Pathfinder GEM Program
Origin and Historical
Overview
Origin and Historical
Overview
Long before the Pathfinder GEM idea
ever came into being, two major streams of influence began flowing together in my
early years.
My parents came from significantly
different backgrounds. They were, nonetheless, totally united around providing
a rich educational environment—both formal and informal—for my siblings and me.
Our father's formal education ended with the fifth grade but he remained an
avid reader and a quick learner throughout his lifetime. Our mother attended
college and finished nursing school, obtaining her license as a Registered
Nurse. In their roles as parent-guides, both emphasized the great value of
reading, education, and personal experience.
Our parents were farm people.
Outlook, Washington is a farm community that was our family home for 40 years.
Upon moving there in March 1945, they immediately established connections with
the nearby neighbors and other area people. They were soon active in community
organizations and activities.
Our mother took my siblings and me to
the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Granger WA, however, we did not attend the
local church school. Instead, our school home was Outlook Grade School, about ½
mile from our house.
Our father did not attend church with
us but was an active member of the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF)
which had a local lodge in nearby Sunnyside.
There were several extra-curricular
"recreational-education" organizations for area youth in the Outlook
community. In addition to various sports opportunities, other popular
activities were Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls,
and 4-H clubs.
As my two older sisters approached
the age when they could be members of one of the clubs, our parents looked
carefully at all the available options. For a short time, they (my sisters)
were in Brownies, the pre-Girl-Scout club for younger children. They also
participated in Campfire Girls.
With further study, our parents
decided that 4-H provided the most compatible program for the girls’ needs.
However, there were no local 4-H clubs available for my sisters to join. Several
other girls from families in the area were also interested in 4-H, and, with
that awareness, our mother, Oral Fenton, proceeded to organize a club. The
"Sunbonnet Lassies”—a 4-H club for girls—became an official club
registered with the Washington State College Extension Office located in
Yakima, Washington.
When my brother and I reached the
minimum age for membership (10 years) we each, in turn, joined the local 4-H
club for boys. The night I was voted
into membership by the other boys in the club was a landmark moment in my young
life. I was excited and happy with their acceptance. I belonged!
I continued my 4-H involvement until
graduating from high school when I aged-out of the target population.
I was the only one of my siblings who
joined Pathfinders. When I was about 11, a new pastor—Elder Ray Badgley—arrived
at our home church in Granger. His wife, whom we affectionately and
respectfully called "Mrs. Badgley," was a gracious, enthusiastic
woman who loved young people. When she discovered that no Pathfinder club
existed for our church she immediately set about creating one!
The year was probably the Fall of
1956. Mrs. Badgley prevailed upon her husband to drive through the countryside
picking up several scattered kids lacking transportation. I was one of about 20
Pathfinder-aged young people who were recruited and showed up for the initial
meeting. That first evening I was elected "Captain" of my unit. I
remember the craft that evening was constructing tall candles with thin sheets
of beeswax. When I got home I slipped into my parents' bedroom while they were
sleeping, and set my two candles on their dresser. They were surprised and
pleased when they woke up the next morning and saw what I had done.
I'm not sure how long I stayed in
Pathfinders as a student. However, in the Fall of 1963 when I went to Walla
Walla College (now Walla Walla University) to study theology, I volunteered to
work with the local College Place Pathfinder Club as a Unit Counselor.
In addition to my major in theology in
college, I also completed requirements for an academic minor in Health,
Physical Education, and Recreation (HPE&R) with an emphasis on water sports
and recreation. I acquired certification in life-saving, scuba diving, and
water safety instruction. These skills proved valuable to my early ministry
which included teaching swimming to Pathfinders as youth pastor of the Mt.
Tabor Adventist Church in Portland, Oregon.
From 1971-1977, my wife and I lived
in Taiwan as missionaries with our two young children. The first two years
there we lived in central Taiwan in the city of Taichung. We attended the local
Adventist church, and through a series of amazing events we ended up organizing
a local Pathfinder club for some of the local street urchins around our home. A
few of the church members' children also joined. During that period I completed
the requirements for Master Guide and was invested during a youth rally for the
Taiwan Mission.
In May 1977 we returned to the States
on permanent return. In early 1979 I was assigned as pastor of the Irrigon,
Oregon Adventist Church by Upper Columbia Conference.
