The Encounter Worship Series is a mid-week service of  “prayer and presence” taking place in conjunction with West End’s Wednesday evening dinner and programming.  Rev. Erin Racine, Pastor for Spiritual Formation, leads the service this evening, and Matthew Phelps, Minister of Music, leads the music.  Tonight our scripture is John 3.1-17, the encounter between the Pharisee, Nicodemus, and Jesus.  During Lent the scriptures for Sundays (and Encounter services) are all encounters with Jesus, and in Encounter services we will hear from various individuals about their own encounters with Jesus.  Tonight, the Rev. Kay Gray tells us about her experiences growing older and says she has tried hard to control those things.  In a recent Bible study of Moses in the wilderness she realized that she, herself, is in a wilderness.  She heard God asking whether she trusts God.  Realizing that she was trusting herself more than she was trusting God, several things came together in the course of a few days to make her realize that God really is with her.  Worship is being in the presence of God and practicing being in God’s presence.    (NOTE: Below is a pdf of this evening’s program for viewing and/or downloading.)