High School Summer Camp EQUIPPED 2026

Last week God blessed our High School Ministry by allowing us to spend time at Camp "Equipped" at Hartstone Bible Camp in Potter Valley, CA. Around 65 students and 25 staff members had the opportunity to participate in the project and be encouraged through it. The purpose of this camp was that God would use the sessions, singing, fellowship, and other activities to encourage, strengthen, and equip each attendee. The team prayed that students would leave camp stronger in the faith and ready to withstand the daily attacks they would face by clinging to Christ and His Word.

The camp speaker, Vlad Mitsuk, is the lead-pastor at Grace Bible Church of Salem, where he has been serving for the past eight years. His message was on Ephesians 6:10-18, and his message was about being properly equipped for the spiritual battles that every Christian will face in his life. God used the four sessions to impart many valuable truths about the nature of temptations and how to stand firm. Pastor Vlad talked of the reality of spiritual warfare, and that unless we are aware of the ongoing battle, we will be quickly shot down by the darts of the evil one. The only way we can win our battles is by turning to the One Who is stronger — Christ. When we love Him, we will be drawing closer to Him rather than seeing how close to the edge of sin we can get. Moreover, the decisions a Christian makes about the gray areas in life will either bring him closer to God or serve to numb him to the ugliness of a certain sin, paving the way for him to commit it in the future. The second session was about being awake to the truth — that “the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” When we understand the true nature of God and Who He really is, we will grasp our need for salvation and will see that serving Him is the most valuable thing in life. The final sessions were about faith, salvation, and the importance of using the Word and prayer to resist temptation. Prayer was designed to allow us to be conscious of God’s presence, to remind us that we are not self-sufficient, and to align our will with God’s, not the other way around. The question is not whether a temptation will come, but when it will come. Understanding and applying these truths will help a believer cling to God and emerge victorious.

In addition to the sessions and sermon discussions, high schoolers participated in other activities throughout the day such as swimming in the creek, fishing, archery, mini-ziplining, crafts, and camp-wide games. On the second day of camp, the high schoolers took part in a camp-wide volleyball tournament with pre-assigned teams. Team captains and players exhibited great sportsmanship as they encouraged and served one another during the game, allowing both least-experienced to most-experienced players to enjoy the competition.

On the last evening, we had a Q&A session around the bonfire where Pastor Vlad and Danik Kosovan answered questions that had been submitted throughout the duration of the camp. Questions were asked such as “How can you prove God’s existence without using the Bible or prove the authenticity of the Bible without the use of the Bible?” and “If God is Holy, how did Satan appear before God in the Book of Job?” It was a memorable and beneficial time, and a number of students engaged in deep conversations after the Q&A session was over.

Hartstone Bible Camp is run by a team of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who saw to it that everything was taken care of and everyone was comfortable. They provided us not only with a beautifully kept campground and cozy cabins, but also with delicious meals.

Through this camp, God allowed the high schoolers not only to grow in the faith, but also to create new friendships and many fun memories. The camp was also instrumental in helping the High School staff team to grow closer together as we served the students to the glory of God. Our team is thankful to the church for all the prayers and thankful to God for the fruitful time He allowed us to have– that He has worked in the hearts of students, and that He has kept everyone out of harm’s way. If the Lord wills it, we look forward to another High School Summer Camp in the next year to further promote the spiritual growth and fellowship of our students and team.

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"When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you."
Psalm 73:21-27