AY (Adventist Youth)

[Dr. Shane]

From what I understand, if you are a registared member you can vote in this poll, even if you are not a subscriber.

In the area I live, most every church has an AY program on Sabbath afternoon just before sundown. It is ran by the youth and normally lasts about 90 minutes. Afterwards many have a church social or invite members to their homes.

[cricket]

The Pathfinder organization is much more interesting, and the AY curriculum is incorporated with the program. AY is no longer necessary in many conferences.

Pathfinders Rock!

Grasshopper

[Dr. Shane]

Most of our local churches have both AY and Pathfinders. I believe they serve two different purposes. Pathfinders is an awesome ministy, aimed mostly at 11-15 year olds, is ran by adults (master guides) and meetings are typically held on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings.

AY is ran by the youth themselves. The ages range from 13 to 30 depending upon the ages of the youth in the local congregation. It meets during the Sabbath hours. The Sabbath meal of spiritual food starts out with Sabbath school as the appetizer, the worship service as the main course and AY is desart. If it is a real active congregation they will have a vespers on Friday evening as a teaser to welcome in the Sabbath.

BTW: AY isn't a program just for the youth. AY is for all church members. The reason it is called Adventist Youth is because it is ran by the youth. The pastor or an elder often works with them but it is their program.

[cricket]

What you are describing isn't really AY. Here is the complete history of AY: http://youth.gc.adventist.org/global_youth/ay_story_05.pdf

You are describing youth ministries--not an officially recognized ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

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Pathfinders is an awesome ministy, aimed mostly at 11-15 year olds, is ran by adults (master guides) is ran by adults (master guides)

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I assume you mean they are "run" by adults, not "ran". Pathfinders is aimed to reach youth ages 10-18. It starts at 10 years old and the levels Friend through Guide go from 10 -16. The TLT program targets 14-18 year olds to guide them into leadership roles in the Pathfinder organization.

One not need be a Master Guide to be the Director for a Pathfinder club. Additionally, members under the age of 30 can also be directors. In fact, members as young as 18 can be directors.

Grasshopper

[Dr. Shane]

I was the director of a Pathfinder group for two years. I was pretty much just the organizer. My master guides ran the program. While a lot of 16 - 18 years are involved in Pathfinders, these are kids that were involved with it from a younger age. We never tried to recruit kids that age into the group. Our target was 11-15. In our church, the 10 year olds were in the Adventurer club yet. Maybe they shouldn't have been.

I have never been officially involved with AY. My information comes from sermons that I have listened to. What I shared is my experience and how things seem to be done here in South Texas and the parts of Latin America I have travelled to.

[cricket]

Adventist Review: We Gather, Together

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Age segmentation in worship, like many other things we have imported from our evangelical friends, is proving a lasting blessing to almost no one.

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God gave us to each other, and calls us to each other. Let's do the difficult, the risky thing--and worship more together. He who blessed both the aged and the children with His presence will certainly do so again.

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[Amelia]

our youth are too young.

[Taylor]

Shane, having traveled and lived in the Inter-American Division I can tell you that AY societies are alive and well in many many churches there. I have sat in AY meetings and have been so impressed with the deep Bible study, opportunities for service, fellowship and just plain fun that they had learnining things that would help them in their Christian walk. I would love to see such AY societies in the USA. I think that many American young people in the USA would enjoy such meetings. I have taken young people from the USA on those trips and even with them having to listen or participate in the program filtered through translation, they enjoyed it a great deal and even said "why don't we have such a program in the USA?"

[Dr. Shane]

...and I don't see any age seperation. The AY service isn't a service for young people but rather a service by young people. The AY services around here and in Latin America have the elderly and youth alike BUT it is the youth that are running the program. Yet they are quite interactive and often times the older members to participate in the activities.

[Taylor]

Exactly. In the AYS meetings I have seen youth leading out and youth is ages about 13-25 maybe even as high as 30 years of age...but lively programs, and people of all ages are in the audience. True there are probably more youth than anything but grandparents, middle agers, young adults, early teens, even little kids are there. It is beautiful in my opinion. Usuually there is a lot of music, sometimes Bible games that are much more engaging than games played in the USA, a talk or story or poem or worship given by someone, skits, plays, and just the most awsome feeling of comraderi (however you spell it) that you ever saw anywhere. It's something I would love to see in the USA.

[darlene]

Didn't they vote to bring AY back to the NAD, just recently? I believe they did.