In January 1979 I was working as a
full-time evangelist for UCC. When I had an unexpected vacancy in my schedule
of evangelistic meetings, UCC sent me to Hermiston, Oregon to assist another
evangelist, Les Fowler, in meetings he was scheduled to hold there.
Because the Irrigon Church—a daughter
church-plant from Hermiston—needed some focused guidance and pastoral
leadership, UCC asked me to move to Irrigon permanently to serve the little
congregation as a part-time pastor, part-time evangelist. My family and I lived
there until the Spring of 1982 when we accepted a call to Yakima 35th Avenue
Church where my responsibilities focused primarily on youth ministries within
that church family.
On July 3, 1980, our son Benjamin
turned ten years old—the threshold age for Pathfinders and 4-H.
Now I faced a dilemma.
As a Seventh-day Adventist pastor,
former Pathfinder club member, Master Guide, and advocate for denominational
youth ministry, I felt a strong loyalty to the Pathfinder program. However, I
also held great positive memories from my many years as a 4-H member, including
several years as a club officer. I remembered the values embedded in the 4-H
model such as
·
Learn
by doing;
·
Leadership
training through group organization; community process, and peer-elected
leaders;
·
An
orientation of outward service to others, beginning with the club itself, then
extending to the community, and the country;
·
Responsible
management of personal projects over an entire 4-H year--including planning,
written records, and financial accounting;
·
A
philosophy of continuous improvement as expressed in the 4-H motto, "To
make the best better."
In my mind, 4-H provided an ideal
environment for the training I wanted to see for our church young people,
especially as my own two children were rapidly approaching the target age.
However, joining a 4-H club carried
some problems for Seventh-day Adventists. The most obvious of these was the
issue of the Sabbath. Various outings, field trips, picnics, and other
activities were often scheduled on a Saturday. Conscientious Adventist families
would not feel free to participate. To conservative Adventists, the sanctity of
Sabbath was a moral imperative not to be broken—ever! Any non-church
"secular" function was off-limits. The result was that even if
Adventist kids did join a 4-H club, they would feel "left out" while
their fellow club members enjoyed the activities, or—if they did choose to
participate during Sabbath hours—they could easily slip away from the church
permanently.
That was unacceptable.
The early pioneers of the Pathfinder
movement faced the same problem. Their solution was to form an Adventist
"Scouting" ministry patterned after the model of the Boy Scouts.
The Scouts had achieved resounding
success through their program, so it is not surprising that sincere Adventist
leaders with a heart for Adventist youth might look to that model as a guide
for developing an "in-house" Scouting-type ministry. I am not aware
if they studied other models of youth recreational-education. Perhaps they
either didn't know about the 4-H model or considered it "too rural"
for broad application within the church's diverse cultures. At any rate, the
choice was made, and Pathfinders—as we know it today—was born with the inherent
organizational DNA of the Scouting vision.
As pastor of the Irrigon Church, the
thought kept occurring to me, "Why can't we create an Adventist
"in-house" 4-H type organization of our own?"
I decided to explore the
possibilities.
4-H
vs Scouting Models
We started comparing 4-H and
Pathfinder (Scouting) models. There are strong similarities of purpose between
the Scouting model and the 4-H model, but with significant differences in how
each organization approaches the goals of their tasks.
Both models serve the needs of
recreational-education youth activities. Both are extremely valuable and
historically have accomplished great goals of preparing young people for life
beyond adolescence. The narrative here is not to criticize or denigrate one or the
other, but simply to note the influences each had in developing the Pathfinder
GEM concepts and subsequent implementation.
Here is a side-by-side comparison of
the two models:
|
4-H
Thousands of young people have benefited from
4-H with active members becoming involved in their local community.
|
Scouting
Thousands of young people have been benefited for
life by their Scouting experience.
|
|
The
4-H model is designed to provide positive training for young people,
preparing them for service and responsible living as adults.
A
major 4-H focus is to prepare youth for active involvement in their local
communities by providing actual experiences in orderly group process and self-governance
for a healthy democracy.
