Pathfinders and Pathfinder leaders from across the Pacific Northwest traveled to the Portland area on the weekend of March 7-9. Pathfinder Area Coordinators from nearly every conference in the North Pacific Union were in attendance at the Holden Convention Center to kick off this year’s NPUC Pathfinder Coordinators Convention and Union-level Pathfinder Bible Experience! Each year this event rotates between conferences in our union, and this year the Oregon Conference had the honor of hosting our fellow Pathfinder communities.
The event began on Friday evening in the Holden Convention Center with dinner, time for connection, and a special leadership presentation from Oregon Conference Associate Ministerial Director, Pastor Ben Lundquist. On Sabbath, the training and connection continued, breaking after lunch as everyone headed to Sunnyside Seventh-day Adventist Church in Portland for the much anticipated Union-level Pathfinder Bible Experience! Here, 11 Pathfinder clubs from across the NPUC, including three teams from Oregon, tested their knowledge of passages from Romans and 1 Corinthians. Each team had the opportunity to earn a first, second, or third place ranking based on the number of correct answers. Those who ranked first now advance to the Division-level competition happening in Battle Creek Michigan! Eight of the 11 NPUC teams took first place, including all three teams from the Oregon Conference! – The Whipple Creek Faithful Watchmen, the Ft. Vancouver Flaming Swords, and the Whipple Creek Steadfast Watchmen. After Pathfinder Bible Experience wrapped up, it was back to the Holden Center for the area-coordinators, where they enjoyed afternoon breakout sessions and a screening of the film, Kumari: A Father’s Dream.
“For me, this weekend was empowering,” shared Jackee Duvall, who now serves as executive coordinator for Club Ministries. “I felt the coordinators really connecting, and it was inspiring to witness Pathfinders testing their knowledge of the Bible. They could have chosen to spend their time doing other stuff kids do, but they chose to spend their time with the Bible. My heart was full, and I am proud to be part of the Pathfinders.”
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