*This Memo, with all its inclusions, has been sent to the Director of each local Club in the Greater New York Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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MEMORANDUM
FROM: Pastor José H. Cortés Jr.
Director of Adventist Youth Ministries
TO: Pathfinder Directors, Leaders, and Coordinators
Greater New York Conference of the Seventh-dayAdventistChurch
DATE: March 31, 2008
SUBJECT: Pathfinder & Master Guide Camporee & Olympics (May 1-4, 2008)
Meeting for Pathfinder & Adventurer Directors (April 20, 2008)
Enclosed you will find: (1) the Advertising Mini Poster for the Camporee, (2) the Registration Form for the Camporee, (3) the Parental Permission & Medical Permission Slip for minors, (4) the Staff Medical Treatment Slip for adults, in case there might be an emergency, (5) First Aid Kit Supplies List, (6) Skill Events Info, (7) Camporee Participation Form, (8) Parking Agreement Form, (9) Campsite Deposit (10) Number Assignments for Clubs, (11) the Absence Letter for the Educators, (12) Annual Camporee Regulations, (13) Uniform Inspection Form, (14) Campsite Inspection Form, and (15) Annual Camporee Points .
Campgrounds Information
The Camporee “I’m not just a church member…I’m a DISCIPLE of Christ” will be held right on the Atlantic Ocean front, at the historic HitherHillsState Park, in Montauk, New York. This is one of the most beautiful campgrounds I have seen in our conference’s territory. A place where our Pathfinders and Master Guides will see God’s hand at work and will be able to enjoy a very spiritual and gorgeous natural atmosphere. For more information regarding the park, please go to: http://licamping.com/camps/hither.htm. You can also get some of the historic details of the area at the following website: http://www.nynjctbotany.org/lgtofc/lghither.html. This year, once again, we expect somewhere close to 2,000 Pathfinders, Master Guides, Staff, and Support Staff. It will be a super spiritual, grace oriented, dynamic, happy, and very meaningful event for those in attendance.
As it was announced since November, last year, the Camporee date was changed due to the following reasons: (1) some of you had requested a different location, (2) we wanted to give our Pathfinders and Master Guides a different natural atmosphere (other than a lake and mountains), (3) Hither Hills is one of the most beautiful campgrounds in our territory, (4) we do most of our Conference events in the city and all of our camporees in Upstate New York, it is time to do something in Long Island, (5) such a beautiful State Park, like Hither Hills, is completely sold out, years in advance for the weekend of Memorial Day, (6) with our large numbers, it is almost next to impossible to find a beautiful facility that can accommodate us during Memorial Day weekend, (7) the Regional Superintendent of the Long Island State Park, Thomas Dess, agreed to open the Park for us, before the season starts, so we can have it to ourselves.
Importance of Camporee
This is an opportunity, a blessing, that does not come often, and I encourage each one of the Club Directors, Master Guides, and parents to get permission from schools and jobs to take advantage of this opportunity. These are the moments that count, these are the special moments when we get to minister to our young people; moments they will never forget. Directors, do everything within your power to be there on time and to get all of your Pathfinders there. I believe that School and education are very important, and have earthly implications. The Pathfinder & Master Guide Ministries, besides having an educational and natural background, have a spiritual and salvation emphasis with eternal implications. Please, don’t disregard the eternal for the temporal. These are the moments that our kids remember, when they are away from home, when they are in college, or far away from church. These are the moments that build their loyalty with the Lord and with the Seventh-dayAdventistChurch. Do your best to get all of your kids to the Camporee.
Baptism
I know that some Pathfinders are getting ready for baptism at the Camporee. The baptism will take place on the Atlantic Ocean, Sabbath afternoon, exactly at 2:30 PM. Please talk to your pastor and make sure he will make it for the baptism. Otherwise, I and several other pastors will be there ready to perform the baptism. However, it is important that you talk to your pastor and the parents of the Pathfinder before his/her baptism. A Director asked if points will be given for the baptism, the answer is YES, points will be given for the baptism. Though, kids and youth do not make their decision to accept Jesus because of the points, we cannot ignore the most important event that takes place during the Camporee, which is the baptism.
Olympic Events & Recreation
The Olympics will feature some track and field events, cross country racing, beach volleyball, basketball, and triathlon, as well as the skill events of drilling & marching, compass relay, knot tying relay, first aid relay, among others. There will be many other spiritual and recreational activities besides the Olympics, which our kids, youth, young adults, and adults will enjoy greatly.
