Listening to the harsh sounds of a live rock concert, Candice Caballero and Joy Gravestock wondered how they would find spiritual interest on the secular college campus? How would they locate students who are looking for something more?

Enrolled as part-time students at the secular college, Caballero and Gravestock are embedded missionaries in a pilot project sponsored by the Central California Conference through the camp meeting evangelism offering and the Pacific Union.

“Let’s go for a prayer walk,” Caballero suggested. Walking nearly the entire main campus of California State Stanislaus in Turlock, Calif., they sang songs and claimed promises, asking God to create spiritual interest and then connect them to those individuals.

The very next day, Caballero met a young man who simply said to her, “I want to understand the Bible better.”

Later, eating in the cafeteria, a young woman asked, “I’ve been looking for a church around here. Do you have any suggestions?”

Gravestock was having similar experiences as one student spontaneously shared, “I want Bible studies.” Before the day was over, both had encountered several students searching for spiritual things.

Stunned and praising God, they knew exactly what to do. They both began small group and individual Bible studies.

Third Year Track for SOULS West Graduates

At a time when the Central California Conference has prioritized growth by initiating 30 church plants, doubling its public evangelistic efforts, concentrating on revitalizing churches and assisting with 37 stipend Bible workers, God has provided help from a new source: SOULS West.

Located on the campus of Thunderbird Academy in Scottsdale, Ariz., the two-year program is a leadership and practical ministry training school for outreach evangelism that combines class work with on-the-job training. It is funded by the Pacific Union.

Developing a structured “third year track” and hiring graduates is a win-win. Already experienced leaders with door-to-door and Bible study experience, these graduates work closely with conference mentors and local pastors. Extended leadership experience includes training and fellowship events, preaching an evangelistic campaign with Global Evangelism and working with the summer student evangelism program as leaders and Bible workers.

These Bible workers are funded by the local church, the Camp Meeting Evangelism Offering and their door-to-door literature sales.

“They were able to get a number of our members involved giving Bible studies, which is a primary responsibility,” says Ceres Pastor Keith Mulligan about Caballero and Susan Santos, the two Bible workers that served in Ceres this past year. “They did most of the follow-up visitation and studies during our evangelistic series which led to baptisms. And with their extensive student literature evangelistic experience, they were able to discover a continual source of new study interests.”

With a steady stream of well-trained young people infusing churches and infiltrating campuses, God’s work in Central is rapidly advancing. “When I see kids coming out of SOULS, I get excited,” says Jerry Page, conference president. “God is raising up leadership to take us home.”

Mentoring and Discipling

In addition to establishing young adult Sabbath school classes at the Turlock and Ceres churches, Caballero and Gravestock are also getting the young adult church members involved, who, in turn, are inviting their friends.

With a Wednesday night small group Bible study in their apartment, assisting with Bible study requests from the summer student literature evangelism program and fall evangelistic meetings, giving individual Bible studies, and attending classes, Caballero and Gravestock are busy.

“There are so many people out there, tons of people, that are hungry for the truth. My strongest desire is to be faithful to God and to do everything I possibly can to meet all those people,” says Gravestock. “The secret to our success so far has been raw prayer,” says Caballero. “God has shown me so much; I can’t help but praise His name!”

For more information about SOULS West, visit soulswest.com.