As
in any functioning, healthy democracy, each 4-H club elects its local
officers for leadership, including a President, Vice-president, Secretary-treasurer,
and Sgt-at-arms. With the President leading a typical meeting, club members
make and second motions, engage in an orderly discussion of the motion, and
vote to pass or reject the motion. Club decisions are made according to
common democratic practices, guided by Robert's Rules of Order.
The
name "4-H" comes from an emphasis on the holistic development of
four areas of life:
·
Head
·
Heart
·
Hands
·
Health
At
each club meeting, following the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, club
members recite in unison the 4-H Pledge:
I
pledge my Head to clearer thinking; my Heart to greater loyalty; my Hands to
larger service; and my Health to better living for my club, my community, my
country, and my world.
|
The
scouting model emphasizes personal duty for individual Scouts.
The Scouting motto, "Be Prepared,"
emphasizes personal preparation to adequately perform their duty in the face
of life's inevitable challenges.
Scouting
provides wide experiences of skills-training and broad awareness through
their system of earning "Merit Badges" in a huge variety of
subjects.
The
Boy Scout Oath or Promise is:
On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my
country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep
myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
|
The Beginning of GEM
At Irrigon, we had about 10-12 young
people within the target-age bracket who could be prime candidates for the new
club. I had some rough ideas of what we needed to do to bring it to life, but I
wasn't entirely sure how to proceed with the relationship to the Upper Columbia
Conference youth ministries department. To help clarify the concept, Ruth and I
invited UCC Pathfinder Director Wayne Hicks and his wife Jeri to our home for
an evening conference over supper. Sitting across the dining room table from Wayne
and Jeri, I introduced my ideas and asked for their input.
Wayne's response pointed to how the
GEM program would need to proceed into the future.
"I like the idea," he said,
"but the last thing we need is another organization. I see no reason why
you can't do this within the existing Pathfinder structure."
We continued brainstorming for
another hour or more. At the end of our conversation, I felt very encouraged to
move forward. It looked like the dream might have a very real chance of
becoming a reality.
Before calling our first meeting for
prospective members, I spent considerable time writing the vision into a concrete
form on paper. The document included a purpose, motto, law, and defined
organizational structure for member-led government based on the 4-H model—but
with a decidedly Seventh-day Adventist orientation.
The name I chose for the club was
"God's Earth Ministry." Later, this name was modified to
"Pathfinder GEM Club," with the acronym "GEM" standing for
"Growth," "Excellence," and "Ministry." With that
transition, we discarded the separate motto, law, etc., but we retained the
plan for member-led government and the use of member "projects" as
were followed in 4-H, using Pathfinder honors as our basis for the projects.
I was pleased to have the full
support of both Wayne Hicks, the UCC Pathfinder Director, and Gordon Pifher,
head of the UCC Youth Department.
Ruth and I recruited several church
members and parents willing to serve as staff. As we conferred with these
enthusiastic volunteers, it soon became evident that none of us knew very much
about what we were attempting, myself included! But, we persevered, and soon
set a date for the first organizational meeting with the young people.
The kids were enthusiastic. Most of
them knew about Pathfinders, but I don't think any of them had ever been
members. This was somewhat to our advantage, in that they didn't come with
already ingrained ideas of what should happen in the club. At a later date, we
discovered this could be a serious problem with older members who already had a
track record with Pathfinders.
One of the distinctive differences
between Pathfinders and 4-H was the use of uniforms. In the beginning, we
decided against having uniforms for the GEM program. The thinking behind this
was to emphasize community-process in conducting club meetings. In the wider
community at town hall meetings, city council meetings, etc., none of the
citizens or community leaders wear uniforms except on-duty police or security
officers. We wanted the club meetings for these young people to prepare them
for active participation in community life when they reached their adult years.
The uniforms typical of Pathfinders and Scouting organizations lent themselves to
a top-down command-and-control hierarchical system that we were trying to
avoid. Hence, in these early days, the GEM clubs did not include uniforms. As
we eventually discovered, however, the lack of uniforms also contributed to
unruliness and lack of order among the kids.
As the GEM program evolved we found
it necessary to require uniforms, and regulate assembly by instituting rank and
file positioning in typical Pathfinder format. Marching practice and commands
provided a sense of unity and belonging which was missing in the beginning. But
these modifications didn't come until after Ruth and I moved to Yakima,
Washington where I was assigned as the Associate Pastor of the 35th Avenue
Adventist Church. For the next two years, while we were at Yakima, the GEM club
ideas continued to evolve.
