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For the first time in its history, the North American Division (NAD) of the Adventist Church brought its Master Guides together in a Camporee of their own. According to the NAD, the gathering took place from August 6 to 9, 2025, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, in Glen Jean, West Virginia, and carried the theme "Called to Serve."
'}{'p': 'According to the NAD, the event brought together more than 2,000 participants, among them about 200 children. Unlike a Pathfinder Camporee, the focus here was the leaders: men and women who have completed — or are still completing — the Master Guide training program and who, in practice, sustain the Clubs in each local church.
'}{'p': 'The liturgical high point came on Saturday, when, again according to the NAD, dozens of new Master Guides were invested before the gathered community — closing two years of study, service, and spiritual preparation.
'}The fact: a first Camporee for leaders only
According to the NAD (nadadventist.org), the division held from August 6 to 9, 2025, the first Master Guide Camporee in its entire history. The chosen location was the Summit Bechtel Reserve, in Glen Jean, West Virginia — an extensive outdoor complex in the Appalachians, accustomed to hosting large camps.
The detail that makes the gathering unusual is the audience. Camporees are usually aimed at children and teenagers of the Pathfinder Club. Here, according to the NAD, the center of attention was the leaders themselves: the Master Guides, adults who prepare to lead these Clubs. The theme "Called to Serve" sums up the proposal — bringing together those who serve to train them, inspire them, and place them in community.
What a Master Guide is
The Master Guide is the highest regular leadership class of Adventist Youth Ministries. It is not an honorary title: it is reached by those who complete a structured training program, combining Bible study, field techniques, first aid, honors, leadership, and a period of practical work within a Club.
According to the NAD, the Camporee was aimed at leaders who have completed — or are completing — this two-year Master Guide program, including Master Guides in training. In the church's worldwide structure, it is the Master Guide who, on the front line, ensures that the Club works: organizing meetings, guiding units, following the growth of each Pathfinder. Training and caring for these leaders is, therefore, caring for the foundation of the entire movement.
The numbers of the gathering
The NAD reported more than 2,000 participants at the event. Of that total, about 200 were children — a sign that many leaders brought their families, something natural at a gathering designed for community, and not just for classrooms.
A journalistic caveat is worth noting: the numbers here are those released by the event's own organization. The NAD described the Camporee as historic, and the official registration platform (AdventSource) confirmed the dates of August 6 to 9, 2025, the location at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, and the theme "Called to Serve" / "Llamados a Servir," in reference to the bilingual nature of the North American audience.
Read alsoAbout 5,000 Pathfinders gather at the 4th SID Camporee, in ZimbabweThe Investiture on Saturday
Saturday is the central day of any Adventist gathering, and at the Camporee it was no different. According to the NAD, dozens of new Master Guides were invested that day, before the entire gathered community.
The Investiture is the ceremony in which the church publicly recognizes those who have met all the requirements of a class. Doing so during the division's first Master Guide Camporee gave the celebration an extra symbolic weight: the first to be invested in this new format of gathering enter history as part of the inaugural class.
Background: Youth Ministries in North America
The North American Division brings together the Adventist fields of the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and associated territories. Like every division, it coordinates Youth Ministries, of which the Pathfinders and the Master Guides are part.
In the Americas, the Pathfinder Club has an enormous presence — and much of that strength has historically come from South America. A Camporee dedicated exclusively to Master Guides, however, is something new even for a large division like the NAD. By creating this space, the division signals a clear commitment: for the Club to grow at its base, it is necessary to invest in an organized way in those who lead it.
Why this matters for the Clubs
Gatherings like this rarely make the headlines, but they directly affect the experience of every child in the Club. A better-prepared Master Guide means safer meetings, better-conducted activities, and a healthier environment for the Pathfinders.
Bringing more than 2,000 leaders together in one place, according to the NAD, also creates something hard to measure in numbers: belonging. Those who lead a Club usually work voluntarily and, often, in isolation within their local church. Seeing themselves as part of a movement of thousands renews the energy to keep serving — which is, after all, exactly what the theme "Called to Serve" proposed.