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Sponsors

When Dr. Jane Thayer first began planning to start Encounter; she began recruiting like-minded individuals and others who were interested in this type of ministry. She saw that a small group of older mentors could help provide resources and experiences that the young adults often lacked. She called these people sponsors. Besides herself and her husband, she began looking for about five other couples or singles with all or some of the following characteristics: had a heart for post-college young adults, worked with graduate students (some sponsors were from the community and not Andrews University ), were empty-nesters, were long-time residents in the Berrien Springs area, would be willing to commit serious time and prayer to the work, and representative of different young adult constituents, e.g., academic disciplines, ethnicity and culture, occupations. These sponsors also provided a small snack on Sabbath mornings for the members of Encounter. These small snacks gave another opportunity for community building. As people ate they could introduce themselves and talk to new people as well as build current relationships.