The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica is seeking to use the staging of the fifth Inter-American Division Pathfinders Camporee to grow its clubs and overall church membership, which currently stands at more than 340,000.
Pastor Dane Fletcher, Youth Ministries director for the Jamaica Union, said the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on the vibrancy and growth of the movement.
“Before COVID, we would have been upwards of 15,000 [Pathfinders] in Jamaica, but we might be about 50 percent now because some of the clubs that were very vibrant are now dormant,” said Fletcher. Youth leaders hope the upcoming camporee will motivate not just old members but also new people to become members.
The Camporee, which is held once every five years, is slated to be held for the first time in Jamaica at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium in Trelawny on April 4–8, 2023.
Fletcher further explained that “the Pathfinder program isn’t just for Seventh-day Adventists; it is for young people from our communities. Once their parents agree with allowing them to be a part of the experience, we are more than happy to welcome them.” He said the program involves a strong relation between the leadership of the Pathfinder club and the parents.
“There is space for just about everybody in the Pathfinder ministry. It doesn’t matter your profession,” said Fletcher. Part of the Pathfinder program is mentorship so the youth can be guided into various avenues where they can explore to realize the greatest of their potential, he said. “It helps to unearth talent and potential.”
Master Guide and Youth Leader, Chantell Guthrie noted that the Pathfinder ministry said, “Persons who are currently not part of a Pathfinder club at their church can also attend the Camporee because one of the aims is to also motivate so that they can leave Camporee energized to start or revive a Pathfinder club at their local church.”
Organizers are expecting nearly 8,000 youth and other stakeholders from dozens of countries comprising the Inter-American Division to participate in this multicultural, multilingual event across the region.
To find out more about Inter-America’s Pathfinder Camporee, click HERE.
The original version of this story was published on the Inter-American Division website.