Quake History
1963
· Dave Anderson organizes Lutheran Gospel Teams to Scandinavia.
· The first Gospel Team to Scandinavia visits United States congregations to share the vision and to raise money from November 1963 to May 1964.
1964
· The first Gospel Team serves in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and France from June to August.
· The team continues to visit Midwest congregations during weekends of 1964-1965.
1965
· Lutheran Youth Encounter is incorporated in Minnesota on June 8.
1966
· The first Lutheran Youth Encounter Youth Congress is held on December 27-30 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 700 youth attend.
1967
· The first three Encounter Summer Teams serve in nine states and Ontario from June through August. Team leaders are Larry Johnson, Walter Kallestad and Keith Knoff.
1969
· The first three Inner-City Teams minister in Toledo, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio and Chicago, Illinois.
1972
· The Omaha Congress is co-sponsored with Lutheran Youth Alive and the Lutheran Evangelistic Movement.
· The staffs of Lutheran Youth Encounter and Lutheran Youth Alive meet jointly for the first time. The two staffs work toward a merger.
· The Lutheran Movements (LYE, LYA, and LEM) participate in ALYLC (All Lutheran Youth Leaders Council), a joint-sharing committee of the national youth staffs of the ALC, LCA, LC-MS and Walther League in Chicago.
1973
· The Affiliation of Lutheran Movements (ALMS), a fellowship of Lutheran movements for mutual understanding, counsel, and cooperation, is formed with Lutheran Youth Encounter as a constituting member.
1975
· The first Youth Ministry Institute is sponsored at Calvary Lutheran Church in Golden Valley, Minnesota.
1978
· The first Single Adult Event is held in Minneapolis. (1978-1984)
· Youth Ministry Institutes are held in 8 cities.
1979
· Spoke Folk, a summer bicycle and music ministry for high school students, is introduced.
1980
· Lutheran Youth Alive discontinues, transferring its ministry to Lutheran Youth Encounter.
· The 100th Youth Congress occurs in Mitchell, South Dakota.
· Lutheran Youth Encounter programs include 4 National Teams, 3 International Teams, 2 Spoke Folk tours and 7 Congresses.
1981
· One theme, “We Are Loved” is chosen as the theme for all 81-82 Congresses. Previously, each Congress chose a separate theme.
1987
· Lutheran Youth Encounter introduces a youth worker training and placement service called Youth Advocates. (1987-1990)
· Lutheran Youth Encounter offers its first Ski Week in Colorado. (1987-1992)
1988
· The first 5-Alive camp takes place at Lee Valley Ranch in South Dakota to help congregations build their youth ministry programs. (1988-1995)
1989
· In March a blizzard hits the Virginia Beach Congress. Event attendance is low and a severe financial strain is put on the organization.
· Lutheran Youth Encounter introduces the first four Junior High Youth Quakes in Minneapolis, Baltimore, Chicago and Toledo.
· Lutheran Youth Encounter’s National Bands all begin to tour under one name, Captive Free, for uniformity. International Teams continue to be named independently.
1990
· Lutheran Youth Encounter’s ministry includes 6 National Bands, 3 International Teams, 3 Spoke Folk Tours and 16 Junior and Senior High Youth Events.
1994
· Lutheran Youth Encounter begins to promote its ministry as Youth Encounter in order to extend its Lutheran Christian witness to the larger Christian church and to public places.
· Youth Encounter continues to expand the Junior High Congress program and changes the name to Youth Quake.
1995
· Youth Encounter sends two Inspiritor Teams to introduce a 12-week relational ministry program called Two by Two to congregations, as designed by the musical group Lost And Found. (1995-1998)
· Youth Encounter sets up a Professional Music program to promote professional musicians. Lost And Found, is the founding group.
· Youth Encounter introduces its programs to Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches in the United States.
· The 100th National Band serves.
· Youth Encounter’s program includes 6 National Bands, 4 International Teams, 4 Spoke Folk Tours, 26 Junior High Quakes, 10 Senior High Congresses and 1 Side By Side Global Ministries Crew.
1999
· The 500th Youth Event occurs March 12-14 in Denver at the Junior High Youth Quake.
2000
· Community Youth Ministry begins with a pilot program in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The ministry is designed and led by Rev. Dawn Mass Moser. (2000-04)
· A partnership is expanded with independent professional artists to form Churchnoise.com
· Youth Encounter’s ministry includes 8 regional bands, one Coast to Coast National Band, 4 International Teams, 9 Senior High Congresses, 45 Junior High Quakes, 4 Spoke Folk Tours and 3 Side by Side Global Work Crews.
2001
· A new Music and the Arts in Ministry training program, called Youth Create, is offered for young artists combined with a seminary course in partnership with Luther Seminary.
2003
· The 100th International Team serves.
2004
· The Construction Zone model is introduced emphasizing deeper spiritual growth and service. It replaces the Senior High Congress introduced in 1966.
2005
· Youth Encounter celebrates the 40th Anniversary of its incorporation.
· Youth Encounter offers 8 National Bands, 5 International Teams, 46 Quakes, 8 Construction Zones, 5 Side By Side Global Work Crews, 6 Spoke Folk Tours and 1 Youth Create program.
2008
· A national summer version of Zone, called Impact, is started.
2010
· Youth Encounter initiates multi-generational food packaging service events outside of Zones and Quakes.
2016
· March 31 YE dissolves due to financial hardships stemming from fewer teams and decreased attendance at Quakes and Zones, which were the results of decreasing attendance in mainline churches across the country.
· Staff members Jennifer Miller and Amanda Clark partner with Life Promotions for office support to continue making Quakes and Zones possible. 19 weekend conferences for grades 6-12 continue under new branding and the name Quake.
2021
· February 26-27 the first virtual Quake takes place online with over 870 groups and individuals participating live and on-demand.