Why We Do God Encounter Weekends

This is a quesiton that I hear from time to time. We have been holding encounter weekends now twice a year for five years. We have seen God heal, set free, save, put marriages back together, do miracles, and fill people with the power of the Holy Spirit. We have seen many people leave an encounter and never be the same.

We have seen them called into a ministry...some called to "preach the gospel." We have church groups come and those same people go back and revival break out in their churches...this happens a lot! We have seen people come planning on taking their life and leave filled with hope. We have seen people delivered of drugs, alcohol, sexual perversion, abusive behavior, and occultic practices. We have seen pastors come...lots of them...and forgive people that have hurt them and leave saying that "the encounter saved their ministry." We have witnessed pastors' wives come discouraged and ready to give up, but leave refreshed, renewed, and permanently changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. We have seen people come bitter and angry, and leave repentant and filled with peace and joy. We have seen as many as 50 to 75 people at a time receive the power of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. We have baptized hundreds after encounters in water.

We have many of our encounter participants go back to their local church and go through nine months of training to begin small group ministries. Through these small group ministries believers do evangelism and discipleship and often see people in their small groups begin small groups that evangelize and disciple. We have had several churches come and we were honored to train them in how to do encounters and how to start small group ministries in their churches. These churches now are doing the same with other churches.

Have you heard enough? This is why we hold God encounter weekends. Yes, there lots of work. Yes, we are have received criticism by some who think anything outside of a traditional worship service is not of God. Yes, encounter leaders are targeted by demonic attacks as well as our church body. But five years later we are still standing and its been worth it all!

-Pastor