Every summer, Grace Bible Church sends a team of students and leaders up to West Coast Grace Youth Camp above Palomar Mountain in San Diego. This year — 2022 — about 200 people from seven churches spent five days together in biblical community, and this past Sunday, Pastor Josh White gave the whole church a taste of what happened up on that mountain.
The Missionary Journey Ends at Community
The sermon opened with a familiar passage from Acts. When Paul and Barnabas returned from their missionary journey, they didn’t just file a report — they gathered the church together and declared everything God had done with them. That word gathered matters. The missionary journey ended in community.
“This is what we do every Sunday,” Pastor Josh said. “We come together, we read God’s Word, we worship together, we pray together, and then we build relationships. This is how we build community.” Those hallway conversations, the coffee after service, the Sunday morning hellos — they’re not filler. They’re the point.
From Acts 1, it’s clear that faith was never meant to be lived out in isolation. Which means you and I have two obligations in biblical community: push and pull. Push yourself into community — even if you’re an introvert, even if it’s uncomfortable. And pull others in. Find the person who looks like they’re on the outside looking in, and invite them in. We need each other.
“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”
— Romans 1:11–12
The Microwave for the Soul
So why is camp such a big deal? Pastor Josh put it simply: “Camp just happens to be one of those biblical communities where, in some cases, years of natural growth and maturity in a person’s life can happen in one week.” He called it a microwave for biblical community — and then he did the math.
Most people, even those heavily involved in church, get roughly 10 hours of intentional biblical community per week. At camp? With worship, Bible study, cabin time, meals, and late-night conversations all pointing the same direction — campers got approximately 115 hours of biblical community in a single week. For someone who only shows up on Sunday mornings, that’s nearly two years’ worth packed into five days. The outside noise gets removed. The distractions go away. And in that space, lives change.
“Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
— Hebrews 10:24–25
Five Groups, One Message
What did that look like in practice? The camp ran four simultaneous programs — Juniors (elementary), Middle School, High School, and College — each with its own speaker and theme. Here’s a snapshot:
- Juniors studied Daniel and wrestled with the importance of truth in a world that constantly redefines it.
- Middle School (taught by Caleb Combs) worked through the Beatitudes — and one camper particularly remembered the honesty about what it means to realize you need Christ before you can grow in Christ.
- High School (taught by Mitch Conley) heard a challenge that cut right through the world’s noise: stop asking “What are you going to do when you grow up?” and start asking “Who are you going to become?”
- College heard from Brent Beefus on the ruthless elimination of hurry and the practice of Sabbath rest, and from Steve McFadden on grounding yourself in truth when the world tells you lies.
The Campfire Questions
On Friday night, around the campfire, Pastor Mike McFadden asked campers three questions that cut right to the heart of application:
- What did you bring up to camp that you’re leaving behind?
- What did you gain up here that you’re taking back down the mountain?
- What are you going to do about it?
The answers were honest and varied — some campers left anger and addiction at the foot of the mountain; others gained a new habit of solitude and silence before God. One camper stood up and said he came up with depression and a burden on everyone around him, and left wanting to be a better person — not for himself, but so he could help others. That’s the gospel working its way into real life.
Generations Passing It On
Perhaps the most powerful part of the morning was the visual Pastor Josh painted of generational discipleship. His aunt Tamaris helped start the camp over 50 years ago. His father Steve McFadden was a camper, then a counselor, then director. Becky and Ed White were youth group kids under Steve’s teaching, then served as camp staff. Zach and Ashley Short grew up in that youth group, and this year Zach was the Activities Director. The cycle is still turning — middle schoolers who were in the youth group last year were campers this year. And some of this year’s campers will be counselors before they know it.
“Our hope and what we are training toward,” Pastor Josh said, “is that someday you will continue to come to this church and be involved in ministry, and come back to camp, and you will be taking care of our kids. And what we promise to you is — we are training up our children to then take care of yours.” That’s not a program. That’s discipleship in action, generation after generation.
Where, When, How, and Who
Pastor Brent Kretschmar closed the morning with a challenge that applied equally to the students and to the whole church. Camp was intense — 115 hours of community, worship, teaching, and conversation. But normal life is not that. So the question isn’t just “Was camp great?” — it’s where, when, and how are you going to implement what you learned? And critically — who are you inviting into your life to help you walk this out?
“You are not walking alone,” he said. “You are not doing this alone.” The whole point of biblical community is that we don’t have to.
So What?
Camp is a gift — but it’s a concentrated one. The real question every one of us faces this week is the same three questions Pastor Mike asked around that campfire: What are you leaving at the mountain? What are you bringing back? And what are you actually going to do about it?
Hebrews 10 doesn’t give us an escape hatch — “encourage one another” isn’t optional, and “not neglecting to meet together” isn’t a suggestion. We need each other. And if you felt something shift at camp, or on a Sunday morning, or in a Life Group, or in the quiet of your own prayer time — the challenge is to not let that fade back into the noise. Find someone. Ask them to walk with you. And then do the same for someone else.
That’s what the church is for.
Scripture References
- Acts 13–14 — The Missionary Journey and Return to Antioch
- Romans 1:11–12 — Mutual Encouragement in Faith
- Hebrews 10:24–25 — Stirring One Another Up to Love and Good Works
- Matthew 5 (Beatitudes) — taught at Junior and Middle School camp