With the annual Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) and Adventurer Bible Experience (ABE) due to be held at Newbold College this Sabbath (14 March), concerns were raised about the safety of hosting a large event in one venue in light of the coronavirus.
Rather than cancelling the entire event which would mean forfeiting many months of preparation by the children for this day, the decision was made involving BUC field presidents and the BUC Youth department, to use video conferencing.
This would enable Pathfinder clubs from around the British Union to stay in their local churches and still participate in the PBE via video link which would be streamed from the BUC Headquarters.
This new alternative met with much approval from concerned parents and organisers of the event whose main priority was the health and safety of the children amidst an environment of uncertainty as the coronavirus spreads around the country.
A statement from the BUC sent to all clubs said, "The BUC Pathfinder Department recognises that the Adventurers and Pathfinders have studied extremely hard for the past few months, in particular those who have reached the Union finals and we would not like to disappoint them by not giving them a chance to express their learning through the ABE and PBE testing."
The programme for the day is as follows:
Sabbath 14 March
2:00 pm ABE teams log in. Testing begins.
4:00 pm ABE testing finishes.
4:30 pm PBE teams log in.
5:00 pm Testing begins and continues until concluded.
Please find more details at www.adventistyouth.org.uk.
Further guidelines on the online testing can be found here