After more than two decades, Seventh-day Adventists from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gathered again at the Apoteose Square for the Cariocão Desbravando o Rio (Cariocão Exploring Rio) event. On September 14, 2024, the venue, which hosted important Youth Ministry events in the 1990s, welcomed more than 15,000 participants to celebrate Pathfinder Day, reviving a tradition that has marked generations.

Pathfinder Clubs focus on the integral development of its participants. For this reason, the celebration opened with a project in support of Yellow September, a campaign to prevent suicide. In addition, it collected more than 1,500 kg of food that will be distributed by the Adventist Solidarity Action (ASA) of Rio de Janeiro.

Impact

Denise Miranda is a mother and was one of the Pathfinder leaders present at the festival. Carol, her daughter, has not left the house for the past three years because of her depression. Participating in the parade represented a step towards overcoming. "My daughter lost her brother in 2021. Since then, she has only left the house to go to the doctor. She became deeply depressed and even tried to take her own life. Today she decided to come here and it has been a blessing," says Miranda. 

When asked how she managed to get motivated to go to the Rio de Janeiro Pathfinder Club, Carol said that her fellow Pathfinders made all the difference. "It's really hard to be alone, but when you have someone who cares about you and encourages you, it makes an incredible difference, and that's what the club does for me," she says. 

Raising awareness about Yellow September.

[Photo: Josué Silva]

Pathfinders display a banner with a reminder about the campaign.

[Photo: Josué Silva]

March in support of Yellow September.

[Photo: Josué Silva]

Alba Olivia traveled about four hours to be at the celebration and says that Rio de Janeiro needed a gathering like this. "I have never participated in such a grand event and I feel blessed to be here. Our state needs more gatherings like this to promote our church," says Olivia.

For Ricardo Trentino, one of the organizers of Cariocão Desbravando o Rio, "bringing together more than 15 thousand people at Apoteose strengthened the Church". According to him, "this type of event creates a kind of identity, because we realize that our Church is large and that we believe and advance in the same faith." 

Pathfinder Day 

This year, Pathfinder Day is celebrated on September 21st. In order to give visibility to what the clubs do for the city of Rio de Janeiro, September 12th was included in the city's calendar as Municipal Pathfinder Day, through Law No. 6,861, which was created through a bill by councilor Alexandre Isquierdo, approved on April 22, 2021.

The event was sponsored by G20 Rio de Janeiro. "This law, as well as the support we received from G20, show how the Pathfinder Club is relevant to society and today's celebration is in recognition of this," highlights Gustavo Delgado, the director of the Pathfinders of the Adventist Church for the states of Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Rio de Janeiro.

During the program, the audience had the opportunity to learn a little more about the history of the Pathfinders in Rio de Janeiro. Guests shared messages of faith, revival and peace. In addition, there was also a special one-minute Bible reading, reinforcing the centrality of God's Word in the lives of the participants. Finally, 23 people participated in a baptismal ceremony.

Nostalgic Event

In 1993, the Adventist Church of Rio de Janeiro met at Maracanãzinho to participate in the SOL Project (Week of Prayer and Praise). The first major event at Apoteose took place in 1996, with the Supermission. It was an initiative to celebrate and promote the denomination's social work, highlighting the importance of the mission. Four years later, in 2000, the "Celebration 2000" took place, marking the last major Adventist gathering at Apoteose until then. One of the most emblematic moments of this event was the donation of an ambulance to HemoRio, a hematologist in Rio, acquired thanks to the collection of aluminum cans by church members.

At the Cariocão Desbravando o Rio, the presence of Sonete, an Adventist singer, and Williams Costa Junior, Communication director at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, brought a dose of nostalgia. They participated in the SOL Project, Supermission and Celebration 2000. "It was very emotional when I arrived here and saw this crowd like the previous times. It's beautiful to see our Church wearing the shirt and so many coming from so far away for this great celebration", says Sonete. 

Singer Ana Beatriz shares the same feeling. "I was 5 years old, I didn't even dream of being a singer, much less that I would be praising God here today. God led us here and I am very happy", she emphasizes. 

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.