Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared what it has taken to set up and tear down a church every single weekend for the last 16 years. We’ve talked about the people, the process, and the unseen work that has made Sundays possible at our Apple Valley campus.
As we continue looking ahead to a permanent home, there’s another part of the story worth telling: What happens to everything we’ve been using all these years?
Because while the rhythm of set up and tear down will eventually come to an end, the equipment that has supported it still has a story, and more importantly, a purpose, moving forward.
For 16 years, God has provided exactly what we’ve needed to do ministry in a portable setting. Trailers, chairs, staging, sound systems, projectors, carts, and countless other pieces have helped transform a school into a church, week after week. And through that time, we’ve been incredibly blessed, not just with resources, but with a strong relationship with AVUSD and the staff at Sitting Bull Academy, who have allowed us to store and use much of that equipment on-site.
When the time comes to transition, it won’t be as simple as loading up a few trailers and driving away. Over the years, pieces of our campus have spread out, some in trailers, some in storage carts, and some tucked into places you might not expect. There will be a process of gathering, moving, and deciding what comes next for each piece.
And when that season arrives, it will take all of us. One of our trailers is filled with chairs that will move directly into our new auditorium. For years, those chairs have been set up and taken down every single weekend. One day, they’ll be placed once, and stay there. No more constant moving. No more wear and tear from weekly use. Just a ready and welcoming space, week after week. This will also be a quick turn around, as we will need to use these chairs the last Sunday at Sitting Bull and then the very next Sunday for our Opening Services at the new campus.
There will be opportunities to serve through hands-on projects focused on moving and preparing equipment for the transition. While we’re not there just yet, we want you to be aware of what’s ahead. When those opportunities come, we’d love for you to be part of it.
Other pieces will require a little more thought.
For years, we’ve used an entire system designed to turn a school gym into a church, portable staging, curtains, projectors, and sound equipment built specifically for that kind of environment. But our future campus is fundamentally different. It’s being designed from the ground up for worship, teaching, and ministry. Which means not everything will transfer the same way.
Jesus speaks to this idea in Luke 5:37–38: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins… No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”
In a similar way, some of the systems that have served us so well in a portable setup won’t be the right fit for a permanent space. Not because they’ve lost their value, but because they were built for something different.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t be used. In fact, much of our equipment will continue to serve, just in new places.
For example, our Victorville campus gym is in need of an updated sound system that will help support various different ministries, from Tuesday Women’s group to Thursday YA. What we’ve been using in Apple Valley is actually designed for a space like that, which makes it a perfect fit. That’s a direct win, taking something we already have and placing it where it can be used even more effectively.
From there, the impact continues. As equipment is replaced or upgraded, other pieces can be passed along to different ministries, creating a “trickle-down” effect that benefits not just our Apple Valley campus, but High Desert Church as a whole.
And it doesn’t stop there. There’s an opportunity to bless other churches as well, to take what we’ve been given and help equip other ministries to reach people in their own communities. That’s part of what it means to be the Church, not just caring for our own needs, but looking outward.
Some items, like our current stage, likely won’t be needed in the new building. Our hope is that another ministry can use it. The same goes for projectors that will need to be replaced by LED screens to better accommodate, or storage carts that one day won’t need to move in and out each week because rooms will already be set.
At the heart of all of this is a simple goal: to use what God has given us wisely. To make the most of it. To place it where it can have the greatest impact.
Because while the building is still ahead of us, the mission hasn’t changed.
We’re continuing to faithfully do what we’ve always done, create space for people to encounter Jesus, while preparing for what’s next.
And when that next season comes, we won’t just be moving locations.
We’ll be stepping into a new way of doing ministry, bringing the best of what we’ve been given with us, and using it in ways that continue to make an impact far beyond a single campus and for the Church.
While I can’t guarantee that no screw will ever fall out of a chair again, I can say with confidence, that will be much more uncommon.
As of the writing of this post we have raised $836,131.30 towards the Home to Call our Own Campaign.
If you would like to join the project you can give at the link below: