World Pathfinder Day, a highly anticipated global event, serves as a unifying force, drawing together multitudes of youthful participants within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is a day of celebration, reflection, and service dedicated to empowering and inspiring the youth. With a tradition dating back to the year 1957, every year, the event steadily ascends in significance and influence.
Under the 2023 thematic banner of “Go With Jesus,” calls the younger generation to become the living embodiments, “The Hands and Feet of Jesus” in the local churches, academic institutions, urban centres, and even in the far reaches of uncharted territories across the globe. While the customary observance of World Pathfinder Day typically aligns with the third Sabbath of September, many churches celebrate the event on any Sabbath within the same month.
Exemplifying such flexibility, the Peninsular Malaysia Mission extended its festivities across three distinct Sabbaths. The Southern Region convened their event on the 16th of September at the Johor Bahru SDA English Church, the Northern Region followed suit on the subsequent Sabbath, the 23rd of September, at the Penang English Church, and the Central Region culminated this sequence of commemorations on the 30th of September at the opulent Millennium Function Room, situated at The Club in Bukit Utama, Selangor.
The Sarawak Mission organized two large-scale events to mark the occasion of World Pathfinder Day. The Southern regions assembled on the 16th of September for a regional pathfinder camp, while their counterparts in the Northern regions held their commemoration on the 7th of October. Meanwhile, in the territory of Sabah, widespread festivities took the form of camp gatherings and church programs. Expressing gratitude for the multitude of invitations extended by Pathfinder clubs, the MAUM Youth Director conveyed, “I was privileged to attend one celebration from each Mission, every Sabbath, without fail.”
World Pathfinder Day is an opportunity to showcase skills, share testimonies, and present club reports. Some clubs incorporate a ceremonial investiture and confer Pathfinder awards. This global celebration empowers the youth to transform into responsible citizens who contribute to their church and their community.
31, October 2023, Tuesday.