Serving Friends at Memorial Park

This last Friday, August 7, we had the opportunity to serve our friends from Blue Cross Blue Shield at Memorial Park.

We hosted employees' families by providing and operating a rock wall, two kids inflatable bouncers, as well as a cotton candy and snow cone booth.

The volunteer team of about ten people from Encounter did an awesome job as well as some volunteers from our Helena sponsor church Big Sky Fellowship.

We see it as just another way to share God's love in tangible way by "being the change" in Helena.

What an awesome way to make a difference, demonstrate God's crazy love in action, and engage our culture! We invite you to to Be The Change in Helena and join us in our next project at Encounter Church.

You can also find some great photos of the effort on Facebook here.

Making Helena Greener - Be The Change

The Making Helena Greener project was a huge success!

A group of us landscaped and planted donated flowers at the Helena YWCA home for women this last Friday, July 10. In a sense, we were involved in redeeming the landscape.

It was a lot of hard work, but it was a joy to serve others in a tangible way — with no strings attached. Honestly, I was blown away by all the people that showed up and gave up their time and effort on a Friday night, no less. You guys are awesome!

What an awesome way to make a difference, demonstrate God's crazy love in action, and engage the culture of Helena! We invite you to to Be The Change in Helena and join us in our next project at Encounter Church.

You can also find a bunch of photos of the effort on Facebook here.

Three Ways to "Be the Change" in Helena this Summer

I've mentioned before that I am really excited about continuing to impact our community and about being a positive agent of change here in Helena where we live, work, and play. Here are three ways you can "be the change" this Summer through Encounter Church.

1) MAKING HELENA GREENER - July 10 at YWCA
As the Making Helena Greener project, we'll be landscaping and planting donated flowers at the YWCA women's home. We invite you to join us there at 7pm this Friday, July 10. If you can, bring $3 to help cover costs as well as some digging tools, such as shovels and spades. You can RSVP at the Facebook page for this event here and also view a video of the area we'll be planting.

2) SERVING FRIENDS - August 7 at Memorial Park
Then we'll be serving our friends at Blue Cross Blue Shield at Memorial Park on August 7. We have the opportunity to host employees' families by providing and operating a rock wall, kids inflatable, as well as a cotton candy and snow cone booth. While the event lasts from 3-7pm, we will need volunteers from 1:30-8pm for setup, operation, and teardown. You can RSVP at the Facebook page for this event here or else contact us soon to find out more.

3) ENCOUNTER T-SHIRT - Order by July 7
We already announced our new fashionable Encounter t-shirts, but did you know that you can help fund our community service events if you order one for $25 or more. They are available in sizes from S-5XL, so order one today by contacting us ASAP. The order deadline is this Tuesday, July 7.

"Hell, Yeah!"

We recently got together and talked about ways we can continue to Engage Culture in Helena. The group had some great ideas and I am really excited about continuing to impact our community and about being a positive agent of change here where we live, work, play, and explore living a life following Jesus.

We've already been involved in Washing Windows at the Helena Walking Mall, and gathering Gift Packages for St. Peter's Hospital O.B. nurses, Broadwater School staff, and the Elkhorn Rehabilitation Center workers.

Two new project we're working on is Making Helena Greener by planting donated flowers at various organizations, and Serving Friends by hosting a rock wall, inflatable, and other booths at Memorial Park. We'll let you know more as the details come together. If you want to get involved, let us know now in our planning stages.

One of our favorite things to do is to extend Simple Acts of Kindness by handing out free Tootsie Pops and other giveaways like bottled water at various community events such as the Vigilante Parade and Alive@Five. It's such a simple way to brighten someone's day and let them know you care — no strings attached.

It's interesting that more than once as we've given free stuff and asked "would you like this free thing?" — we've gotten the response "Hell, yeah." I love that! It means that we're touching people's lives in a simple, yet relevant way.

In a culture that looks at church agendas and organized religion and says "Hell, no!" We're catching people's attention and allowing them to say "Hell, yeah" so they can eventually move forward in a faith journey with Jesus — we're freeing people to Encounter Jesus.

This is just one way to be a burning bush. It's just one way to be something out of the ordinary that captures the attention of a city so that people can hear the voice of God.

And to that I say "Hell, Yeah!"

