Edward-Joseph Choi
Edward-Joseph Choi
Two years ago, the Loganville, Ga., Church sent a single Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) team to compete. This year, they sent four, and every one of them took first place.
That kind of growth doesn’t happen by chance. It happens when a church decides that investing in its young people is not optional.
The Loganville Long Pines Pathfinders, under the leadership of Dorothy Lucinda Cox, Pathfinder director, and Iannah Guevarra, PBE head coach, have quietly built something remarkable: a youth ministry culture where Scripture memorization isn’t treated as a competition strategy, but as a genuine encounter with the living Word of God. “As the youth studied and memorized Scripture, we saw genuine heart change,” said Guevarra. “The Holy Spirit worked quietly but powerfully, helping them internalize God’s Word and apply it to their daily lives.”
One team became three, then four. Semper Fidelis, Consummatum, Verbatim, and Carpe Diem each brought home first place awards, placing Loganville among only a handful of churches worldwide to field four first-place PBE teams in a single year. Behind those numbers are hundreds of hours of practice, circles of prayer, and coaches who showed up faithfully, week after week.
Luis Mancebo, pastor, set a tone from the pulpit that carried into the Pathfinder room: young people matter, discipleship matters, and the next generation is worth every investment. That conviction gave the ministry room to grow and the church a shared sense of mission.
Cox is quick to point out that no single person made this happen. “This was truly a whole-church effort,” she said. “From the parents and coaches to the members praying behind the scenes, everyone played a role. We believe God honored that unity and faithfulness.” She calls it “invisible ministry,” the quiet encouragement that never makes headlines but makes everything possible.
Among those leading from the front was Sarah-Elizabeth Choi, captain of Semper Fidelis. For her, PBE was never just about winning. “PBE taught me to take God’s Words into my heart and live them, not just memorize Scripture and compete for first place,” she said. “When we humble ourselves to glorify God, He gives us the wisdom to understand and remember His Words.”
As PBE participation grew, overall Pathfinder enrollment grew with it, drawing more young people into consistent Bible study and active church life. Leaders are already looking ahead, anticipating even more growth next year, and trusting the Holy Spirit to continue what He has begun.
What makes this model worth replicating is not the trophies; it is the transformation. Young people who once sat on the margins of Church life are now rooted in Scripture, connected to mentors, and growing in faith genuinely their own. The Pathfinder motto, “The love of Christ compels us,” is not merely recited here; it is being lived out, one verse, one leader, and one changed heart at a time.
When Scripture, prayer, and community come together, God shows up.
Georgia-Cumberland | July 2026
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