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Adventist Education Shines at the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee

Camporee attendees learn and have fun at the North American Division Office of Education’s Creation Station, located in Energy Hall at CAM-PLEX.

August 21, 2024 | Gillette, Wyo. | Martha Ban

The 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, was a vibrant event, drawing approximately 33,000 Pathfinders, young and old, with a passion for learning, to the North American Division Office of Education’s Creation Station, located in Energy Hall at CAM-PLEX. The station was a hub of activity, offering patches, prizes, and scholarships that added to the fun.

Artie the Dinosaur, Southwestern Adventist University’s animated model T-Rex, and the highly sought-after NAD pins attracted a great deal of attention. The NAD Education booth, formed by back-lit panels depicting the seven days of creation, was a popular spot where visitors could receive one of the five NAD pins (Bermuda, Canada, Guam-Micronesia, NextGen Leader, or United States) and an Adventist Education Believe the Promise patch.

NAD Education also introduced a Guinness World Record attempt. The camporee made history on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, by setting a world record for the most people simultaneously filling backpacks with school supplies.

Dino in Energy Hall at CAM-PLEX during 2024 camporee — *A replica dinosaur skeleton is one of the standouts among the education exhibits in Energy Hall at the Believe the Promise International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming. Photo: Cerron Pollard*

According to Hannah Ortman, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, the goal was to surpass 250 participants, each of whom had to pack at least one backpack with five items independently. Camporee attendees packed a total of 255 Pathfinders backpacks. After breaking the record the packers continued until 6,200 bags were stuffed with supplies.

The colorful backpacks, filled with a variety of school supplies and outreach materials tailored to different grade levels, will be distributed within the Gillette community through the city’s Blessings in a Backpack program and the Salvation Army. The remaining backpacks will be distributed by Pathfinder clubs in their local communities.

Key supporters of this initiative, including ADRA, Adventist Community Services, NAD vice president for evangelism's office, the NAD’s union education departments, and renewable energy company Circuit Electric Solar, were excited to participate in a project that would set a new record and benefit students on their educational journey.

Guinness World Record attempt at 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee — Left to right: Ruth Horton, Lake Union Conference director of education, Nicole Mattson, Lake Union Conference associate director of education, and Ruth Nino, Columbia Union Conference assistant director for elementary education, pose at the NAD Office of Education’s successful world record attempt for most backpacks stuffed simultaneously. This record was set on Wednesday, August 7, during the 2024 “Believe the Promise” International Pathfinder Camporee. Photo provided by NAD Office of Education

The Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (NAD Higher Education) also played a significant role at the camporee, collaborating to recruit, engage with Pathfinders, and plant seeds of interest in Adventist education. The following AACU institutions took part:

AdventHealth University
Andrews University
Burman University
Kettering College
La Sierra University
Loma Linda University
Oakwood University
Pacific Union College
Southern Adventist University
Southwestern Adventist University
Union Adventist University
Walla Walla University
Washington Adventist University

Two international universities also joined the effort: Antillean Adventist University (Puerto Rico) and Sagunto Adventist University (Spain).

Through our AACU institutions, union education departments, and several of our academies, NAD Education provided more than 30 honors and activities at the Creation Station in Energy Hall. Honors were as wide-ranging as African-American Seventh-day Adventist history, Bible markings, blacksmithing, photography, and dinosaurs/fossils. Activities included the art of film-making, a climbing wall, basic rescue obstacle course, coding for kids using robots, a photo booth, doodling with Ms. De, first aid and fire safety, and of course, the backpack challenge.

Throughout the week, the energy generated by all the Pathfinders was palpable and made for an incredibly fun experience!

Backpack stuffing event to earn a world record at camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, group of Pathfinders with bags — *Pathfinders get ready to attempt world record for most backpacks stuffed simultaneously at the Believe the Promise International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming.*
*Photo by Dawin Rodriguez*

Numbers Matter

A Look at the NAD Office of Education Camporee Offerings and Accomplishments

21 honors
33,000 Pathfinders
13 Adventist academies
13 NAD colleges/universities
2 international universities
1 Guinness World Record
39 booths
22 volunteers
9,200 NAD pins distributed
500+ NextGen Teacher patches taken

50 Ministerial Spouses Unite for Community Service, Fellowship, and Training During the 2024 NAD Year-End Meeting

Community service, fellowship, and training sessions made up the spouses’ meetings during this year’s NAD Year-End Meetings, with roughly 50 spouses of conference leaders in attendance.

Report on 2024 Consolidated Enrollment

The Association of Adventist Colleges and Universities (AACU), comprised of the presidents and other top leaders from 13 Adventist colleges and universities in North America, has determined that the latest consolidated fall enrollment numbers for all 13 institutions totals 20,828 students. This increase of 256 students from the previous year marks the second consecutive year of total growth.

Charting a New Path: 2024 Administrators’ Conference Unites Leaders to Shape the Future of the Church in North America

It’s been 10 years since conference and union presidents, executive secretaries, and treasurers gathered in one room to brainstorm how best to carry out the church’s mission in North America. A long-awaited follow-up, the 2024 administrators’ conference hosted more than 200 conference and union officers at the NAD’s headquarters on Oct. 30-31.

Promoting Healthy Minds at Southern Adventist University

Experts across America have gathered statistics that point to a mental health crisis for college students. Anxiety concerns have risen from 56 percent in 2013 to 65 percent in 2023, according to the Center for Collegiate Mental Health. The center also found that the number of students seeking help has steadily increased from 2009 until the pandemic. In response to the crisis, Southern Adventist University is working to ensure that students have access to various high-quality mental health resources.

Pacific Northwest Hosts Young Adult LIFE Tour

Who are your people? What is good news to them? Where do my people need me to show up for them? These are the questions that attendees were challenged to answer at the Spring 2024 Young Adult LIFE Tour stop at Pleasant Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Happy Valley, Oregon. Young adults, church leaders, mentors, and parents gathered to learn about the unique challenges emerging adults face and how churches can help meet their needs.