DUBLIN, Calif. -- The tight-knit community at Crosswinds Church is mourning the death of 20-year-old youth counselor Jeremiah Murray.

He was on a trip with 250 teens and their chaperones to Shasta Lake when he drowned on Tuesday. The others cut short their trip and returned to the church Wednesday evening.

Pastor John Merritt said the annual outing was the youth event of the year, a trip to build momentum before school starts in the fall.

But the drowning left the community stunned.

"If some of the students and parents want to talk to me or other staff, we're just really sorry about what happened," said Merritt. "He just developed into a fine young man."

The pastor said Murray wanted to serve and help others and he was a volunteer leader on the trip.

Church officials said Murray was so excited about this trip that he went up to Shasta Lake two days ahead of the group to help prepare.

Merritt said Murray went off alone Tuesday morning to go scuba diving.

"It wasn't a planned activity. I don't know how much more I can say about that," Merritt said. It was very unfortunate that he got into the water with diving equipment alone."

When Murray didn't surface, church leaders called for help. Shasta County Sheriff's divers found him around 8:20 p.m. Tuesday night in 55 feet of water.

Merritt said it may have been the young man's fun-loving nature that landed him in trouble. And he hoped a lesson might be learned from what happened.

"We're mortal. We're fragile. Life is fragile. We don't know what the next day will bring," said Merritt.

Church leaders said Murray's parents met with sheriff's authorities in Shasta County Wednesday and they're working out details of a memorial.