Club secretary

Twenty years from now, someone will open a cabinet at church, blow the dust off a notebook, and find your name in it: the day you joined the club, the class you were invested in, the photo from that camp where it rained the entire weekend. That treasure chest of memories exists, has official rules, and a guardian with a job title: the club secretary. And there's more — at Camporee, that well-kept paperwork is worth a lot of points.

🗂️What is the club secretary?

Pathfinder Club is the Seventh-day Adventist Church's program for boys and girls ages 10 to 15 — camping, honors, friendship, and service. And every adventure creates history. The secretary is the part of the club that keeps that history: who joined, what was decided, what happened at each event, who helped the club get this far.

The Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual, published by the South American Division (the church's headquarters for South America), devotes all of section 3.4 to the topic. The manual's definition is blunt: the secretary's records work like an X-ray of the club. Looking at the files, you can tell when the club was founded, which directors it has had, who passed through, and which class each person was invested in.

Handling all of this is the secretary, one of the club's leadership positions — appointed by the Executive Committee, the group that runs the club. Want to see where it fits in the org chart? Check out the guide to club positions.

The secretary's records are an X-ray of the club, because through them it is possible to analyze the club's structure, organization, discipline, and commitment to its own memory.Pathfinder Club Administrative Manual (DSA), section 3.4

The secretary's five records according to the DSA Administrative Manual (sections 3.4.3 to 3.4.7).

📖What is the minutes book?

Picture the club's leadership deciding the date of the next camp. That decision can't live only in someone's memory — it becomes minutes. The minutes book records the discussion points and outcomes of every meeting held by the club's committees: the Executive Committee (director, associate directors, secretary, and the district pastor or an elder) and the Regular Committee (the entire leadership, including counselors and instructors).

The manual accepts handwritten or typed minutes, but with tamper-proof rules: numbered pages, an opening statement on the first page, writing that starts on the first line, no skipped spaces — so no one can add anything later. It's like a message sent with no edit button. At the end, the secretary and the director date and sign it.

In the typed format, each decision becomes a numbered vote. In the manual's own example, votes follow a year/sequence format: Vote 12/001, Vote 12/002, and so on — similar to an order number from a delivery app: unique, traceable, and in order.

📸Acts book: the club's feed on paper

The acts book is the history of every activity the club has ever held. Here's how it works: the club picks a folder or notebook and, after each event, writes a short report covering the main points. It can be handwritten or typed — and the manual encourages using photos to enrich the material.

Think of it as the club's feed in paper form: each event becomes a post with text and a photo. Except here there's no algorithm burying old posts — decades from now, it'll all still be there for anyone who wants to flip through it. And unlike the minutes book, the acts book requires no formality at all: each club invents its own style.

An idea many clubs adopt: assigning someone as the reporter for each event, to take notes and photos on the spot. The report comes out while the memory is still fresh — and the acts book never falls behind.

🌟What is the golden book?

Every club has people helping behind the scenes: a sponsor is the person, family, or business that contributes financially — paying a Pathfinder's monthly dues, donating tents, sponsoring the trip to Camporee. The golden book exists so that generosity is never forgotten.

And the detail is literal: according to section 3.4.6 of the manual, it must be a decorated, gold-colored notebook. In it, the secretary records each contributor's name, the date the partnership began, and leaves space for that person's own signature. It's gratitude with ceremony.

Beyond being beautiful, it's strategic: when the club needs support again, the history of each partnership is already on record — and anyone who has helped once usually feels proud to see their own name in that notebook.

🎒Camporee folder: why is it worth so many points?

Camporee is the massive campout that brings together dozens or hundreds of clubs, with points scored for completed requirements. And here's the secret every secretary knows: according to the manual (section 3.4.5), at a Camporee a large share of the points goes to the secretary's folder. In other words: you can lose points on paper before even pitching the first tent.

The folder is the secretary's responsibility and must contain every item requested in the event manual, in order, with a signed report for each requirement. Each report needs: the date, time, and place of the activity; a description of what was done; and the number of participating members.

What about photos? The manual is clear: they add richness and credibility, but under no circumstances do they replace the report. It's like at school: a screenshot alone doesn't count as a submitted assignment — it needs the write-up to go with it.

🗃️Files, records, and archives: what else lives in the secretary's office?

Every club member has an individual file — their biography in archive form. The manual (section 3.4.1) lists what goes inside: the unit evaluation form (the small group of 6 to 8 Pathfinders who stick together), copies of class, honor, and course certificates, photos, a health record, and medical prescriptions.

Registration is also the secretary's responsibility. Even if it's done online, the manual requires a physical copy at the club office. And the health record is taken seriously: it logs chronic illness, allergies, and medications — if a Pathfinder takes medication during meeting hours, that information goes into the file along with a copy of the prescription. For families, that's real, practical safety.

Rounding out the archive: unit folders, the dead file (old documents, catalogued for reference), and correspondence — including official letters, the formal document the club uses to communicate with schools, businesses, and public agencies, such as requesting a school's space for meetings. The manual sums up the spirit of it: keep everything organized so that, 5, 10, 20, or 40 years from now, someone can read it and learn the club's entire story.

💻And the SGC — where does it fit into this story?

Since January 26, 2015, clubs in the South American Division have used the SGC — Club Management System, the official online platform. That's where member registrations, health records, classes, honors, units, schedules, documents, and annual insurance (mandatory for DSA clubs since 2010) are kept.

Paper and screen coexist: the manual still requires a physical copy of the registrations at the club office, and the secretary still reports to the Field — the regional administration that oversees the clubs. Support resources for leaders cite the quarterly report to the Field as one of the role's typical responsibilities, along with attendance tracking and the club's internal communication.

The system itself deserves its own conversation — how to log in, what you can do, who has access. It's all in our guide SGC: what it is and how to log in.