Twenty-year-old Catholic YouTube strategist Evan Raugust is with the BeatiDudes to unpack his recent solo trip through the Holy Land, including places like Bethlehem’s cave, Nazareth’s streets, Golgotha’s stones, and the peaceful waters of the Sea of Galilee.
Evan shares how filming on pilgrimage deepened his faith, how he designs thumbnails and stories that reach millions, and why “vanity metrics” must stay in their place. Paul Kolker, Nick Bezner, and Jeff Schiefelbein talk community, humility, and the Church’s mission on the “eighth continent”: the internet.
Highlights:
• Holy Land, handheld: Evan traveled solo by bus and foot to film the major sites of Jesus’ life, turning Scripture locations into lived reality.
• Expectation vs. reality: From beach trash along Galilee to Nazareth’s modern demographics, the surprise details made the Gospel feel even more human and immediate.
• Sea of Galilee moment: In loneliness and awe, Evan experienced God’s protection, seeing Peter’s rescue as present tense, not past.
• Community matters: The comment box brings prayer requests, testimonies, and real relationships, proof the internet is a place for mission, not just a tool.
• Why film elevates memory: Editing forces deep reflection, turning travel into testimony that others can actually enter.
Key Takeaways
• Pilgrimage reframes Scripture as a specific place and time, and that concreteness strengthens faith.
• Creative discipline (clear hook, visual contrast, tight narrative) is how beauty meets reach.
• Numbers serve mission; they don’t define worth. Keep virtue ahead of virality.
• The Church’s digital mission works best when creators ask for prayer, accountability, and community.
Check out Evan on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@evan_raugust
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