A group of undergrads from the Uni Campus Ministry in City Harvest Church created their own Fear Factor-style celebration during Halloween.
Contributed By Lau Quanhan
Solving mysteries, making new friends through the Uni Campus Ministry. PHOTO COURTESY OF UNI CAMPUS MINISTRY.
On Oct. 27, a group of 27 students and their friends, from the National University of Singapore convened at their campus at Prince George’s Park for a special Halloween gathering. They belong to the Uni Campus Ministry of City Harvest Church, a group formed to help undergraduates in CHC network and forge friendships.
While Halloween is typically celebrated around the world with activities such as trick-or-treating, costume parties, carving jack-o-lanterns and lighting bonfires, theirs was an evening of costumed fun and fellowship that began with a cozy candlelit dinner at the K Gourmet Café and ended with a game of mystery and an awards presentation.
With hearts and stomachs warmed, the students put on their thinking caps as they took on the role of intrepid investigators put on the trail of a murder case. They were divided into three teams and had to solve clues and complete tasks as they roved around the PGP residences, interviewing key “eyewitnesses” to gather information. Teams raced against time as they combed the “crime scene” and performed a variety of different tasks, from apple dunking to Fear Factor-inspired tests of courage with blindfolded members retrieving items from a concealed box.
Having gathered the necessary evidence and recorded crucial accounts, they attempted to shed light on the mystery by presenting their conjectures on the case to the “jury.” Although the teams all arrived at the same conclusion, the neck-to-neck debate between the teams finally saw one group wresting the Best Team award from the other two with their rigorous argument. The case was closed and the night came to an end after the Best Costume award was given out.
Chen Meijuan, 21, had a fun night visiting the different stations and completing the various tasks. She commented on how the actors were fully convincing in their roles as the eyewitnesses, providing strong alibis to curb suspicion. She also enjoyed the twist in the storyline and how her group only changed their murder suspect at the very last station.
One of the organizers, Liew Yong Qiang, 23, found coordinating the event a worthwhile effort. Coming together with the rest of the committee to plan, execute and see fruition proved to be a thoroughly enriching experience for him.
For the NUS campus ministry, Halloween 2011 was a memorable crime-solving night, one that would linger on as a fond campus memory long after these students graduate.
The Uni Campus Ministry will be having a Christmas caroling outreach event on Dec. 10. For more information, email info@chc.org.sg.
