*Originally published by the Center for Youth Evangelism
BERRIEN SPRINGS, Mich.
Sept 10, 2026 Camporee Press Release
For months the North American Division International Camporee office staff and executive committee have been praying, meeting, and exploring options for the NAD International Pathfinder Camporee in 2029. After much consideration, the 2029 Stand Strong North American Division International Pathfinder Camporee is going back home to Oshkosh, Wisconsin!
“While the 2024 Believe the Promise Camporee out west in Gillette, Wyoming, was a phenomenal, unforgettable experience, there is a distinct joy in returning to our roots,” shared committee members. “Oshkosh is the place where the international camporee dream truly matured into a worldwide event, and we cannot wait for a brand-new generation of Pathfinders to experience this.”
The exact location for the 2029 camporee is the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), which has gone through an expansion since the last International Pathfinder Camporee in 2019. This allows the camporee the opportunity to come back to this awesome venue. “We are excited that the newly developed property will give us the space we need to hold the nighttime program,” organizers added.
As the camporee team continues preparations for Pathfinders to experience this world renowned camporee, they invite the global church family to cover this event in prayer. Please lift up the newly appointed camporee executive director Pastor Pedro Perez and the entire camporee team. Pray for wisdom, safety, and vision as they provide an atmosphere where more than 50,000 Pathfinders from around the world can explore the story of Elijah, grow their faith, and find the courage to stand strong for Jesus.
Don’t forget to buy your tickets, and we’ll see you in Oshkosh on August 20-26, 2029!
View the original article here: https://www.nadadventist.org/news/location-chosen-for-the-2029-stand-strong-north-american-division-international-pathfinder-camporee/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manny Vitug Voted to Serve as Vice President for Asian Pacific Ministries for the Pacific Union Conference
August 17, 2026
INDIAN WELLS, Calif.— The Southeastern California Conference congratulates Manny Vitug on his newly-elected position as Vice President for Asian Pacific Ministries for the Pacific Union Conference. Pastor Vitug served in a number of roles within the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) since July 2000 prior to his appointment.
Vitug, who has had a passion for pastoring and youth ministry, began within the SECC as Young Life Pastor before becoming Children’s Pastor and Camp Director for Pine Springs Ranch in 2003. Throughout his tenure, he served the Youth Ministries department as Associate Director for Family & Children’s Ministries until October 2021 before accepting a call to serve as Lead Pastor at the Loma Linda Filipino Church—his most recent assignment.
Southeastern California Conference is grateful for Vitug for his years of dedicated ministry to the youth, families, children and leaders he served. As he serves in his new position, we pray for God’s continued guidance and widening impact for Asian Pacific Ministries across the Union territory. SECC congratulates Vitug on this new chapter in his ministry at the Pacific Union Conference.
Connecting Through Christ Mid Term Session Notice
This official notice is to inform constituents of the Southeastern California Conference about the upcoming mid term sessions. Conference bylaws require that we have a meeting halfway between constituency sessions. These meetings provide opportunities for our members to dialogue, ask questions, and propose agenda items to be considered for our upcoming constituency session. Constituents are invited to join one of the meetings held in the county of their residence.
*Please note that a date and time change has been made for Imperial County and is current as listed below:
Imperial County | October 4, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
San Diego County | October 7, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
Orange and Riverside Counties | October 13, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
San Bernardino County | October 14, 2026 at 6:30 p.m.
Download graphics in English and Spanish
By: Michel Aguinaga
On March 14, 2026, the Pathfinder Bible Experience Union-Level Testing was held at La Sierra Academy gymnasium, bringing together 27 teams from across every conference in the Union and welcoming nearly 500 attendees for a day of worship, fellowship, and biblical study. This year, Pathfinders were tested on their knowledge of Isaiah chapters 1–33, demonstrating remarkable dedication to Scripture memorization and understanding.
The Southeastern California Conference was well represented with eight teams participating:
We are thrilled to celebrate that all eight SECC teams earned first place, advancing to the Division-level Pathfinder Bible Experience testing at Camp Hawthorne, Florida.
We are also grateful for the support of our local clubs: the Arlington SDA Church Pathfinder Club prepared lunch for over 300 attendees, and the Kansas Avenue SDA Church Pathfinder Club provided a meaningful color guard ceremony during the opening and closing worship services.
Thank you to all Pathfinders, leaders, volunteers, and families who made this event such a success. We continue to pray for our teams as they prepare for the next level!
Michel Aguinaga is the Associate Youth Director for Club Ministries of the Southeastern California Conference.
