the pathfinder & adventurer basic staff training
TRANSCRIPT
THE PATHFINDER & ADVENTURER BASIC
STAFF TRAININGHISTORY, PHILOSOPHY &
PURPOSE OF THE PATHFINDER & ADVENTURER CLUBS
PATHFINDER MINISTRY
INTRODUCTION
Young people have always beenthe movers and shakers of thechurch through history becausethey are not afraid to think newthoughts and try new ideas.
BIBLE PROOF
If we look in the Bible we see that:
Joseph was about 15/16 when he was sent to Egypt
David was a teenager when he killed Goliath
THEY WERE YOUNG TOO WHEN THEY BEGAN
James White was 24
Ellen White was 17
J. N. Andrews was 21
Youths have always been and willalways be an important part in the SDAChurch.
HISTORY
It is said that for one to trulyappreciate where he is at now, he must know where he is coming from.
In this session we will look at theHistory, Philosophy and Purpose ofThe Pathfinder Club.
OBJECTIVE
To help you develop an awareness of the History, Purpose and Uniqueness of the Pathfinder Ministry.
THE BEGINNINGS
While the importance of workingfor boys and girls was a part of theMV (Missionary Volunteer) movementfrom its inception, it was not until 1915 at a ten (10) day conventionheld at Pacific Union College that MV Leaders laid long-range plans for this age group.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
A. W. Spalding, along with other youth leaders, recognized theneed for an activity program toharness the energies of Juniors, and in 1919 he formed the Mission Scouts at Madison, Tennessee. Here they did mostly outdoor skills, art and craft.
They put together a pledge andlaw to live by.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
Even thou the Club died when Spaulding moved away, the Pledge and Law caught on andbecame the Pledge and Law for the JMV’s and only slightly modified, still lives today as the guiding light of the Pathfinder Club.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
The following year, at the annualfall council of the GeneralConference (1920), the YouthDepartment added a young ladyby the name of Mrs. HarrietHolt to its staff. Her specificassignment was caring for thejunior age level in the church.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
Mrs. Holt immediately beganexperimenting with a small groupof girls by having outdoor activities, handcrafts and outreachevents.By 1922, she was ready to introduce two programs.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
The first was to fit into the JMVSocieties representing two levels ofdevelopment she called Friend andCompanion.
The second was in leadership training;it was called the ComradeBand and included two levels ofleadership: the Comrade (now Guide) andMaster Comrade (Now Master Guide).
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
In 1926 a Committee lead by C. Lester Bond was set up to study a Uniform.
In 1928 the first 16 Honors was introduced.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont.)
CAN YOU NAME THEM?
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont.)“The Name”
It was at one of these early camps(1928) in Southern California thatA. W. Spaulding found himself tellinga story of the adventures of one ofAmerica’s early Western explorersknown as Mountain Men, named JohnFremont. He carried the nickname“Pathfinder”. The nickname caughton; the camp was dubbed “PathfinderCamp.”
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“The Name”
Eventually, it became the name ofthe club that put all the variouspieces together that weredeveloped over the previous couple decades, thustransforming the JMV Society intotoday’s Pathfinder Club.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Be Fruitful & Multiply”
The summer camping program forchildren had now become a wellestablished tradition. The JMV Society was also well-developed with a fairly broad range of programming. Yet, there was something missing. Amother came to John Hancock, the new Youth Director in the SoutheasternCalifornia Conference (1946).
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Be Fruitful & Multiply”
She had seen the positive impactSummer camp had on her boy and wondered why they couldn’t have summer camp kinds of activities functioning year-around. Hancock wentto the Riverside Church, and with the leadership of La Sierra College ministerial student, Francis Hunt, as
Director, he started a club.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Be Fruitful & Multiply”
He started a club for about 15 boys and girls and gave it the name that had been used earlier in those other churches of the same conference —Pathfinders. It didn’t take long for theidea to spread to other churches.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
In that same year (1946) LaurenceSkinner was called to the GeneralConference to be in charge of JuniorYouth Ministry replacing C. Lester Bond who was retiring. During thattime he worked with Hancock and Lee Carter and wrote the first Pathfinder Staff Manual.
THE BEGINNINGS (Contd’.)“Be Fruitful & Multiply”
It was evident that the time hadcome for the church to become serious about such a programme; therefore in 1947 the General Conference asked the Pacific Union Conference under thedirection of J. R. Nelson, UnionYouth Director to develop thePathfinder Club.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Logo, Triangle, Flag & Song”
In 1947 Hancock who was also anartist, designed a logo—the triangle. He asked his colleague, Henry Bergh, from the CentralCalifornia Conference to write asong to represent Pathfinder Ministry.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Logo, Triangle, Flag & Song”
John also combined the trianglewith an additional design and asked Helen Hobbs to sew it all together, and so the Pathfinder Flag was born.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Logo, Triangle, Flag & Song”
In May 1949 the Pathfinder Song.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
In 1962 a 60 hours Pathfinder Staff Training Course and the New MV Pathfinder Field Guide was written by Lawrence Maxwell
In 1974 the programme was enhanced by the publication of a 540 page Pathfinder Staff Manual.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)
Pathfinder Clubs sprang up all over the world where such organizations were allowed. Certainly it can be evaluated as one of the most successful youth programmes ever initiated.
