Youth Encounter

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I know it may seem like summer is months away, but the National Event Department has lots going on right now. Here are some highlights to mark on your calendar and tell your youth about!

HAWK NELSON will be featured as the headlining concert the last night of the Event. Hawk Nelson has released two CDs and has been featured on television and the big screen. To find out more about Hawk Nelson and preview their music, check them out at www.hawknelson.com.

PAUL WRIGHT, who goes by “Mr. Wright,” has been selected to be the EDGE opening act on Friday, July 20. Paul blends acoustic guitar with the soul of hip hop for a unique and “can’t miss” sound. Want to find Mr. Wright? Check out www.paulwright.com.

After Thanksgiving, check out the EDGE video commercial with clips from 2006! The video can be found on the Edge website at www.edge-event.org. Want your own copy of the video to play at your church to get kids interested in coming? Contact Dani, the National Event Director, at danielle@youthencounter.org for your church’s very own copy.
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Global Work Crews 2007
Trips Available to Australia, Guatemala, Slovakia, and Tanzania
Susie Anderson

Travel with us as we work in mission with local communities around the world! In 2007, Youth Encounter will send Global Work Crews to four different countries—Australia, Guatemala, Slovakia, and Tanzania. Also, this year for the first time, we are excited to be offering a Spring Break trip! From March 30-April 7, 2007, we will travel to San Lucas Tolimán in Guatemala to experience Holy Week in a Mayan community located on the shore of Lake Atitlán. For our summer trips, we will travel to Australia, Guatemala, Slovakia and Tanzania. Trips will last two to three weeks while we work side by side with people from the communities to foster growth and understanding between cultures. The schedules and prices of the trips are listed below. Please see our website, http://www.youthencounter.org/globalworkcrews, for more information or to download application forms. Contact Susie at 651-287-8481 or susie@youthencounter.org if you have questions.
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Sounds Like Love 2006
"We Were Deeply Moved by Their Singing"
Susie Anderson

"I attended the concert yesterday and found it so beautiful and inspiring. Thanks for an awesome weekend for hundreds of youth!!!!"

"I love the Sounds Like Love weekend!! Thanks so much for all the people who put it on!!" Annie, SLL Participant

"Just a quick reply to let you know how wonderful SLL 2006 was!" Val, Parent Volunteer

"Thanks for all your help and literally for everything that Sounds Like Love encompasses. Please extend our thanks to the entire staff at Youth Encounter for a job excellently done--again! We're looking forward to '07." Pastor Jack, Group Leader

"Our daughter participated in Sounds Like Love this past weekend. We drove up from Naperville, IL to attend on Sunday. The performance was awesome and inspiring. Thank you to Youth Encounter and the church for hosting this wonderful event. This is the sixth year in a row we have had a daughter attend and our first year to see the show in person. Youth Encounter and the church are spreading the love of Jesus thru our high school children and we were deeply moved by their singing." Parents of Kristin, Sounds Like Love Participant
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Fall Event Kick-Off a Great Success
Register Today for a Quake or Zone in Your Area
Stephanie Gunderson

It’s almost December! That means that the first Quakes and Zones of the year are already over. The Lord has been moving in marvelous ways through the Events this fall and we are very excited about the upcoming events after the first of the year! We have enjoyed working with the different Captive Free teams and hearing their stories. It’s always great to get to see them on the road and doing what they do best—being relational ministry “monsters” (and playing awesome music, too). It’s been fun to see the different program pieces finally put into action and see people’s responses and hear their feedback. It’s been a great fall!
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Spotlight Artist: Jonathan Rundman
Protestant Rock Ethic Now Available
Kate Tripoli

Jonathan Rundman, a longtime friend and collaborator with Youth Encounter, released a new double-disc album this fall called Protestant Rock Ethic. The album is a generous collection of previously unreleased works supplementing Rundman’s new worship project, A Heartland Liturgy. We asked Jonathan what he had to say for himself.

YE: How long have you been a singer/songwriter/performer?

