special thanks to Van's Thriftway, Lasso The Moon Toys, Montana Book & Toy Company, Panhandler Plus, GamePods Jr. Downtown, Capital Fret, and Great Harvest Bread Company.

When we're all done, we went outside for a Super Fun Egg Hunt boasting over 600 eggs filled with chocolate goodies. It truly was an Awesome Easter, by all accounts, and an awesome way to connect with the community — to be a church that's not just IN Helena, but FOR Helena!




You can find all the great photos on Facebook here.
Check out a Picasa slideshow here.

Monday, April 18, 2011 Kid's Spring Fest 2011 at Pioneer Park - Afterburn

This last Saturday, Encounter helped Downtown Helena usher in Spring at the first ever Kids Spring Fest at Pioneer Park.

A group of volunteers primarily from Encounter hosted a free kids bounce house. and gave away over 250 bags of popcorn, nearly 400 servings of cotton candy, and around 350 Tootsie Pops.

An estimated 600 kids and their parents came out for the event!

What an awesome way to serve our community. As part of our effort to a "burning bush" in Helena, this is just another way to be a church that is not just IN Helena, but FOR Helena!




You can find all the great photos on Facebook here.
Check out a Picasa slideshow here.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 Prayer Walk & Meet Neighbors - Apr 10 @ 11am

At Encounter, we've cancelled this week's Worship Gathering specifically to pray for and walk the neighborhoods near the Pattern House, downtown, and anywhere else.

Whoever comes out can pray for our neighbors as we place small flyers and Tootsie Pops on doorknobs and pass them out to individuals.

We have over 500 invite cards and Tootsie Pops and are coordinating a time after 11 on Sunday afternoon. But we could add more times on your schedule over the next 10 days — from today until April 16. The Powell family and others would love to join with you as we are able.

WHAT: Prayer Walk & Meet Neighbors
WHEN: Sunday, April 10 @ 11am + other times
WHERE: Meet outside the Pattern House
MAP/DIRECTIONS: Click here



Volunteer for Awesome April here
Read more about Awesome April here

AFTERBURN

At Encounter, we are an outward-focused church. As we grow together inwardly, we must never forget that we are here to help others know Jesus. On April 10, we cancelled our Worship Gathering specifically to pray for and walk the neighborhoods near our new gathering location, the Pattern House. On Saturday, April 9, we prayed over nearly 70 households giving away small flyers and free Tootsie to individuals. On Sunday, April 10, we covered even more of the neighborhood with over 200 more households.


You can find all the great photos on Facebook here.
Check out a Picasa slideshow here.

Thursday, March 31, 2011 Serving At The Kids Spring Fest - April 16 @ 10am

As part of our AWESOME APRIL, come join us as we usher in Spring at Pioneer Park with the Downtown Helena Kids Spring Fest.

Encounter Church will be hosting a FREE kids bounce house, popcorn, and cotton candy and we need to build a volunteer team now.

Working alongside other fun interactive kids activities sponsored by Downtown Helena organizations and businesses, this is an awesome opportunity to connect with the community and get the word out about the new Pattern House location and 11am gathering time. We'll also be collecting food for Helena Food Share so, if you can, please bring a donation of canned or other nonperishable food!

Please RSVP on Facebook or contact us if you can help setup and operate the booths as we connect with and serve our community. And even if you can't help, be sure to drop by with your kids and say hi!

VOLUNTEER SHIFTS:
9am-12pm Setup & First Shift
12pm-3pm Second Shift & Teardown

WHAT: Serving at the Kids Spring Fest
WHEN: Saturday, April 16 @ 10am-2pm
WHERE: Pioneer Park next to the Lewis & Clark Library [map/directions]



View photos of last time we served on Facebook here.
View a full screen Picasa slideshow here.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 An Awesome April is Here!

If you've been following Facebook or Twitter, you know we've been talking about an Awesome April.

A number of upcoming changes are generating a new momentum for Encounter as we communicate the excitement of what God is doing in people's lives and in our community. You've got to be asking, what is happening this April? Well, check it out!

Our Worship Gatherings Have Moved!

We've already posted about this, but Encounter Worship Gatherings have moved to the Pattern House on Sunday Mornings at 11am. This is gonna be huge! The Pattern House is an awesome place to meet (you know it is) AND meeting in the mornings is opening the door wide open for many of our friends and neighbors to check out Encounter. This is your opportunity to check us out and invite a friend!

Serving at the Kids Spring Fest

We're ushering in Spring at Pioneer Park with the Kids Spring Fest on Saturday, April 16 @ 10am-2pm. Encounter Church will be hosting a FREE kids bounce house, popcorn, and cotton candy alongside other fun interactive kids activities sponsored by Downtown Helena organizations and businesses. This is another great opportunity to serve our community while also getting the word out about our new 11am meeting time at the Pattern House.

Meet & Greet Concert Evening

Haven't had the opportunity to meet us? This is your chance. We invite you to come out to the Pattern House on Friday, April 22 @ 6:30pm for some free yummy food, tasty refreshments, and some great conversation. Then later, we have some great music lined up at 7pm with recording artist duo, Temple Veil. You don't want to miss this!

Easter Worship at Encounter

Finally, we'd love to have you join us for our first ever Easter Worship Gathering on Sunday, April 24 @ 11am at the Pattern House ! Of course, there will be great live worship music, an encouraging message, and fun for the kids. But we're also having a Super Fun Egg Hunt and giving away the Biggest Easter Basket Ever! Be sure to invite your family and friends!

An Opportunity to Get Involved!

