The Newport Seventh‑day Adventist Church celebrated World Pathfinder Day on Sabbath 19 September with a vibrant display of youth leadership, community partnership, and answered prayer. The Welsh Mission Pathfinder leader, Jonathan Nyengani, preached for the special service and worked closely with Newport’s Pathfinder director, Debra Mudimu, and her team to organise a meaningful day of worship and outreach.
Throughout the morning, heavy rain poured across Newport, with forecasts predicting continued rainfall during the planned community march. During the service, the Pathfinders prayed that God would hold back the rain so they could go out, meet people, and share literature in the city centre. In a remarkable turn, the rain stopped, the sun broke through, and Newport’s town centre quickly filled with people – creating perfect conditions for the outreach.
Thanks to the strong relationship that Pastor Samuel Semakula, Newport Church pastor, has built with local policing teams, Newport Central and Newport East Neighbourhood Policing Teams provided article-for-article support and an official escort for the march. The newly formed Newport Pathfinder drum corps made its debut, drumming through the city centre while engaging with shoppers and passers‑by. Gwent Police later published an article on Facebook praising the young people’s enthusiasm, confidence, and commitment to raising awareness around community safety issues.
The public response was equally encouraging. As the group finished their march, a customer from a nearby shop hurried over, explaining she had heard the drumming from inside and hoped to come out to enjoy it – though she missed it while being served! Her excitement reflected the positive impact the Pathfinders made.
The experience strengthened the drum corps’ confidence, deepened relationships with both the community and local police, and affirmed the Pathfinders’ role as ambassadors of hope within Newport. With several young people and adults expressing interest in joining, the drum corps now plans to march at least once each quarter, continuing to build bridges and share hope throughout the city.