The Adventurer program is designed to support parents in assisting children with the challenging task of developing fully as followers of Christ in today’s world.
What is the Adventurer curriculum designed to accomplish?
1. Children will, at their own level,commit their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
2. Children will gain a positive attitude toward the benefits, joys, and responsibilities of living a Christian life.
3. Children will acquire the habits, skills and knowledge needed to live for Jesus today.
4. Parents and other primary care-givers will become more confident and effective as co-laborers with Christ for their children.
Philosophy of Adventurers
The Adventurer program was created to assist parents in their important responsibilities as a child’s primary teachers and evangelizers. The program aims to strengthen the parent/child relationship and to further the child’s development in spiritual, physical, mental, and social areas.
Through the Adventurer Program, the church, home, and school can work together with the parent to develop a mature, happy child. The church’s greatest resource is our children; therefore, it is imperative that as a church we meet the challenge to provide a program for our children during their early, formative years. We want right habits, thoughts, motives, dispositions, and attitudes to be established.
The Wise Man wrote, “Bring up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”Prov. 22:6 (NIV). This is more than a cliché—it is a scientific formula.
The Adventurer Club involves children in grades 1-4 and their parents. The programming and planning for Adventurers should be simple and short, but creative. Parental involvement provides opportunities for parents to participate in the learning experience. One of the Adventurer Club objectives is to provide a meaningful and exciting experience as the children look forward with anticipation to someday being Pathfinders.
Mission Statement
North American Division Adventurer Ministries Mission Statement
The North American Division Adventurer program serves an intercultural community of children in grades 1-4 and their parents and care-givers through a holistic ministry.
The purpose of the program is to support parents and care-givers in leading and encouraging their children in a growing, joyful love relationship with Jesus Christ.
It offers instructional curriculum, family enrichment, supplementary resources, and volunteer training from within the Seventh-day Adventist philosophy.
The Adventurer program should work to fulfill the gospel commission (Matthew 28:18-20) and depends on the support of a congregation strong in mission and empowered by the Holy Spirit
Adventurer Pledge and Law
Adventurer Pledge
Because Jesus loves me, I will always do my best.
Adventurer Law
Jesus can help me to:
- Be obedient
- Be pure
- Be true
- Be kind
- Be respectful
- Be attentive
- Be helpful
- Be cheerful
- Be thoughtful
- Be reverent
Why have an Adventurer program?
The Adventurer program is designed to support parents in assisting children with the challenging task of developing fully as followers of Christ in today’s world.
What is the Adventurer curriculum designed to accomplish?
- Children will, at their own level,commit their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ.
- Children will gain a positive attitude toward the benefits, joys, and responsibilities of living a Christian life.
- Children will acquire the habits, skills and knowledge needed to live for Jesus today.
- Parents and other primary care-givers will become more confident and effective as co-laborers with Christ for their children.
Objectives
The Adventurer Club provides fun and creative ways for children.
- to develop a Christ-like character;
- to experience the joy and satisfaction of doing things well;
- to express their love for Jesus in a natural way;
- to learn good sportsmanship and strengthen their ability to get along with others;
- to discover their God-given abilities and to know how to use them to benefit self and serve others,
- to improve their understanding of what makes families strong.
Goals and Objectives for the Adventurer Ministry (Pre-K – 4th Grade and their Parents)
1. Be intentional about having an active Adventurer Club in each Church of the Atlantic Union (535 Adventurer Clubs).
2. Emphasize the club’s evangelism/mission component by reaching out to community kids and parents. (The Adventurer Club exists for more reasons than just patches, pins, & fun activities).
3. Promote 100% parental network involvement in the Adventurer Club meetings and classes.
4. Celebrate an Atlantic Union-wide Adventurer Day & Adventurer Baptism Day every year.
5. Creation of an Atlantic Union Conference Uniform Code.
6. Add the Little Lamb and Eager Beaver Classes to the Adventurer Ministry in the Atlantic Union (Little Lamb & Eager Beaver would not be separate programs, but classes of the Adventurer Club).
7. Each Conference will create an Award for submission to NAD Awards Committee. To add 6 Awards to the Awards Manual by 2016.
8. Promote the parental involvement to increase the partnership with parents as active Adventurer Club members.
History of the Adventurer Club
The Adventurer program was created to assist parents in their important responsibilities as a child’s primary teachers and evangelizers. The program aims to strengthen the parent/child relationship and further the child’s development in spiritual, physical, mental, and social areas. In this way, the church and school can work together with the parent to develop a mature, happy child.
In order to help children learn more about the Bible, health, and nature, and to help them develop their people skills, the General Conference, in 1939, endorsed the idea of the Adventurer classes of Busy Bee, Sunbeam, Builder, and Helping Hand. In the intervening years, these classes were primarily taught as part of the Adventist School system curricula, often as part of spiritual activities/worships.
In 1972 the Washington Conference sponsored a club for children called “Beavers,” the forerunner of Adventurers, under the direction of Carolee Riegel. The North-eastern Conference is reported to have had a children’s club concept program by 1975. By 1980 many conferences were sponsoring a club for children, though having various titles, including “pre-Pathfinders,” “Adventurers,” or “Beavers.”
In 1988 the North American Division Church Ministries Department invited interested conferences and child specialists to study and evaluate the Adventurer Club concept. A committee met in 1989 to update the Adventurer curriculum, develop Adventurer awards, and write guidelines for the Adventurer Club organization.
The committee involved children’s Sabbath School leaders, educational personnel, conference and union Children’Ministries coordinators, and child and family specialists. Chaired by Norman Middag, the committee membership included Debra Brill, Terry Dodge, Sarah Fanton, Merrill Fleming, Joyce Fortner, Donna Habenicht, Jasmine Hoyt, Noelene Johnsson, Kathie Klocko, Barbara Manspeaker, Kathy Martin, Dixie Plata, Julia Raglin, Toini Shobe-Harrison, Emily Tillman, Claude Thomas, Ruth Walker, Al Williamson, and Bob Wong.
The Adventurer curriculum, written by Teresa Reeve, is designed as a vehicle for sharing and discovery in preparation for life here and in heaven. The Adventurer program piloting process began in 1990 in the North American Division and became a full-fledged program in 1992.
Currently, many churches support an Adventurer club for children in grades 1-4, as well as sponsoring the additional resource programs for pre-school (Little Lamb) and Kindergarten (Eager Beaver).