Support Us By Ordering An Encounter Tee!

We're going to be ordering Encounter tees this week! If you want one, let me know ASAP. They are available in sizes from S to 5X and will be similar to the image here with the Encounter Church logo and url on the back. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

When you order one for at least $25, anything above the $15 tee-shirt cost gets donated directly into the Encounter Church fund.

Of course, those of us involved in this Summer's community service projects will be able to get them at cost.

Click here to donate with check or money order.

Have a 'Sweet' Time Planning to Serve our Community

As the impact of the 7 Days of Servolution in Helena continues to echo through our community, we're getting together to discuss and plan ways we can serve others throughout the Summer.

We already have some great opportunities coming our way, giving us the opportunity to serve needs and make Helena a better place. But we will need some more people.

So bring some services ideas and connections, as well as a friend or two that may be interested in getting involved. Then join us for a 'sweet' time of planning to serve others in the Helena community.

WHEN: Thursday, June 25 @ 7:30pm
WHERE: Dairy Queen, 2850 N. Montana
WHAT: Discuss & Plan Community Service
WHO: You and Your Friends, Everyone Welcome!

View the Facebook event here.

Servolution in Helena on CBS News

On Good Friday, April 10, KXLH aired our interview about Servolution in Helena on the local CBS News. You can find the online CBS article and photos here. While I was originally disappointed with the interview, I have come to realize that the main idea of "Servolution" came across. We are very grateful to KXLH for helping us get the word out.

There were just a couple of details we wanted to clarify:

• Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the originator of the global Servolution.
• Encounter Church organized the effort here in Helena, Montana.
  
• We collected donations and assembled gift baskets for the workers and volunteers of Elhorn, St. Peter's Hospital, and Broadwater Elementary. We didn't exactly volunteer at these organizations as mentioned in the report.
• I'm also pretty sure I never used the phrase "Pay It Forward" :-)

The 7 Days of Servolution Story In Helena

Thousands and thousands of people all over the world been reached through Servolution this past week. At Encounter Church, we are proud that we were are part of it, by organizing the effort here in Helena.

CHANGING THE WORLD – ONE PERSON AT A TIME
Whether we handed out free lollipops, delivered gift baskets, or washed storefronts downtown, the response was often the same – disbelief. It was hard for people to grasp that we were serving them for free with no strings attached. At the same time, once people understood and heard about the idea behind Servolution, they were receptive.

SERVOLUTION ON CBS IN HELENA
One business owner was so excited, she called the local TV news. As a result, we were interviewed about the 7 Days of Servolution in Helena today at the walking mall. You can look for the news cast this Good Friday, April 10 at 5:30 and 10:00pm on the CBS News in Helena.

WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS?
While numbers are not the goal of the Servolution in Helena, they certainly do tell a story. We had 21 volunteers participate in Servolution and directly reached a minimum of 212 people, but I suspect we reached many more indirectly – all while sharing God's love through simple acts of kindness.

There were 5 organized efforts. Three gift baskets were delivered to workers and volunteers who serve our community. Downtown, we served our community as windows were washed, trash was cleaned up, and 115 lollipops were given out for free.

All in all, we gave away nearly 800 free items that were donated by Servolution volunteers. What an awesome way to bless individuals in our community! We just want to say thank you to all who donated and served this week.

THE HEART OF JESUS
As you may know, we at Encounter Church want to free people to encounter Jesus. The most important way people can do that is through us as we reflect His heart and passion in our own lives. As my friend David Timms recently wrote, Jesus has a passion for serving others and encouraging them to do the same...

In the middle of that first Holy Week – as the cross loomed – Jesus gathered His disciples together, took up a towel and basin, and washed their feet. Then he urged them to do likewise, not just for each other but for the blistered, bruised, deformed, and dirty feet of the world. They would serve the broken and the beaten, the disillusioned and the defeated, the hurt and the humbled, not to demonstrate obedience but to define their life’s vocation and purpose.

VIEW MORE PHOTOS
View a slideshow of Servolution photos here.

Servolution Details Available!

More details are now available about what we're doing for the 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA!

