Students Scour Campus for Small Stones

by April Bayer

Groups of Concordia students engaged in a campus-wide scavenger hunt throughout November in the final event of Concordia’s 500th Reformation Celebration.

Students spent three weeks searching for bibelots, which are small painted clay stones with the Concordia symbol etched into one side. They were hidden in various locations including the Son of Man Be Free Statue, a tree by Plum Creek, an office couch and the Concordia University sign in front of Weller.

“(One) moment that hit me was there was a bibelot that was in the athletic building…by a very artistic cross in the corner right by the trophies,” senior Grace Stults said. “I thought it was so cool that we go to a place like Concordia where we have crosses everywhere, even in the athletic department…It just kind of hit me. It was very powerful.”

Students received clues about where the bibelots were hidden in bi-weekly email installments of a story called “By Grace,” written by Campus Pastor Ryan Matthias. Matthias said the events in the story were inspired by real memories people shared with him online about their experiences at Concordia, the sculptures and art pieces found around campus, and the ways God reveals himself in his Word and his creation.

“From the story, I just wanted people to realize what their greatest treasure was. Ultimately, the theme of the school year was this idea of ‘By Grace,’ and the greatest treasure that we’re looking for is at the end our lives to say, ‘I know whom I have believed,’” Matthias said.

The students’ ultimate task in the scavenger hunt was to solve parts of a riddle that were written on each bibelot which would lead them to the location where the last bibelot was hidden. The first team of students to solve the riddle and return the correct bibelot to Matthias received a reward of $500.

Members of the winning team included Stults and seniors Benjamin Leeper, Emily Fehn, Molly Goltl and Megan Barz.

The five were initially members of two separate teams but decided to join forces at the last minute when they realized that they each had different pieces of information that would help them solve the final riddle. The combined team members spent more than six hours searching for clues and solving the riddle on the last day.

“I think the main thing I took away from (the experience) was that Concordia is a special place, and we have a lot of things around us that are reminding us of God’s love for us, whether that’s artwork, people or our campus pastor,” Stults said. “There are so many people around us and supporting us at Concordia.”