@ Youth Encounter

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Prices increase December 1, 2005.

Still thinking about serving with YouthWorks on the way to EDGE!?

There’s still space available for your group! Sign up today!
Choose from these four sites: Coahoma, Mississippi; Delbarton, West Virginia; Cairo, Illinois (bus-friendly); Marvell, Arkansas (bus-friendly)

For more information check out www.edge-event.com.

Youth Encounter Teams Participate in Hurricane Relief
Read Excerpts From the Teams' Online Journals
Youth Encounter

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.”—Matthew 7:24-25

Every month, we feature excerpts from our National and International Teams’ online journals with stories of ministry, lessons learned on the road, and testimonies of God’s active presence in His people. This month, we are pleased to highlight three teams that had opportunities to be a part of the relief and clean-up efforts in Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We also encourage you to check out the online photo album for pictures from Captive Free South Central’s, New Dawn’s, and Captive Free Gulf Coast’s hurricane relief ministry.

Our praise goes up to God for all the ways He has allowed us to live out the Gospel in service, and our thoughts and prayers remain with all those displaced by the Gulf hurricanes.

Captive Free South Central: Nederland, Texas

We set off for Nederland at about 9:00 a.m. At the beginning, I started thinking about what could possibly be lying ahead of us. I started watching the scenery when we got a ways onto the highway. As we kept driving, I started noticing more and more trees were tipped over and more and more bits of debris were lying about. I started wondering how bad this could be and if any of the homes in the town we were going to were going to be like the ones that I saw on T.V. I wondered if I was prepared for what we were going to see. I was getting excited as I saw more and more debris, but I was also getting really nervous.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

New Dawn: Biloxi, Mississippi

Photographs. Partial dollar bills. Pieces of playing cards. A VHS tape of Dirty Dancing. A vase. A spoon. A teddy bear. Shingles. A window pane. These are all items that we found amidst the rubble in a home in Biloxi, Mississippi today. Today was our first day on a work crew in Biloxi, which is about 85 miles east of New Orleans on the Gulf Coast. We were at a home that had about four feet of standing water in it after the surge of Hurricane Katrina. When there is standing water for 5-6 hours, there is water damage to the house after the water recedes. So the task in most of the houses is to completely gut it out—furniture, carpet (if the storm hadn't torn it up already), walls, ceiling, insulation…a lot of the houses look like they are in the process of being built instead of being taken apart. Some were lucky enough to still be standing on their original foundation and have the frame of the house still intact. It was like being in a war torn ghost town. Streets were empty, save for a determined few adding to the garbage piles at the end of their lawns, faces worn with exhaustion and grief. The clean up process seemed endless. Every shovel of debris we threw into a wheelbarrow uncovered another layer of scattered belongings. It was so surreal. It was hard to comprehend the reality that these were people's homes—their lives.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Captive Free Gulf Coast: New Orleans, Louisiana

We made it safely to New Orleans. It was quite the drive seeing the many horrific things Hurricane Katrina did. We knew we were getting close when we started seeing all the destruction everywhere. There are many billboards destroyed, not yet taken down, as well as houses and property things destroyed. Many random things still lying in ditches and on the roadways. It was just amazing to see how she hit here and there. One building fine, the neighboring building totaled. There has been a lot done cleaning up the town, and there is TONS more to do.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

The First Events of the Season!
Ministry Among All Ages at Quakes and Zones
Jon Henderson

Youth at the Seattle Quake with Watermark teamers at lunch

Now, I understand that not everyone can be privy to the hustle and bustle of the Youth Encounter office, so for those of you who are not present with us here in St. Paul—EVENT SEASON IS UPON US! As we kick into Coffee Mode, I’d like to take a moment and fill you in on what’s happened already.

Niagara Falls (November 4-6) was an incredible time of worship, growth, and renewal. One of the girls attending injured her leg while skipping (she laughed about this later), and when her leaders discussed taking her to the hospital, she started crying (which she hadn’t done up to this point) because it was her first Quake and she was loving it. Later that night, she was seen limping around very noticeably with a smile on her face.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

For Crying Out Loud: Rachel Kurtz
Minnesota Musician Talks About Life and Ministry
Kate Tripoli

Visit www.rachelkurtz.com for CDs and booking info!

Rachel Kurtz, a Cross Fire 1997-98 alum and Minnesota musician, recently released her third full-length album, For Crying Out Loud, and spoke to Youth Encounter about her profession and her passions.

How has being a part of Youth Encounter’s team ministry affected your professional life?

I was on Cross Fire ‘97-’98, and I had never played a guitar or written a song until that time! I was also an Event musician for a lot of Junior High Quakes from 2000 to 2004. Playing at the Quakes was really the start of my career as a professional musician, and being affiliated with Youth Encounter also introduced me to some really wonderful musicians, several of whom appear on my new album: Micah Taylor, Nate Houge, Jonathan Rundman, George Baum, Jayanthi Macden…plus Welaware and Fuller Still performed at my CD release concert, which was really fun.

More than being able to make great professional connections, though, Youth Encounter has inspired me and trained me to be a relational musician. Youth Encounter is really gifted at amplifying people’s ability to be relational, and I have tried to incorporate that into my own ministry.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Why Is My Small Group Not Connecting?
Creating a Shared Experiential Situation
Mike Bernard

“This is possibly the dumbest idea I’ve ever had…I really am an idiot” read the scrolling marquee running through my mind as I neared the end. So far I’d eaten way more greasy fast food than I ever imagined I could, but I was not about to back out now. “I am close to victory. I’ll be a hero.” Such were my thoughts a few weeks ago as I participated in the first annual “$.99 Menu Challenge,” a contest I had devised for my small group of eleventh grade guys. The premise is that you get a group of teens, walk into Wendy’s™, order one of everything on the $.99 menu, and see which of you can eat all eleven items without dying. Of twelve competitors, I was one of six to finish…I am getting too old for this kind of insanity!

“So why would you not only participate in such shenanigans, but actually organize something like that?” you may be asking yourself. The purpose for small group activities of this sort is to create a special kind of bonding, which I call a Shared Experiential Situation (SES).
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Youth Encounter Qualifies for Thrivent GivingPlus
Gifts From Thrivent Members Are Eligible for a 50% Match
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:
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Youth Encounter Joins Shop4Zero Internet Mall
Give to Youth Encounter and Get Cash Back While You Shop
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.
[CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY]

Holiday Favorites at the Online Store
Cozy Clothes and Great Music
Ryan Veil

‘Tis the holiday season! Or, at least it soon will be. Visit our online store by going to www.youthencounter.org and clicking on “Store” to find Lost And Found’s Christmas album. The great collection includes:

Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Joy to the World
Angels We Have Heard on High
…AND MANY MORE!

And of course, they’re performed in the Lost And Found style we have come to love. So get yours today!

The holiday season also means cold weather. Youth Encounter offers hooded sweatshirts, beanie stocking hats, long sleeved t-shirts, and more. Visit our online store to see how Youth Encounter can keep you warm this winter!

Shout Out!

Thanks to PJ of St. James in Kansas City for rescuing Captive Free South Central’s van and trailer!

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