In January or February 1980, UCC
pastors from our Conference region gathered at the Sunnyside, Washington church
for a day of training and fellowship. At that meeting, I was approached by
Pastor Fred Hughes, lead pastor of the Yakima 35th Avenue church, with an
invitation to join him there as his Associate Pastor. I had been at Irrigon for
approximately three years and felt it was time to move on. I accepted Pastor Hughes'
invitation, and a few Sabbaths later my wife and I announced our decision to
the Irrigon congregation.
When I arrived in Yakima, the church
already had an active Pathfinder club including several older teen members.
A few weeks after I got somewhat settled
into my new environment, I approached the club leaders about the GEM program we
had been developing at Irrigon. They expressed some interest but were not
entirely sure exactly how the program would work. I explained the basics, but
many gaps still existed in our plan. The leaders did agree, however, to give
GEM a try.
In Yakima, we continued the
"create-as-you-go" process. Some of our initial attempts were
successful—others were not.
Uniforms
As mentioned above, one of the early
unanticipated problems concerned the use of uniforms.
The problem was that the more relaxed
atmosphere made club meeting order and focus much more difficult. Older members
with several years of Pathfindering experience were used to the structure
provided by uniforms and the traditional assembly model. Marching commands such as
"Aten-hut!" "At Ease!" "Dress right, dress!"
etc., were unknown in the 4-H model. Our elimination of this element for the
GEM Program did not have the effect we intended. Instead, we quickly realized
we needed the inherent controls of more direct regimentation. We made the move
back to uniforms and a traditional Pathfinder assembly format. This resulted in
restoring reasonable decorum, and we were able to move forward with much more
success.
To follow a 4-H model for club
organization and activities, we and our staff needed to learn more about the
4-H program.
Four-H is sponsored and supported
through the land-grant universities in every American State. Our local
Washington State University Extension office was located right there in Yakima,
so we scheduled a meeting with the County 4-H leaders to share our vision and
gather their counsel.
The 4-H people were more than
gracious. They were excited about our ideas. We could even keep the name
"Pathfinders" and still be recognized as a registered 4-H club. Our
members could enter and show their projects in the local Yakima Youth Fair, and
they would receive the same recognition for work completed as any other 4-H
member of any other club.
Of course, our club's primary
orientation and affiliation remained as a Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinder
Club, registered with the Youth Department of Upper Columbia Conference.
Our vision for the GEM Club was
composed of three fundamental goals: Growth; Excellence; and Ministry. Each of
these elements deserves a few paragraphs of individual description.
The traditional Pathfinders' focus
follows the Scouting model of "Merit Badges" by simply renaming them
as "Honor Badges." Requirements for each badge vary from quite simple
to very detailed, depending on the learning level of each member and the
complexity of the subject. After completing the checklist for a specific Honor,
the member can then be awarded a badge to be placed on the sash as part of the
full dress uniform. Earning the GEM Project Honor recognition involved
documenting three other activities.[1]
Record Keeping
Following the 4-H model, but
utilizing the Pathfinders existing subject base for Honor Badges, the GEM
program allowed each member to select any of the many honors to use as a GEM
Project. The same Project would be carried for the entire membership-year and
would entail goal-setting, resource assessment, detailed financial accounting records
and, journaling of the overall experience.
At the end of the year, a member who
completed his/her GEM Project was awarded not only the traditional honor badge,
but also a small tab to attach directly under the badge identifying this honor
as a GEM Project, and also specifying the year the award was earned. The same Project
could continue to be a member’s focus in subsequent years with expanded goals and
plans. Each year a new GEM tab—with the new year noted—could be earned and attached
under the previous year’s award.
Each student was required to prepare
and present a "Demonstration" of some aspect related to their field
of study. The Demonstration was a hands-on lecture, with props, presented
before a live audience.
For example, one boy did a project on
running and exercise. His demonstration was a description of proper running
shoes, including various brands, styles, types, and purposes of construction,
and reasons to choose which shoes might be needed by a specific individual.
Actual athletic shoes were used for illustration.
