Encounter Student Ministry

Encounter happens each Sunday from 6pm to 8pm. You can expect a warm and welcoming environment where we hang out, have fun, and talk about Jesus together. Doors open at 6:00pm and our gathering begins at 6:30pm.

During the month of March we have been going through a series title Amazed. In this series, we have been looking at how crowds responded to Jesus and what this said about who He is.

During the month of April, we will be leading students through a study of Nehemiah. We encourage you to dig into the book of Nehemiah to walk alongside your child. In our next newsletter, we will include some questions to help spark conversation with your child about what they're learning at Encounter in this series. In the meantime, check out this background video of Nehemiah!

We are thrilled to announce that Chandler is stepping into the Encounter Student Director position beginning next month. Please see an introductory blurb below:

Hey Encounter students and parents! My name is Chandler Lasater, and I will be taking over as the Encounter Director. I am so excited for the opportunity to get to know all of the students, talk about Jesus, and have some fun together. I've been at LifeSpring for almost 2 years now - you may recognize me as the drummer on Sunday mornings.

My wife, Laura Lasater, is very involved with the LifeKids ministry at our church. We have been married for nearly 4 years now, we have our son Joseph who is 15 months, and we have a baby girl due at the end of June. We also have 3 dogs, Sophie, Sunny, and Blue. Yes, our house is going to be a zoo for the next couple of years. I work full-time for a company called IQVIA, but I work from home so I have a flexible schedule. I enjoy traveling, playing and watching any kind of sport (huge Panthers and NC State fan), and hanging out with my family in my free time.

I am thrilled to see how God will work in and through Encounter as it enters this new season, and I'm honored that I get to be a part of that. I fully believe God has great plans for the Encounter ministry, and we want to depend on Him to work how He wants to. So your prayers and support to allow that to happen are greatly appreciated! If you need anything from me or have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!

chandler@lifespringnc.com

"In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the *play-based childhood" began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the "phone-based childhood" in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this "great rewiring of childhood" has interfered with children's social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies."

Throughout the month of March, we have been covering a series titled AMAZED. In this series, we will be taking a look at Jesus' ministry on earth and learning about His character and what that means for our lives. Here are some questions to spark conversations with your student!

1. Does God every feel far away or distant from you? Why or why not?
2. When has Jesus done something unexpectant in your life?
3. How can you tell others about the power of Jesus in your life?
4. When you feel as if God isn't there, how can you remind yourself of his presence?

The Culture Translator is a weekly email sent out that shares what is trending in teen culture at the moment and how to have biblical conversations about these topics. It is a great weekly email to subscribe to!

This summer we will be headed to Crossroads Summer Camp from June, 30th to July 4th! Summer camp is one of the highlights of our students' year where they fellowship with friends, have fun, and develop their relationship with Jesus. For more information on how to register, please click here.

**Students need to register by April 13th!

• March, 26th: Card Making Night - 6pm at LifeSpring
• April, 20th: No Encounter - Easter Sunday
• May, 11th: No Encounter - Mother's Day
• May, 25th: No Encounter - Sunday at the Lake
• June, 15th: No Encounter - Father's Day
• June, 30th to July, 4th: Summer Camp