Alexy Mondak to Join the Redlands Seventh-day Adventist Church
March 2, 2026
RIVERSIDE, CALIF.—Southeastern California Conference (SECC) announces that Alexy Mondak, Summer Camp Director and Assistant Youth Director will join the Redlands Seventh-day Adventist Church as Associate Pastor beginning April 2026.
Mondak has been instrumental in leading the conference summer camp program alongside Executive Director of Pine Springs Ranch, Carmen Ibáñez. In her role as Assistant Youth Director, Mondak has also helped lead and oversee new events organized by the Youth department, which include the Young Adult Night, The Experience: a worship event for junior high students, and Bloom Conference for high school girls. Pastor Alexy has served in several conferences prior to joining SECC in June 2022. Her experience in clinical psychology from Southern Adventist University and Master of Arts in Youth and Young Adult Ministry at Andrews Theological Seminary has shaped her as a pastor. Currently, Mondak is working towards a Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling.
As Mondak steps into a new season, the Conference expresses deep gratitude for her service and commitment to youth ministry.
Mark Ricalde Appointed Associate Youth Director
March 2, 2026
RIVERSIDE, CALIF.—Southeastern California Conference (SECC) is excited to announce Mark Ricalde as Associate Director for Youth and Young Adults, effective April 2026. This appointment follows the confirmation of the February Executive Committee meeting.
Ricalde is passionate about today’s young leaders and how they will shape the church of tomorrow. He has enjoyed working as a youth pastor, church planter, camp director, and academy chaplain. Ricalde holds a degree in religious studies from Burman University and a Master of Divinity from La Sierra University. He is married to Alina, a pediatric dentist. Together, they enjoy walks, spending time with friends, and hanging out with their cats, Daisy and Hamilton.
Pastor Mark joins the Youth department (SECC Youth) from his most-recent role as associate youth pastor at Crosswalk Redlands.
As Ricalde joins the SECC Youth team and our conference office family, please keep him and his family in prayer.
Congratulations Mark!
With a background in young adult ministry and marriage and family therapy, Isaac Kim steps fully into his role as Youth Director for the Southeastern California Conference (SECC). His appointment to the position followed confirmation of the August Executive Committee, effective September 2025. Kim succeeds Aren Rennacker, the former director, after five years of leading SECC Youth Ministries.
Kim is no stranger to youth ministry or SECC. After more than two decades pastoring at the Calimesa Church, he joined the conference office in 2021 as Associate Director for Family & Children’s Ministries—a ministry area he continues to oversee as Youth Director.
Originally from Georgia, Kim began his academic journey at Georgia State University before receiving the call to study religion at Southern Adventist University. He later earned his master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University, where he discovered how spiritual care and emotional health intersect in ministry. Working with young adults and families has always been a passion for Kim. “There’s a certain blessing that comes when you’re able to engage in the lives of people you worship and minister with,” he shared.
Reflecting on his transition to the Youth department, Kim is focusing on the momentum the department has created. “Aren and I shared a vision that age-based ministries are cohesive,” he explained. “Strong children’s ministries build strong youth ministries, which then strengthen adult ministries. Ministry doesn’t happen in isolation—it’s intergenerational.”
As Youth Director, Kim oversees SECC’s Family, Children’s, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries. The department supports local churches, Club Ministries, summer camp at Pine Springs Ranch, and works collaboratively with schools and pastors to nurture young people across all stages of faith development.
Kim emphasizes the importance of connection and prayer. “We ask that our members pray for our youth,” he said. “They are the most valuable part of the Church. Anything we can do to support our local churches and extend ministry to the next generation matters.” Through his leadership, Kim hopes to strengthen connections between generations and ensure that young people not only belong in the Church today but help shape its future.
For five years, the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) Youth Department has hosted its annual Youth Leadership Convention, a space for leaders to worship, connect, and grow together. This year’s gathering, held September 12–13, 2025, was no exception. Since its start in 2020, the gathering has become a key weekend for training and inspiration. This year’s theme, “The Open Table,” reminded leaders that everyone has a place in God’s kingdom.
SECC’s new Youth Director, Isaac Kim, shared that the theme came from Revelation 7:9— “we wanted our leaders to know that everybody is welcome to God’s table. God’s table is wide enough for people we may not expect, and we have a responsibility to care for them.”
Assistant Director for Youth Media, Jared Gonzalez added, “The table means having open arms to all types of people in our communities. Our goal was to provide information that’s both empowering and relevant for ministry today.” Collaboration was key in making the weekend meaningful. “We rely on pastors, leaders, and volunteers to guide sessions and share expertise,” Kim added. Gonzalez highlighted the support of churches, youth pastors, and La Sierra University’s School of Business, noting that these partnerships created a smooth and engaging experience for attendees.
