There's no place like home.

[SivartM]

I haven't been around in a while; I hope you guys all still remember me. I'm spending the summer with my sister, but just got news from my parents about goings on in my home church. The drama started with an 8th grader at the church school who is a good kid but got in trouble for something innocent that seemed threatening to some of the staff, and was taken to juvenile detention overnight without his parents' prior knowledge. Even though he had a clear psychological evaluation and such, he's basically been ostracized and wasn't even allowed to his own graduation.

And now I learn that our Pathfinder leader, my best friends' mother, was fired by one of our pastors. She was going to resign after the Pathfinder year was over, but the pastor and others got mad because she pointed out that there were several church members who were graduating high school who were do not go to the academy (her family homeschools, as did I). Now the Pathfinder staff are trying to figure out how to do Investiture and all. It's really quite upsetting. The Pathfinder club has already dwindled to four people (three of them the leaders' kids) and they are all moving to other churches, so the Pathfinder club will almost certainly not exist next year, and probably not for many more years.

[phkrause]

Sorry to hear that Sivart, that is your name? Right? LOL

[cricket]

Sivart, hope you're having a great time with your sister this summer! How did your first year at school turn out--still interested in the same major?

As for this:

And now I learn that our Pathfinder leader, my best friends' mother, was fired by one of our pastors. She was going to resign after the Pathfinder year was over, but the pastor and others got mad because she pointed out that there were several church members who were graduating high school who were do not go to the academy (her family homeschools, as did I). Now the Pathfinder staff are trying to figure out how to do Investiture and all. It's really quite upsetting. The Pathfinder club has already dwindled to four people (three of them the leaders' kids) and they are all moving to other churches, so the Pathfinder club will almost certainly not exist next year, and probably not for many more years.

Well, what's new? For some reason the Adventist church (at least, the one I'm most familiar with) has a difficult time accepting academic excellence outside of the Adventist system. People who are homeschooled, pubic schooled or schooled through other religious institututes are shunned from these events. They are not so much as even acknowledged from the pulpit.

I'm sorry that your friend was "fired" from the Pathfinder position over something as this. I'm proud to know that there are at least a few other Adventists who see the injustices of not acknowledging academic achievement outside of the Adventist realm.

[Gail]

I'm sorry for the kid who messed up, although is a Grade 8 grad such a big deal?

That's tough for the Pathfinders... What is the issue about what kind of schooling their members have? What does it have to do with Pathfinders?

Puzzled...

[Gail]

It's always nice to see you back, Sivart! :)

[Liz]

I'm sorry for the kid who messed up, although is a Grade 8 grad such a big deal?

Puzzled...

I used to think the same way, until my neice became a teacher for inner-city children. They make a huge deal out of 8th grade graduation because for some this will be their only graduation.

[Gail]

That thought had crossed my mind and makes perfect sense.

[cricket]

Sivart said it was concerning a high school graduation--I assumed that was 12th grade. He did mention another problem that involved an 8th grader. Maybe I misunderstood.

Either way, if the church (not the church school) makes a big deal about ANY graduation (be it pre-K, K, 8th, 12th or university), shouldn't they include all their congregants and not only the ones who've graduated from Adventist institutions?

[Gail]

Sivart said it was concerning a high school graduation--I assumed that was 12th grade. He did mention another problem that involved an 8th grader. Maybe I misunderstood.

Either way, if the church (not the church school) makes a big deal about ANY graduation (be it pre-K, K, 8th, 12th or university), shouldn't they include all their congregants and not only the ones who've graduated from Adventist institutions?

They do here. I look at it like- company for dinner? Throw another potato into the oven. No problem!