News Articles

The new Center for Learning Innovation and Research (CLIR) at Southern Adventist University has the goal of fostering research collaboration between faculty and students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels across the entire campus. Currently, 12 faculty-led research studies that span more than a third of the school’s academic disciplines are being facilitated.

As young adults engage in career internships, many are afforded exceptional mentorship and a structured introduction to their workplace organizations. Several of these emerging adults will go on to leadership roles and possibly executive positions. But what would happen if ministry service was also part of the internship experience? Younger Generation Church [YG], the vibrant young adult ministry of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church in Texas, initiated a collaboration with AdventHealth Southwest to offer a discipleship component to their summer interns in healthcare leadership. In addition to the interns’ operations, clinical, and department rotations in the hospital, there would be a local ministry aspect including engagement with pastors, spiritual outreach, and church organization.

At the 2024 Believe the Promise International Pathfinder Camporee, North American Division (NAD) leaders were everywhere — at the prayer tent, in the exhibits, headlining the parade, even pin trading. Their message to Pathfinders was clear — “We see you; we support you; you matter.”

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 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.”