Equipping youth with a personalized Faith circle.
Youth
"My circle of support has given me great guidance on how to attack certain obstacles in my life."
— Owen, College Student
Leaders
“Encircled frees me up to do what I most desire to do: disciple and mentor youth."
— Peter F, Youth Pastor
Parents & Community
“It’s reassuring to know that our child has key supports praying for and encouraging them."
— Sam, Encircled Parent
Which program is right for you?

(Mobile experience coming August 8th, 2022)

The Personal Journey is milestone experience that walks with your individual youth and their circle of family, friends and mentors to help explore and live out their unique giftedness.
(Mobile experience coming 2023)
What are we trying to solve?
Many young people struggle with keeping their Faith while navigating adulthood.
We are here to encircle...
At Encircled we are dedicated to getting "Circles of support" around youth! Encircled recently went on an adventure to Unalakleet, Alaska. We got the opportunity to help 15 youth leaders equip 65 Alaskan youth. Encircled's founder Ben Bevis was able to work alongside top youth leaders and church leaders in Alaska! We are thankful to gain this powerful experience to work with Native youth in remote locations. Encircled is excited to keep partnering with communities like CYAK in Alaska!
Check out the LINK IN BIO to support Encircled’s Mission to gathering Circles of Support in Alaska and beyond!
Mark your calendars! Coming up this June 25th, 14 bikers will take on the Lutsen 99er in Lutsen, MN! Cheer us on via the link-in-bio!
Collectively, our bikers will go over 600 miles! They are biking to show support as we work to expand Encircled to new communities including native communities through the lower US and Alaska!
Our first ever #Bike4You fundraiser will help us to meet our goal of encircling 1000 youth over the next year! With your support, we can optimize to connect more youth with their circles than ever before!
Donate via our link-in-bio!
What if things don’t go to plan?
Encircled encourages youth to spend time creating a vision that can help them live out their giftedness in the world. But a plan is just that— a plan! Sometimes things don’t work out exactly as we had them down on paper.
Our failures can be opportunities to experience God in a bigger and richer way.
#Encircled #ExploreYourGiftedness #YourCircle #BeEncircled #DiscoverYourGiftedness
Excited to share some of our Birkie highlights and the fantastic news: We reached our fundraising goal!
We want to thank you— our donors, sponsors, family, and friends — for all of the time and treasure you have committed to making our ministry possible!
Want read more about our skier’s experience with community and cause at this year’s American Birkebeiner?
Check out our LINK IN BIO!
A special thank you to our #SKI4YOU sponsors! More race highlights to come.
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It’s not too late to help us reach our fundraising goal! Check out our link in bio!
One more pre-birkie photo 📸!
Today’s the day! Today our skiers will take on the race they’ve been training so hard for in support of Encircled 💪.
Seeing a community of skiers come together to take on a challenge is a good reminder of the power of community— Encircled believes every youth needs a circle that can come around them and give support.
We are cheering them on from home 👏
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We are SO close to reaching our fundraising goal! Help us reach our goal (or go above and beyond) via our link in bio!
#SKI4YOU starts now! Today and tomorrow our skiers will take on their cross country ski races in support of Encircled!
➡️ It's not too late to donate! With your support, Encircled will be able to reach more youth than ever. Donate via our Link in bio!
Our final spotlight is Friday Morning Guys Group with Ben Bevis and Peter Neilsen!
Ben has skied thirteen Birkies, and is skiing because he is “about the mission and being in community with like-minded people.” The coolest place he’s skied is “Canmore, AB, Canada. Home of the Nordic events in the 1988 Calgary Olympics!” His biggest Birkie cheerleader is his wife.
Peter is taking on his first Birkie this year! He is skiing with Encircled “To support a community committed to helping young people navigate life.” His biggest Birkie cheerleader is one of our other skiers, Brian Houts!
The Friday Morning Guys group is a community of passionate men, many of them have families that are trying to pursue Jesus, while doing that in community with other like-minded men. They do this around the study of scripture, intentional relationships and doing life together.
Their Leadership was looking for a type of “Rites of passage” for their own youth to go through as a way to help them launch from adolescence to adulthood with faith intact. That’s where Encircled came in. Now, the “Guys group” has 5 trained Encircled coaches that are helping their youth and families to pursue the importance of gathering a “Circle of support” to help them live out their Giftedness in world.
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It's not too late to sponsor your skier — Link in bio!
WE ARE JUST 1 DAY AWAY!
Don’t forget to sponsor your skier via our link in bio!
Tomorrow and Saturday, our 12 skiers will take on the Birke to help Encircled grow!
With your help, Encircled will grow to reach over 1000 students in the next year! Through the Encircled method, youth have the opportunity to consider what their giftedness might be, develop a plan for the future, and create a circle of support! Our skiers are passionate about the power of a Circle— a group of family, friends, mentors or community members that come around to support your faith journey. From our circle of skiers to youth’s circles, Encircled’s dream is to see every youth have a circle of support!
Disciples making disciples. — Joseph Hein
Sponsor your skier today!
