RICHMOND—“Youth EnCounter is expanding exponentially,” explained Ken Dibble, youth ministry strategist for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. “To reach as many youth as possible with the gospel, we're bringing Youth EnCounter closer to local communities, at less cost, so that more students can be involved.”
Six different Youth EnCounter events are planned at various locations around the state in 2009, each hosted by a local association. Youth EnCounter events will be held this winter and spring in Dublin (Highlands association) and Mechanicsville (Dover association) and at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center in Lynchburg (Augusta association). Three additional events are scheduled for September and October in Laneview (Mid-Tidewater and Rappahannock associations), Newport News (Peninsula association), and Lawrenceville (Concord association).
Youth at a 2007 local YEC event in Roanoke participate in worship.
Each of these regional Youth EnCounter events is being organized by a planning committee from the local area in partnership with the VBMB's emerging leaders team. They feature various themes, speakers and bands and are customized in length to offer a schedule that works best in each community. All 2009 regional events are free, except for lodging and meals at Eagle Eyrie for the Augusta Youth EnCounter.
The regional Youth EnCounter events will take the place of the traditional two-day Youth EnCounter that has been held each summer in Richmond. “We're now focusing on developing multiple events that can be customized to help churches reach youth in their own communities,” said Dibble. “The results of the five regional events that were held in 2007 and 2008 have been exciting to see. More than 6,000 students have participated and hundreds have come to know Christ.”
The ability to customize regional Youth EnCounter events appeals to Danny Quirin, minister of youth at Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke. Quirin was a member of the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association's evangelism committee that organized the first regional Youth EnCounter, held in Roanoke in April of 2007.
“We were able to tailor the event for just what we were wanting to do,” said Quirin. For example, one night was aimed specifically at lifestyle evangelism training for Christian youth.
Quirin also points to the economic advantages of local Youth EnCounter events. “As a youth pastor in today's economy, anytime I can provide my students with a quality event that's local, it's a win-win. We can attend the event, go home and sleep in our own beds, and do it all again the next day.”
Doug Davis, interim pastor at Rappahannock Baptist Church in Warsaw, agrees with the benefit of saving money. “There are some youth who just won't go [to an out-of-town event] because of the distance and the expense,” he said.
For the past two years, Davis has been involved with regional Youth EnCounter events hosted by the Mid-Tidewater association. According to him, one thing the Mid-Tidewater Youth EnCounter has done is to involve local churches of various denominations, as well as the broader community.
“Our Youth EnCounter has always had the theme, ‘Together in Christ,' ” he said. “It was originally to bring all the youth in our area, all the school systems, together. It's an ecumenical event.”
The Mid-Tidewater Youth EnCounter in September of 2008 drew over 600 people to a one-day event at the Middlesex County Fire Department in Laneview.
“It involves the whole community,” Davis said. “If not for the local fire department and law enforcement and the local businesses, it wouldn't be possible. We've always gotten good feedback from our youth, but it has also reached out to some of the adults in our area. The first year we did it, people came just to see what was going on, because we just don't have events like this down here.”
Dibble is excited about the impact that multiple local Youth EnCounter events can have on communities. “When local leaders get behind something like this with perspiration, passion and prayer, it creates a sense of excitement and expectation that becomes fertile ground for God to work,” he said.
Churches or associations that would like to explore the possibility of hosting a future Youth EnCounter event in their community can contact Ken Dibble at ken.dibble@vbmb.org or (800) 255-2428, ext. 2255.
More information on the 2009 Youth EnCounter events is available at www.yec.org.