Story of God at Work On a Scout Trip to California
By Deacon Tuttle
Following last year’s plant in Chico, Resonate is looking to bring the hope of Jesus to even more college campuses across California, with a potential new plant at either UC Davis or Fresno State.
Over the week and across the two campuses, a team of people from Ellensburgspent time praying, ministering, and surveying the culture at UC Davis and Fresno State,. My wife, Maggie, and I have our “yes” on the table to move from Ellensburg to wherever God reveals next. Though we have a direction, it’s not without its struggles.
UC Davis: A Place of Opportunity
The first campus that we visited on the scout trip was UC Davis, a campus teeming with 40,000 students. Over the course of our time there, we shared the Gospel eight times, with many of them being in-depth and revealing conversations. The spiritual openness was evident—students were willing to engage about faith, and the atmosphere was not one of resistance, but of curiosity.
Davis is a unique place. According to Acts 2 Church, which has a presence on campus, only 1,000 out of 40,000 students are connected to a local church. It’s a city of diversity—78% of its population consists of people of color all over the globe. “That’s something Makaila and I have always been passionate about,” Alec, the future Church Planter says. They are passionate about reaching people from all sorts of backgrounds, faiths, and cultures.
In terms of the atmosphere that we observed, a local described Davis as “the most traditional campus town in California,” a place where community naturally flourishes. Coffee shops galore, and students gather in communal spaces, making it a strategic place for evangelism.
As opposed to the CWU campus we’re from, the team including myself was pleasantly surprised to see that no matter where we went, people were huddled together not by choice but out of necessity due to the amount of people in the population. This was welcoming as it created natural interactions and easy opportunities to introduce ourselves and Jesus to others.
One example of the Lord orchestrating Gospel encounters happened when Marina had the opportunity to pray for someone deeply affected by the current political climate. As we were spending time in devotion before we were sent to scout, God led her to speak to this person in a way that directly addressed her need. They both shared similar spiritual upbringings and God used their commonalities to share more about Himself to both of them. It was so natural and uplifting to start a day of mission witnessing God’s work.
The last story came firsthand from myself and Elijah when we approached a Grad-student named Troy. He was a little taken back when we said that “We’re looking to see if UC Davis is a place where God is asking us to church plant,” but he was still willing to answer questions. One point of contention that he put forward was the idea that, “people are educated here.” He was saying from his own personal experience of walking away from Christianity that the seeming contradictions of faith and science were too much for him to reconcile. Troy said that this type of mindset is something that is commonly held with the student population at UC Davis.
Following this claim, he was kind enough to let me chime in and explain that God is the author of the world, and that the Bible is not merely designed to answer scientific inquiries. Even with that in mind, many church figures have wrestled with science and proposed diverse views that I believe people would find ultimately compelling and reliable testimony if they were given the chance to read the sources.
I’m praising the Lord that he gave me a chance to have that exchange with Troy, and that I was able to see an avenue where my personal passions of apologetics could help at this campus.
To sum up our experiences at UC Davis, Alec says, “It is a huge pool of opportunity.”
Pictured above is the team from Ellensburg who went on the scout trip to California.
Fresno State: A Campus in Need of Ministry
Our team also visited Fresno State, a campus where engaging students proved more difficult. Regulations on clubs, free speech barriers, and a lottery system every semester for clubs and student engagement presence makes ministry challenging. During my time there, Elijah, Maggie, and I were on the team for gospel-sharing efforts, approaching students despite being denied nine times in a row. We were upfront about the Gospel asking questions like “Have you heard the Gospel before?”, “Do you know who Jesus is?, and “We’re thinking about planting a church on this campus, could we share with you why?” The spiritual climate felt very different—less openness, more hesitation, and some hostility. Yet, even in those moments, God was working.
Initially, I felt more drawn toward Fresno than UC Davis because there are far fewer ministries there. From what we learned, there are no churches gathering on campus aside from Bible studies. That realization saddened me but made me hopeful. Along with the other recent team from Moscow, Idaho, who visited, I prayed that someday, a strategy would allow for a Resonate church to be planted here.
Alec’s Testimony and Calling
For the last two and a half years, the prospect and hope of church planting has been near to the Matalas’ hearts. Alec Matala, with his wife Makaila and son Shepherd alongside him. Alec has been on staff at Resonate for 5 years in Ellensburg, and he and Makaila are burdened to share the Gospel with college students.
Alec was not raised as a Christian but actually began to discover God in middle school. He always desired to belong somewhere. Through going to Youth Group as a teenager, Alec says that “ [I] sensed Jesus calling me to belong to Him”. God granted him that good desire by fulfilling his promise to adopt those who are in his family (Ephesians 1:5)
As Alec entered college at Central Washington University he quickly was connected to Resonate. He was so taken by the church’s vision for a true and vulnerable Gospel community as well as the challenge to go and make disciples. Alec says, “God used Resonate to raise me up and transformed me into a leader and a shepherd.” Over time, Alec says that he felt a draw towards pastoral work and in that to specifically show others what Jesus’ heart is towards people.
Having an Abrahamic Faith
Alec says he has been contemplating two pieces of scripture recently, and the Lord used one section he’s been meditating on to give specific clarity and guidance. This involved God moving in dreams and confirmations, Alec shared this first scripture as one of his insights during a debrief with the team.
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” - Isaiah 26:3
“That’s a verse I’ve pondered on months prior to the scout trip,” Alec says. Through his and his family's contemplation about where God is taking them as they seek to lead a new church family and build up people to send out, Alec has kept God firmly in his view. Considering the fulfillment of peace as we trust the Lord in where he is directing our paths, is the goal. In the midst of sharing this, everyone was shocked in that moment, when Sam shared that the previous night, he had a dream where he was telling Alec that verse personally. We were all taken aback and praising God’s voice as he spoke to both Alec and Sam in that unexpected way. To trust in the peace that He alone sufficiently provides on our behalf.
This connects to the other story that Alec has been thinking on, the story of Abraham. Alec describes that sometimes it may seem like God is leading us in unknown or confusing directions. Though we trust in his faithfulness as Christians, we can have events happen that cause questions. Those who walked in faith before us like Abraham, even had moments of doubt or lack of sight. For many years Abraham and his wife Sarah could not bear children, yet God later provided physical children and innumerable spiritual offspring as he became a father of nations (Genesis 17:5). What we often have in mind for God’s provision is not for His ultimate glory but for our personal satisfaction. God is so much bigger than our wants, and still He gives us what we need.
Alec is calling for us to have an Abrahamic faith, abiding in obedience to God’s calls which may be without a clear sight for a time but a full certainty that God will provide. Alec says, “God is a promise keeper.” Over the course of this trip, I believe this is what God was telling us throughout.
Whichever campus Alec and Makaila plant at, God is moving because He has promised He would.
In the hope of the Gospel as God saves His people - He is a promise keeper.
As we choose to pick up our cross and sacrifice what we currently have for God’s mission - He is a promise keeper.
Though we don’t know where we are going, who will be in California, or what campus we are planting at - He is a promise keeper.
