When I felt the call to ministry as I was a junior in high school and serving at Black Rock, I wondered whether someday, somehow, I might end up being a pastor at Encounter Church," Jake Ragsdale said.

Jake met that objective and is now the church's lead pastor, but his mission is just beginning.

In October 2024, Jake succeeded Stuart Osborne, who had been guiding the congregation for more than 35 years and is still on staff as the founding pastor. "I feel really blessed to have the opportunity to follow in Pastor Stuart's footsteps and continue his legacy of faithful ministry," said Jake.

Jake had served as the church's youth pastor since August 2018. "I loved getting to serve the youth here for a number of years and seeing them grow up and get launched into missions and careers," he said.

Jake has a long history with the church. Starting when he was 5 and lasting a few years, Jake and his parents attended Encounter, which was then known as Lord's House of Prayer, Quarryville.

A 2011 graduate of neighboring Octorara Junior-Senior High School, Jake is no stranger to the Quarryville area. He attended the Solanco Fair and events at the Southern End Community Association (SECA) and worked at Black Rock Retreat, where he met his wife, Katie.

After years away from Encounter Church, he reconnected with the congregation when friends invited him to attend Encounter Worship Nights on Saturdays. "I just really encountered the Holy Spirit through the ministry of this church as a young man," Jake said. "That really transformed my life. This is the place where I learned to experience God's love for me for the first time and believe that God wanted to speak with me and work in my life."

In 2011, Jake moved to Virginia Beach to study at Regent University, from where he eventually earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Jake thought he would wind up working in the Virginia Beach area. But in 2018, Osborne called regarding the youth pastor position at Encounter Church.

"Katie and I jumped at the chance to move back home. We were excited to come back and be near our families," said Jake, who completed his Regent University classwork online while serving as youth pastor. Fast forward eight years, and Jake has the job he had dreamed about.

Thanks to its congregation and Osborne's leadership, Encounter Church does not need Jake to make any drastic changes. "We're looking forward to a bright future of growth," said Jake. "One of our goals as a church is to be a blessing to our region of southern Lancaster County and Lancaster County in general."

One of the ways he plans on doing that is with an outreach program to assist homeless people in Quarryville and Lancaster city. Through their ministry Refreshing Oasis, Manny King and his wife, Mary Ann, visit Lancaster to connect with homeless people. The Kings bus the individuals to Encounter Church for a Sunday morning service and provide food when they arrive back in the city.

"We are in the early stages of a long-term plan," Jake said. "We want to build relationships with homeless people in Quarryville and ways to serve them and help them get back on their feet. We're not sure what that's going to look like yet."

Since the Southern End encompasses such a wide area, it can be more difficult to meet the needs of those in the area who are struggling, Jake noted, adding, "We're not at the stage of building a big ministry. We are at the stage of wanting to connect with those and walk with them on their journey."

Jake and the people of Encounter Church have hearts for those who are stuck in addiction or are bound by guilt from the past, he said. "We want to see how the power of the Gospel can set them free so they can live the life God made them for," Jake said. "The Holy Spirit can bring healing and freedom to people. We want to see people walk in freedom, and we believe Jesus can bring that when people surrender to him."

While working as the youth pastor of Encounter Church, Jake spearheaded a student version of the National Day of Prayer event. New youth pastor Tim Ornelas is continuing with the tradition. A total of more than 300 students from high schools and middle schools from Solanco, Linville Hill, Penn Manor, Dayspring Christian, Octorara, and Pequea Valley take part.

Encounter Church is known as a nondenominational charismatic church. In this context, the word charismatic refers to the belief that God still works in power today, Jake explained.

"Our church has a high value for worship and for the presence of God," said Ragsdale. "We say every Sunday, whether it's your first time here or you've been coming here for years, 'We believe God wants to encounter you today.' We really believe that, and I've found it to be true in my journey with the church."

Encounter Church's Sunday services are held at 8:30 and 10:45 a.m. at 300 Hideaway Drive, Quarryville, and are also livestreamed on YouTube. Go to https://encounterchurchpa.org for more information about the church.