Godfrey Miranda remembers thinking about it in eighth grade. Andrew Uyeyama remembers he and Miranda talking about it during PrayerWorks 2000, a North American Division prayer conference hosted by Central California Conference (CCC) in Ceres, Calif.

Steve Hamilton, youth pastor at Bakersfield Hillcrest, remembers overhearing a conversation between four college students who were leading out at a youth prayer conference at Armona Adventist Academy in 2003. They’d gotten involved in these annual conferences — first as participants, then as leaders.

“Why don’t we do a traveling evangelism team?” Stephanie Barr, Godfrey Miranda, Debbie Phillips and Andrew Uyeyama asked each other. Miranda and Uyeyama were theology majors, Barr and Phillips were studying nursing. The women could support the team as traveling nurses. “We could work with churches that needed it. That would be an awesome life!”

In the meantime, conference administrators, prayer partners and evangelism committee members were praying throughout each year, earnestly seeking God’s vision for Central.

With the overwhelming explosion of giving through the camp meeting evangelism offering, which has exceeded $1 million in 2004 and 2005, evangelism efforts have exploded, too. New areas of growth include church plants (currently 23), 37 Bible workers placed in strategic locations, a 100 percent increase in public evangelism meetings in the past year (90), unique lay training endeavors, and numerous local church initiatives.

“‘What do You want next, how do You want us to grow?’ is what we were asking God,” explains President Jerry Page. “And God was doing what He always does, creating a united vision in our hearts and minds.”

In winter 2004, Page was interviewing theology students at several Adventist colleges. At Pacific Union College he interviewed Miranda, Uyeyama and Brian Simmons. “Three great young adults,” says Page. “But how can we get these guys in Central?” was his burning question.

Steve Horton, vice president for ministries and senior youth director, and Janet Page, prayer ministries director, had been working with these youth for several years. “As Ellen White said, we have an army of youth today who can do much if they are properly directed and encouraged. It is a privilege to be part of this vision,” Horton says.

That July, during camp meeting set-up, Page pulled Hamilton aside and asked if he’d ever thought of a youth evangelism team. “Wow, there are others serious about this thing,” Hamilton remembers thinking. Working with George Johnson, director of church plants and special evangelism projects, Hamilton and his youth and young adult camp meeting team met regularly to pray together.

“By the second Friday night of camp meeting, there were six young adults asking ‘When do we start?’” says Hamilton. On Sabbath morning, the Soquel and local church satellite audiences heard the dream for the first time. The camp meeting evangelism offering goal was $700,000. An overflow of $120,000 would be needed to fund the team.

“I’ll never forget running over to the main auditorium at the end of our Saturday night meeting to find out the offering total,” Hamilton says. "When I heard ‘You’ve got a team!’ it was incredible!”

Going Full Time

There is a price for the team members, too. Each has to take a year off from school or other career plans.

“I really want to see kids with very solid commitments to God step up to the plate, taking initiative for Jesus,” says Uyeyama, who will delay his senior year in college. “They can catch the vision of turning the world upside down beginning in their schools.”

During 2004, while the team’s charter members were still attending various colleges and academies, they planned and led the annual CCC Youth Prayer Conference hosted by Modesto Adventist Academy and several weeks of prayer at churches and academies.

In June 2005, the team held the third Teen Bible Academy (see adjacent article), led the youth programming at camp meeting in July, and in August attended Miranda’s and Phillips’ wedding and held a week of prayer at an academy (less the honeymooning couple). Though they were supposed to be on vacation, “This is what we love to do,” says Leah Hawley. “This is a vacation!”

In October and November, they are training academy and church youth and holding a first-ever city-wide public youth evangelism series for community teens in Bakersfield. Then, it’s off to Monterey Bay Academy, Modesto Adventist Academy and several local church weekend prayer retreats in between.

By next spring, they plan to be running multiple programs in various locations simultaneously. While there are nine full-time members invested everyday in the planning and training, there are another 15 youth and young adults willing to work as their schedule permits. “We’re always passing the torch,” says Hamilton.

By summer 2006, they will have successfully developed programming to train the active kids, reached out to the inactive teens and developed successful outreaches for community youth. “We want youth evangelism programs that are guaranteed to work and that can be duplicated,” Hamilton explains.

“We believe God is raising up His next massive movement. These kids are challenging us, changing us, reviving us,” says Page. “We believe God is using them to take us to the last great revival.”