Challenge and fun at BCAP

DPCA and EMH students and faculty recently had the opportunity to try out Browns Canyon Adventure Park at Noah's Ark Whitewater Rafting. They had a fantastic experience! Check out this link on the DPCA Eagle for photos and more of the story.




Ekklesia Mountain High is a boarding and day-student program for high school juniors and seniors at Darren Patterson Christian Academy, in which approximately forty days of wilderness experience and leadership training is integrated with rigorous academics in DPCA's Biblically-centered environment.  To learn more, please visit the school's website at www.dpcaweb.org, and the EMH program's website at www.emhweb.org.

Over the edge: Moab Rock Climbing Course

Levi climbing "Looking Glass Rock"

She stands on the edge of the precipice, rope dangling into the dark chasm below.  Her anchor is secure, her belayer at the ready. Heart pounding, breath shaking, she pushes through the fear and over the edge into the void.

This was junior Katie Busch’s “favorite but most terrifying” moment of the Moab Rock Climbing Course. Looking Glass Rock towers 185 feet above the ground. After climbing this daunting slab in three “pitches” or stages, the students had nowhere to go but down.

“I was scared getting up there,” Katie remembered. “But I was terrified getting down.” Sitting on a precipice overlooking empty air, she had to push off the edge and trust the rope to hold her. “Going over that edge was the hardest thing to do. But when I did it, I was so happy. It was so fun. I wish I could go back and do it again.”

Climbing at "Wall Street"

On the Moab Rock Climbing Course, October 2-12, 2013, students confronted the edge in multiple ways. Physically they had to learn to trust one another and to trust the rope as they climbed and rappelled in demanding and challenging environments. Standing at the top of a 200 foot drop, you have to know the person on the other end of the rope is trustworthy.

Hanging out after a good day

More of "Wall Street"

In the same way, students had to learn to trust one another as they shared about their fears and experiences. Many students faced the edge of a precipice emotionally: if I open up and talk about my struggles, what will happen? As they stepped over the edge and began to trust one another, they found a community of support waiting to hold them up.

EMH Director Ben Little shared his observations from the course. “When students reflected at the end of the course about some of their favorite moments, they talked about overcoming challenges and fears. Some of these included learning to trust in a physical sense, but even more so in an emotional sense with their fears and struggles. Many of the students said they had a lot of great one-on-one conversations where they shared their fears and temptations with someone else for the first time in their life. Once they did it—once they stepped over the edge—they found value and acceptance. They enjoyed the freedom of being able to share their struggles with someone else. The connection between the physical fears and the emotional fears became even greater as the week went on. Some amazing relationships were built.”

Juan ascends "Wall Street" while Levi looks on 

A big part of building relationships includes the cook groups for the course. These are groups of three or four students put together by the instructors before the course even begins. Why are they so important?

Food group fun

“These groups are together constantly,” says Mr. Little. “They work together before the course to put together all the food they will need for the entire ten days. Then they work together during the course to prepare three meals a day. They have to decide who is doing what, what meal they will make with what they have, and so forth. If they don’t work well together, they won’t have a very good experience.”

Students don’t get to choose their own groups, and instructors often deliberately place them with other students they may not know well. To make breakfast and dinner, these groups spend an hour or more preparing the meal and then eating it together. If one person is not participating, it becomes obvious, and the whole group suffers. They learn to self-manage and solve conflict among themselves.

Study time at the park

Several of the students shared about how important the food group became to them during the course as they learned to know new people.

“This group of students really enjoyed each other, and that was a big highlight of the course for me,” remarked Mr. Little. “The students were so encouraging to one another and had so much fun together. They often began games or other activities spontaneously, without prompting or initiation by the instructors. It was fun to see them initiating their own group activities.”

The activities and discussion for the course all focused on the theme of the year: “The Mission of God’s People.” Continuing discussions begun on the Sand Dunes course and in Bible class at school, the group talked about the calling of Abraham to be a blessing to all nations. Our calling as God’s children is to be a part of that mission to be a blessing to the nations. What does that look like in our own community, culture and school? Students were challenged to think about what God is calling them to do to reach the people around them and “keep the way of the Lord.” (For a more detailed look at the theme of The Mission of God’s People, click here.)

