Facilitating Encounters with Christ: Jeff Runyan and Encounter Travels

(Photo provided)

For Jeff Runyan, discipleship has always meant helping others meet Jesus — not just in theory, but in person. 

After more than a decade of service with FOCUS, Runyan discerned that God was calling him in a new direction. In late 2023, he and his wife began praying about how best to use their gifts and passions for the Church. Through that prayer, he realized that one of his greatest passions was taking people around the world to encounter Christ through sacred places and the universal Church.  

“I came to see that being a missionary means facilitating encounters with Christ,” he said. “People aren’t encountering us: they’re encountering him. Our role is to help make that meeting happen.” 

That insight led to the founding of Encounter Travels, a Catholic pilgrimage and mission company that creates customized trips for parishes, apostolates and faith-based groups.  

“We found this great niche of organizing experiences for groups who want to go deeper but might not have the infrastructure to do it,” Runyan said. 

Leading Pilgrims to the Heart of the Church 

Over the past year, Runyan has led hundreds of pilgrims to holy sites around the world.  

“Just this year, I’ve taken about seven large groups to Italy, which is close to 300 people,” he said. Many of those trips coincided with the Jubilee celebrations in Rome. 

Runyan said the experience of seeing the heart of the Church has been transformative for participants.  

“People are often blown away by the universality of our faith,” he said. “They see the tomb of Saint Peter, the catacombs, the places where martyrs gave their lives, and they realize this is all real.” 

He added that these encounters deepen appreciation for Catholic history and ignite a new zeal for the faith.  

“It’s not just sightseeing,” Runyan said. “It’s encountering the living Church.” 

Trips that Transform Hearts 

Runyan’s work also includes leading trips to encounter the poor and bring the sacraments to underserved communities. Earlier this year, he took a group of seminarians from Denver’s St. John Vianney Theological Seminary to Costa Rica. 

“Some of those communities had never had regular Mass before. The seminarians saw what I call ‘sacramental poverty’ — people who didn’t go to Mass not because they didn’t care, but because they simply didn’t have access,” Runyan noted. 

He said that experience affirmed many of the seminarians’ vocations.  

“It was profound,” he said. “They saw what it means to bring Christ where he’s not yet present in the sacraments.” 

Runyan recalled another moment from a pilgrimage to Lourdes that strengthened his own sense of mission.  

“There was a mother of six who had multiple sclerosis and was in a wheelchair,” he said. “Her friends had brought her, and watching them pray with her reminded me of the story of the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof to meet Jesus. It struck me that if we hadn’t created that opportunity, she might never have had that encounter.” 

The woman experienced what Runyan described as a deep interior healing.  

“It wasn’t physical,” he said. “But it was something profound and spiritual. Seeing that reminded me that people’s lives change when they meet Christ.” 

A Family Mission of Hospitality 

At home, just as on their pilgrimages, Runyan and his wife have made hospitality part of their vocation.  

“From the beginning of our marriage, we’ve felt called to love priests like family,” he said.

The couple regularly hosts clergy and religious for meals, creating what Runyan calls “a space of rest and joy.” 

“We probably have priests over a couple times a month, sometimes every week,” he said. “It’s become part of our family life. My kids love it.” 

Runyan said the goal is simple — to show love and support to the clergy.  

“We want to give them a place where they can just be, where they’re loved as people, not only as priests,” he said. 

Living Faith at Home 

Runyan and his wife are the parents of five children and parishioners at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Broomfield. Their family life, he said, is grounded in prayer and gratitude.  

“We try to sanctify every moment,” he said. “It’s not always about big pilgrimages or grand gestures. It’s about living faith in the small, daily things.” 

That includes praying together in the car, attending adoration and sharing “highs, lows, and God moments” at dinner each night.  

“We want our kids to see everything through a spiritual lens,” Runyan said. 

Encountering Christ Everywhere 

For Runyan, whether on pilgrimage or at the dinner table, discipleship always comes back to encounter.  

“When people meet Christ, their lives change,” he said. “That’s what I want to keep doing — helping others meet him, wherever they are.” 

Congratulations, Jeff, for being named the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month! 

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