A New Year! A New Update!

                                                                                                                                            January 2016

To Our Wonderful Friends and Family,

What a long, strange trip our Ministry Adventure has been. It wouldn’t be an adventure if there weren’t unexpected twists and turns. It’s been an eventful last few months and I wanted to fill you all in. ☺

First off, to all of our Supporters, thank you, thank you, thank you! We literally have a roof over our head because of you. Not to be overdramatic, but without your monthly support we would not have a place to live.  Since September, Encounter Church has grown and in January we were finally able to move into our new sanctuary! This is such a huge blessing. The first Sunday in the new building we had people standing in the parking lot outside to be able to get into the service. So last week we were able to launch two services!  We now have a service at 9am and 11am. ☺

Kai Rey being dedicated in the new sanctuary.

In October, I launched a new ministry called “Encounter Mid-Day”. Most ministries in churches are event based. You come on Sunday, you have service. You come on Wednesday nights, you have a service. “Encounter Mid-Day” was designed as an availability ministry. Basically, Tuesday through Friday at Noon, you can come by the church and I would be there and we would seek God together. We would be available for God to show up and minister His Spirit.  Whether that was teaching out of the Word or praying for each other or worshipping. I just wanted to create a space where we would be available for God to show up and do what He wanted without any other agenda. It has been a small and intimate ministry that has allowed me to be able to do one on one ministry with people in the church that I have never met. And it has run the gamut from a 26 year old, to someone in their 60’s. It’s been really cool to see God show up and do his thing.

In December, our son Kai Rey came with us to Baltimore to meet his grandparents, uncle and extended family and that was a blast! Two weeks ago he was dedicated at Encounter Church on the same day we dedicated the new building. ☺ And as there have been celebrations, there have been trials. As I mentioned in our last newsletter, our church has been unable to pay me since August, though I am still the Senior Associate Pastor.  Unfortunately, their ability to pay me has not changed like I hoped that it would. This has been an extremely challenging time for Alaina and myself. We had to go on government assistance because our previous employer did not pay into Unemployment(not Encounter Church). That has been extremely humbling. I have been looking for a job and unfortunately have not been able to find one yet. Most of the available jobs in Fresno are Agricultural or Medical and I do not fit either one. At the end of the day, I believe that God is sovereign and has our steps ordered just as much as He did when we were paying our bills. We’ve sought out God to see if there has been any change in my call and He has not indicated that there is. His ways are not my ways and my understanding is not His. I will continue to seek God to if there’s somewhere else He wants me, but like I said, for the time being we are still called to Fresno and Encounter Church. Pastor Joe did a sermon this week that led off with, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” Ephesians 4:1 It feels like we have been in a season where we have been financial prisoners of the Lord, but from that place, we are still seeking to live lives worthy of the calling we have received. And we are confident that when all is said and done, there will be a tremendous testimony to what the Lord has done. ☺ In the meantime, here’s what you can do:

1.  Continue to pray for us. This is the biggest thing. We covet your prayers and we so appreciate you being mindful of us. We believe our God is a God of miracles, so nothing is too hard for
Him. Pray especially for financial resources to pour in and for me to get whatever job that God has for me.

2.  Pray that we receive more financial supporters. Earlier, when I said that our supporters pay our rent. I wasn’t lying. Generous donations from you, our faithful supporters, are the only income we have received since September and we are just so thankful for it!  This is new territory for me when it comes to my finances. It’s definitely stretching. I’ve never been in a place this long where I couldn’t pay my bills. Pastor Joe told me that not all support letters are just celebrations. That sometimes, they are needed to rally the troops and to illuminate struggles. And that’s all I’m doing here.

As always, we want you to know that there is no pressure. This letter isn’t meant to induce guilt or anything like that. But we do know that we have not because we ask not. So as humbling as it is, we do ask. We love all of you and thank you so much for who you are in our lives. We so appreciate each and every one of you and prayer that God would bless you in your times of need as well.

Thankfully,       

Dan & Alaina & Kai Rey

To send support to us directly, please make your checks out to Alaina or Daniel Lowman:

Alaina and Daniel Lowman
1676 Fourth Street
Clovis, CA 93611       

If you would like a tax deduction for your donations, please make your checks out to: 
Encounter Church with “Lowman Ministry Support” in the memo line and mail it to

Encounter Church
2171 Villa Avenue
Clovis, CA 93612

If you would prefer to give online you can donate by paypal: www.tinyurl.com/kkkbfgg

In the “Special Instructions to Seller” put “Lowman Ministry Support”.  This can be made reoccurring.       

P.S.  We only have a Facebook Page up right now, but here is the link to Encounter Church.  Like us    on Facebook.   https://www.facebook.com/encounterchurchusa

Our little adventurer

He brings us so much joy!

My lovely wife and I at

Encounter's new sanctuary Launch Party