Here is the website:
7days.encounterhelena.org

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE
Thursday, April 2 — To start the week, we will deliver gift baskets to show appreciation to volunteers/workers that serve the Helena community. [Facebook event here]

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Tuesday, April 7 — During the week, we help make the walking mall more attractive for everyone in Helena by washing storefront windows. [Facebook event here]

For more information on how you can donate items and get involved, read the website details here. [Facebook event here]

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9. Join with us now!

Join The Servolution!

This April 3-9, Encounter Church will be taking part in 7 Days of Servolution, a week devoted to sharing God’s love and changing lives through simple acts of kindness.

We’re encouraging groups and individuals throughout Helena to take on this challenge and get creative with grass-roots efforts to serve our community.

There are four things you can do to get involved right now:

1. GET THE WORD OUT. Let everyone know about 7 Days of Servolution and encourage them to get involved. You can tell them to visit 7days.encounterhelena.org and that we're inviting everyone to share simple acts of kindness each day from April 3 to April 9.
2. DISTRIBUTE FLYERS. You can download and duplicate the flyers and resources from the website and distribute them all over Helena.
3. GET PERSONALLY INVOLVED. We challenge you to take the opportunity to personally share at least one simple act of kindness as an individual in each of the seven days.
4. JOIN IN A GATHERED EFFORT. To start the week on April 2, we will "serve those who serve" by delivering gift baskets to the volunteers/workers of an organizations that serve the Helena community. During the week on April 7, we will gather to "serve our community" by making the walking mall more attractive for everyone in Helena and washing storefront windows. We need people and donations so click here for more.
   

To get the full details on the 7 Days of Servolution in Helena, visit the website at 7days.encounterhelena.org.

JOIN THE SERVOLUTION!

The Servolution is Live in Helena

Here it is. The new 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA website is live!

7days.encounterhelena.org

These 7 Days of Servolution in Helena an effort of individuals and groups partnering together and reaching out to our community through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God.

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9. Join with us now!

Join Us For '7 Days Of Servolution' In Helena!

As a young church plant, it seems difficult to be able to make a significant impact in our community. We don't yet have a large base of people to mobilize. We don't yet have a sufficient financial backing.

At the same time, engaging culture is an essential part of who Encounter is and who we want to be. Our weekly discussion group has suggested that we be positive agents of change within our city and community.

With this in mind, I've been perplexed about how to serve Helena right now ... until this afternoon when I visited the 7 Days of Servolution website. 7 Days of Servolution is a coordinated effort to join with individuals all over the nation and the world to share God's love and change lives through simple acts of kindness.

Go and check out the website now, then come back and continue reading.

The idea is to choose one day between April 3 and April 9 to organize a service project for your community (the week before Easter). The website lists many ways churches and individuals can get involved – for all sizes of groups and all budgets.

A 7 DAYS OF SERVOLUTION IN HELENA
Let's make these 7 Days of Servolution in Helena an effort of individuals that represent many churches. It's about partnering together and reaching out to our community through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God to people in our community. You can participate regardless of what church you may attend.

We invite you to participate in at least one of two ways:

1. Personally Share One Act Of Kindness Each Day
   
   Let's make this effort true to it's name by taking a full 7 days to serve our community. We challenge you to take the opportunity to practice at least one simple act of kindness as an individual in each of the seven days.
   
   One idea is to purchase a coffee for the person behind you at the coffee shop. Be creative! There are virtually millions of things we can do. Imagine if our neighbors all over Helena noticed a difference That one single week from April 3-9!
   
   
2. Join Together For One Gathered Effort With Others
   
   Let's join together for a single, gathered effort to share God's love through a coordinated simple act of kindness. We are meeting together to brainstorm and plan what exactly we will do and when. We will then post the details here.
   
   If you would like to join us for the brainstorming and planning meeting at 6:30pm on Friday, March 20, click here for more.
   
   

JESUS CAME TO SERVE, NOT TO "SELL" THE FAITH
Since the focus of this effort is on showing God's love through service, our goal is not necessarily to promote specific churches or to evangelize people. Just as Jesus came to serve, not be served — we, too, will be sharing the heart of Jesus by our actions through simple acts of kindness alone. Instead, let's focus our efforts on inviting everyone you know to get involved — regardless of whether they are from your church or are even a follower of Jesus.

Make sure you are a part of the Servolution this April 3-9 as we share God's love through simple acts of kindness so that lives can be changed through the power of Christ.

JOIN US NOW!