Thinking "outside the box" can be a flowery tapestry drawn over a desire to "think outside the Book."



regards,

g

How many times is a wedding dress worn? How about a Prom dress? Some things have such special meaning that they need not be used often to be of great value. Pathfinders is an awesome ministry that changes the lives of children. I have seen it many times.

Recently I attended a funeral of a man in his mid-twenties. He had been active in Pathfinders as a teenager and the slide show shown at his funeral was filled with Pathfinder pictures. The family had asked his friends to email them pictures so they could put a slide show together. Most of his friends had also been involved in Pathfinders so many of the pictures were from Pathfinders. At his funeral the Pathfinders, in full dress uniform, had a service for him. Friend after friend that honored him told of cherished childhood memories they shared together from Pathfinders.

Many children make their decision for baptism at Pathfinder campouts and rallies. The Paathfinder dress uniform doesn't get used much but it means so much to so many of those kids when it is used. It gives them a sense of belonging and of accomplishment. Let's not say that isn't worth the price of the uniform. It is worth so much more.

If there are needy children that cannot afford it the church can provide funds for them. However most children can afford these items. Most homes have digital TVs, Play Stations, brand-name shoes and so many luxuries. It is really just a matter of making the children a priority. Which takes us back to the subject.

One reason Adventist education is having problems is that the kids are not the priority. I want to have my big house, new car, credit cards, my vacation, new clothing, etc.

Thanks for bringing us back to subject, Shane.

HEY SHANE


well that is an interesting thought about priorities


dgrimm60

When my church decided to form a church school, it was extensively quoted from EGW's writings how necessary it was to do it for the children. All the right buttons were pushed. In a steeply divided vote, the school formation went forward.

What was sadly neglected was EGW's counsel that those same schools and ministries are to be run as efficient businesses, and not merely on emotion, prayer, and the deep pockets of a couple of people.

That is how they chose to run it. Those in favor of the school had locked out the rest of the church from input to the operations, and nearly destroyed any opportunity for the school to survive. It has since been righted to a point, but more work needs to be done, as our church was not ready to operate nor support a school at that time. We still aren't, but we're not going to let it go without first trying to put it on good footing and see if it will work.


EGW's counsel would include running our schools with proper business models. Our ventures are to be the envy of the world.

Just a question: can many of our schools take their monthly operation, lay that out as a business model, and try to convince outside capital sources it would be an excellent investment? My church's could not for several years. Perhaps it can in the near future.

What are you talking about? Don't you have faith? Don't you believe God wants you to have a school? Don't you believe He will work it out?

LOL - you are so right. I've heard it all many, many times. The guilt tactics always work, and the congregation is left mopping up the mess for years to come.

Glad that you mentioned that, Ted. Raymond Moore used to talk about how he would take a school that was floundering, put the students on a half-day-work/half-day-bookwork program and take the school out of the red.

There is not much better for building up a child's self-worth than having him/her do practical work. They are gaining work experience and the virtues that come along with that PLUS doing the normal book studies.

Interesting that you would quote Raymond Moore. Have you read much of his works?

When I was homeschooling, I had just about everything he wrote in the way of books.

Cool ....