Edrey Santos with RMCNews – Gillette, Wyoming … A severe thunderstorm tore through the Gillette area in Wyoming where the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee was being held, August 6. Many Pathfinder club camp sites sustaining damage requiring them to find alternate sleeping arrangements that evening.

Several Wyoming churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) stepped up to aid these displaced Pathfinders. “The churches in Wyoming have such a big heart because of the faith they have in God,” remarked Edrey Santos, lead pastor for the Gillette, Sheridan, Buffalo, Newcastle, and Upton Seventh-day Churches in northeastern Wyoming.

The Gillette Church, being closest to the incident, provided aid to five pathfinder groups and to the individuals who served as volunteer workers not affiliated with any group. A group of 30 regular Gillette church attendees transported campers back and forth between the church and the CAM-PLEX Multievent Facility where Camporee was being held. Some even provided transportation to the airports in Gillette, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado.

The church leaders worked diligently to find resources such as food, blankets, clothing, toiletries, feminine products, and other items. Products came fast from within the community as the Gillette Church coordinated with local businesses, churches, and organizations they have connections with. Some of these local entities also opened their doors to provide shelter.

Newcastle Seventh-day Adventist Church in Newcastle, Wyoming, a town about 75 miles southeast of Gillette, had members quickly respond and provide aid with donated clothing and food to displaced campers. They also opened their church facility to several groups seeking shelter.

Newcastle church members were also involved when Camporee concluded, transporting five pickup trucks full of donated food to other RMC churches and other organizations within the community such as soup kitchens, food banks, and more. This food was donated by Camporee Pathfinder groups that left camp early due to the storm.

The Buffalo Seventh-day Adventist Church in Buffalo, Wyoming, housed several pathfinder groups affected by the storm and provided food and other necessities. The Upton Seventh-day Adventist Church opened their food bank to store the extra food donations received at the end of the Camporee.

—Edrey Santos is lead pastor for the Gillette, Sheridan, Buffalo, Newcastle, and Upton Seventh-day Churches. Photo by Google Maps.