What is really Awesome about this April is the opportunity to get involved with what God is doing in Helena. Yes, we would love for you to attend some events and get to know us, but there is a huge opportunity to make a difference - to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Right now, we are building a community of people who are willing to selflessly serve others with the unconditional love of Jesus. Not only are we regularly impacting the Helena community (you've heard the buzz), there are opportunities for musicians, computer geeks, people who like talking with others, people with a passion to teach kids, and more. Come explore this movement of God called Encounter.

Opportunities for an AWESOME APRIL: Click Here!

Serving the Helena Food Share on March 23 - Afterburn

This last Wednesday, March 23, a group of us from Encounter Church gathered to serve the Helena Food Share and support the awesome difference they make in our community.

The Helena Food Share does an outstanding job providing emergency food assistance to families experiencing economic difficulties.

There was something for everyone to do. We took on whatever projects they assigned our group. We were able to bag over 1,000 pounds of potatoes, assemble 4 crates of eggs, 36 bags of rice, and stack almost 100 cans of potato chips.

We are always eager to serve and share God's love in tangible way. It's why Encounter is known as a church not just IN Helena, but a church FOR Helena.



View the Picasa slideshow here
View the photos on Facebook here

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Come Serve At The Helena Food Share – March 23 @ 6pm

Coming up on Wednesday, March 23, Encounter Church is organizing a group to serve the Helena Food Share and support the awesome difference they make in our community.

Last time, we took on whatever projects they assigned our group including washing carts and baskets, filling and labeling 150 bags of oats, and organizing potatoes, eggs, and plastic bags.

Come be a "burning bush" as we engage our community in a tangible way — just 2 hours of your time can make an incredible impact. We've seen the Food Share in action and they are a blessing to the many neighbors here in Helena who need a helping hand when it comes to being able to put food on the table.

Please RSVP on Facebook or contact us to let us know you can serve.

WHAT: Serving @ Helena Food Share
WHEN: Wednesday, March 23 @ 6-8pm
WHERE: Meet at the Food Share [map/directions]



View photos of last time we served on Facebook here.
View a full screen Picasa slideshow here.

Thursday, January 20, 2011 MLK Youth Music Splash 2011 - Afterburn

On Saturday Jan 15 from 4-8pm, Encounter Church partnered with other community organizations to foster young musicians in Helena.

It was about diversity and community service, and featured 2 solo artists and 4 bands of local youth musicians: The 33 Cent Bet, High Lonesome, Summer Downpour, Last Minute Men, Sarah Frazier, and Stephanie Zarling.

Encounter was privileged to be involved in the early planning stages with representatives from AmeriCoreVISTA, Lewis & Clark Public Library, Youth Connections, Rocky Mountain Development Council, and others. Later, we were able to also partner with the Staggering Ox, GamePods, and Capital FRET to make the evening a huge success!

The event was held at the Staggering Ox and we had about 11 volunteers from Encounter come out to help setup, run, manage, and tear-down the stage and sound equipment. The performances were pretty awesome. Plus, the Staggering Ox was more packed than I've ever seen it! It was an honor to serve the community in this way and to be a part of the Youth Music Splash this year.



View the Picasa slideshow here

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 Serving Helena at the Fall Art Walk - Afterburn

What an amazing way to serve the Helena community last Friday!

The Encounter crew set up just outside of the Capital FRET music store on Last Chance Gulch in the heart of downtown.

Serving FREE gourmet hot chocolate as people walked the downtown area for the 2010 Fall Art Walk, we saw and talked to so many people.

It was packed downtown this year and we served nearly 250 cups of hot chocolate using 12 pounds of chocolate mix!

This is just another way to demonstrate that Encounter is not just a church IN Helena, but we are a church FOR Helena. Here are some photos and a small video clip from the evening.



View the Picasa slideshow here
View the photos on Facebook here

View the video above or on YouTube here.

Monday, November 8, 2010 Serving Helena at the Fall Art Walk - Nov 12 @ 5:30pm

Join us as we connect with and serve those coming out for the Fall Art Walk in Downtown Helena.

This year we plan on serving FREE hot chocolate (and maybe cider) along the route of the Fall Art Walk.

We'll meet and setup just outside the capitalFRET music store at 335 Last Chance Gulch. It's just another way to be a burning bush in our community.

WHAT: Serving Helena at the Fall Art Walk
WHEN: Friday, November 12 @ 5:30pm-7pm
WHERE: 335 Last Chance Gulch (capitalFRET on Last Chance Gulch)

Christmas Decorating in Downtown Helena - Afterburn

This last Sunday, we partnered with local businesses and Downtown Helena to usher in the Christmas season a little early.

We called it Christmas Decorating & Coffee Downtown.

Encounter's group of nearly 22 people came out to help put up Christmas wreaths and decorate street lamps in Downtown Helena. What an awesome turn out!

We had about three groups climbing ladders, fluffing the wreathes (there were some expert "fluffers" there), and snipping cable ties along Last Chance Gulch! After it was all done, we took a little time to share some coffee and fun conversation at Starbucks.

Why do we do it? For us, it's just another way to be a burning bush for our community — to be a church not just IN Helena, but FOR Helena. It's our way to make an impact in our community by giving ourselves away.


View the Picasa slideshow here
View the photos on Facebook here

Monday, October 18, 2010 Christmas Decorating & Coffee Downtown - Nov 7 @ 11am

While the Christmas season is not quite upon us, Downtown Helena will be decorating streets downtown on November 7.

We invite you to come impact our community by helping to usher in the season.

Afterward, we'll gather at the downtown Starbucks for coffee and conversation.

Meet at the Dunphy Building at 11am and plan for coffee about 2pm.

WHAT: Christmas Decorating & Coffee Downtown
WHEN: Sunday, November 7 @ 11am-2pm
WHERE: Meet at the Dunphy Building. Coffee at Starbucks.