Encounter Youth

Why does Jesus call his followers into a life of prayer? How are we supposed to enter into it when we have been crushed, disappointed, or filled with doubt because life has turned out the way we expected or prayed it would? Tim shares through the story of Thomas that prayer starts in the place of helplessness. When we stay in the conversation no matter what we are feeling or experiencing, Jesus sh...

National Day of Prayer was an incredible day! Over 230 students from all over the southern end joined us for a dedicated time of seeking God's Presence and praying for our generation. We hope you are stirred by Connor's word from session 1!

Jake brought the fire on session 2 from this years National Day of Prayer! Over 230 students came to worship Jesus and pray for our generation. We hope you are encouraged listening to this message!

One incredibly important aspect of worship is our understanding of the fear of the Lord. It may seem strange that, according to the Bible, one of the ways we draw closer to God is through a healthy reverence and respect. Jake dove into the significance of truly acknowledging how powerful and infinite God is while at the same time trusting His revealed character of love and mercy. If you have wonde...

The English word "praise" basically means to assess someone or some thing's value and tell others about it. Tons of verses through the Bible, and specifically the Psalms, mention praise as something the followers of God are expected to do. However, the Hebrew words translated as praise in English often have more specific and practical actions are a significant part of them. Tim shared about seven...

We're continuing to dive into understanding what the Bible teaches regarding worship and prayer, two of our core values at Encounter Youth! In this message, Tim talked about how praise is a specific action we do in order to express our hearts for God. If you've ever wondered why we spend so much time in musical worship and encourage each to sing and dance, this message is for you! Encounter Youth...

Have you ever wondered what worship really is? Is it just about singing songs? What's up with all the sacrifices in the Old Testament and why don't we do that anymore? One of our values at Encounter Youth is being a community centered on loving God through our worship. In this message, Jake unpacks the story of how God's people have been led to worship Him over the centuries and what that means fo...

We're kicking off a new series to explore the true meaning of worship and prayer! This forms the most significant part of our lives because it's where we experience what we were made for: relationship with God. In this message, Jake lays the groundwork of God's heart for humanity and exposes two lies we often believe and that hold us back from truly knowing God. Encounter Youth meets at Encounter...

We loved hearing for several of our leaders! Our panel was a blast and there was a lot of wisdom shared. If you have questions about dating, how to stick to boundaries, singleness, and more, we hope you tune in to our lively conversation! Encounter Youth meets at Encounter Church (300 Hideaway Dr, Quarryville, PA) on Wednesday nights at 6:45pm. If you would like to join a community of youth who ar...

If we want God to guide our lives, why wouldn't we want him to lead us in finding and pursuing a spouse? In this part of the dating series, Tim shares part of his story and heart for asking God the right questions. He said that while it's not wrong to ask God if someone is "the one", there's better questions to be asking. If you are in a relationship or are excited about one day being in one, we h...

Ready for more wisdom sauce regarding romantic relationships? In this message, Jake shares why boundaries are important while dating. The bottom line is that intimacy without commitment leads to pain. He also gave really practical advice on what kind of boundaries are needed. If you are considering dating someone or are already dating, this message is for you! Encounter Youth meets at Encounter Ch...

How do we build healthy friendships with the opposite sex? Do we just try our best to ignore them? Or do we have no boundaries and just try to treat everyone the same? These are good questions and as followers of Jesus, we are held to a higher standard. We need to take His example seriously and do our best to follow His instructions. Tim Ornelas shared about the two "ditches" on either side of the...

Jake dived deeper into masculinity and femininity at Youth last night! There's a lot of pressure right to be the right kind of man or right kind of women. Many areas of western culture are struggling to define what these really significant parts of our identity are all about. We hope you listen in and get a chance to learn the beauty that God made and why he did so! Encounter Youth meets at Encoun...

We recognize that our generation has more access, more social pressure, and more addiction to p*rnographic material than any other. Because of this, we think it is important to address the seriousness of this temptation with grace and straight talk. Jake preached an amazing message on what lust really is all about, how to defeat the lie of fantasy, and practical ways to get free! If you have strug...

In this message, Jake builds off of the biblical understanding of our bodies. Knowing that they matter and that God created them deliberately and good intent makes all the difference when we begin thinking gender and s*xuality. This is a really important message to listen to if you've had questions or know someone who is wrestling with their gender/Christian values. Encounter Youth meets at Encoun...

Are you ready for another dating series? This week, Jake shared the foundation for everything we're about to talk about. Contrary to what secular philosophy says, the Bible teaches that your body matters. It isn't just something you can use just your own pleasure but a gift from God to steward! This impacts how we view gender, modesty, romantic relationships, and more. Encounter Youth meets at Enc...

Tim Ornelas has a passion for discipleship to Jesus that will last for the long haul. He shared his vision for us to grow old and continue to be more and more in love with God. How do we do that? One thing that is crucial is building resilience by allowing God to shape our values, expectations, and community. When life gets rocky... are you prepared to stay in it to the last round? We hope you are...

Aiden shared his story and was honest about what it was like growing up in a broken family, taking drugs and alcohol at a young age, and questioning the teachings he heard in church. Through it all, he longed to truly know the love of God but felt like he had to earn it somehow. That began to change when he experienced the love of God through a friend and started to understand the heart of Jesus....

As Encounter Church engages in a corporate 21 day fast, Jake shares about the heart behind fasting. He dives into the teaching of Jesus behind the importance of being hungry for God. What happens when we aren't hungry, though? What can we do to stir that up when we do feel like it? The Christian answer for hundreds of years has been straight forward: we fast. If you've ever wondered why Christians...

This week, Jake shares about how the moment when Jesus washes His disciples' feet actually reveals the true meaning of Christmas! It shows us why Jesus had to become a man and die to wash us clean. It also shows off Jesus' incredible humility in the way he led.

This week Jake shares out of a passage of Scripture that changed his life and revealed God's love for him in a whole new way, Ephesians 2! We talk about the state that we were in before God saved us and about how God saved us when we were still His enemies and how this shows us His amazing love.

This week Seth Momcilovich shares about the destiny that each of us has as his child through the lease of his own testimony.

This week Jake shares the full story of Saul's conversion on the road to Damascus. This is an example of how God reveals Himself and pursues us before we ever pursue Him. Our ability to respond to God is a gift that he gives us, even when we are dead in our trespasses and sins.

Why does God love me? This week Tim Ornelas goes after this deep question and opens the Word to show us how God created us to know Him. He created us for the purpose of relationship with Him, and to share Himself with us. He invites us to take the step beyond the shore of knowing about God, to swimming in the ocean of His love.

This was a marking message for our youth group. Jake shares this week on the God's acceptance of us and how to receive it. On how God redeems us and adopts us BEFORE we get our lives together, get free of our sins, and walk in the life that He intends for us. This is part of what makes the Gospel good news, but so often we still try to earn God's love. If you're a church kid, or even if you're not...