Good morning, Grace Bible Church! It’s so good to see all of you back together this morning. If you’ve been around the last few Sundays, you know a big part of our body has been up at Palomar for our annual youth camp — and today is Camp Wrap-Up Sunday. That means this morning we’re going to hear stories from the mountain, see what God did, and be challenged by His Word. Let’s dive in.
What God Did at Camp
Every year, GBC loads up students and counselors and heads to Palomar for a week of intentional ministry. The goal is simple: show campers who Jesus is through worship, through Bible teaching, through games, through cabin time, and through relationships built all week long. And this year was no exception — except maybe the stories were better than ever.
One of the most exciting things that happened: two students, Jackie and Angie, gave their lives to Christ at camp. That’s the whole point. That’s why we load the vans, rent the facilities, recruit counselors, and spend a week preparing. When a student who walked in unsure about Jesus walks out saying, “I want to follow Him” — that’s the win. That’s what everything is for.
But it wasn’t just the campers who grew. Counselors did too. One of the young men on the trip went up for the first time this year and found himself in deep conversations with a camper. Another counselor, Emma, had a camper open up in a way that was clearly the work of the Holy Spirit — the kid was zoned in, tearing up at what the leaders were saying. That’s what it looks like when God moves in a camper’s heart.
And then there was Clark — who won the carpet ball tournament and was still beaming about it the next morning. Sometimes God works in big dramatic ways, and sometimes He just makes a kid really happy that he beat his friends at a game. Both are good gifts from a good God.
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
— 2 Timothy 4:2
The Charge: Preach the Word
Before Pastor Mike McFadden wrapped up the week, he left the campers and counselors with one final challenge — and it comes from Paul’s letter to Timothy. Paul writes: “Preach the word.” Not just when it’s convenient. Not just when you feel like it. In season and out of season.
That was the heart behind the camp’s theme all week: Hunting for a Trophy Buck. Now, that might sound like just a catchy slogan — but the idea is convicting. Are you hunting for God? Or are you just hoping He happens to show up?
Too many people treat their faith like they’re waiting for a deer to walk in front of their blind. They sit. They wait. They hope something wanders by. But the Bible doesn’t call us to wait — it calls us to hunt. To pursue. To seek with everything we have.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”
— 2 Timothy 4:3–4
You’re an Evangelist — Act Like One
One of the most convicting things Pastor Mike McFadden said was this: every single Christian is an evangelist. Not just the guy up front. Not just the guy with the bible degree. You.
That doesn’t mean you need to be a polished speaker. It means you need to be ready — ready to give an answer for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15). Ready to tell the story of what God has done in your life. Ready to have the conversation when someone asks.
Paul told Timothy: “Do the work of an evangelist.” That phrase is only used three times in the entire New Testament — and one of them is that direct command to Timothy. If Paul told a young pastor to do evangelist work, what makes any of us think we’re exempt?
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
— John 14:6
So What?
Camp is over. The vans are unloaded. The sleeping bags are probably still airing out in someone’s garage. But the charge doesn’t end when you leave Palomar.
You heard stories this week — of Jackie and Angie giving their lives to Christ, of counselors having spiritual breakthrough, of kids engaging with Scripture in new ways. Those stories aren’t just highlights from a retreat. They’re a preview of what God wants to do in your life, your family, your school, your workplace — right here in Phoenix.
So here’s the question: Are you hunting? Are you actively pursuing God and His work in your life? Are you ready — in season and out of season — to share what He’s done for you?
Camp reminded us that God is still moving. The question is: are we joining Him?
Scripture References
- 2 Timothy 4:2 — Preach the word in season and out of season
- 2 Timothy 4:3–4 — People will not endure sound teaching
- 1 Peter 3:15 — Always be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have
- John 14:6 — Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life