Church Departments

PHILOSOPHY

The Adventurer Club is a Seventh-day Adventist church- sponsored ministry open to all children ages 4-9, in which the church, home and school join together to help children grow joyfully in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.
The Adventurer Club is offered to assist parents in making the development of their child richer and more meaningful.

Objectives

1. To develop a Christ-like character;
2. To experience the joy and satisfaction of doing things well;
3. To express their love for Jesus in a natural way;
4. To learn good sportsmanship and strengthen their ability to get along with others;
5. To discover their God-given abilities and to learn how to use them to benefit self and serve others;
6. To discover God’s world;
7. To improve their understanding of what makes families strong;
8. To develop parental support for the training of children.

If you want to know more about the club, you may read it on our General Conference Website.

For those who are familiar with it, “Pathfindering” conjures up images of marching, camping, curious hobbies, bugs and bats. Enlarging their windows on the world and building a relationship with God are the dual objectives of this club, which is designed for children ages 10-15. With nearly 2 million members around the world, this Seventh-day Adventist Church-sponsored club accepts any youth who promises to abide by the Pathfinder Pledge and Law regardless of their church affiliation.

Leadership

The volunteer leadership, skilled in a myriad of unusual abilities and interests are, first and foremost, strong believers in Jesus Christ and are sure of the road they are taking towards eternal life. They consider the Pathfinder club an experimental laboratory where growth and learning are synonymous with fun. Failure is not expected, but rather all activity becomes a tool for learning.

Activities

The imagination of its leadership and members are the primary limiting factors of a club’s abilities. Activities encourage a range from community/civic service projects in their community and across the globe to nature and environmental conservation studies to camping and high adventure trips. Pathfindering challenges the unique talents of each member. Pathfindering is built on an age-specific curriculum of six levels along with approximately 350 specialized skill development topics covering arts and crafts, aquatics, nature, household arts, recreation, spiritual development, health, and vocational training. These often serve as a launching point for lifetime careers or hobbies. If you want to know more about the club, you may read it on our General Conference Website.

Since its inception, the Seventh-day Adventist Youth Ministry Department has served the youth through three levels; namely, Adventurer Club for 4-9 years old; Pathfinder Club for 10-15 years old; and Senior Youth/ Young Adults for 16-30+ years old.
However, divisions noted that the young people who complete the Pathfinder requirements are left without a program that meets their needs. They do not want to leave the Pathfinder club, but at the same time they do not feel old enough to associate themselves with the Senior Youth/Young Adults. In the absence of an established program/level for this group several Divisions have been running their own programs, such as Companion in Europe, Medical Brigade in the Inter-America and South American Divisions, etc., to fill this vacuum.
At the 2001 World Youth Leadership Convention a very important action was taken, charging the General Conference Youth Department to develop materials for a New Level to meet the need of the youth, ages 16-21, in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Ambassador curriculum is the outcome of this action.
Please note that the Ambassador Club is not intended to replace the AYS, but instead, will strengthen the current Senior Youth/Young Adult Ministry of our Church. This new level will provide a structured and organized way for 16-21 years olds to become actively involved in their church, both locally and globally. Great appreciation goes to the entire curriculum development team, the writers, and the World Divisions that have contributed to the material in this curriculum.
If you want to know more about the club, you may read it on our General Conference Website.

The story of the Adventist Youth Society, now titled Young Adults (YA), began over 125 years ago along a dusty country lane in Michigan with two young boys kneeling in prayer. Today that dusty lane has become a worldwide web of highways that links over 10 million Seventh-day Adventist young people in nearly every political entity on every continent of the globe. This story comes in every hue of the rainbow; it is filled with extremes of exhilaration and mountaintop experiences, as well as deep sadness and unfulfilled dreams. This is the story of God’s leading a fascinating army down through the battles of the great overarching conflict that is life as we know it now.
Please note that the Ambassador Club is not intended to replace the AYS, but instead, will strengthen the current Senior Youth/Young Adult Ministry of our Church. This new level will provide a structured and organized way for 16-21 years olds to become actively involved in their church, both locally and globally. Great appreciation goes to the entire curriculum development team, the writers, and the World Divisions that have contributed to the material in this curriculum.
If you want to know more about the club, you may read it on our General Conference Website.

Dorcas Society

Dorcas was started by a group of women in Battle Creek, Michigan, USA, in1874 in the home of Mrs. Henry Gardner. It was first called Dorcas and Benevolent Association; eight women were charter members and Martha Byington Amadon, daughter of the first General Conference president, John Byington, was the first president. Activities included making garments and supplying food for needy families, caring for the fatherless and widows, and ministering to the sick. When the Home Missionary Department (now Sabbath School and Personal Ministries) was organized in 1913, the Dorcas Society work came under that department’s leadership.

The “objective of the Dorcas Society is to help people physically and spiritually, in the name and spirit of Jesus. Its concern is for every case of need, irrespective of creed, class, nationality, or ethnic origin. The society attempts to meet emergency needs not provided by other agencies. The repair and distribution of good clothing is a specialty; surplus supplies are shipped abroad through ADRA.” (Information from the Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, Second revised edition, A –L, 1996, pages 473, 474.

In many places, and at various times, Dorcas has become known now as Adventist Community Services and men as well as women have become involved.

Adventist Men Organisation

Adventist Men Organization has been established primarily to promote programmes and activities designed to foster the spiritual, intellectual, social, moral, health and physical well-being of students, working class, businessmen, professional men etc., to give them opportunities to understand the responsibilities of Adventist men and to engage them in evangelistic activities.

Mission: To provide spiritual strength and unity amongst men. To guide, teach, counsel and mentor other men so they can become godly men, faithful fathers, loving husbands and leaders with integrity.

Objectives:
To have our matured men be committed and dedicated mentors for our young men.
To train our men to be effective priest loving husbands and dedicated fathers at home.
To increase our respect and appreciation for our women.
To help all men and boys develop a richer and deeper relationship with God.