At the top of "Wall Street"

Becca makes it look easy

Canyoneering in "Morning Glory"

Climbing "The Fin"

On the last night of the course, the students came together for a community celebration. Each food group prepared a meal and brought it to share with the whole group, potluck style. (“Of course, everyone loved the instructors’ meal the most,” Mr. Little pointed out with a grin.) After the meal, the students had opportunity to share what the course meant to them and what they liked. The evening ended with communion together, a celebration of what Christ was doing in their lives individually and corporately. It became a close time of sharing and worship.

“I grew a lot spiritually on this course,” said senior Ellen Burdick. “I also really enjoyed it. It was so much fun.”

Hawk enjoys the view from "Little Finger Rock"

Joel and Mr. Little on "Little Finger Rock"

For more photos of the course, visit the EMH Facebook Page


Ekklesia Mountain High is a boarding and day-student program for high school juniors and seniors at Darren Patterson Christian Academy, in which approximately forty days of wilderness experience and leadership training is integrated with rigorous academics in DPCA's Biblically-centered environment.  To learn more, please visit the school's website at www.dpcaweb.org, and the EMH program's website at www.emhweb.org.

Community in wilderness: The EMH Sand Dunes Course

Getting food ready for the course.

True community cannot be forced or manufactured. At Ekklesia Mountain High, it starts when the students themselves decide to believe and invest in their community together. Sure, the instructors do their best to create an environment where community is encouraged, but it doesn’t really happen until the students themselves make it happen.

That was the thinking behind the Sand Dunes Course, the first EMH course of the year, which took place August 18-28 in the Great Sand Dunes National Park, about 80 miles southeast of Buena Vista. 

Director Ben Little wanted to take the students out before school started, to give them an opportunity to set the tone of the school year before they even set foot in the classroom. “We wanted to begin the process of building the community, as well as of developing the wilderness skills the students will need for the year.”

First, the group simply needed to get to know each other. With two new instructors - Jordan Euler and Deanna Jamison - along with ten EMH students and three guests from a school in Texas interested in partnering with the EMH program, the dynamic of the group had changed considerably from last year.

“A highlight of the course for me was getting to know the students and interacting with them in an outdoor environment,” said Mr. Euler. “It was good to get to know them before the start of classes, in a more relaxed setting.”

Challenging terrain; beautiful scenery!

Over the ten days, the students hiked over 25 miles. They spent one day climbing 13,200’ Mt. Herard and spent a few days off-trail, exploring difficult terrain with downed trees, thick brush, and steep inclines. They also visited two beautiful mountain lakes.

Within this setting, the instructors set the expectations for the course and presented the students with opportunities to lead.  Each day the instructors chose two “leaders of the day,” students who were responsible to find the route as they learned to read and follow the map, tell the group how far they were traveling and how much elevation they were gaining and losing, and use the map to get the group to the next campsite.

According to Mr. Little, “The leaders of the day have to set the pace, keep the group together, and decide the schedule for the day, like when we hike, when we do TAG (Time Alone with God) time, and so forth. They also decide how they will frame the day spiritually, presenting the group with a thought or verse they want the group to think about while they are hiking.”

Each successive course will present the students with more leadership opportunities, but the Sand Dunes Course is important because it lays the groundwork for what is expected from the students throughout the year. Mr. Little was encouraged by the response of the group.

“We had a particularly strong group of leaders this time. The students really embraced the idea of community. They got excited about it and took it seriously. We introduced our theme: The Mission of God’s People. We started to ask, ‘What is the mission of God’s people? What are we called to do?’”

As God’s people who are currently the upperclassmen of DPCA, the students discussed what their role would be in the upcoming school year. As leaders in the school, what kind of culture did they want to create? What would they do to cultivate that culture, as well as to lead in setting the example?

The students began by creating a list of goals for the year. They wrote out the list, and then each student signed it as an agreement to work together toward achieving those goals. Their list included the following expectations:

·         To keep a positive attitude, not creating a culture of complaining, even when expectations are not met.

·         To have real relationships. If people are struggling, be honest and share with each other. Even though we want a positive atmosphere, we don’t want fake faces. Talk out problems instead of masking them.

·         To create a culture of respect for each other, not putting down or talking bad about each other.

·         To enjoy each other. To find the fun moments and create memories within the school day and outside of school as well.

EMH student Becca said, “I’m super glad we did this list, because that is where my thoughts were going for this year. It’s cool to have a goal of going for it together. So far everyone is being really encouraging.”

