About Us
How it started…
Back in 2018, Rachael and Vanessa went to Spring Harvest in Harrogate. As they set off, their minister challenged them; “fix all-age worship!”
Vanessa enjoyed all-age worship. Rachael did not. In fact, it wouldn’t be unfair to say she actively disliked it.
By halfway through the week, Rachael had received confirmation of her calling to train as a local preacher in the Methodist Church. This gave Vanessa an opportunity to drag Rachael to a seminar on all-age worship.
The seminar* was late in the afternoon. And by the time they had finished their tea (pizza), ENCOUNTER had been born. On a page in Vanessa’s notebook was a name, a mission statement, a list of things to consider and a list of resources to acquire.
On their return to Hull, Vanessa and Rachael were excited to meet with their minister and share their vision. In fact, they may have been a little TOO excited! His response was, “I’m not really sure what you’re on about, but go for it.”
So they did.
It was a success. In fact, it was such a success they were asked to plan the next month’s all-age service with another preacher. ENCOUNTER had arrived!
In 2022, Katy joined the team, having been part of all-age worship in other churches as well as ENCOUNTER. Her experience leading accessible church for children at New Wine (Our Place), along with her desire to see her new son grow up in a church where he could worship with his church family, made her the ideal addition.
*Led by the wonderful Nick and Becky Drake of worship for everyone.
Rachael
Rachael is a mum of two, a local preacher-in-training and a dentist. She is a preacher’s kid who always said she would never be a preacher herself, but God clearly has a sense of humour! She is never without a book on the go and often comes to church with a ball of wool and a crochet hook. Rachael takes preaches at ENCOUNTER services regularly.
Vanessa
Vanessa is a keen musician, worship leader and special needs teacher. She has a passion for enabling people to meet with God whatever their circumstances. She is an avid Hull City fan and spends her summers watching cricket. Vanessa is responsible for many of the features which make ENCOUNTER accessible and inclusive.
Katy
Katy joined the ENCOUNTER team in autumn 2022, after moving to the area. She has a young family and a very bouncy dog. She is a special needs teacher and has loads of ideas for sensory and messy activities to help young children engage with worship.
Young and old worshipping together.
Young and old learning together.
Young and old praying together.
Unity across all ages.
What We Believe
Encounter is about being together and encountering God together; the whole family of God in the presence of God, pouring out our praises to Him.
We believe that God created all people equally and loves them. We believe that all people have the ability to worship God, regardless of age and ability, and we aim to facilitate this. Our aim is “all-together worship,” the idea that we can meet as a whole Church family to worship God.
We believe that worshiping God should be at the heart of all we do. Worship is more than singing; it’s about our attitude. Everything in our ENCOUNTER services is done in the spirit of worship. We need to elevate children (there is no junior Holy Spirit!) and engage adults, without focusing on one group to the detriment of the other. This means using adult themes of worship (adoration, encountering God’s presence and transformation by His Spirit) in a way that children can understand and engage with. It’s not necessarily all about having fun; the Christian message is a serious one and children have as much right to hear it as the older congregation.
We recognise that we can all learn from each other. We need to model worship to our children and at the same time be inspired by their uncomplicated faith and freedom in worship. While it is important that our children see the adults around them worshiping God, we also know that, as adults, we can learn from the freedom that our children bring as they worship.
We believe that worship shouldn’t be restricted to a church building on a Sunday morning (or any other time of the week). Through ENCOUNTER, we aim to equip our families with ways they can pray together, messages they can talk about and songs they can use in worship at home through the week.
Ready to get started?
We have everything you need to help you plan “all-together” worship. From the visual timetable, the overall format of the services, suggestions for a welcoming environment, and even many complete services ready to use.