Dear Pathfinders and Parents,
Welcome to a new club year. This letter provides useful information about PMC's Evergreen Pathfinder Club, its policies, objectives, and activities. Please read it carefully before completing registration.
Program
Each Pathfinder club has its own personality. Our club blends spiritual, mental, and physical activities. We aim to help your Pathfinder develop a strong love of God and an appreciation of, and respect for the world He made for us to live in. At each of our club meetings we repeat the Pathfinder Pledge and Law and follow with a devotional thought. We devote a great deal of each Pathfinder meeting to study of materials required for each of the classes. At meetings where we don't do classwork, we complete various honors. Some meetings are for recreation activities. Each class will enjoy at least two camping trips and optional honor camps provide more camping adventures in fall, winter and spring. Opportunities for community service are an important part of our program, and involvement in church, school, family or neighborhood projects is encouraged.
Assignments
If your Pathfinder wants to be completely active in the club, he or she should expect to study hard on the different classes and honors. There is a good deal of reading in the Bible, in selected E.G. White books, and in other books and magazines that will need to be done at home. Developing a lifelong growing relationship with Christ is central to the Pathfinder ministry, so please encourage your Pathfinder to complete this reading faithfully. Many parents find that the Bible reading makes great devotional material; perhaps you can read the Bible selections to your Pathfinder during your family worships. Most of the non-reading requirements will be done at the different Pathfinder meetings and camping excursions. Check our club website http://www.pmchurch.org/pathfinders for updates on what your Pathfinder should have completed at any time.
Conduct
Club membership depends on evidence that the member is choosing to live by the Pathfinder pledge and law. Our club honors good behavior during the year with recognition of the Pathfinder of the Year and the Good Conduct awards at Investiture. Your Pathfinder will receive 10 points for each (class, honor or camp) meeting attended. Points are deducted for tardiness or absence, poor behavior, failure to wear the appropriate uniform or bring the club 3-ring folder/binder with completed homework. After two un-excused absences during the quarter the Pathfinder will be placed on a probationary list. Probationary members may not have the privilege of attending honor camps or other special events. Excused absences include the illness of the Pathfinder, family emergencies or travel with family. Pathfinders or their parents must notify the club leaders if they wish to have absences excused . A Pathfinder will also be put on a probationary list if his or her conduct at club/conference events, church activities, school, or community projects is not consistent with the Pathfinder Pledge and Law. The Pathfinder with the highest points in Junior (Grades 5-7) and Teens (Grade 8-10) will each receive a Pathfinder of the Year award at Investiture. Pathfinders who have at least 85% of the points possible will receive Good Conduct awards.
Arrival and Departure
In accordance with Pioneer Memorial Church children's ministry policy, Juniors and Teens are deemed old enough to make responsible arrangements with their families for arrival and departure from church and club meetings. Unit counselors or captains will mark register at the beginning of each meeting to keep record of presence, punctuality, correct uniform, folder brought, etc. Unless a parent specifically requests we hold a child until they personally collect them, we will assume that you as a parent have made adequate arrangements and take full responsibility for collecting them at the Pathfinder Building, or wherever else you prefer. If you are delayed, please call the Pathfinder Building (471-3377) and ask to speak to a staff member or responsible TLT. Please plan to collect your child promptly, in respect for our volunteer staff, who have busy schedules too.
Optional Activities
In addition to our regularly scheduled meetings, we have various other activities planned for your Pathfinder that are optional, where attendance is not required for points. This year, these include outreach ministry with the Benton Harbor evangelism on Friday evenings (one Weds evening is required and we will need parent help), Thanksgiving food baskets in November, honor camps in Fall and Spring, recreation nights and other activities as time and opportunity make possible.. Parents, please ask your Pathfinder to show you notices with details of upcoming events or schedule changes . We will email announcements to all parents and Pathfinders who supply an email address, and post them online at http://www.pmchurch.org/pathfinders.
Fees
Our Club's dues of $40 per semester cover the expenses incurred by class meetings, class camps and maintenance of camping equipment, honors supplies, etc. A $5 per member discount is available to families with two or more children in Pathfinders or Adventurers. Make checks payable to PMC or Pioneer Memorial Church. Payment is due at registration and at the first January meeting. Optional honor camps will cost an additional amount which will vary, depending on the type of activity, venue and transport costs. Uniforms can cost up to $60 at first registration, but can be sold back to the club at 50% of new cost if in like-new condition, and still in use.