THE BEGINNINGS (Cont’d.)“Jamaica”
In 1950 a member of the Andrews Memorial Church, Hope Road wentoverseas, saw the programme and thebenefits it offered, and took the idea home to Jamaica. The first Pathfinder Club was then formed at theAndrews Church under the name “ Nautilus”.
PATHFINDER PHILOSOPHY & PURPOSE
The Pathfinder Club is a church-centered organization that provides spiritual and recreational programmes for young people ages 10-15.
Its primary goal is the training and saving of youth for a home with their Savior & King.
PATHFINDER PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
Help Pathfinders to understand that the church loves, cares for and appreciates them and needs them in its total programme.
Show Pathfinders what God has planned for their lives.
Train Pathfinders for Missionary Service.
PATHFINDER PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES cont’d
Work for the salvation of each individual Pathfinder.
Development the Pathfinder’s appreciation for nature and a concern for the environment.
Teach Pathfinders specific skills and hobbies that will make their life meaningful and will occupy their times profitably.
PATHFINDER PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES cont’d
Help keep Pathfinders physically fit.
Give opportunities for the development of leadership.
Develop a balanced physical, mental, social and spiritual life.
ADVENTURER MINISTRY
INTRODUCTION
The church's greatest resource is our children. Therefore, it is imperative that as a church we meet the challenge to provide a program for our children during their early, formative years.
We want right habits, thoughts, motives, dispositions, and attitudes to be established.
INTRODUCTION (Cont’d) The Wise Man wrote, "Bring up
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it" (Proverbs. 22:6, NW).
This is more than a cliché—it is a scientific formula. This is the purpose for developing the Adventurer Club.
Why Have an Adventurer Club? The Adventurer program is
designed by the church to support parents in assisting children with the challenging task of developing fully as followers of Christ in today's world.
PHILOSOPHY
The Adventurer Club is a Seventh-day Adventist church-sponsored ministry open to all children ages 5-9, in which the church, home and school join together to help children grow joyfully in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
PHILOSOPHY (Cont’d)
The Adventurer Club is to assist parents in making the development of their children a richer and more meaningful experience
OBJECTIVES
The Adventurer Club provides fun and creative ways for children...
to develop a Christ-like character,
to experience the joy and satisfaction of doing things well;
to express their love for Jesus in a natural way;
OBJECTIVES (Cont’d)
to learn good sportsmanship and strengthen their ability to get along with others;
to discover their God-given abilities and to know how to use them to benefit self and serve others;
to discover God's world;
OBJECTIVES (Cont’d)
to improve their understanding of what makes families strong;
to develop parental support for the training of children.
Difference Between Pathfinders and Adventurers The Adventurer Club has been
created so younger children may have a club of their own.
The programming and planning for the Adventurer Club should be simple and short, but creative.
Difference Between Pathfinders and Adventurers In some ways the Pathfinder
and Adventurer Clubs are similar, but the Adventurer program is to be unique in its own way and should be kept separate.
Difference Between Pathfinders and Adventurers One of the Adventurer Club
objectives is to provide a meaningful and exciting experience as the children look forward with anticipation to being a Pathfinder in the future.
Difference Between Pathfinders and Adventurers It is not intended that we duplicate all
the experiences of Pathfindering, but rather that by providing a separate Adventurer Club many needs of the youth aged 5-9 will be met in an exciting and enjoyable way within the framework of their psychological needs and thus they will be ready to enjoy the Pathfinder experience when that time arrives.
Difference Between Pathfinders and Adventurers In many instances parents have
children in both clubs and may be involved themselves. Therefore, it may be necessary to operate the Adventurer and Pathfinder club meetings at the same hour and day, but this does not mean that the clubs should be combined
Adventist Youth Ministry The church provides three
different and distinct programs for the progressive development of its youth.
Level 1 — THE ADVENTURER CLUB — A separate club for children ages 5-9. The club has its own uniform and awards, insignia, and class curriculum.
Adventist Youth Ministry
Level 2 — THE PATHFINDER CLUB
Level 3 — The Adventist Youth Society for those in the 16 - 30+ years age group
What Is the Adventurer Curriculum Designed to Accomplish
Children will, at their own level, commit their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
Children will gain a positive attitude toward the benefits, joys and responsibilities of living a Christian life.
What Is the Adventurer Curriculum Designed to Accomplish Children will acquire the habits,
skills and knowledge needed to live for Jesus today.
Parents and other primary care-givers will become more confident and effective as co -laborers with Christ for their children
What Is the Adventurer Curriculum Designed to Accomplish The church will accept its
responsibility in assisting to care for the youth by providing and implementing a planned curriculum of religious education for this age level.
The club will strengthen the bond between parent and child
Nondiscrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to admit children to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities made available by the church, regardless of race, gender, handicap, or religion.
CLOSING
Today by being here you arewriting another Chapter in the life of the Pathfinder Organization. Write it well my friends, as wework together to make Pathfindering in Jamaica fulfill its designated purpose.
THANK YOU
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
GOD BLESS YOU!!