The Olympics Taskforce Team needs Master Guides and Support Staff who can volunteer to help during the events. If someone from your church is able and willing, please contact Coordinator Sam Lopez at (718) 547-0009 or
lopeznny@aol.com.
We are working with the possibility of having two outside recreational activities: visit to the Montauk Point Lighthouse (the oldest lighthouse in the State of New York, the construction of this lighthouse was authorized by the Second Congress, under President George Washington in 1792; construction was completed in 1796); the other option is horseback riding. We will inform you as soon as we have final details; there will be an extra cost for these activities.
Master Guides
Master Guides will be a vital part of this Camporee. We are expecting Greater New York Conference Master Guides and Master Guide Candidates to participate in the Camporee, as well. Master Guides can register with their local Pathfinder Club. For churches without a Pathfinder Club, Master Guides can call the Conference and register directly with us.
Master Guides must take their Passport in order to get it stamped at the end of the Camporee.
Registration with the Conference Adventist Youth Ministries Department
Each Club and each Pathfinder attending the Camporee must be registered with the Greater New York Conference, prior to the Camporee. Clubs and individual Pathfinders, not registered with the Conference, will not be able to attend.
Registration Cost
The cost for the Camporee is $35.00. The price includes: camp facilities, events, patch, Camporee pin, and a T-shirt. As always, our shirt will be a colorful shirt with a beautiful and unique design, exclusively created for the Greater New York Pathfinders.
All registrations must be submitted and paid for, prior to the check in at the Camporee. Money will not be taken during Sabbath hours, Camporee packages will not be given to Directors (shirts, pins, wristbands, among others) who have not properly submitted Club Registration and Payment. Wristbands are required for participation.
Parental & Medical Treatment Slips for Minors/Medical Treatment Slips for all Adults
Both, the Parental Permission and the Medical Treatment Slip signed by the parents are needed for registration. Pathfinders will not be admitted to the camp unless these two forms are properly filled out. Master Guides, Staff, and Support Staff also need to fill out a Medical Treatment Slip. No one will be admitted to the camp, unless we have the proper Medical Treatment Slip. We are asking every Club Director to make copies of all Parental & Medical Treatment Slips for everyone in the club and bring a second set in a separate folder to hand in to the First Aid Office during the Camporee.
First Aid Kit
The Club will keep one set and the other set will be at the First Aid Office for the duration of the event. The First Aid Kit needs to be up to date, according to the form we are sending you in this package, your club will not be allow to check in, till your First Aid Kit has all of the supplies included in our First Aid Kit Sheet. If all the required supplies are not in your First Aid Kit, you will be asked to go to a Pharmacy nearby and get them before you are given entrance to the Camporee.
We are also suggesting that you add some packets of moleskins to your First Aid Kit; it can be helpful, in case of a blister.
Hospitals Closer to Camporee Campsite in Case of an Emergency
Eastern Long Island Hospital
201 Manor Place
Greenport, NY11944
(22.33 miles from zip code)
631-477-1000
Southampton Hospital
240 Meeting House Lane
Southampton, NY11968
(25.76 miles from zip code)
631-726-8200
Club #s
There are many new clubs in our Conference, if you don’t see a number assigned to your club yet (number assignment sheet), please get in touch with us. We are working on getting every church a number. These numbers will be important during the Olympics at the Camp.
Camporee Order & Supervision
Before each Roll Call or General Worship Session (Flag Raising/Flag Lowering/Worship Services), each area (Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Upstate) will gather and march together to the meeting place, under the leadership of one of the Area Coordinators. For more information on Area Coordinators, please check the back of your Adventist Youth Ministries Color Calendar.
In all other occasions each club is to march or walk, as a club, all together, from the Campsite to the activities. Each club must avoid anything that looks disorganized on the way to these activities. We are at a stage in our Pathfinder and Master Guide development in which running toward the activities is no longer acceptable. The entire club must march or walk in formation. In cases when the club is divided in small groups to participate of different activities, each group must be together and led by a counselor or staff. This includes going to showers. Minors should not be on their own at any time during the Camporee.
Required Dress Code & Uniform during Camporee
During the entire Camporee (except Sabbath) we are asking all clubs, each Pathfinder, and each Master Guide to wear Class C Uniform (Local Club t-shirt, with regular pants or jeans or Greater New York Adventist Youth Departmentt-shirt, with regular pants or jeans). Whenever, the Pathfinders or Master Guides are in public through the entire Camporee, they must wear Class C uniform (except Sabbath). For the new clubs that may not have shirts, we have several different type of shirts at the office, which can be made available at a very low cost $3.00 -$5.00.