A girl who loved horses prepared for
her demonstration by casting a plaster-of-Paris mold of a horse's hoof. She
identified and explained the purpose and function of the various parts of the
hoof, including the hoof wall, the frog, the heel, and other important features.
She included some instruction regarding proper hoof maintenance and possible
diseases such as thrush, or the effects of foundering on the horse's feet.
Yet another boy's project was on the
use and maintenance of small gasoline engines. His demonstration showed the
working parts of a small engine, explained the difference between regular and
mixed types of gasoline, the importance of regular changes of oil, air filters,
winter storage practices, and springtime preparation.
At the end of each demonstration, the
members fielded questions from the audience. As part of their preparation, they
were taught to repeat the question so the rest of the audience could understand
it, then answer according to their knowledge of the subject matter. If they
were asked a question they didn't know how to answer, they were instructed to
simply say, "I don't know the answer to that at present, but if you would
like, I will be glad to research it for you."
Each public presentation was
evaluated and graded by a panel of judges to provide valuable feedback for
assisting the member to reach for Excellence—the "E" in
"GEM".
Ministry (i.e. “Service”)
In the GEM program, the end goal of the
experience was to become aware of service opportunities related to the member’s
chosen area of learning. Following the 4-H principle of “learning by doing,” we
built into the program a requirement for each member to use some aspect of their
project (e.g. a skill or knowledge gained, etc.) to devise and provide a
valuable service for free to another person, local business, or group. The
experience of intentional, focused service ingrains the principle of
outward-focused ministry and awareness of needs within the member’s circle of
influence.
Examples of service ministry activity
One of the GEM Clubs had several
members who loved horses. A Horse Group was formed for studying and learning
about horse husbandry, training, and enjoying horse activities (trail rides,
games, etc.).
As with all GEM Projects, the Pathfinder
Horsemanship honor formed the core of the group’s focus. Additional, broader
goals and activities for each individual member extended the course content for
an entire club year of learning activities.
For their service/ministry project,
this horse group spent an afternoon scouring a neighbor's arena for rocks.
Arenas are the playground for games, contests, and other horse activities.
Rocks on the arena surface are serious hazards of potentially serious injury,
both to riders and animals. So, armed with five-gallon buckets, gloves, and
some digging tools, the group fanned out across the arena gathering every rock
and pebble they could find.
The owners of the arena couldn’t find
enough words to express their appreciation for the group’s contribution to the
safety of their facility.
Another group of members was more interested
in small pets (dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, etc.) than large animals like
horses. Together they brainstormed a service project. The group’s adult leader
called a local animal shelter to ask what their most pressing need might be. The
shelter personnel said the hardest item for them to keep in adequate supply was
puppy food—a critical need that was always difficult to fill.
With that information, the group
organized a car-wash to raise money to buy puppy food. Again, the people
running the shelter were most appreciative.
Another unique group was centered on
the use, maintenance, and safety practices for small engines, e.g. lawnmowers, garden
machinery, go-carts, or other common items.
This group offered a free spring
tune-up service for neighbors and other community friends with small engines that
they would be using in the coming seasons. The GEM members changed the oil and spark
plugs, checked safety guards, filled the tanks with the appropriate gasoline
for each engine, and left their “customers” grinning with gratitude.
Early March 1984 brought an
invitation from Upper Columbia Conference for Ruth and me to assume new
responsibilities as the pastoral couple for Spokane Countryside and Davenport,
Washington congregations. After praying about this move, visiting the churches,
and scouting the area we decided to accept the call. It would mean leaving
Yakima and the hard work we had done developing GEM concepts and practices for
the Yakima Pathfinder Club. However, our Yakima staff were well-trained, fully
on board with the GEM idea, and very capable to lead the club in our absence.
Countryside and Davenport welcomed us
with open arms. The Davenport company did not have a Pathfinder club, but the
leaders at Countryside were excited about our arrival, and immediately
expressed interest in developing the local club on the GEM model. We set about
sharing GEM principles and organizational details with the staff. After
settling in, we contacted the Spokane County 4-H office to explain who we were
and to share our prior experience with Yakima County 4-H people. Once again, as
in Yakima, the 4-H leaders enthusiastically recognized our Countryside
Pathfinder GEM club as an official club within the Spokane County 4-H
organization.
