The Dundee Seventh-day Adventist church was filled to the brim on 17 September as more than 250 people gathered to celebrate World Pathfinder Sabbath. At least 100 of these were Pathfinders from Scottish churches, immaculately dressed in their colourful uniform.
They were all set for an eventful and ground-breaking day. This included a 2-mile procession through Dundee city streets to motivate the community to care for the environment. This procession was led by a corps of drummers who had travelled all the way from Dagenham in the South of England to lend their support.
To put their message in action, a large group of participants then proceeded to do a litter pick in the city, while another group distributed 25 food parcels in the local community. These public activities drew a lot of attention from the community. A very positive report was published in the local newspaper during the week. The events had been cleared by the local council and the Police beforehand.
The day began with discussion led by the Forth Valley District on the theme for this world-wide event, ‘Changing the World’ The divine service that followed, featured four Pathfinders from across the Mission with the calm and measured guidance of Mthoko Ndlovu, expounding on the dynamics of change.
Having presented the difficult conundrum, “how am I going to change approximately 7, 750 million people who live on this plant?” some very encouraging and inspirational answers were presented! “Changing the world starts by changing MY world, then the world of those around me, and the people I will meet and impact throughout my life.” At the heart of this hopeful approach is our trust in Jesus. “By cooperating with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we can be transformed by His love to be a better version of ourselves.”
There is no doubt that the drumming corps made a huge impact in Dundee city on the day. Pastor Ndlovu says, “Dagenham Eagles Community drum corps from England, were kind and generous enough to support the Scottish Mission with their talented and well accomplished drumming services for which the Mission is very appreciative.” The support from North England Conference was also appreciated. As a sign of this appreciation, the leaders of the event presented gifts the unique and treasured Scottish Mission Pathfinder scarves to the guests.
Along with the exciting events, the day was punctuated with beautiful special items and many opportunities for clubs from various churches to interact. In the evening there was a social with various games and fun activities. Mthoko Ndlovu says, “It drew newcomers, visitors, the old and young, into real connection with each other. Given the fact that the triennial theme for Scottish Mission Pathfinders and Adventurers is: “Connecting Generations”, this added to the poignancy of the day.”
After the event Pastor Njabulo Ndlovu, and his wife, Mthoko said, “We are grateful to all who donated funds, their time, skills, and love towards making this day a success. All churches that allowed their Pathfinders, parents, and guardians to attend are truly appreciated.”
Photos of the event are available at a few online locations: See the Pathfinder Facebook Page, Visit the gallery page of the Scottish Mission website.
Pathfinder day was celebrated in other locations outside of Scotland as well. In Stanborough Park more than 2500 Pathfinders also had a lovely day together. An article about that event can be read here. See the video made for the Stanborough Park event.
