Preston, Saturday 23rd September 2000 event review by Jonathan Bellamy.

The stunning spectacle of 600+ young people crammed into the Charter Theatre for the specific purpose of giving praise to God is in itself attention grabbing. But when one learns that there wasn't a Delirious? or a Matt Redman to "pull in the crowds" and that the 58 singers, musicians and dancers participating in this groundbreaking event were "unknowns", it becomes obvious that Encounter is a very special kind of event. The vision for Encounter is, in a nutshell, a youth event owned by young people themselves. And that's exactly how it turned out. 58 singers, musicians and dancers representing 18 churches from the Preston area came together for an unforgettable evening of electrifying praise and worship. From the introduction, with fragments from speakers like Tony Fitzgerald, leading into a stirring version of "Amazing Grace" with one of the emerging young worship leaders and then fine versions of Hillsongs' "Everyday" and many other current youth targeted worship songs; an electrifying worshipful atmosphere was sustained. A couple of young people stepped onto the platform and preached; there was a choir made up of young people from focal churches and a team of energetic and enthusiastic dancers who did a routine to the World Wide Message Tribe number "Revolution". Throughout, there was a feeling of complete abandonment to God. The whole event was a testament to what God is doing amongst young people. But above all, there was a monumental sense of the presence of God throughout the activities. Afterwards, Graham Hooke, pastor at Preston's Calvary Christian Fellowship, spoke glowingly about what j Encounter was achieving, "This! event was driven by young people, for young people. They owned it. It showed that there is an army of young people in Preston who want to make a difference for God. It was an inspiration to see young Christians from many churches worshipping Jesus with passion and wholehearted commitment. If their energy and drive can be sustained it promises well for the future." All the signs are that it can, 24th March 2001 is the date of the next one. ft should be another unforgettable experience.