The Valley View Pathfinder Club in the Medford (Oregon) area has grown and changed recently, thanks to several local volunteers! Now known as the “Rogue Valley Pathfinders,” the group has expanded to include several area churches including the Medford Church, the Medford Spanish Church, the Central Point Church, and, of course, the Valley View Church.
For over a decade, Trudy Beckner has been working with the group as a volunteer staff member teaching honors and classes. “I think I got started working with the Valley View Pathfinder club in 2013 when my two youngest kids were in Pathfinders,” she recently shared. “Since then I’ve been just kind of a staff member, basically, but not serving in a leadership role.”
Over the past couple of years, however, several unforeseen circumstances left the Valley View club without a director. “I’ve been working on my Master Guide training,” Beckner continued, “so I went to the club ministries training weekend. Another staff member that went, Steve Dahlin, mentioned that his vision was to have a Pathfinder club that isn’t just attached to our church, but would include the whole valley. Our area clubs are small, so having a valley-wide club could bring in more staff and allow the kids to do more things.”
Toward the end of last year the group got together with other area leaders to begin to dream about the possibilities, but by December they still didn’t have a director fully in place. “At the time I was thinking, ‘I really don’t want to be a leader,’” said Trudy. “I can be a good, dependable, faithful staff member, but I really don’t want to be a director. But by that time it was clear that no one else was going to step into the role. So I kind of said, ‘Okay, Lord, if you want me to do this, you have to give me the strength to do it, then, because this was not a role I’d been anticipating. So I went ahead and said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’”
One of the first challenges facing Trudy and her group was scheduling. Being employed full time, including two Sundays a month, and in a community where students have a very busy school and sports schedule already, they decided to begin meeting twice a month––once on Sabbath and once on Sunday in the Rogue Valley Adventist Academy gym.
The next challenge facing the group was finding dedicated staff. “I wasn’t sure who all we would have for staff, but the Lord worked things out,” said Trudy. “Seka Vaeono, who had been helping with another Pathfinder club for many, many years, came over to help us. She’s been doing everything she can to help Pathfinders! So at first it was just the three of us; me, Seka, and Steve Dahlin––and I was thinking, ‘Okay, how are we going to do this?’” But, over the following weeks and months, volunteers began to show up! Several didn’t know exactly what they could offer, but they were willing to try. Salaina Lauesi, the local Adventurer director, also stepped in to help promote the Pathfinder club and organize programs.
Although they are still looking for more volunteers, the Rogue Valley Pathfinders have already set to work serving their community with a group of 17 Pathfinders! Recently they led the church service at the Medford Adventist Church, sharing sermons, special music, and more, and Trudy shared that there is a lot more planned for the club still this year!
“I think Pathfinders is a very valuable learning experience for kids. We get to teach them about God, about community, and about serving. The TLT [Teen Leadership Training] program for Pathfinders has produced amazing leaders in our church. My goal is to try to inspire in these kids a love for God and a love of service, and I just think that Pathfinders is a very valuable way to do that!”
Please keep the Rogue Valley Pathfinders and all of our clubs in your prayers as they strive together to be the hands and feet of Jesus!
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