#Ski4You is just days away! If you've been meaning to, now is the time to DONATE via the link in our bio!
Today's spotlight is Upper Room with Joseph Hein and Taylor Doolittle!
Joseph is taking on his first Birkie. He is skiing with Encircled because he is “all about the next gen and making disciples!” His biggest Birkie cheerleader is @Taylor.Doolittle.
Taylor is also taking on his first Birkie but has skied the Korte. He is skiing with Encircled because having a Circle is one of the most important things in life. His fondest memory of Birkie’s years past is “Dan Bathje riding a scooter in Walmart” (Encircled would like to hear more about this too…).
UR Student Ministries hope for their students is two-fold: That students would encounter the love of God and That students would discover what it means to be a follower of Christ. They understand and believe that this happens in the context of community. We are not meant to be on this journey alone. UR Student Ministries is excited to journey with Encircled through our Encircled Group Journey. We both believe that our visions overlap in a way that strengthens both of our communities!
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Don't forget to sponsor your skier by February 25th!
The American Birkebeiner is less than a week today— time is running out to sponsor our skiers as they take on 50 km!
DONATE TODAY @ OUR LINK IN BIO!
As we gear up for our Ski4You race THIS FRIDAY we want to take a minute to thank your amazing sponsors! It is with their support that we are able to host our fundraiser and continue growing Encircled.
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Our sponsors include:
Pioneer Midwest (featured on slide 2!)
"We are your local ski shop and we want to help you enjoy the sport of cross country skiing more. We have a wide range of competitive skis that we hand pick from Salomon, Atomic, Fischer, Rossignol, Madshus. We fit every customer to their skis ensuring that no matter what level of skier you are that you will have skis that fit you. In the summer we also sell Northstar Canoes." - Pioneer Midwest
@pioneermidwest
https://www.pioneermidwest.com
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US Power Guard & DiamondLeaf Energy
“Power generation experts. No capital solution for onsite generation, and full warranty and service program for one low monthly fee if you already have a generator. We make critical power easy.”
Learn more at:
www.DiamondLeafEnergy.com
www.USPowerGuard.com
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Becker Furniture
“Stop in to a Becker Showroom; we promise you’ll find everything you need to furnish your home both stylishly and affordably. Our Mission: to provide on-trend home inspiration helping people create spaces they love.” - Becker
@becker_minnetonka
https://www.beckerfurnitureworld.com
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Odom Health & Wellness
“Odom Health & Wellness is a Minnetonka based Sports Medicine and Wellness Center that is dedicated to patients in our surrounding community. We take a holistic approach to care that focuses on customized treatment plans, resulting in top notch patient outcomes.” - Odom
@odomhealthandwellness
http://odomhealthandwellness.com
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JP Willman & Strong Tower
Be sure to check out our corporate donors as well: JP Willman in Minnesota, and Strong Tower in Colorado.
https://jpwillman.com/agents/brian-houts/
http://www.strong-tower.com
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Visit our corporate partners at their websites to learn more about what they do, or check them out here on Facebook!
This year for #Ski4You, Encircled is highlighting both its skiers and it’s amazing communities with our spotlights! With 12 skiers taking on the Birkie this year, it's our biggest fundraiser yet!
Today's spotlight is Five Oaks Church with Steve Schwartz and John Eiselt!
Steve, who has skied four Birkies, says his encouragement comes from “the other guys that ski with Encircled! Knowing that they are training helps me to keep working too.” His first Birkie sealed the deal, it “was really glorious. Spending the day skiing through the forest filled him with gratitude.”
John, who has skied one Korte and one Birke, is skiing with us to “to help more students get Encircled by the supportive adults in their lives.” The coolest place he’s skied is “anywhere with this group!” and his biggest cheerleader is his wife, Jill.
Five Oaks Student ministry believes that youth were made by God to be a part of his story. They understand the struggles of middle school and high school which is why they provide a place to help them find and experience God with their friends.Five Oaks has 4 Encircled Coaches that use the Encircled Model as a Milestone experience for their older youth, emphasizing the importance of have a group of 5 or more safe and caring adults to journey with students as they launch into adulthood. Five Oaks will be starting the Encircled Group Journey as a Youth Group this Winter also!
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Don't forget to sponsor your skier by February 25th — Link in bio!
#fundraiser #ski4you #birkie #birkie2022 #crosscountryskiing #youthministry #encircled
What does it mean to have a circle?
One of our skiers, John Eiselt says “to be encouraged, supported, and challenged by people who care.”
Encircled invites youth to create a circle of people who will encourage them in their long-term faith journey. Whether this be family, friends or mentors, these people are there for youth even through tough times.
This year our skiers are taking on the Birkie to pursue our vision to encircle 1000 youth in the next 2 years. Encircled is creating new ways to reach that goal through our new Group Journey curriculum with a mobile app that helps engage youth, mentors and parents without barriers of culture, distance and finances.
Help us reach our $25,000 goal this February by sponsoring a skier! Link in bio!
This year for #Ski4You, Encircled is highlighting both its skiers and it’s amazing communities with our spotlights! With 12 skiers taking on the Birkie this year, it's our biggest fundraiser yet!
