Investiture Achievement/Friend/Personal Growth

The Personal Growth section is a requirement for both the Standard Friend and Trail Friend classes.

Requirement 1

Be in Grade 5 or its equivalent.

The Friend level has been designed to be within reach of a person in the fifth grade or higher. It should be challenging, yet achievable for a child at this point in his or her formal education.

Requirement 2a

Develop your daily devotional life by studying the Weekly Devotional Guide (weeks 1 – 13) and the book of Matthew utilizing printed or electronic resources.

Weekly Devotional Guide

The purpose of this requirement is to have the Pathfinder connect with God each day and help establish lifelong personal devotions. It is not to be done in a marathon sit down and read-as-much-as-you-can event. By reading the thirteen week devotional guide, the Pathfinder should gain a broader view of the Bible. The purpose for reading the book of Matthew is to introduce the Pathfinder to Jesus and His ministry through the stories. They can use their Bibles, computers, other electronic or audio device to complete this requirement.

Week 1: IDENITY Psalm 139 John 14:12-31 John 15:1-17 Song of Solomon 7 Deuteronomy 32 Jeremiah 2	Week 5: DEPRESSION Psalm 42 Isaiah 26 Psalm 55 Psalm 46 Matthew 6:25-34 Psalm 22	Week 9: REBELLION Psalm 141 Psalm 130 Proverbs 12 Proverbs 15 Matthew 18
Week 2: SELF-ESTEEM Colossians 2:8-23 1 Corinthians 1:20-31 Jeremiah 9:23,24 Philippians 3:1-16 Ephesians 2	Week 6: COURAGE 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 Romans 8 Acts 28 1 Peter 2 Colossians 3	Week 10: STANDARDS Romans 13 1 Timothy 6 Matthew 5:13-20 Philippians 4 Jeremiah 1
Week 3: SELF-CONTROL Proverbs 16 Galatians 5 Revelation 1-3 Song of Solomon 8 Romans 12	Week 7: LONELINESS Joshua 11:9 Joshua 21 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Psalm 111	Week 11: SIN Romans 3 Romans 6 Psalm 25 Isaiah 1 Isaiah 43-44 Micah 7
Week 4: TRY AGAIN? Zechariah 4 Isaiah 40:12-31 Haggai 1-2 1 Samuel 17	Week 8: FEAR Matthew 14:13-33 Psalm 81 Isaiah 26:1-15 Isaiah 30:1-18 Isaiah 32	Week 12: CHARACTER Matthew 5:1-12 Proverbs 16:18 Luke 12 1 Corinthians 10
		Week 13: TEMPTATION Luke 10 1 Peter 5 Ephesians 6:10-20 Micah 7

Matthew

Matthew 1	Matthew 11	Matthew 21
Matthew 2	Matthew 12	Matthew 22
Matthew 3	Matthew 13	Matthew 23
Matthew 4	Matthew 14	Matthew 24
Matthew 5	Matthew 15	Matthew 25
Matthew 6	Matthew 16	Matthew 26
Matthew 7	Matthew 17	Matthew 27
Matthew 8	Matthew 18	Matthew 28
Matthew 9	Matthew 19
Matthew 10	Matthew 20

Requirement 2b

Journal your thoughts by asking these questions: “What did I learn about God?” “What did I learn about myself?” “How can I apply this to my life today?” You may journal through writing, drawing or electronic process.

The questions are to be asked in relation to the Bible texts read in Requirement 2a. The point of having the Pathfinder answer these questions is to encourage him think about the text in a way that he may not have before. It is easier than we like to admit to read a long passage and not even think about it. Journaling should help prevent this.

How the journaling is done should be left to the Pathfinder.

Writing

Some people are more comfortable writing things down. This can be done with a pencil (or pen) and paper in a notebook, in a diary, on a word processor, or even on a blog or social network posting.

Drawing

Some children do not like to write and will resist it mightily. For such children, the thought of not being invested in not likely to be an effective motivator. They may prefer to illustrate the concepts instead, and that is a valid way for them to journal their thoughts.

Electronic Process

The Pathfinder may choose to write his journal entries in a word processor, a blog, or a social network. While these may be considered either writing or an "electronic process," there are other options available. For instance, Pathfinders may wish to make an audio or video recording of their thoughts. If they have the equipment, this should be encouraged. If they are not comfortable sharing the material with the club, do not force them to.

Requirement 3

Memorize the Pathfinder Pledge & Law.

The Pathfinder Pledge and Law are listed below. These should be recited during a Pathfinder Club's opening exercises at the beginning of each meeting. By the end of the Pathfinder year, every Pathfinder in regular attendance will know them by heart without any effort on the part of the instructors (or the Pathfinders).

Pathfinder Pledge

Pledge	Meaning
By the grace of God	Only as I rely on God to help me can I do His will
I will be pure,	I will fill my mind with that which is right and true and spend my time in activities that build a strong, clean character.
I will be kind	I will be considerate and kind, not only to my fellow men, but also to all of God’s creation.
I will be true	I will be honest and upright in study, work, and play and can always be counted upon to do my very best.
I will keep the Pathfinder Law	I will seek to understand the meaning of the law and will strive to live up to its spirit, realizing that obedience law is essential in any organization.
I will be a servant of God	I will pledge myself to God first, last, and best in everything I am called to do.
and a friend to man.	I will bless others and do to them what I would have them do to me.

For something different, do the Pledge and Law in sign language.

Pathfinder Law

Every young person should have a code by which to shape his life. For the Adventist youth, the Pledge and Law is that code. These must be learned and their principles put into practice.

The Pathfinder Law is for me to:

Law	Meaning
Keep the morning watch	I will have prayer and personal Bible study each day.
Do my honest part	By the power of God, I will help others and do my duty and my honest share, wherever I may be.
Care for my body	I will be temperate in all things and strive to reach a high standard of physical fitness
Keep a level eye	I will not lie, cheat or deceive and will despise dirty talk and evil thinking
Be courteous and obedient	I will be kind and thoughtful of others, reflecting the love of Jesus in all my associations with others.
Walk softly in the Sanctuary	In any devotional exercise, I will be quiet, careful, and reverent.
Keep a song in my heart	I will be cheerful and happy and let the influence of my life be sunshine to others
Go on God's errands	I will always be ready to share my faith and go about doing good as did Jesus

Requirement 4

Learn the Pathfinder Song.

The Pathfinder Song should be sung during the opening ceremonies at the beginning of each regular Pathfinder Meeting. By the end of the year, every Pathfinder in regular attendance will know the song without any additional effort on their or on the instructor's part.

The words to the song are below, and a link to the sheet music can be found after that.

Oh, we are the Pathfinders Strong,
The servants of God are we
Faithful as we march along,
In kindness, truth, and purity
A Message to tell to the world
A truth that will set us free!
King Jesus the Savior's coming back
For you, and me!

Oh We Are the Pathfinders Strong Sheet Music with Guitar Chords