12/12/2025
BEING A PATHFINDER IN THE SDA CHURCH BUILT MY PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS.
Growing up as a Pathfinder in the SDA Church did more than teach me discipline, teamwork, and community service, it quietly shaped one of the strongest tools I carry today “my public speaking skills”.
What many people don’t realize is that the Pathfinder experience is a leadership school disguised as a youth program. It is a space where young people are trained to speak with confidence, lead with courage, and represent their faith with clarity and respect.
One of the main ways the Pathfinder program strengthened my public speaking was through constant participation. Whether it was reciting memory verses, leading song service, reporting during church programs, or standing before a group during drills, Pathfinders created a culture where speaking was part of the journey.
The program also taught me leadership through responsibility. At a young age, you’re given roles like squad leader, class monitor, devotional presenter, or event organizer. Each responsibility forces you to step forward, not backward. Speaking becomes less about fear and more about serving others. You begin to understand that your voice carries influence. That understanding is what produces leaders.
Today, when I stand to speak in public, whether in youth forums, policy spaces, or community engagements, I carry the foundation that Pathfinders gave me. The voice I use today was molded long before microphones and stages, it was shaped in church halls, Pathfinder meetings, and Sabbath programs where I learned to speak with purpose and conviction.
Being a Pathfinder didn’t just make me a better speaker, it made me a confident leader and for that, I remain grateful.
By Ruth ngoma.
