Baptisms and Acts of Kindness Highlighted CARU Pathfinder Day in 2022
On September 16, 2022, Pathfinders around the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were mobilized to join the Adventist World Church as it celebrated 72 years of pathfindering.
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On September 16, 2022, Pathfinders around the Caribbean Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists were mobilized to join the Adventist World Church as it celebrated 72 years of pathfindering. These young people rededicated themselves to the task of being the hands and feet of Christ in their communities as captured in the theme of the celebration, “Change the World."
Caribbean Union Youth Director Pastor Marvyn Smith officiating in his first baptism as Youth Director of the Caribbean Union.
Dr. Kern Tobias, who was re-elected to serve as President of the Caribbean Union Conference in July 2022, emphasized that we should never take young people for granted. He added, “I'm hoping that many of them would realize that we are counting upon them to share God's message, for the end times. The discipline exhibited by those Adventist young people still has an impact on our community. Perhaps, most importantly, Pathfinders showed, by their actions, that they were eager to make Pathfinder Day more than just a 24-hour period. They seemed to be committing to a lifestyle of helping others and changing their world.”
Reports of youth engagements in the fields of the Caribbean Union Conference (CARU)warmed the heart of Pastor Marvyn Smith who was elected, in July 2022, to serve as the CARU Youth Director. Pastor Smith stated, “It’s noteworthy to see Pathfinders engaged in random acts of kindness, bringing hope to families. It depicts the theme this year. If there was ever a time for Pathfinders to change the world, it is now. God is calling us to shine brighter as this world gets darker.”
Youth leaders recounted dozens of activities organized for the annual event. Across the territory, hundreds were invested at the respective levels of the Pathfinder ministry. Scores of Pathfinders stood in pulpits to deliver the Sabbath message. Club leaders displayed their innovation through elaborate decorations that promoted the spirit and passion of pathfindering.
Program participants uploaded a torrent of social media images and videos of pathfinders involved in dramatic presentations, which depicted the importance of being a positive role model, in the world today. Pathfinders rendered amazing music that thrilled and blessed the hearts of many congregants.
In the Guyana Conference, more than 2,000 Pathfinders were invested; the activities included baptismal ceremonies during which many took their stand for God, including the son of the conference Youth Director, Jason Fleming. Pastor Smith was delighted to officiate during the baptism and described the experience as “the highlight of the day.
This year, Pathfinder Day drew the attention of other ministry leaders and church pastors including the president of the Tobago Mission, Pastor Vishnu Persad, who wore his uniform to support and celebrate with local Pathfinders.
One week before Pathfinder Day some of the CARU fields were impacted by a tropical storm. Pastor Smith asked youth leaders across the territory to join him in a prayer intercession on behalf of those who were threatened or affected by the storm. In the North Caribbean Conference, the celebration was delayed by one week because the storm arrived on that weekend with gale-force winds and rain.
It was clear that the purpose and essence of Pathfinder Day was becoming a reality as field leaders reported more non-Adventist children and young people supported the day's activities. That was evident in territories where Pathfinders took to the streets for“change the world” parades.
Annually, Pathfinder Day is hosted on the third Saturday in September – at that time Adventists celebrate what it means to be a Pathfinder. Each year the ministry's directors choose a different theme around which to sing, preach, and honor the Pathfinder ministry.