• No clues as to what the gathering is about or who is invited
(Is Jesus invited? I don't know. Is he large?)
• Sociological nature of the name has generic/static connotations
(Does this nondescript group change or is it stuck forever in ambiguous largeness?)
• Not especially welcoming to new folks, and taken for granted by members
(Why do we do this again? What are we hoping for in this space?)
At the start of the semester, our fellowship (in various settings) voted on the new name, Encounter. Encounter is meant to be a place where we encounter God, and God encounters us. We've experienced the reality that encounters with God transform our thinking, feeling, and acting. We can expect God to move because he is active and engaged and because he goes out of his way to be accessible to us in our limited frailty.
As we have been exploring this new space, we've had different kinds of Encounters. Our first was a talk series on "What Comes First?"
We also have had two Prayer Encounters -- one focused on intercession, and one focused on prayer ministry.
It's still a bit experimental week-to-week, but it has definitely been a space for our community to gather around Jesus, renew our minds, receive unconditionally accepting love from God, and respond. May God continue to Encounter Cal Christian Fellowship!
