Andrews University

#1037https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3161/thumbnail.jp

Institute of Archaeology, Andrews University

Delicate problem in stratigraphy in area D

#1095https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3353/thumbnail.jp

Bone

#312https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3480/thumbnail.jp

Tea Break in Area  A

#358https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3662/thumbnail.jp

WheelBarrow-Boy

#12https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3645/thumbnail.jp

Workmen Checkout  Tools 5am

#436https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3697/thumbnail.jp

Man With Drinking Water Cans

#320https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3779/thumbnail.jp

Lunch Line

#439https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/hiap-photos/3773/thumbnail.jp

Mrs Van Elderen Helping cooks

Witherspoon, Stanton

Andrews University 
Digital Commons @ Andrews University 
Lake Union Herald Lake Union Herald 
4-2025 
Escape Room Brings Sanctuary Lesson to Life 
Stanton Witherspoon 
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/luh-pubs 
28 |  APRIL 2025  |  Visit LakeUnionHerald.org
NEWS  |   LOCAL CHURCH
Escape Room Brings 
Sanctuary Lesson to Life
The youth Sabbath School at Pioneer 
Memorial Church (PMC) embarked on a fresh 
and immersive approach to biblical education 
with Spelunker Quest, an escape room expe-
rience designed to teach students about the 
Mosaic sanctuary. This innovative initiative, 
led by Janine Lim, a Sabbath School mentor 
and associate dean of online higher educa-
tion at Andrews University, demonstrated the 
power of creativity in making biblical lessons 
engaging and interactive.
PMC Youth Chapel’s Spelunker Quest escape room creatively brought the Mosaic 
sanctuary to life, engaging students, pastors and families in an interactive Bible-learning 
adventure through immersive puzzles and teamwork-driven challenges.
A Vision Takes Shape
“A couple of years ago, I designed an es-
cape room for a family reunion, and 200 
people went through it. And since then, I’ve 
been dreaming,” Lim shared. “Wouldn’t it 
be amazing to have one for youth Sabbath 
School? But I just couldn’t figure out how we 
would do it. Then I had an idea for it to focus 
on the sanctuary.”
In July 2024, Lim began working inten-
sively on the concept, but the challenge of 
decorations and execution remained. As mo-
mentum built and others stepped in with cre-
ative contributions, the vision gradually took 
physical form. Volunteers joined the effort, 
transforming the youth chapel into a dark, 
mysterious cave, complete with atmospheric 
lighting and immersive sound effects.
Beyond the mechanics of the escape 
room, Lim’s motivation was rooted in her own 
experiences as a teenager. “I participated in 
an epic experience that I keep remembering 
for the rest of my life — visual, big, epic — that 
taught an important lesson about the great 
controversy. I want our youth to have a simi-
lar experience.”
Expanding the Experience
The escape room officially opened on 
Sabbath afternoon, Feb. 8, running 45-minute 
countdown sessions from 3–8 p.m. for Sabbath 
School students and interested guests.
Due to overwhelming interest, Spelunker 
Quest was made available on additional 
days. On Monday, Feb. 10, pastors and oth-
er youth had the opportunity to navigate 
the escape room and experience its biblical 
lessons firsthand. Then, on Friday, Feb. 14, 
families were invited to participate, further 
broadening the reach of this unique learn-
ing experience.
PMC Youth Pastor, Lindsey Pratt, expressed 
excitement about the project and the impact 
of creative teaching on young minds.
“We have some phenomenal leaders who 
created this space and put these puzzles 
together to unearth the significance of the 
sanctuary. It’s a cool thing because students 
can come, see and feel what it was like, and 
understand why the Mosaic sanctuary was so 
important and what it points to later in life,” 
Pratt explained.
The Youth Perspective
For the students, Spelunker Quest was 
more than just an escape room — it was a 
challenging, thought-provoking experience 
that required teamwork, problem-solving, 
and biblical knowledge. Nontsi Jaricha, a 
