A fellowship group from the First Presbyterian Church of Orange realized that the Christian community needed a retreat facility due to their own difficulty in locating one. The group felt that the demand was great. So, sensing the leadership of the Spirit, the group was led, one step at a time, to purchase a retreat lodge near Big Bear Lake in June of 1978. The spirit of Retreat Ministries' birth, faith in God's ability to supply all our needs, through His riches in Christ Jesus, serves as the continuing basis for this ministry.