15 March 2024| Aberdeen, Scotland [Weiers Coetser & Hellevi Walker]
Over 2000 Adventurers and Pathfinders, including staff and spectators, converged on the city of Aberdeen on 9 March for a British Union level of the popular worldwide Bible quiz, known as The Adventurer and Pathfinder Bible Experience. A day filled with nervous energy, intense concentration, but also rhythmic sound and excitement as 124 participating teams set their sights on achieving the coveted first place. Teams who reach this goal become eligible to participate in the Division Finals, scheduled to take place in the Netherlands this April. The day brought a fully immersive experience for all the participants, and in the end, there was an added celebration when 73 Pathfinders filled in commitment cards to devote their lives to Jesus through Bible Study and baptism.
The programme format for the day was simple. The Adventurer event took place in the morning, and it was immediately followed by the Pathfinder event in the afternoon. The quiz questions were designed to challenge the knowledge and memories of the participants. Each team who had made it to this level would have spent hours learning and memorising Scripture every week.
The flag parades were especially memorable with the North England Conference drum corps marching with perfect choreography and awe-inspiring rhythm. A Scottish bagpipe band enthralled and moved the audience as they played ‘Scotland the Brave’ and ‘Amazing Grace’.
The guest speakers for the day touched on themes that were relevant to the sea of youthful faces in the audience. Talking to the Adventurers, Cedrene Botha, appearing as ‘Professor Noodle Brain’ in her signature ‘intelligent scientist’ garb, spoke about how to cope under pressure.
Speaking to the Pathfinders, Pastor Jesse Samuel from the South England Conference focused on the story of how Israel conquered the city of Jericho. He invited volunteers to march around the imaginary city, illustrating how our faith empowers us to tackle life’s obstacles and challenges in a unique and impactful manner. His presentation ended with an appeal for Pathfinders to dedicate their lives to Jesus and 73 young people responded and filled in commitment cards.
Of course, the teams were all very interested to hear their results. A large team of judges were collating the final scores. Finally, the announcements came one after the other. An impressive 84 teams out of 124 achieved first place! 6 teams from the Irish Mission, 35 from the North England Conference, 4 from the Scottish Mission, 38 from the South England Conference, and 1 from the Welsh Mission. Other teams secured commendable second and third-place designations. Each announcement was celebrated with rapturous joy. Despite the varying results, all teams benefited from their engagement with the biblical stories throughout the preceding three months, fostering spiritual growth.
The 84 teams that achieved first place are now eligible to travel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for the Trans-European final, which takes place on 13 April.
After an appalling Aberdeen weather day, the weather was no better when the event finally drew to a close after 7 pm. A soft drizzle was falling. Some teams headed back home, others went off to explore Aberdeen’s city streets. The city’s 727 bus provided an easy way into town for some of the teams, filled with happiness and pride for what they had experienced during the day. Singing all the way into the city they went, with amazed Aberdonian residents listening to the words, “We are soldiers in the army…” and “We are marching over to Jerusalem.” The blessings of the day spilt over into the lives of others, who desperately needed these blessings and who yearned for a ray of light in their lives.
Reflecting on the event a day after, David Morake from the planning team shared his reaction: “What a blessing it’s been to be involved in this event…it took much energy, sacrifice, and determination…but God is good…I’ve been reflecting on the words of Jesus in John 6, that we should not labour for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. That latter labour was what we were involved in, and I recognise that we have actually received more than what we have given…”.
James Botha, President of the Scottish Mission, expressed his delight at a national event being hosted in Scotland. He highlighted the impressive efforts of the planning team in organising the complex event and his appreciation for the bagpipe performance by ‘Chivvy’, which captivated the audience’s attention.
[Photos: Weiers Coetser & Jimmy Botha].
The original version of this story was published on the Scottish Mission website.
