Every Tuesday Night in the suburbs of Redlands at Pathway Church, a small gathering of young adults takes place as a form of support for people growing in their blossoming careers or early college years.
Young adults from all around and in Redlands come to this weekly study to hang out with fellow young adults, worship God in community with other believers, and learn about the Bible from specific passages. The group is led by assistant pastor Josh Harder, a mid-twenties Canadian graduate student of Gateway Seminary. Attendees range from 17 years old to around 33 years old, from all kinds of backgrounds. The majority of the people who attend are students of California Baptist University, or have recently graduated from there, and many are medical students of Loma Linda University, but there is a handful of students from our own CSUSB.
When you first enter the doors of this beautiful Southern Baptist church and head downstairs, you are almost always immediately greeted with smiles from Pastor Josh, his wife Micaela, the worship leader, Josue Gonzalez, and other attendees who have already arrived.
Within fifteen minutes after the starting time of 6:45, the worship service begins, and everyone rises from their seats to give praise. Josue leads the group in two beautifully sung worship songs, which Josh closes out in a word of prayer. Pastor Josh then begins his sermon, recently capturing the book of Exodus, where he mostly focuses on the actual word of God, but occasionally shares his knowledge of the passage or a fun tidbit thereof. He uses a discussion-based teaching method, with slides holding group-building exercises or some thought-provoking small group questions.
After the sermon is over, Josue leads the assembly in a final worship song before Josh concludes the meeting in a final word of prayer. The group is then welcome to either disperse and go home or stay and chat with their fellow young adults. Witnessing this weekly identical routine play out is entertaining to say the least, especially the Christian church version of a “mating ritual.” The single girls twirl their hair at the “eligible bachelors” of the group, and the boys obliviously converse about one of the relevant sports activities they are either engaged in themselves or are observing nightly on their living room TV. One way or another, a rumor regarding a post-bible study trip to In-N-Out or Chick-fil-A makes its way around the room.
Overall, this author would say that attending this event, at least once, to see what it is like to be a part of such an incredible community, is something to add to your agenda. From the ambience of the basement forum’s ceiling string lights, the angelically crafted worship service led by Josue, to the awe-inspiring sermon of Pastor Josh, Pathway Church’s weekly young adults’ bible study/support group/really-fun-time is a highly recommended use of your valuable time. If you find yourself in need of an occupied Tuesday night, stop by one of these days. Pathway would love to have you!