Marci is actually quite glad that we didn't retain the "coveted" Zolder50 Cup this year.

The plastic cup, covered in aluminum foil and a circular 50 logo, had graced the shelves of our home (albeit behind some books on the shelves) for the last two years... Champions in 2006... Champions in 2005... But in the third running of the Zolder50 Speurtocht (Scavenger Hunt), our home group was only able to manage a respectable third place (though I must say that it was out of a record nine teams this year!)... Ah well -- maybe next year...

I must confess:  there's something kind of campy about a church scavenger hunt.  As much as I'd like for it to be otherwise, it's got kind of a cheesy youth-group feel to it, and it's woefully difficult to keep everyone organized and on-track.  Still, I enjoy the symbolism of a speurtocht -- a home group working together, complementing each other's strengths and weaknesses, facing challenges as a team, and having fun as we go along... And I especially value the way that an organized adventure like a speurtocht allows people to interact in ways that they would not normally be privileged to interact.  For the committed core of Zolder50, there are a handful of people who might typically seek out deliberate interaction with strangers at a normal worship gathering (probably more than the average church) -- but most people prefer to stick to their own little cluster of acquaintances from week to week.  Consequently, clumping individuals together as teams for an organized activity like the speurtocht allows them a unique opportunity to connect with new people and realize that it can actually be fun to meet new people.  And secondarily, an organized activity like a speurtocht allows for new people to be introduced to our home groups (in a way that an announcement or a testimony at a Sunday worship gathering could never do) and other individuals in a natural way that doesn't put the impetus of interaction solely on them.  And I think that's really cool.  We have some people who make it a point to participate in the speurtocht each year (even if they're only casual attenders at other times throughout the year).  We've had a number of people join home groups as a result of this annual "HomeGroup50" event.  And in the process, we continually push people to consider what it really means to be the Church.

Truth be told, I wish there was a way to accomplish the purposes of a speurtocht (creating opportunities for deliberate interaction, exposing people to home groups, and enjoying a mission together that involves goals, creativity, and getting-to-know each other)... without actually having to organize a speurtocht (let me tell you -- they're a lot of work to put together!).  But until we figure out a viable alternative to this activity (I am open, by the way, for any other ideas that people out there might have) -- I'm content to enjoy our annual adventures on the streets of Amsterdam... even if I have to settle for third place this year.