History of Encounter 99

The current Encounter 99 Ministries consisting of Ladies/Teen Encounter and the Pastor's Appreciation Dinner have been a result of the area wide interdenominational tent crusade with Evangelist Steve Wingfield which was held on June 20-27, 1999, at the Northern Bedford County High School. During the event, ladies from various churches held meetings every morning. Because of the overwhelming desire to continue having meetings after Encounter 99 ended, a committee began praying about speakers and meeting times and places. The paperwork for 501.c.3 status was completed.

Ladies Encounter

Currently, the Ladies/Teen Encounter holds a spring and fall event at Faith Assembly in Roaring Spring, PA. The first meeting of the Ladies Encounter was on October 16, 1999. The spring event started at the Northern Bedford County High School as a spring tea. The event outgrew the facilities and went to the Morrisons Cove Memorial Park in Martinsburg, PA. After many years meeting at the Blair County Convention Center, they are currently meeting at Faith Assembly in Roaring Spring.

The largest Spring Encounter event was on March 26, 2011, with Sheila Walsh in which she spoke to over 1,000 ladies on "The Shelter of God's Promises" at the Blair County Convention Center. Other well-known speakers have been Bonnie Floyd, Sheri Rose Shepherd, Allison Allen, Karen Knight, Gwen Smith, Michele Pillar, Nancy Stafford, Mary Southerland, Sharon Jaynes, and Lisa & Alan Robertson.

The Ladies Encounter sponsors a fall event which is currently being held at Faith Assembly in Roaring Spring, PA with 300-400 ladies attending. Some speakers at the Fall Ladies/Teen Encounters have been Anita Gutschick, Kirsten Hart, Shelli Prindle, Susie Shellenberger, Marie Roberts Monville, Carole Wolaver, Amy Carroll, Lynn Cowell, and Bonnie Floyd. Also a Fall Prayer and Praise meeting is currently being held at Faith Assembly in Roaring Spring, PA with Mike and Laura Clark leading the worship.

All local churches are asked to have a lady from their church serve as a church representative. They attend two meetings a year and may bring a guest with them. They give us suggestions for speakers and share the comments and ideas on how to improve our meetings. The representatives are then asked to share with their local church and ladies’ ministries about our upcoming events and help encourage ladies from their church to attend. This is a vital part of Ladies Encounter and one of the reasons for our growth. Any churches that do not have a church representative are welcome to contact Joyce and get more information on how to get involved.

Ladies/Teen Encounter Executive Committee members are Joyce Bassler, Sharon Herr, Doris Miller, Patricia David, and Linda Furry.

Other Encounter 99 Events

The Encounter 99 Committee hosts an annual Pastor Appreciation Dinner which is currently held at the US Hotel in Hollidaysburg, PA with over 50 pastors and their spouses attending from different denominations in our area.

General Info

The Encounter mailings for our events are sent to over 300 local pastors with over 50 churches from various denominations being actively involved. Ladies Encounter also sends a mailing to over 2,500 ladies in our community for all the ladies and teen events.

If you would be interested in any further information on upcoming events, please contact Joyce Bassler at 814-224-5119, visit the website at www.ladiesencounter.com, email us, visit or our Facebook page.