The trip came about almost as an accident. In the midst of our group discussion, one of my classmates turned to me and asked, "What about you, Zane? Don’t you work with a youth group?"

I was auditing a course at Fuller Theological Seminary on teamwork and leadership. Since I wasn’t taking the class for credit, when the class broke up into teams for the final project, I was placed in a group with other auditors. The directions for all the groups were simple and practical: we were to work as a team, planning and executing a substantial project that none of us could complete on our own.

So there I was, with a handful of my classmates, brainstorming about something we could do that wouldn’t take too much effort—after all, we were all busy, and none of us was taking the class for a grade.

Since Fuller is a multidenominational seminary, none of my teammates were Adventist. In fact, as far as I know, I was one of the few Adventists on campus. In my second quarter at the seminary, I was still getting accustomed to this. Growing up attending Adventist churches, being educated mostly in Adventist schools, and even doing ministry for the Adventist Church, I had experienced most of my close interactions with, well, other Adventists. Working with and becoming friends with other Christians was something I appreciated in theory but found unnatural actually to put into practice.

So I was surprised at the direction the conversation took. It turned out that one of my classmates had significant experience leading rock climbing and backpacking trips for groups. In fact, as the outdoor ministry leader of his church, he had led church groups on outdoor expeditions in the past. He suggested planning such a trip for our group project. My other classmates warmed quickly to this idea.

Where should we go? Someone suggested Joshua Tree National Park, located in the desert roughly two and one-half hours east of Los Angeles. When they found out that I work on weekends as the youth/young adult pastor at a local church, another major issue seemed settled. They excitedly suggested that we take my high school youth group on an outdoor adventure weekend!

So the wheels were set in motion and I found myself in an unforeseen, but opportune situation. The idea of planning some sort of overnight trip for my church had been on my mind. Now the burden of planning such a trip on my own had been lifted. However, at the same time, I experienced a mixed feeling of excitement and discomfort.

How would all of this work logistically? Would my congregation even agree to it? What impression would my peers—all future leaders in their perspective denominations and ministry organizations—have of Adventists after such a trip? How would the kids at church and the other adult youth leaders interact with my classmates? I imagined all the awkward interactions that could take place.

As the quarter progressed, the pieces of the trip came together. The church board approved the trip. It turned out that the church’s insurance policy would not cover rock climbing, so we modified our initial plans to include only camping and hiking. We prayed about and selected a theme for the weekend—the body of Christ and unity—and we titled the retreat "The Power of One."

We made posters. The t-shirts we originally planned, unfortunately, didn’t come through. We divided the responsibilities for the weekend: Andrew assumed control of outdoor activities. Akiko’s responsibilities included the meals. Brad was in charge of being the speaker for the weekend. Jon agreed to plan some icebreaker and teamwork games. My responsibilities were simply to bring the group and my guitar, and to arrange the transportation.

At last, the weekend the long-awaited weekend arrived. On Friday afternoon, about thirty excited kids met in the church parking lot and loaded onto the bus. Some of my teammates had gone ahead to prepare the campsite. Others planned to join the group at Joshua Tree the following morning.

The weekend was anything but uneventful. Although the weather Friday evening was beautiful, it was overcast, misty, and cold most of Saturday. That afternoon, three high schoolers decided to go hiking on their own and caused quite a bit of worry before they returned many hours later. On our group hike, it started to rain.

I vividly remember one particularly uncomfortable moment at Sabbath morning’s breakfast. On the menu were breakfast burritos. However, in addition to eggs and potatoes, one of my classmates had purchased a large package of bacon. (Although, I had explained to them that some of the kids in the group were vegetarians, I had not bothered to explain the Adventist aversion to pork!) As the bacon sizzled on the pan, I glanced nervously at one typically outspoken adult Pathfinder leader. Would she say something or make a scene? I was relieved when she fixed her plate, graciously ignoring what she found unpalatable.

Despite such incidents, the entire group had a wonderful time. The youth repeatedly asked afterward when we were going camping again. My non-Adventist friends from class were personally blessed by ministering to our Adventist group. I myself have many fond memories of that trip. Something magical—or perhaps I should say profoundly spiritual—happened that weekend.

Many of the kids in my youth group were from immigrant families and had rarely ventured out of the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Some of them attended because their parents had recently joined the church. There in the middle of the desert at night, huddled around the campfire, they heard about a God who loves them deeply and experienced firsthand the warmth and power of Christian community. However, they are not the only ones who learned something. Yes, I discovered something about the dynamics and power of teamwork. There’s no way I could have planned such a trip on my own. I suppose the instructor of the course would have been very proud.

However, more importantly, I experienced and came to understand the body of Christ—that is, the church—in a new way. Through the generosity and ministry of my classmates, who became my teammates, and, eventually, people I would proudly call my friends, I have come to understand truly that the church extends beyond the walls of my local congregation and, yes, even my denomination. The church of Christ is larger, more diverse, more complex, and yet more beautiful than I had imagined.

Reflections on this experience also have me wondering and dreaming. As Adventists, instead of focusing on the issues that differentiate and divide us from other believers, is it possible to emphasize what unites us, what we hold in common, and from this to unite in fellowship and practical ministry and action in our world?

This is not to suggest dilution of our distinctive beliefs and lifestyle habits, or to advocate some sort of bland ecumenism. Rather, it is to suggest the possibilities of concentrating on our commonalities. Imagine how much more effective we would be if we worked together with other believers, pooling our resources, ideas, and energy instead of building walls and reinventing the wheel each time.

To paraphrase the psalmist, "How wonderful it is, how pleasant, when brothers and sisters work together in harmony!" (Ps. 133:1).

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