Uniform Class A (complete Pathfinder or Master Guide uniform) will be used during Sabbath morning and Sabbath worship. If by any chance it is chilly, it will be OK to wear a Black Turtleneck underneath the Class A Uniform. After the worship service we will go to Class B uniform (Pathfinder bottoms & Camporee T-shirt) or Class C Uniform (Camporee Shirt and regular pants or jeans) for those doing the nature walk.
If the weather is cold, the Pathfinder and Master Guide may wear long sleeve sweatshirt or turtleneck under the shirt. The dress code is not a matter of salvation, but it is a matter of discipline, security, safety, and good example. This Dress Code is required for the Camporee.
Uniform Inspection will be done early Sabbath Morning, prior to SabbathSchool.
Campsites
All Campsites must be set up before the Opening Ceremony on Thursday Evening. Points will be given for this very important item. Clubs will be allowed to pitch their tents, beginning on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 PM and all day Thursday.
Campsite Inspections will take place, anytime, after Friday morning’s roll call, so the campsites need to be neat and nice throughout the weekend. Club Directors will not be told ahead of time; the inspection board will just show up and inspect.
We are asking each club to make a beautiful Entryway, or Entrance for the local club Campsite. This entrance will be measured and the top three winners will be announced and points will be awarded towards the Top Three Camporee Clubs. Only one thing, Nails cannot be used for the Entryway. The Entrance must be as natural as possible. Keep in mind, the theme is I’m not just a church member…I’m a DISCIPLE of Christ” (Discipleship).
New Inspection & Quality Control Team
We have established an Inspection and Quality Control Team, which is formed by Master Guides, PLA, PIA Instructors and several Master Guides. We have asked Ella Harriott, Master Guide and PIA Instructor to lead this team. They will work on Inspections and Quality Control during the Camporee. They will perform the Uniform Inspection on Sabbath Morning, right after Roll Call. They will do Campsite Inspections through the entire Camporee Weekend, without notice. Once they do the inspection, they may come back and check again. They have been asked to make sure that our Campsite is organized and safe through the Camporee.
For both inspections, each Club will receive a Copy of the Inspection Results Sheet from the Inspection Team, this way each club will know what was right, what was wrong, and what to improve for next year.
Check-In
Check-In will open at 1:00 PM on Thursday, May 1, only directors are expected at Check-In. Please do not bring the entire club to the Check-In area. Only the clubs which are registered will be able to check in. Make arrangements to complete your registration, with full payment, prior to your arrival at camp, the deadline is April 24.There will no be check-in for clubs arriving after 11:00 PM. In other words, if you cannot make it to HitherHillsState Park before 11:00 PM, come Friday morning.
Special Twist to the Camporee
Just like we had the Egg to take care of during our 2007 Camporee last year; each club will have to guard something this year. It will be announced in due time. Since we are working on the theme of discipleship, we will be asking each club to make provisions to have security at the local club campsite (someone watching) throughout the entire night. Directors must work on a schedule with Staff members and older counselors to keep watch at the local club campsite the entire night. This local activity does not substitute the need for volunteers to help with general security for the Camporee.
Club Volunteers for Bathroom Duty & Security Duty
Volunteers will be needed, as usual, for Bathroom and Security Duty through the weekend.
Trash & Recycling
Each club must take Black Bags for Trash. Each Club is expected to keep its Campsite clean through the entire weekend. Points will be deducted for trashy, messy campsites.
Since Pathfinders and Master Guides love to take care of the environment, we are asking all the clubs to take the following bags for Recycling: Clear for Paper & Cardboard and Blue for Plastic & Metals.
Closing Ceremony
On Sunday, May 4, we will close the Camporee with a beautiful ceremony, at this time we will award the top three clubs of the Camporee and give each one the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Flags. For this occasion we are asking each Club Director and one Pathfinder to dress up in Full Class A Uniform for the closing ceremony and Flag Parade. The winning clubs from last year, must bring their flags, dry cleaned.
Pre-Camporee Meeting with Pathfinder & Adventurer Club Directors
We will have a Pre-Camporee meeting for Pathfinder & Adventurer Directors only, on Sunday, April 20, 2008 @ 2:00 PM. The meeting will take place at the GNYC Conference Office.
Responsibility of Directors
It is the responsibility of the Directors and Leaders of each club to read all of the information contained in this Memorandum and the other documents included in this packet. It is also important that Directors and Leaders of each Club, go to our website for Camporee Updates, please check the website www.gnycyouth.com often. After this Memorandum, the rest of the information will be posted on the website. It is the responsibility of the Directors to keep up with the information posted on the website.
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