@ Youth Encounter

On September 17, 78 young men and women were officially commissioned and sent out on the road for Youth Encounter team ministry in fifteen countries around the world. The commissioning service was held at Christ the King Lutheran Church in New Brighton, Minnesota, with many families, friends, alumni and staff in attendance. The service opened with all the teamers singing together an Australian praise song by Hillsong United, “Every Day.” Executive Vice President Dana Peterson addressed the congregation first, welcoming them and giving them a little glimpse into the life of teamers and staff during the past month of training. “Every day, the teamers would pick a word of the day and react very strongly to that word if it came up in conversation or in a session. Well, today I believe the word of the day is ‘commissioning.’” Thunderous applause and loud cheers followed.

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2005 Alumni Service Award Winner: Stephanie Rossing
Rossing Talks About Her Dedication to Youth and God
by Michelle Evens

Bolte (l) nominated Rossing (c) for this year's Alumni Service Award

Youth Encounter’s 2005 Alumni Service Award goes to Stephanie (Keeffe) Rossing. As well as being a Youth Encounter alum, Stephanie is committed to working with youth and the Church and is married and with two children. Below you can read about the amazing things that Stephanie has done since her time on team.

Involvement with Youth Encounter’s ministries:
I was on Cross Fire 1993-1994 to Ghana and Nigeria. After team, I was the Media Director at Youth Encounter from 1994-1997 when we moved into the twenty-first century by purchasing a Macintosh computer and design software to do in-house design that would save Youth Encounter big bucks. This was an exciting transition! While on staff, I married Watermark 1993-1994 member Ted Rossing in 1996 and became an occasional Trek leader for Quakes and Congresses while Ted was an event director from 1999-2004. Since team, Ted and I have both been youth directors, and we have brought our youth groups to Events, hosted teamers, and been advocates of the ministry whenever we get the opportunity.

[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Meet the Teamers
Women and Men of Ministry
by Kate Tripoli

This year, Youth Encounter commissioned 78 young men and women from around the world to serve on its National and International Teams. The 2005-2006 teamers come from 26 different states and seven countries outside the United States (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Romania and Togo), and eight of the commissioned teamers are alumni—some serving a second consecutive year, some returning to team ministry as much as six years after their first team experience. Click here for National Teams and here for International Teams to read more about each teamer and to check out the teams’ itineraries.

[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

What is Missional Youth Ministry?
Get Trained for Life at EDGE!
by TJ Anderson

Missional Youth Ministry is a different approach to youth ministry. It is similar to other models of youth ministry in the sense that it is relational in nature and has caring adult leaders, trips, service projects and small groups. The difference in Missional Youth Ministry is not found in new ideas but in how the ministry pieces are formed out of missional theology. Missional Youth Ministry is developed as a mission center. It is youth ministry that trains students to be missionaries to their families, friends and schools.

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Exciting Changes to Event Ministry!
Captive Free to be Featured at Construction Zones
by Jennifer Miller

The summer has flown by, and now it’s time to begin thinking about registering for the 2005-2006 Quakes and Construction Zones. Although the Early Bird Deadline for the fall Events has passed, there is still time to qualify for the Early Bird Discount for winter and spring Events. The deadline for this is November 1, 2005, so don’t delay. Be sure to register now and get $15 off per person. See www.youthencounter.org/quakes or www.youthencounter.org/zones for more details on how you can qualify.

We’ve got some exciting changes this year to our Events!

[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

New Life in Spoke Folk
Tour Testimonies and News on the Move
by Eric Arundel

Spoke Folk takes off its training wheels at www.spokefolk.org

Wow! What a summer! Our largest yet! We had 148 people on four tours all across the U.S.! People’s lives were changed and new Spoke Folk families were created. Here are a couple quotes from this summer to share:

“Spoke Folk is this incredible experience that just opens its arms and sucks you inside. It’s full of exciting, life-changing people and experiences.”
--Ellie Rogaczewski (MN ‘05)

[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

From Nice to Risky
Giving Meaning to Ministry
by Tiger McLuen

Brian was fidgeting in the hallway outside the church council meeting room. A stern looking council member had asked him to answer a few questions about his youth ministry program--questions Brian knew would be flavored more by accusation than curiosity. Inside the room, his reception was cool. It was quickly clear that his job was on the line.

Some months before, Brian sensed his youth group was in a rut. The kids were nice, but so what? As far as he could tell, the program lacked real life-changing impact in kids’ lives. So he started taking a few risks. Instead of talking about evangelism, he surprised kids by involving them in evangelistic outreach at an outdoor concert. Instead of talking about serving others, he took them on a spontaneous service project in the neighborhood surrounding his church. Instead of talking about prayer, he had his teenagers walk in pairs through a troubled area of his city, praying silently for the people they passed. In the back of Brian’s mind, he expected church leaders to affirm him for his creativity, energy, and evangelistic fervor. Since his changes, the youth ministry was growing. But it was evident the council members, some of them parents of his kids, were seriously upset about Brian’s choices.

[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Our New Online Store
Use the Coupon Code Below and Save!
by Ryan Veil

Check out all our new gear at our new online store!

IT’S ALIVE! No, not the blob from that 60’s horror movie…it’s Youth Encounter’s brand new online store!! You can visit this new store by going to www.youthencounter.org and clicking on “store.” There are several reasons for you to be excited about this. First, all the new t-shirts, hats, and other products are updated and available at this new store. And as if that weren't enough, during our grand re-opening you can save 15% on your entire order! Just use the coupon code D15nsG to take advantage of this offer. But hurry—this is only offered to the first 100 customers and expires October 15.

Youth Encounter Joins Shop4Zero Internet Mall
Give to Youth Encounter Every Time You Shop
by Brett Koopman

As a part of our growth campaign, Youth Encounter has initiated a new fundraising project. The program is SHOP4ZERO, a growing Internet mall that contributes to non-profit organizations as it gives cash to its members for their online shopping and services.

As we further our ministry of proclaiming Christ and changing the lives of youth worldwide, we are so pleased about this tremendous opportunity. You, our faithful supporters, are now able to contribute toward Youth Encounter while at the same time earning a cash-back bonus from all your normal shopping. This additional funding resource is provided to Youth Encounter with no extra expense for you and at the lowest prices on or off the Internet.

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Youth Encounter Qualifies for Thrivent GivingPlus
Gifts from Thrivent Members Are Eligible for a 50% Match
by Brett Koopman

We are excited to announce that Youth Encounter now qualifies as a Thrivent GivingPlus^® recipient. That means that gifts to Youth Encounter up to $600 are eligible for a 50% match by Thrivent if you are a Thrivent member. We are so grateful to be included in this fantastic program.

The GivingPlus^® Member Gift Form must be completed and sent to Youth Encounter with your gift for us to receive those matching dollars. Please click here to download that form. Also, if you are not a member of Thrivent, you may apply to be an Associate member for $10, which will allow you to participate in the GivingPlus program. You may click here to learn more about the requirements for becoming an Associate Member of Thrivent.

The following is valuable information regarding this program:

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Survey Answer

The answer to last month’s survey question is…Poland! Youth Encounter did its first ministry in Poland last summer by sending a Side By Side Global Work Crew. For more information about Side By Side, visit www.youthencounter.org/sidebyside.

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