Ruth and I remained at
Countryside/Davenport for the next four years, 1984-1988. During that period
the GEM concept continued to expand and grow toward maturity. Within Upper
Columbia Conference, the Yakima club continued to thrive, our Countryside club
successfully transitioned to the GEM model, and another in-Conference club at
Ephrata, Washington chose to join the movement, organizing their club on the
GEM plan.
We continued receiving strong support
from the Youth Department/Pathfinder leadership at the Conference level. Wayne
Hicks arranged each year to host the annual Pathfinder Fair at a county
fairgrounds where facilities could accommodate GEM projects and activities,
merging them seamlessly with the more traditional elements of a Pathfinder
Fair. Each Spring found us at a different county fairground somewhere in the
Conference territory. All clubs throughout the Conference assembled on the
designated dates, with the GEM Pathfinders bringing their animals (horses,
goats, poultry, etc.) and other examples of individual projects such as small
engines, pets, and cooking. Interest and awareness continued to grow.
However, the GEM idea was not
automatically praised in all quarters. Some reports came to us that several
long-time, experienced Pathfinder leaders were quite resistant to the changes.
The phrase, "This is not Pathfinders!" expressed their loyalty to the
traditional Pathfinder program. While we were initially disappointed hearing
this, we realized that—of course!—the GEM model would not fit—and was not
intended to fit—every club's need. We continued to work toward our goals of
sharing the GEM story with as many leaders as possible.
The Pathfinder Directors of Oregon,
Washington, and Idaho Conferences heard about our work and invited Ruth and me
to a day-long workshop at each of their respective annual Pathfinder leadership
retreats. At the scheduled times, we traveled to Gladstone, Oregon, Sunset
Lake, Washington, and McCall, Idaho to make these presentations.
Of course, none of the attendees at
these retreats were previously aware of our program, so we began by explaining
the GEM model and how it fit in with traditional Pathfindering. We usually
spent an hour or so providing some historical and background information, then
transitioned into sharing the GEM principles and practices in more detail.
It was always very exciting for us
when—about half-way into our material—the expressions of those present would
suddenly light up with understanding, often accompanied by, "Oh! Now I see
what you are saying! This is great!"
In the early weeks of 1985, the
Youth/Pathfinder Director for North Pacific Union Conference, Al Williamson hosted a one-day meeting of Conference-level
Directors to review and recommend the GEM program to the General Conference
Youth Department. The Directors from Upper Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Oregon,
and Washington Conferences came to UCC headquarters in Spokane, spending an
entire day reviewing a manual we had prepared for GEM clubs. At the end of the
day, the Directors unanimously voted to forward the manual to the GC,
requesting that it be considered for inclusion in official Pathfinder Club
options.
Sadly, we never received a response
from the General Conference, neither acceptance nor rejection. The silence was
deafening.
Nevertheless, we were not deterred.
The first-ever Division-wide
Pathfinder Camporee was on the immediate horizon, slated for Camp Hale, Leadville, Colorado, July 31-August 6, 1985. With support and coaching from our
friend and mentor Wayne Hicks, we were able to reserve an exhibition booth for
the event. At Camp Hale, we sold many copies of the GEM Manual and spent hours
upon hours at the booth introducing the ideas and explaining the purposes of
GEM to leaders from all corners of the North American Division and beyond.
Only eternity will reveal if any of
those contacts ever bore fruit.
The summer of 1988 brought another
move for our family. Unfortunately for the GEM program, our tenure at the new
district only lasted ten months, meeting an untimely end due to some internal
conflicts within the congregation. This also brought an unexpected hiatus in my
service record as a denominational employee. Three years passed before I once
again entered an Adventist pulpit as a local church pastor. By that time,
without our continuous encouragement and promotion, the GEM program gradually
slid into disuse. In May 1992, I accepted a call to pastor in Ohio Conference,
but another five years would pass before I had the opportunity to share our
experience with the Pathfinder leaders there. Many seemed to think it was an
interesting idea, but sadly it never gained traction.
It seemed the time for GEM had
passed. Nevertheless, it remains a blessed memory for us personally, and for
many of the youth who were part of the program during its active years.
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