The COVID-19 guidelines in the State of Michigan require us to be in a post-pandemic phase before having an event of our normal magnitude. However, we do have a religious exemption the same as Mass to host events at our local parish. Therefore, we have moved the conference to allow it to continue. We are very thankful to also have the ability to livestream the conference to reach as many people as possible with the transforming power and love of Jesus.

Due to the smaller size of our venue this year, we do not have sufficient space for vendors this year. We look forward to having vendors at our conference again next year.

Unfortunately, there will not be a Kids Track or Teen Track this year. Due to the restrictions of being in a much smaller venue due to COVID-19, we simply do not have sufficient space to host our youth tracks this year. We are hopeful that next year, we will be able to offer our youth tracks again. Our regular event is for adults age 18+ and out of high school, so please keep this in mind with your conference planning.

Meals are NOT automatically provided in the registration fee, HOWEVER we offering a meal plan for the price of $100 to the first 150 people interested this year. Keep in mind that our schedule also provides 2 hour breaks for both lunch and dinner for participants to eat food they bring or to partake in one of the restaurants within a short driving distance of the conference.

As a student of our local or satellite or online Encounter School of Ministry this coming fall, the cost of the LIVESTREAM of our annual conference is included in your tuition. We do still need each of you who is attending to register for the conference with a registration portal which will open for you in October. Therefore, if you are taking advantage of the free ONLINE ticket, please DO NOT register at this time (or if you have already registered, email sean@encounterministries.us to let us know so that we can make the necessary adjustments). In October, you will be able to register free of charge for the ONLINE ticket directly on your student dashboard.

As a reminder, we have not charged you at all for your conference ticket. Your tuition only covers your attendance of classes, and your conference ticket is something we simply provide free of charge since students act as our prayer ministers. So, if you choose not to attend the onsite or online conference, there will be no reimbursement to you.

At this time, we are not offering discounts for alumni students (will be alumni as of fall 2020), or for current/alumni students’ family members. Therefore, alumni can register in the regular registration portal and pay full price.

Seminarians & Religious – Yes, we do offer a significant discount for seminarians as well as religious brothers and sisters living in community. To obtain a discount code, please reach out to Sean Breeden at sean@encounterministries.us, and let him know the seminary you attend, or the name of your religious community. NOTE: For seminarians, if you would like to altar serve at the conference liturgies, please also mention that in your email as well (not all who volunteer may be needed)

Deacons – No, we are not offering a discount for deacons. However, we would love for you to assist at our conference liturgies. Simply email sean@encounterministries.us to let him know you plan to do so.

Large Groups – No, we are not offering a discount for large group/bulk ticket sales at this time.

Financial Assistance – No, we do not offer scholarships, housing, or any other form of financial assistance at this time. However, our recommendation is to first ask for assistance from your local church community which can more efficiently help you to register. That being said, sometimes we do have donors contact us who want to pay for someone else to attend. So, if you would like to check with us to see if any of these paid spots are available, contact sean@encounterministries.us to inquire.

Yes, you are free to attend whatever parts of the conference you are able.  Your registration will get you access to the entire conference, however no discount will be extended for partial attendance.

Yes, if the conference is canceled because there is a law in place which will prohibits large gatherings at the time of the event, then you will receive a full refund of your registration cost. If the conference is still proceeding but you have voluntarily decided to withdraw your registration at least three days prior to the event, then you can still contact us to receive a coupon code which will allow you to credit your full registration cost toward any future Encounter event within the next 12 months. Keep in mind you also have the option of transferring your ticket to our ONLINE option, and you would receive a reimbursement of the difference of the cost between your original ticket and the online ticket.

If you have registered for our event but can no longer attend due to the conference moving locations to Brighton, Michigan, we are able to issue a monetary refund or transfer you to our ONLINE ticket until October 9th. We are not able to directly transfer your ticket to someone else. BUT, by emailing Sean Breeden at sean@encounterministries.us, we can issue you a coupon code to credit your full registration cost toward any future Encounter event within the next 12 months. If you wish for someone else to use this coupon code in your place (whether for this conference or another one), simply provide the code to that party, and they will enter it when they register themselves for the event.

All Letters of Suitability/Good Standing for priests attending the conference who wish to concelebrate conference liturgies and/or hear confessions should be MAILED at least two weeks prior to the conference to the address below. Please also email Sean Breeden at sean@encounterministries.us, so that we are aware that your letter has been mailed.

Mr. Michael Andrews, Chancellor

Diocese of Lansing

228 N. Walnut St.

Lansing, MI  48933

If you have a question not addressed on our website or FAQ’s, feel free to contact our Director of Events, Sean Breeden, at sean@encounterministries.us.