It was at Vitória International Airport, in Espírito Santo, that more than 350 drivers parked their vehicles to participate in the celebration of World Pathfinder Day and the 70th anniversary of the Global Pathfinder movement. The event brought together dozens of leaders and Pathfinder Explorers from the north-central region of Espírito Santo during a drive-in meeting on Saturday, September 12th. In the State, there are about 10,000 people involved in the Pathfinder Club Ministry.

Despite the drive-in model, which avoids crowds, the program had a commemorative video, the entrance of leaders on motorcycles, ceremonies for the presentation of the Vote, the Law, and other formalities. The opening ceremony also included the placement of the hatchet, which is usually a prominent feature of these types of celebrations. Fireworks also colored the sky to mark the significance of this monumental moment in the Global Pathfinder Ministry.

The Pathfinder leader for the region, Pastor Carlos Eduardo Petter, believes that this ministry has been given a new purpose due to this period of social isolation that the clubs are now going through. “This celebration of 70 years is much more special [given the times we are living in]. Clubs have shown that despite the [social] isolation, they are reinventing themselves. And we took advantage of the occasion so that they could meet again in some way”, said Petter.

The celebration also marked the return of the F4ces Ministry to the stage after almost six months without face-to-face presentations due to the coronavirus pandemic. This weekend, the F4ces Ministry also celebrated its 10th anniversary as a quartet. “This moment is very special for us! We were longing to hear people's testimonies and to receive this interaction that only a face-to-face environment can provide”, admits the quartet's tenor, Wallison Adriel.

Baptism in celebration

Estevão Gomes challenged himself to offer someone Bible Studies this year. He decided to ask João Araújo, a friend with whom he had studied in the past. “I was at home playing when Estevão offered [to do Bible studies with me]. He had already offered it before and I had denied it last year, but this time I accepted it” he recalls. “I prayed [about it] and everything went well. I am proud to have succeeded. It is as if it were a sense of mission accomplished to see a [laymen] being used by the Holy Spirit”, adds Estevão. In response to these Bible studies, Araújo decided to be baptized into the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

Araújo was received by the Pathfinder Explorers during the World Pathfinders Day program to the sound of horns and a joyous audience. Both Araújo and Gomes live in the city of Conceição da Barra, in the northern region of Espírito Santo, and traveled for three hours to the capital Vitória for the momentous event.

“[We cannot keep this to ourselves]. Our mission as explorers is to save people and bring hope to them,” Petter emphasized.

This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site