News Articles

For the past five years, the North American Division (NAD) has tackled a growing pastor and teacher shortage caused by retirements, resignations, and fewer graduates entering those fields. The 2019 Chosen International Pathfinder Camporee saw the launch of the NAD Ministerial Association “NextGen” initiative, featuring a social event for young people interested in pastoral ministry. One thousand attended. At the 2024 camporee, several NAD departments hosted booths designed to engage children, youth, and young adults interested in serving the church in different capacities.

At the largest ever hands-on blacksmithing event for young people in the United States, the “Southern Smiths” introduced the art of shaping metal with fire to more than 800 participants at a booth offering the blacksmithing honor, sponsored by Southern Adventist University, at the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, in early August.

On May 1-3, 2024, the Disability & the Church Conference hosted by Key Ministry took place in Orlando, Florida. The conference featured speakers and exhibitors from different parts of North America and various denominations and ministries who provided vital information about ways to foster an inclusive worship experience for individuals with and without a disability. They discussed the importance of accessible physical spaces, inclusive language and imagery in worship materials, and trained volunteers to support individuals with disabilities during services. Speakers and attendees also shared inspiring testimonies about their personal or family-related experiences with a disability.

“Camporee is the zenith of experiences for every Pathfinder,” says Vernon Norman of Huntsville, Alabama. That’s why it was his dream for almost 40 years to attend an International Pathfinder Camporee. This past August in Gillette, Wyoming, his dream came true.

One of the prominent features of the International Pathfinder Camporee is dynamic biblical reenactment. The 2024 dramatic presentation that fueled the theme “Believe the Promise” was highlighted by a host of skilled actors portraying the life experience of Moses. During the camporee, one-hour meet-and-greets were carved out of afternoon programming for the Moses cast to engage with attendees. Pathfinders, leaders, and parents were understandably eager to shake hands, take pictures, ask questions, and soak in the moment with the talented performers.

On Wednesday, August 7, 255 Pathfinders, leaders, and representatives from around the world came together to achieve one goal: becoming the largest group to ever simultaneously fill backpacks with school supplies in under five minutes. It was as fun as it sounds, though a greater purpose undergirds this unconventional activity.

To highlight stories from the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in an efficient way, the Southern Tidings hosted two live-stream shows on YouTube from Tuesday through Friday (Aug. 6-9) called the “Gillette Breakfast Club.”

The 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, was a vibrant event, drawing approximately 33,000 Pathfinders, young and old, with a passion for learning, to the North American Division Office of Education’s Creation Station, located in Energy Hall at CAM-PLEX. The station was a hub of activity, offering patches, prizes, and scholarships that added to the fun.

At the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee, seemingly countless organizations and ministries were represented in the exhibit halls, where attendees trekked from booth to booth to rediscover the broad reach of the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its mission. One of these organizations — rather, a tandem of organizations — was AdventHealth (a primary camporee sponsor) and NASCAR. On August 9, the pairing demonstrated its commitment to goodwill by shining a well-deserved spotlight on first responders. Representatives from the law enforcement, firefighting, and medical sectors visited the camporee to receive this recognition, though their humble inclinations would have initially precluded them from doing so.

Although the challenge of a serious storm impacted the International Pathfinder Camporee, many of the activities continued or adjusted to continue successfully. One of those activities was the drill and drum competition that started on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at noon and ran until Friday, August 9, 2024, in the afternoon.