13 Columbia Union Teams Place First at NAD’s Pathfinder Bible Experience

Story by Kari and Andrew Remmers;  Photos by May-Ellen Colon  and Kizpics

The Triadelphia Sparks team takes a break during the NAD Pathfinder Bible Experience finals.

Thirteen teams representing the Columbia Union earned first place designations at the North American Division (NAD) level Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) held April 11-12 at Takoma Academy in Takoma Park, Md. The high-scoring clubs included Allegheny East Conferences’s Community Falcons, Liberty LIghtbearers teams 1 and 2; Chesapeake Conference’s Atholton Faithblazers, Hagerstown Explorers and Triadelphia Sparks; New Jersey Conference’s Piscataway Eagles; Ohio Conference’s Akron Crusaders; and Potomac Conference’s Beltsville Broncos Amethyst, Emeral, Onys and Topaz teams; and the Vienna Stars’ Silver team.

Each year Pathfinder teams memorize a book of the Bible (2 Samuel, this year) and then gather to answer questions from that book. Teams advance through area, conference, union levels and finally compete at the NAD level. This year representatives from all over the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom—88 teams in all—participated in the friendly competition. Teams can achieve a first-place designation by earning a score of 90 percent of the score of the top-scoring club. Sixty-nine teams came in first place. Sixteen teams earned second place, meaning they correctly answered 80 percent of the top score team's score and two earned  third place, meaning they correctly answered less than 80 percent of the top team’s score.

“I really liked studying and memorizing Scripture, along with being with friends,” says Sarah Klingbeil, a member of the Triadelphia Sparks club. Other members of the club called the experience “fun and exciting.” Their coach, Sharon Crews, thought the event was “awesome.”

Soon Pathfinders will begin studying the book of Matthew in preparation for the 2015 Pathfinder Bible Experience.

Kari and Andrew Remmers are members of the Triadelphia Sparks Pathfinder Club. They say one of their favorite parts of the PBE is learning more about God through studying the Bible.

Eighty-eight teams participated in the 2014 North American Division level Pathfinder Bible Experience.