From July 16-20, 2024, a Pathfinder camporee took place in Rzhavintsy, Chernivtsi region, Ukraine. After seven years, youth from 66 clubs from across the region gathered for the long-awaited event. The last Pathfinder event took place in 2017 in Bucha, Kyiv region. The next one was supposed to take place in the summer of 2022, but was postponed due to the full-scale Russian conflict. A total of 610 participants gathered for the event under the theme "With Him you can Change Everything."

At the opening of the event, Stanislav Nosov, leader of the Adventist Church in Ukraine, reminded attendees that the Adventist Church's evangelistic activities were pioneered by teenagers and young adults. He mentioned how, despite the death of his wife, John Andrews, the first missionary to Europe, left the United States for Switzerland in 1874 with two children who helped him in his ministry.

The gathering was also attended by Kostiantyn Tepfer, secretary of the Ministerial Association of the Ukrainian Union Conference; Maryna Tepfer, head of the Children's Ministry; Petro Syrotkin, a longtime leader of Youth and Pathfinder Ministries who is now assistant head of youth ministry; and Vasyl Lavreniuk, head of the Bukovyna Conference (uniting 140 congregations in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions).

Every morning and evening, Ivan Romaniuk, the leader of Adventist youth in Ukraine, addressed the Pathfinders. He gave examples of biblical heroes who met Jesus like Zacchaeus and a Samaritan woman. Speaking about his life experience, Romaniuk demonstrated how God can change the life of any person who desires to receive God's help.

Every day, the Pathfinders participated in various honors, improving their skills and gaining new experiences. They did crafts, participated in unusual sports, including wet volleyball and soap hockey, and learned to provide first aid. There was a rope crossing and a climbing wall. In total, more than 45 honors and activities were offered. Another traditional event for each gathering was a fair where representatives of the clubs offered handmade crafts and culinary products.

On one of the days, the Pathfinders were visited by police officers - a female juvenile prevention officer from the Main Department of the National Police in Chernivtsi Oblast and a local community officer - who told the teenagers about the principles of safe behavior at home and during summer vacations.

The team from the studio of the Nadiia TV channel from Chernivtsi also came to the rally.

On the event's penultimate day, baptisms took place. There, 16 young people made a covenant with God and joined the Adventist Church. On Saturday morning, the Pathfinder and Master Guides induction ceremony took place, supported by the church's brass band from Chernivtsi. On this day, 56 boys and girls joined the global Pathfinder movement, and four Master Guides joined as well.

Maksym Buha, coordinator of the Pathfinder ministry in Ukraine, says the baptisms were the most important event. "Everything we do is for the sake of children turning to the Lord. Another significant event was the dedication of rangers and master guides. This shows that the ranger ministry continues, even despite the difficult circumstances," said Buha.

According to Romaniuk, the rally inspires Pathfinders, mentors, and club directors alike. Therefore, it would be good to hold such events every two years because they are a great support for the clubs and also involve parents of teenagers to help in this ministry.

"We have different clubs, big and small, but when a club is small, its members may feel like they are alone. So, the rally helps us realize that there is a large Pathfinder family. The younger generation dedicates themselves to this ministry. This is a boost of support, first of all, for the leaders of the Pathfinders, as well as for teenagers who want to follow this path," Romaniuk commented, adding that after the baptismal ceremony, 40 more young people expressed a desire to dedicate their lives to God and join the church in the near future.

Buha states that gathering 610 rangers for the all-Ukrainian event during ongoing conflict is a great blessing. "The camporee is a team effort: Pathfinder conference leaders, club directors, instructors - everyone got involved in the preparation, which was a great advantage for holding such an event," said Buha.

"Unfortunately, during the full-scale conflict, the momentum of the Pathfinder ministry has slowed down a bit, but we hope that this event will be a certain impetus for the development of existing ranger clubs and for the launch of new ones. The rally brought together 610 future leaders who will share what God has done in their hearts with others. It is worth investing resources and energy in this," said Buha.

The original article was published on the Ukrainian Union Conference Ukrainian website.