@ Youth Encounter

Homecoming 2004 is on its way! Saturday, August 14, 2004, the Youth Encounter family welcomes all friends, alumni, and guests to celebrate thrirty-nine years of ministry! This one-day event will take place at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Please join us as we welcome back the 2003-2004 International Teams and National Bands and celebrate their year of service with Youth Encounter. The teams will be sharing music and celebrating their ministry across the United States and around the world! For information, please e-mail Allison Slipka at allison@youthencounter.org or call her at (800)65YOUTH, extension 233. We look forward to celebrating with you!

Get In The Zone!
Where Can You Find the Latest Construction Zone Information?
by Youth Encounter

The website for our new Senior High Events called Construction Zones (www.constructionzone.org ) is now active! Beginning this fall, nine Construction Zones will be providing premiere Senior High youth ministry across the nation. We have told you about dynamic worship leaders, on-site servant projects, in-depth studies regarding spiritual gifts, and opportunities to explore the incredible Find Your Fit curriculum. We are getting more and more excited about the amazing things God will do through these new retreats! We are constantly updating the website with new information, so KEEP CHECKING BACK! If you would like to specifically talk to someone about this new event, you can contact us at zones@youthencounter.org . Thank you so much for your interest and we look forward to seeing you in the Zone!

Youth Encounter Website Reaches the Globe
Results for June Survey Question
by Brett Koopman

Every now and then we are reminded that we truly live in a Global Community of Christians. Most recently it has been through our website. A year ago only 1% of Youth Encounter’s web traffic originated outside the United States. It is now more than 4%. We now have 100 or more Web visitors from 22 different countries.

Last month’s survey question asked readers to identify the top three countries. The results are in. This is what you said:

Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom 25%
Germany, Canada, Denmark 60.7%
Canada, the Netherlands, Nigeria 3.6%
Tanzania, France, Germany 10.7 %

You picked the correct answer, the top three are Germany, Canada, and Denmark. The rest of the top 10 in order are the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, China, Australia, Nigeria, France and Taiwan.

New Dawn Witnesses the Global Church
New Dawn Brings Greetings From Your Family in Christ in Papua New Guinea
by New Dawn

“Greetings to all of you from the churches of Papua New Guinea! I don't know if anyone on my team has officially said that or not, so I will. I can't even begin to express the excitement and joy the churches in PNG had in welcoming and receiving a few humble visitors from the United States. To them it was such an honor and a blessing that we would travel halfway around the world just to spend a few days, and sometimes only as a little as a few hours, at their villages and churches. We were so often asked why we wanted to come to Papua New Guinea, a small country that most people don't even know exists, let alone where it is. It was such an honor to be able to respond, ‘We are here to spend time with you and to worship our Lord together.’ What a privilege to tell someone that they matter so much, that we would travel so far just to meet them. And so, I hope you all know how blessed the churches of Papua New Guinea felt to have us, how thankful we are for all the support you have all offered to get us there, and how excited the people of PNG were to offer their greetings and blessings to everyone back home. How wonderful to have a God who's love spreads to all corners of the earth!"
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Watermark Shares the Impact of God's Love
Watermark Reaches Out in Europe and Returns Home
by Watermark

“Today is our last day in Germany! Dang, the time has gone fast!!! It hasn't really sunk in though that we're going to ROMANIA TOMORROW! My goodness! I'm super excited, there is some nervousness in the team, because we don't really know Romanian or Hungarian (the language used in the church we're going to be a part of) and because Romania is going to be very different than anything we've experienced so far...but I'm just excited!!! We get to go to Romania!!! Woo-hoo!

Tonight we played our last concert in Germany and it was awesome, it was packed with people and I don't really know where they all came from, but somehow a bunch of people were packing this old church wanting to hear some music and some word from God. My host sister made a huge banner (like 6' by 4') and hung it from the balcony of the church. After the concert we had to pack up really fast because tonight we had to drive 5 hours to Riesa, Germany to the Passler's house, where we would sleep for a couple hours and then take a train to Frankfurt to take a plane to Cluj, Romania, to meet our Romanian contact and start a new adventure!"
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Captive Free North Central
Growing and Changing
by Captive Free North Central

“It is interesting to think about how different team life would be if we were a group of people who knew each other beforehand and shared the same theological ideas and similar backgrounds (this is how I imagine band life to be). Much might be gained: great things can be accomplished through a group who shares the same vision. Yet much would be lost. For me, growth has come through encountering and experiencing the differences of each member of our team. And glory to God for the work that He accomplishes in us through our differences and the work that He accomplishes through us in our ministry to others despite our differences and our occasional lack of cohesion. Team life and Christian band life share this in common: it seems an exceptionally unique way to live; a group of people, whose goal is ultimately, despite their backgrounds, sharing the love of God and the message of Jesus with those they encounter. Everything after that is just fluff. It is good for me to remember what is important and what is fluff.”
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Captive Free South West
Simply the Messengers
by Captive Free South West

“I have discovered that one of the most wonderful things about this ministry is the fact that it has been going on for so long. Knowing how many people have traveled this path before me is so reassuring and comforting. We are all like a family, each year of ‘teamers’ representing a new generation. I have realized that this year will in fact come to an end, and a new group of chosen people will carry on the same message that we are. Of course the way they present it will be unique, as every team is, but the mission will always be the same. It is so easy to put myself at the center of things, and recognizing my place in the big picture of this ministry has truly opened my eyes. God is the one who runs the ministry year after year, and the people that join team are simply the messengers. We are the messengers!!”
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Youth Create 2004
A Celebration of Artistic Talent in Youth to the Glory of God
by Youth Encounter

From June 20^th to June 26^th, a group of young artists joined together to participate in “an adventure in contemporary music, arts, and ministry” called YOUTH CREATE, one of Youth Encounter’s summer ministry opportunities for young people. Directed by Youth Encounter’s own Cathy Pino, Youth Create allows individuals and groups to come together for a week of workshops led by artists in residence. Youth Create provides the opportunity for young people to learn about using their talents to serve the Church and the world in worship and the arts. Youth Encounter’s Watermark team, who recently returned from their overseas ministry in Germany, Romania, and the Czech Republic, served as the “House Band” for the week. Here, Watermark member Steve Ellwein shares about his experience with the participants of Youth Create 2004:
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

We Need YOU!
What Kind of Products Would YOU Like to See from Youth Encounter?
by Ryan Veil

As the team ministry year for Youth Encounter draws to an end, we are looking ahead to next year and designing new resource products, AND WE WANT YOUR INPUT! We at Youth Encounter know that you have some great ideas and feedback and we want to hear it. So here’s the deal: If you have any ideas for new T-shirts or totally new products that we don’t currently offer, or any other crazy ideas for that matter…e-mail them to sales@youthencounter.org with the subject “Ideas.” We will read all your comments and ideas and take them into consideration when designing next year’s product line. After all, our resources won’t be effective unless you all like them, so PLEASE send me your thoughts and ideas.

If you would like to order and of our current products online, check out www.youthencounter.org and click on “Store.”

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