Another student, Levi, also embraced the idea of community. “Last year I had a more pessimistic attitude at times,” he said. “Looking back, I decided I could be a better person. This year, I stayed optimistic the whole time. I chose a better attitude.”

Some solo time...

“The students really enjoyed each other on this course,” Mr. Little confirmed. “It was fun to see them coming together in such a positive way.”

At the end of the course, the students did a 24-hour monitored solo where they spent the night by themselves. It was a good time of journaling and reflecting on the course. A couple of students in particular really grew emotionally and spiritually through that experience, and the group had a good discussion afterward about how God spoke to them.

Overall, the course accomplished what the instructors were hoping for and more, setting the tone for a year of encouraging and growing together as a community. The students leave October 2 for their next challenge, the Moab Climbing Course.

"I'm ready," said Becca. "I can't wait to get outside and climb some rocks."

Related Articles: The Mission of God's People

Ekklesia Mountain High is a boarding and day-student program for high school juniors and seniors at Darren Patterson Christian Academy, in which approximately forty days of wilderness experience and leadership training is integrated with rigorous academics in DPCA's Biblically-centered environment.  To learn more, please visit the school's website at www.dpcaweb.org, and the EMH program's website at www.emhweb.org.

The mission of God's people: becoming a blessing to the nations

The EMH theme for 2013-2014 comes from Christopher J. H. Wright’s book,

The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission. In Bible class and on the courses, the students are reading and discussing Wright’s ideas, particularly how those ideas fit within the context of their own stories.

EMH Director Ben Little explains: “We are looking at the calling of Abraham to be a blessing to all the nations. Our calling is to be a part of that. Part of our mission as God’s people is to be a blessing to the nations.”

God first asked Abraham to go. Abraham had to leave what was around him, the confusion and selfishness of a world that did not want to leave what was safe and comfortable.

Abraham had a choice. If he didn’t go as God asked him to, then he couldn’t be a blessing to the nations. “God told Abraham, ‘I will bless you and then you will be a blessing,’” says Mr. Little. “But he had to go.”

Abraham had to choose the blessing. He had to say “yes” to God.

In Genesis 18:19, God spoke about Abraham: “For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”

God said this of Abraham as he was preparing to judge Sodom and Gomorrah. He planted Abraham in the midst of evil in order to bring hope—to produce a group of communities that would keep the ways of the Lord. This was the picture of God’s hope for mankind, to raise up a righteous family who would confront evil and bring God’s blessing to the nations.

In the same way, we are Abraham’s spiritual descendants, part of this community of hope. We must choose to be part of God’s redemptive story. We must go out from our place in the sense that we do not follow the culture—we keep the way of the Lord.

“A corrupt church has nothing to offer a corrupt world,” says Mr. Little, quoting Wright. “An immoral church has nothing to offer an immoral world. Part of God’s mission for His people is to keep the way of the Lord. There can be no Biblical mission is if there are no Biblical ethics.”

These ideas have laid the foundation for the students’ discussions in class and on course. At the beginning of the school year, on the Sand Dunes Course, they discussed their roles as leaders in the school and their responsibility to set the tone for the year. What kind of culture did they want to create? How would they lead by example?

The students began by creating a list of goals for the year. They wrote out the list, and then each student signed it as an agreement to work together toward achieving those goals. Their list included the following expectations:

·      To keep a positive attitude, not creating a culture of complaining, even when expectations are not met.

·      To have real relationships. If people are struggling, be honest and share with each other. Even though we want a positive atmosphere, we don’t want fake faces. Talk out problems instead of masking them.

·      To create a culture of respect for each other, not putting down or talking bad about each other.

·      To enjoy each other. To find the fun moments and create memories within the school day and outside of school as well.

Throughout the first quarter, they have continued that discussion: What is God calling me to do? In my way of life, am I teaching people around me to keep the way of the Lord?

Mr. Little is excited about the ideas in the book and hopeful that future discussions will challenge the students to evaluate their lives. Part of the goal for the year is to build a community that will hold one another accountable to living out these ideas.

“I want students to see themselves as part of God’s story,” he says, “to embrace the mission and calling to go, to be a blessing to the nations.”



Ekklesia Mountain High is a boarding and day-student program for high school juniors and seniors at Darren Patterson Christian Academy, in which approximately forty days of wilderness experience and leadership training is integrated with rigorous academics in DPCA's Biblically-centered environment.  To learn more, please visit the school's website at www.dpcaweb.org, and the EMH program's website at www.emhweb.org.