Monday, April 27, 2009 Discussion 6 on April 28: Are Christians Fundamentalists Who Take the Whole Bible Literally?

Join us this Tuesday, April 28 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our sixth discussion night. Come early at 6:00pm if you want to enjoy a sandwich with us before the discussion.

To review, we've been going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church. See our previous posts for more.

We are intentionally getting out into a public space — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue — and using the opportunity to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion. So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend.

This Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Are Christians Fundamentalists Who Take the Whole Bible Literally?"

Contact us if you want to know more.

Also, we will talk a little more tonight about our new discussion series and will be planning another game night for next Tuesday. W00-hoo!

Monday, April 20, 2009 Discussion 5 on April 21: Do Christians Arrogantly Think All Other Religions Are Wrong?

Join us this Tuesday, April 21 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our fifth discussion night. Come early at 6:00pm if you want to enjoy a sandwich with us before the discussion.

To review, we've been going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church. See our previous posts for more.

We are intentionally getting out into a public space — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue — and using the opportunity to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion. So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend.

This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Do Christians Arrogantly Think All Other Religions Are Wrong?"

Contact us if you want to know more.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009 Discussion 4 on April 14: Is The Church Homophobic?

Join us this Tuesday, April 14 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our fourth discussion night – and probably our most controversial. Come early if you want to enjoy a sandwich with us before the discussion.

To review, we've been going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

Again, we're pretty excited about getting out of our homes and out into the public – among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue. This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Is The Church Homophobic?"

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Friday, March 27, 2009 Join Us For Another Game Night

ABOUT THE GAME NIGHT
There will be no They like Jesus Discussion this fourth week on March 24. Instead, everyone is invited to this social gathering and game night (i.e. Killer Bunnies, Apples to Apples). Bring a game and a friend, as well as some pop or snacks to share.

It doesn't matter if you are in the group or not, you are invited. We'll be meeting at the Powell Home on Tuesday, March 31 @ 6:45pm. Email me if you have any questions or comments or visit the Facebook event listing here.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION
Resuming Tuesday April 14, the discussion group to explore why people who like Jesus, don't connect with church.

On discussion nights at the Staggering Ox, we're viewing DVD clips and discussing relevant topics from Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church.

While responding to six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church, we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion.

Invite some friends to the discussion by sending them to theylikejesus.encounterhelena.org

Saturday, March 21, 2009 Discussion 3 on March 24: Does The Church Restrict And Oppress Women?

Join us this Tuesday, March 24 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our third discussion night. Come early if you want to enjoy a sandwich with us before the discussion.

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church — guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

Again, we're pretty excited about getting out of our homes and out into the public — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue. This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Does the Church Restrict and Oppress Women?"

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Thursday, March 12, 2009 Discussion 2 on March 17: Is The Church Negative, Judgemental, and Political?

Join us this Tuesday, March 17 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our second discussion night. We'll have a little St. Patrick's Day celebration of our own. :-)

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church – guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

Again, we're pretty excited about getting out of our homes and out into the public – among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue. This next Tuesday, we will take in two DVD segments and discuss "Is The Church Negative, Judgemental, and Political?"

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Friday, March 6, 2009 Discussion 1 on March 10: The Danger Of The Christian Bubble

Join us this Tuesday, March 10 @ 6:30pm at the Staggering Ox for our first discussion night.

There will be live music going on as we try to take in two DVD segments and discuss "The Danger of the Christian Bubble." At the same time, we're pretty excited about getting out of our secluded homes and out into the public arena — among those with whom we hope to create a dialogue.

To catch you up, we're going through six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church — guided by Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. Over the next weeks we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion. See our previous posts for more.

Too often, the responses we Christians communicate to others actually end dialogue and close our opportunity to learn from each other. Our ultimate goal here is to create a forum of open and honest communication and dialogue.

So even if you're just curious, feel free to drop by and bring a friend. You don't have to attend every session to get something out of the discussion.

Contact us if you want to know more.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 Join Us For A Game Night Social

Getting ready to launch our Guided Discussion Group in two weeks, we're starting off with a Game Night Social to break the ice.

Join us this Tuesday, March 3 to meet others, play some games (i.e. Killer Bunnies, Apples to Apples, etc.), and have some refreshments.

We'll be meeting at the Powell Home at 6:45pm. Feel free to bring some soda or munchies to share. Email me if you have any questions or comments.

ABOUT THE DISCUSSION GROUP
We invited you to the discussion group here. Basically, we'll be viewing DVD clips and discussing relevant topics from Zondervan's They Like Jesus But Not The Church. While responding to six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church, we'll seek to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion.

Here are some more details:

• The discussion group will consist of six guided discussions throughout March and April.
• We'll have three Game Night Socials. One at the beginning (March 3), one in the middle March 24), and one at the end (May 5).
• We'll take one week off during Spring Break on April 7.
• We've been discussing meeting at the Lewis & Clark Library or other public place. We'll discuss and finalize at the Powell Home on March 3, the first Game Night Social.
• We're meeting at the Staggering Ox on Tuesdays at 6:30. Arrive at 6pm to share a meal together.
  
• Be sure and invite some friends. You can send them to theylikejesus.encounterhelena.org

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 You Are Invited!

In the next month of March as we seek to develop partnerships with churches across Montana, we are not quite ready to begin hosting Informational Meetings or Planting Team Meetings. However, we've had many people ask us how they can get involved and find out more of what Encounter is about.

With that in mind, we are planning a six-week guided discussion group (aka small group) to explore why people who like Jesus, don't connect with church. It will be an opportunity for spiritual growth like many small groups, but it will also allow those who have an interest in possibly joining Encounter's Planting Team to learn more about how our vision, mission, strategy, and values play out in the real world with real issues.

We hope to express the heart of Encounter Church with clarity, boldness, and compassion as we discuss and respond to six of the most common objections and misunderstandings emerging generations have about the church.

THEY LIKE JESUS BUT NOT THE CHURCH
To generate discussion and examine our own responses, we will encounter the firsthand thoughts and feelings of those who find Jesus attractive but don’t care for organized religion. From the Zondervan DVD and participant guide to They Like Jesus But Not The Church, we'll explore some of these questions about the church...

Isn’t the church just organized religion that is politically motivated? Is the church homophobic? Does it take the entire Bible literally? Does the church repress women? Is it judgmental and negative? Does it arrogantly think all other religions are wrong?

YOU ARE INVITED!
So the invitation is out. If you are at all captivated by the vision we've communicated for Encounter Church, if you want to explore how a faith community can welcome people in a non-judgmental atmosphere, if you want to discuss how Jesus would respond in these situations - we invite you to join us. We invite you to invite your friends.

Let us know today if you are interested in attending or if you want more details.