Uniform
To be a member of the Club, your Pathfinder will need a field uniform and a full dress uniform.
- Field uniform consists of a club t-shirt and jeans. Club t-shirts can be purchased at registration.
- Dress uniform includes black pants for boys and modest, black skirts for girls; a khaki shirt or blouse with all patches; an official Pathfinder belt; a yellow scarf; and a black honor sash.
- The Evergreen Club does not use berets or hats.
- Ask for a chart to correctly position insignia on a dress uniform shirt.
- Girls and women may wear uniform long pants (from Advent Source only) while participating in Drill Team events other than those in church or Michigan Conference Pathfinder Fair, or while helping with community services like Thanksgiving Sabbath afternoon, Benton Harbor evangelism work in the Nursery, etc. Skirts will be the required for all women and girls at all other times, in accordance with Michigan Pathfinder policy. Uniform pants will be worn with belt and shirts tucked in just as with skirts. We will experiment with this option this year, and invite your comments as we consider whether to continue this practical adjustment in future.
The Club can assist you in ordering uniform parts or you may purchase these items on your own, as long as they have the exact features of the uniform parts ordered from Advent Source. Used uniform parts that another Pathfinder has outgrown may be available at a reduced price at the time of registration.
Schedule & Announcements
A schedule will be provided at registration for the first semester. During the year, emails and notes are sent with updates and announcements regularly. Thus it is very important to provide an email address through which you can be informed of all club activities on a regular basis. The Evergreen Club is a large and active ministry, so there may be messages every week, and many opportunities your child won't want to miss. Please keep informed by checking your email or online at http://www.pmchurch.org/pathfinders
Drill Team
Any Pathfinder who maintains Good Conduct (having 85% of club points through the year), and proves their commitment to participate diligently in Drill Team practices each Sunday, 5:00-6:00pm at the Pathfinder Building will be eligible for Drill Team membership. Points will be kept, so punctuality, uniform, conduct during drill meetings and attitude in general will be import factors in determining who places on the Team. During September and October, all who are interested in earning the Advanced Drill Honor may attend the try-out meetings. This year's performing Drill Team will be selected at the last October meeting. Membership can be lost after this date, but new members will not be added thereafter. As with all other club meetings, tardies will count heavily against continued membership unless reasonably excused prior to the meeting. Drill practice will be led by Jonathan Burt, assisted by David Logan and other appointed captains, with staff sponsors Mrs Denise Smith and Miss Catherine Parris. Watch the website for a Drill Team announcement page in future.
Bible Achievement Team
Each year 6 members are selected to represent the Evergreen Club in the Area, Conference, Union and Division Bible Achievement competitions schedules for early spring. We encourage every member to join the Bible study group that will begin in November to prepare for this. The 6 who place highest on the entry test mid-December will continue to prepare for the Achievement meets with the help of their families and our experienced Team leaders and Area coordinators, Dave & Judy Nelson. All Pathfinders who are not on this team are encouraged to continue active Bible study with others groups, one option being our scheduled Bible study at the same time each Friday night in Pioneer Memorial Church, or selected homes. Watch announcement updates for more details.
Committed Staff & Volunteer Needs
The PMC Evergreen Pathfinder Club is a very active one as you will note from the accompanying schedule of events. Operating a club as large as ours requires many committed people. If you have a special hobby or interest, perhaps you would enjoy teaching the honor most closely associated with that interest. And the club always needs drivers for our different events. If you are interested in helping out in the Pathfinder club please contact me or the deputy director in charge of your child's class, as listed below:
Extra Honors and Classwork
Additional honors and classwork may be completed outside of club meetings. Honor requirements are available online at http://pathfinders.nadadventist.org/ We recommend worksheets available online or from our club be completed when doing this. Patches may be purchased for honors or classwork completed outside of club meetings, when a club staff member is satisfied that all requirements have been met. Evidence may include completed worksheets, craft projects or photos and a report or parent/guardian verification that all was done.
We're looking forward to a Spirit-led adventure-filled pathfinder year! Feel free to email, call or see me with questions at any point through the year, and pray for our staff and club members as we seek to do all as He leads.
Glynis Bradfield, PMC Evergreen Club Director