Participants echoed the impact of the event. Janelle Baker, from 16th Street Church, said the theme reminded her of belonging: “A table is where we share and discuss life. It’s about community where we all feel comfortable.” She especially loved the Family Sabbath School workshop, calling it a simple, adaptable model that smaller churches could easily use. Alda Gomez, from San Ysidro Spanish Church, said his favorite breakout session focused on ChatGPT: “It showed how adults are also adapting to the tools we use—it was encouraging to see them embrace it with purpose.”
When asked to capture the heart of the convention in one word, Gonzalez chose “empowerment,” while Kim chose “team.” Both pointed to the same truth: leaders don’t serve alone. With over 300 in attendance, The Open Table was not just a theme but a lived experience of unity, collaboration, and hope for the future of youth leadership.
How does Jesus meet us where we are and lead us to where we are meant to be? This question, among many others, was explored by 220 high school students in the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) during the 12th annual OneLife Retreat. Held August 15–17 at Camp Cedar Falls, the weekend combined worship, presentations, prayer, and the signature “Jesus Experience”—student-led group discussions guided by a curriculum. But who designs this curriculum? Who are the people shaping the atmosphere and curating the themes behind the event?
While the conference oversees the OneLife retreats, the event is truly a collaboration of youth pastors from more than 20 churches. Each year, the planning team chooses a theme, invites a speaker, and discusses their individual responsibilities. Because the theme sets the direction for everything else, it is chosen first. How is it selected? Lindsey Haffner, youth pastor at Redlands church, explained: “The biggest question is, what do the students need? That’s two-fold: what do they perceive as their need, and what do we as pastors—who spend significant time with them—recognize as their deeper needs?”
This year’s theme, “Here and Beyond,” invited students to reflect deeply. Haffner, who helped create the Jesus Experience curriculum, posed questions such as: “How does Jesus meet you here, and what does that look like? How does He move us and propel us beyond what we can comprehend?” The curriculum drew on the biblical stories of Cornelius, Moses and the burning bush, Nicodemus, and the woman at the well. The main speaker was Aren Rennacker, newly appointed Pacific Union Conference Director of Growing Young Leaders.
With one of their core members absent, the youth pastors stepped up to take on greater responsibilities. “This year, it was especially youth-pastor led,” Haffner noted. “We took on more responsibility than usual, delegating tasks among ourselves. Because of that, the retreat felt more autonomous—and we were more invested in its success. It clarified that OneLife truly began, and continues, as the result of churches coming together.”
That sense of ownership extended to the students as well, inspiring them to take responsibility for their own faith—asking big questions and seeking answers in partnership with their church and with God.
Photo Credit Mikayla Rodriguez
As the summer came to a close, PSR stood out as more than just a camp. Worship had shaped it into a community—one where leaders emerged, relationships deepened, and God’s presence was experienced in everyday moments.
There was something different in the air at Pine Springs Ranch (PSR) this summer, something deeper, quieter, and more powerful than the usual camp buzz. It was worship. Not just the songs sung at morning gatherings or the hands raised during evening vespers, but a spirit of worship that shaped how staff and campers interacted—in the dining hall, during activities, and in the ways they listened, encouraged, and served. This focus on spiritual connection defined each week and led to something beautiful: eighteen baptisms, including fourteen campers and four staff members who publicly declared their commitment to Jesus.
At the center were Jo and Laia Amaya, a husband-and-wife team pursuing Master of Divinity degrees at Andrews University. Having served within the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) before graduate school, they returned with a vision: to cultivate a worship culture that felt authentic, safe, and rooted in relationship.
“We didn’t want worship to feel like a performance or a task,” Laia shared. “We wanted it to be a joy—something that made people feel seen and safe.” Instead of assigning worship to busy staff, Jo and Laia led every service themselves, inviting others to join as they felt ready. By midweek, staff and campers who began hesitant to sing were stepping forward as “worship leaders,” a title used to affirm and empower them.
Their style was less about polish and more about presence. Songs were chosen for age groups, sometimes adjusted when participation lagged, but always aimed at building trust and community. “We saw worship as our mission field,” Jo explained. “It wasn’t just about music, it was about how we treated each other.” Even silly or unfamiliar songs became tools for connection—opportunities to sing with friends and grow in faith together.
Angelica Torres, returning as Spiritual Care Coordinator, saw how this reshaped camp culture. “With so many new staff, we had to rebuild from the ground up,” she explained. “Jo and Laia helped us see that worship wasn’t just a slot on the schedule—it became the heart posture of the community.”
By the final day, campers who once sat quietly were leading songs with confidence. Staff who never imagined themselves in spiritual roles guided others in prayer. Arms linked in worship circles became a weekly scene, as once-reluctant voices now asked, “Can we sing that song again?”