Today's spotlight is Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center with Brian Houts and John Colby!
Brian, who has skied 15th Birkies, is skiing with Encircled because he “loves to ski, loves the Birkie, and loves to support a good cause.” His biggest Birkie cheerleaders are his Ski Friends - they've got quite a community that ski together in state and out of state!
John, who has skied 8 Birkies, is skiing with Encircled because we “align with his mission to engage youth in outdoors with endurance fitness and create healthy lifelong lifestyles!”
Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center has a vision to inspire and facilitate growth and well-being in the Lakota children and youth living in Pine Ridge that is rooted in spiritual faith and respect for all beings. The PRRC’s Encircled Coaches are most excited that Encircled helps them create and facilitate Circles of Support that surround their youth and encourage their God-given gifts as they grow into adulthood.
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Don't forget to sponsor your skier by February 25th — Link in bio!
What need do YOU think Encircled meets in the world?
One of our skiers, Taylor Doolittle says “to encourage intentionality in mentoring youth.”
Encircled equips and resources Faith Communities to help their youth live out their giftedness in the world.
This year our skiers are taking on the Birkie to pursue our vision to encircle 1000 youth in the next 2 years. Encircled is creating new ways to reach that goal through our new Group Journey curriculum with a mobile app that helps engage youth, mentors and parents without barriers of culture, distance and finances.
Help us reach our $25,000 goal this February by sponsoring a skier! Link in bio!
This year for #Ski4You, Encircled is highlighting both its skiers and it’s amazing communities with our spotlights! With 12 skiers taking on the Birkie this year, it's our biggest fundraiser yet!
Today's spotlight is Destino Covenant with Grant & Paul Deakins!
Grant is taking on his second Birkie this year and is skiing to “raise money and awareness for a rad organization!” His biggest Birkie cheerleader is his dad, Paul.
Paul is taking on his third Birke, as well as previously having skied two Kortes. The coolest place he’s ever skied is the Birkie of course. Although difficult, it makes him want to keep skiing it!
Destino is a bilingual church that cares about the integrity of the immigrant family. Their goal as a church is to help people move from where they are to where God wants them to be. From meaningless lives to lives full of purpose and significance! Destino Churches youth just finished the Encircled Group Journey and appreciated the way it reminded them of their Identity in Christ, while also helping them know they are all uniquely Gifted by God to make an impact on the world. Destino has been helping Encircled translate their resources into spanish so Encircled can impact bilingual communities of faith!
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Don't forget to sponsor your skier by February 25th — Link in bio!
Youth experience the power of Encircled as we journey with them through the ups and downs of their lives. God did not create us to do life by ourselves!
This year our skiers are taking on the largest cross country ski marathon in the US, the American Birkebeiner for YOU!
Whether you are a parent, a youth, or a friend, our skiers are taking on this race to bring together Encircled’s current communities, and look forward into new ones.
With your help, Encircled can optimize to reach over 1000 youth in the next year.
LINK IN BIO!
This year for #Ski4You, Encircled is highlighting both its skiers and it’s amazing communities with our spotlights! With 12 skiers taking on the Birkie this year, it's our biggest fundraiser yet!
Today's spotlight is Excelsior Covenant with Jadde Rowe and Dan Bathje!
Jadde is ready to take on his first ever Birkie! He is looking forward to skiing with Encircled because he loves the mission. When asked who his biggest Birkie cheerleader was, he told us @taylor.doolittle!
Dan has already taken on 10 Birkies and is a seasoned skier. One of his fondest Birke memories is skiing the 2nd half of a race with his ski being held together by duct tape!
Excelsior Covenant’s Mission is to experience, engage and extend the love of Jesus! This faith community is the first site that helped launch Encircled. They have 3 Encircled Coaches and many Circles of Support have launched their youth into adulthood with faith and Giftedness lived out.
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Don't forget to sponsor your skier by February 25th — Link in bio!
February is just around the corner and so is #Ski4You! Encircled is ready… are you?
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In our 13th annual fundraiser, twelve skiers will take on the American Birkebeiner on February 25th. They are skiing to show support for Encircled’s current faith communities, and Encircled’s growth into many more.
#Ski #CrossCountry #Birkie #Birkebeiner #Fundraising #NonProfit #Encircled #YourCircle #giftedness #ExploreYourGiftedness
Today Encircled is at Recharge Conference at Bethel University! We are hanging out with youth workers and youth pastors to talk about the Encircled Group Journey & Personal Journey. Our founder, Ben Bevis also spoke to a group about having meaningful conversations with youth one-on-one. “After you buy their coffee drink, then what? How to connect with youth one-on-one!”
Exciting things!
#encircle #encircled #giftedness #whoisinyourcircle #circle #youthconference #youthworker #youthpastor
Missed our fall fundraiser? There’s still time to help us reach our fundraising goal! Swipe to see some highlights ➡️➡️
Check out the recording of our Fall Fundraiser with our link-in-bio!
#encircled #encircleyourlife #exploreyourgiftedness #giftedness #circle #youthministry #fundraiser #fallfundraiser #donations