The MAUC director of Church Ministries coordinates a wide variety of initiatives, events and resources for local conferences and constituents. The areas of focus include Children’s Ministries, Pathfinders and Adventurers, Youth and Young Adults and Adventist Community Services.
CHILDREN, ADVENTURERS AND PATHFINDERS
In early 2020 the Mid-America Union Conference hosted a Children’s Ministries Expo in Omaha, Nebraska, where 113 attendees participated in a new training format.
Adventurer clubs for children Pre K-4 are well established in all six conferences in the Mid-America Union and are a primary feeder for Pathfinder clubs.
Pathfinders is the Adventist camping/educational ministry primarily for grades 5-12. Fun and educational activities, along with the comprehensive training structure of the organization, make Pathfinders the single strongest ministry in the Seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide.
The annual Pathfinder Bible Experience competition challenges Pathfinders to learn Scripture, with teams memorizing entire books of the Bible in order to earn a first place award. Each year the MAUC hosts the union level competition of PBE, with the most recent event being held virtually due to the pandemic.
In July 2017 nearly 1,500 Pathfinders gathered in the Black Hills of South Dakota for the union-wide Pathfinder camporee with dedication services held in the amphitheater at Mt. Rushmore.
In August 2019, over 2,600 Pathfinders and staff from Mid-America joined approximately 50,000 from around the world for the International Camporee held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. We eagerly look forward to the next International Camporee scheduled to be held in Gillette, Wyoming, in 2024.
SUMMER CAMPS
Summer camp is a top priority for local conference youth departments with outstanding facilities and some of the most beautiful locations in the country. Hundreds of children and youth make important decisions for Christ and choose baptism every summer while discovering life-changing lessons in God’s second book of nature. Our nine camps in Mid-America are:
Camp High Point
Flag Mountain Camp
Northern Lights Camp
Camp Heritage
Camp Arrowhead
Broken Arrow Ranch
Glacier View Ranch
Mills Springs Ranch
North Star Camp
Despite the challenges of the pandemic, our camps are on strong footing and continue to offer meaningful activities for our children and youth.
YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS
MAUC Academy Leadership and Bible conferences are conducted yearly at various locations where academy students learned skills for leadership and outreach. A union-wide Bible conference for public high school students was hosted in the fall of 2016.
During the pandemic, Mid-America young adults participated in the virtual NAD Momentum Youth Sabbath School where they preached, led discussions and provided special music.
ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES
All Mid-America ACS/DR leaders were instrumental in mobilizing collection of items needed in impacted communities during the past five years. When the NAD COVID-19 Food Grant funds were disbursed, ACS leaders stepped up to assist those who have been most impacted by the pandemic across Mid-America. Many food pantries have collaborated with other community organizations to distribute additional food items during this time of crisis.
Hubert Cisneros retired from serving as Church Ministries director in 2018.
Roger Wade served as MAUC Church Ministries director from April 2019 – April 2021.