PMC youth participant, noted how the clues 
E Some of the escape room participants in the Pioneer Memorial Church Youth Chapel.
Visit LakeUnionHerald.org |  APRIL 2025 |  29
NEWS  |   LOCAL CHURCH
helped make connections beyond the book 
of Exodus.
“It is just so good. It was so fun! I think, 
personally, for me, I felt that there’s so many 
other things in the Bible outside the book of 
Exodus that connect to the sanctuary be-
cause like all the clues we were using, some 
of them weren’t even part of Exodus, which 
is crazy. I feel like it was a really good way to 
get your brain working too.”
Ana Slavujevic, another participant, high-
lighted the importance of communication 
and teamwork.
“You have to have lots of good communi-
cation skills with each of your team mem-
bers. Once you find a clue, you can’t keep it 
hidden. You have to make sure that everyone 
knows, or else they’re just going to be look-
ing for something that isn’t there.”
The design of the puzzles left an impres-
sion on Marina Slavujevic, who appreciated 
how the challenges interlinked seamlessly.
“I liked how one puzzle connected to an-
other puzzle, and then from there on, an-
other puzzle connected. We were able to 
gather all the pieces together to find the final 
message. Also, the props were so well done! 
The lighting and the music made it feel really 
spooky — it felt real.”
More Than an Escape Room
Beyond the thrill of solving puzzles, 
Spelunker Quest fostered a deeper connec-
tion to Scripture and community among the 
participants.
“I encourage other people to do this stuff,” 
Nontsi added. “Apart from encouraging 
Bible study, I feel like it builds team bond-
ing among the youth. It was so awesome! 
I would do it again, definitely. And honest-
ly, that’s what makes it fun. I can have fun 
studying the Bible! It doesn’t always have 
to be just opening a Bible and sitting there. 
There can be a larger center, an interactive 
element, like doing it with friends.”
For Andrews Academy senior Kevin 
Mendonca, the challenge of solving the puz-
zles added to the experience.
“I just came out of the amazing escape 
room experience at Sabbath School, and I 
would definitely say it was great. I was part 
of the first group. That was so cool — being 
one of the first. All the puzzles were intri-
cate and really well made. They were kind of 
hard, but they were all solvable. If you work 
together, it’s really fun.”
Looking to the Future
The success of Spelunker Quest has 
sparked enthusiasm for more interactive 
learning experiences in the future. The over-
whelmingly positive feedback from students, 
pastors and families has shown that creativ-
ity is a powerful tool for bringing biblical les-
sons to life.
“We’re sending out an invitation for all you 
guys to drive down the next time we do it,” 
Nontsi excitedly announced. “It’s going to be 
worth it!”
Through creativity and collaboration, 
PMC’s youth Sabbath School has brought an 
ancient biblical structure to life, making the 
Mosaic sanctuary a tangible and unforgetta-
ble experience for a new generation. P
More photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/fold-
ers/1Fmw2BY5MJGaRUzwLIxJgflbbPxRczvmO?us-
p=drive_link
Stanton Witherspoon is a freelance multimedia journal-
ist based in Berrien Springs. He also serves as a teacher 
in the PMC Youth Sabbath School.
Beyond the thrill of solving puzzles, Spelunker 
Quest fostered a deeper connection to Scripture 
and community among the participants.“ ”
E Marina Slavujevic and Elena Hardinge try to crack one 
of the escape room codes.
E Kevin Mendonca with Pioneer Youth Pastor Lindsey Pratt


English

Escape Room Brings Sanctuary Lesson to Life

This presentation is my capstone project for my 6th grade student teaching at Ruth Murdoch Elementary School. The content area I will be doing is social studies, specifically a unit about ancient China, which is in sequential order that we\u27re following in our textbooks

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Delicate problem in stratigraphy in area D

Bone

Tea Break in Area A

WheelBarrow-Boy

Workmen Checkout Tools 5am

Man With Drinking Water Cans

Lunch Line

Mrs Van Elderen Helping cooks

Escape Room Brings Sanctuary Lesson to Life

Capstone Project: Ancient China

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