First NAD Master Guide Camporee Brings Leaders Together

After about three years of intense planning, the first North American Division (NAD) Master Guide Camporee was held August 6-9 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, United States. Themed “Called to Serve,” this leadership training and camping event was designed for club ministry leaders who have completed or are completing the two-year Master Guide program—the highest level of training for Pathfinder and Adventurer Club leaders.

According to Armando Miranda, Jr., associate director of NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries and Club Ministries, more than 2,000 participants attended, including 200 children. Participants came from across the division and beyond, representing such countries as Papua New Guinea, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Mongolia, and Micronesia.

“Camporee brings people together,” Miranda said. “When you go to a camporee, especially for local churches, and there are only one or two Master Guides, they usually feel kind of alone. There’s nothing specific for them. But if you bring them all together in one place, they can get inspired and go back to be better leaders and say, ‘You know, I’m not alone in this.’ ”

The theme, “Called to Serve,” emphasized leadership through service. “We want to inspire participants to look at being a Master Guide as a service opportunity,” Miranda said. “You’re called to serve by serving the ones you’re leading. We want to emulate Jesus Christ as He calls us to serve those who are in need.”

Training sessions included CPR, first aid, staff training, and leadership seminars presented with AdventHealth. Master Guides also received Adventist Community Services disaster relief training. Honors, such as leatherworking and Adventist Heritage, were also offered; attendees could also participate in more than 20 activities, including a triathlon, volleyball, paddleboarding, rock climbing, ax throwing, and more. And Arnold and Dixie Plata, with their traveling Pathfinder museum, provided the Master Guides a rare opportunity to step back in time and relive Pathfinder history.

Each evening closed with a song service; interactive activities, including quizzes with prizes; and a devotional by MyRon Edmonds. Each night Edmonds wove personal experiences into his presentation, explaining how leadership is like a haystack (i.e., a taco salad with cheese, beans, and corn chips, popular at Adventist gatherings)—it takes thinking and preparation to compile layers of a lot of the best ingredients to make a balanced and nutritious haystack, but there is also variety in how to go about building that haystack. Emotions ran high when on Friday night, attendees prayed and anointed each other for service with small containers of oil. Dozens of Master Guides were invested on Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night closed the event with a wedding engagement, a devotional with the finished leadership haystack, and with shouts for another camporee in the near future.

Participant Perspectives

Wendell Piper, program director for the Master Guide University of the Central California Conference, said the event reinforced a service-first mindset: “If you’re here for the uniform, this is not the program for you.” He added that repeated training matters: “You always find something new.”

Norma Villarreal, Youth Ministries director for the Central California Conference, said seeing new Master Guides engage and mature was key. “This is a big deal. It’s not just getting a pin; it’s not about the scarf. It’s more than just activities. It is a commitment to service on a deeper level,” she said. The scale of the gathering also built deeper connection: “Now the [Master Guides] have a network to continue to grow.”

Glenda Diaz, Master Guide-in-training from Orlando, Florida, said the adult focus mattered. “This event was wonderful! I loved it. I don’t want to go home,” Diaz shared. A teacher, she appreciated space to recharge: “This is my event. This is my camporee. This is not my children’s camporee.”

Debbie Randall from Ontario, Canada, highlighted the refreshing that the event provided. “I really like it. I like that the campground is excellent,” she said, calling the weekend “almost like a rejuvenation,” where “we’re being poured into.”

Angela Wakefield from the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Carolina, remarked on the mountain scenery and how everyone is participating in the activities, and urged a repeat. “Much needed? Yes!” she said. “The music is on point, the service is on point, and the camping and camaraderie—learning from each other—it’s fabulous. My soul has been fed.”

While no date has yet been set for another camporee, Miranda said, “This is the first one, and I know it’s not going to be the last.”

The original version of this story was posted on the North American Division news site.