JR: Ever since my junior year in high school. My first official public gig was in the spring of my eleventh grade year. And, 2006 is my 10-year anniversary of being a full-time musician.

YE: How long and in what ways have you been connected to Youth Encounter?

JR: My youth group attended the Chicago Congress for all my high school years, and my congregation hosted concerts by Covenant (West Lakes) when I was a youth. I toured with Youth Encounter teams from 1989-1991, and played music as a solo artist at Youth Encounter Events from 1991-2001. I've also written three Youth Encounter Event/program theme songs.
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Teaming Up to Reach the World…One Small Town at a Time
A Story From the Road
Bob Lenz

Fennimore, WI–It’s almost in Iowa. As we parked the bus, we saw the Fennimore High School on one side and a corn field on the other. We had a typical day on the road. There was a junior high program in the morning and a high school in the afternoon. The attendance numbers were smaller simply because we were in a small rural community: only 400 students between the two school assembly programs.

But I have to believe it’s worth it, for Jesus said he would leave the 99 for just one–one little scared and hurting lost lamb being brought back into the fold. The program started, and AJ the Animated Illusionist mesmerized the audience once again. They had a top quality Vegas act in their school. How it must scream, “This is important! We matter to these people. We matter to our community who brought them here.”
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This Is How I Know God Is Working Through Me
Read Excerpts from Captive Free East Lakes's Online Journal
Captive Free East Lakes

Katlynn of East Lakes at the Interlochen Lock-In

Lock-in (lok/in)--n--A ceremonial get together where junior high/senior high students get hyped up on caffeinated beverages and proceed to remain awake throughout the night playing games, such as the famous DDR, watching movies on large projection screens, and communicating to each other through loud screeches, grunts, and other assorted noises.

Excellent.

Lock-ins are a blast, and probably one of my favorite things we do on team. (Besides the fact that I usually don't get a shower the next morning.) What's excellent about a lock-in is simply stated in the name of the whole idea. The kids are locked in. They can't go anywhere. We have complete control over their whereabouts. HA! Secondly, it's extremely informal. We don't seem as much like "rock stars" when we are in our pajamas. This gives us an opportunity to be really relational; way more than after our XP worship services. And lastly, there's just something strangely amusing about waking up a bunch of teens who have had very little sleep with a song that says, "I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic!"
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We Know That God's Love Covers Everything
Read Excerpts from Kindred's Online Journal
Kindred

Nursing homes are treasure chests full of hidden treasures.

I had the chance to discover a few treasures at our first nursing home visit of the year. Anne grasped my hand for ten minutes and told me about her childhood in Scotland and then in Pittsburgh, PA. We sang "Just As I Am" by request from a man that Camille talked with. We had never sung the song as a team, but even without practice, the smile took over the man's face as he closed his eyes and sang along.

I took Florence back to her room after the program, and she proudly told me that she would be turning 100 years old next month. She loves to color and do arts and crafts. Her wall was covered in things that would remind her of Jesus, including a poster with part of my favorite verse, Zephaniah 3:17. She told me that sometimes she wondered why the good Lord had left her on this earth for so long, that she was ready to go home to Heaven. But every morning she knew that if God had allowed her to still be here, then he must have a purpose for her, so every day she asks God to use her in some way, even if it's just waving at someone. Her soft royal blue robe with images of the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars said so much about her beautiful heart.
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Youth Encounter Qualifies for Thrivent GivingPlus
Gifts from Thrivent Members Are Eligible for Up to a 50% Match

We at Youth Encounter continue to be grateful to qualify 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 thankful 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. NOTE: Gifts from Associate Members will not be matched after January 1! If you are an Associate Member and would like your gift matched, please give before the end of the year!

The following is valuable information regarding this program:
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Youth Encounter and SHOP4ZERO Internet Mall
Shop for the Holidays and Give Back to Youth Encounter

As a part of our growth campaign, Youth Encounter has initiated a unique 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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