Navigators Tilburg

This week, we spoke with Navigators Tilburg during the association's Friday. Bible and Beer. You might have seen or heard about it. This association was founded on faith. They have several activities that align with that, making them extremely unique. In this association, they truly look out for each other. Being together is crucial. Despite faith being a significant factor, they emphasize that it remains, as they say, a student association. This means that a social aspect is also part of it. Curious about how they combine 'Bible and Beer'? Read the article!

What are the Navigators fundamentally?

"Bible and Beer is a bit of the foundation. We are a nationwide association. There are now fourteen student associations at the national level. We, as Navigators Tilburg, have been around for fourteen years, and next year will be fifteen. We'll be celebrating our lustrum next year. We started very small and then gradually grew. Now we have about seventy to eighty members."

"We are a Christian association. The Navigator association originally started in America. It spread through Bible studies. At that time, there was contemplation on how the Christian faith could find a place within student life. There was a need for a place for Christians to get to know the Christian faith. So, it essentially went from a Bible study to a student association. The Navigators were the outcome. They wanted to form a movement that doesn't keep the Christian faith just for themselves but brings it to the city and fellow students."

How does the Christian faith form the basis for you?

"We are not necessarily Protestant or Catholic, but you do notice that there are more Protestant believers. The faith movement is slightly different, so they find a bit less connection. Catholics tend to gravitate towards other associations. Everything is, of course, good, and everyone is welcome."

"You are looking for people interested in the faith and who enjoy engaging with it. That group is simply not that large, so you quickly reach your maximum number of members. That's also completely fine because the goal is not to become very large. Of course, that would be nice."

"It's always fun when you get to have a 'stand' during TOP Week. There, you have 'Bible & Beer' written very large on a banner. So many people see that for the first time. You always have very nice and pleasant conversations. This way, you reach a lot of people who don't know us yet."

Where do you gather?

"A lot in churches. The Hart van Brabant Kerk is our meeting church. That's for our General Members Meetings and theme evenings. Then, of course, we also have drinks. We generally hold them in three cafés, namely at Taverne, at Van Horen Zeggen, and at Bet Kolen. Additionally, we do a lot at the association houses, where many people participate in activities."

What are the usual activities you organize?

"The activities are essentially built around two things. On one hand, it's the faith-building of the members themselves. Members want to grow their own faith. We do this through 'circles.' You gather in a group of five, pick a topic, and discuss it. We also have theme evenings where you discuss a specific theme. An example of such a theme is 'looking out for others.' We have a speaker, a band, and we focus on that topic throughout the evening."

"In addition, we also have social evenings. An example of that is 'NST got Talent.' These are the preliminaries for a large song festival among all Navigator associations. Such things are also part of the association. Even after circle evenings and theme evenings, we usually go for drinks. After all, we remain a student association. It's about meeting each other and getting to know one another. We just want to be students among ourselves. That's our primary focus, and from there, the faith aspect naturally follows."

What is most important for you within the association?

"For some, it's really about finding growth in faith and sharing faith with each other. For others, the most important thing is to be together. We really try to find a balance in that. We want to be together as much as possible and have a good time, but everyone should also be genuinely involved in more serious matters because that's important too."

"The mutual respect is very good. Everyone has a bit of the same struggle. You often come from a 'Christian bubble' and then become a student. You get involved in everything, act sociable, and everyone understands that. No one is judgmental, but constructive towards each other."

"Another important aspect is openness. People should be able to share their opinions on something, but also how they feel. That forms the basis for having respect for each other. You don't tear someone down when they share something vulnerable. You keep a close eye on each other. This is especially fostered through the circles. There, you learn to be vulnerable, and everyone handles that with respect."

How does the 'beer' aspect work?

"Every month we always have at least one activity, such as a sports day, an older members' night, and the song festival. The emphasis there is always on socializing. You mainly go there to have drinks. It's more about having drinks and talking with each other than partying."

"Within the association, there are also several disputes. They organize a lot as well. For example, they go out together or have a cantus. We have four disputes, each focused on a specific theme related to faith. This theme is essentially about how you interact with each other. In addition, we also have multiple houses where everyone from NST is mixed. Despite having disputes, the houses are very diverse. You'll never have fixed groups. Sometimes, these houses or disputes throw parties. There are just many different places where something is organized. People often invite each other, and there are late-night drinks. That's more the 'beer' side of things."

"As a board, we're mainly focused on ensuring that everyone feels good and safe. We try to create a good atmosphere together and make sure members are engaged with their faith. Together, as an association, we ensure the sociable aspect and keep an eye on the atmosphere."

What characterizes your members?

"They are really diverse individuals. There are also many different denominations within the Christian faith. All these denominations come together. Additionally, members have various character traits, such as being introverted or extroverted."

"We do have many active members. Everyone is involved in some committee. We do everything together. That's somewhat what characterizes our members. Everyone participates and enjoys doing things together."

"You don't have to be Christian to join the Navigators. As long as you're interested in the Christian faith, you're more than welcome. You just have to be a bit open to everything happening within the association."

What are the highlights in a year for you?

"Those are really the moments when we come together with all Navigator associations. Those are often beautiful moments. Whenever you gather with believers, you know someone. It's a small world in that sense. We also have an annual weekend with the other associations. Themed evenings are organized during this weekend, where there is a lot of fun."

"Additionally, Dies (anniversary celebration) is always a lot of fun. This includes a gala. It's a week where everyone is truly together. Everyone is very busy in daily life, but in such a week, we spend a lot of time together, and that's great. For us as a board, the CoBo's (board contact moments) are also very enjoyable. We get to travel across the country to visit other associations."

How do you fit as an association within the city?

"We really look outward. We look at the city, other student associations, and residents in general. We find it enjoyable and important to make an active contribution to Tilburg and everything that comes with it. Tilburg has given us a lot, and we try to give back to the city. We have three external activities in a year, and in those, we try to do something outside the association. It could be helping other students by doing dishes at student houses. Sometimes, we also try to help the city through a charity action. In this way, we try not only to be for ourselves but for the whole city. We don't want to be isolated somewhere but be part of everything that's happening. We try to be very engaged with that."

"Tilburg is also a great city to step out of the Christian bubble. Everyone here is very friendly, and that makes it easy to meet other people. Of course, it can be challenging at times. There's a chance you might be the only one who believes, but it helps you understand what you stand for."

Looking ahead: What are the plans?

"We really hope to grow a bit more. We aim to reach around 100 members in a stable and sustainable way. Then, maybe we can have our own association space. Having our own place would be really nice. Additionally, having 100 members provides more support. We have many committees, so we can use all kinds of helping hands."

"We want to see our significance for the city grow. We also want our members to continue growing as individuals. In that sense, it's more about maintaining that personal growth. It's beautiful now, and it's crucial to keep it that way."

"It's also great to have more contact with other Christian associations. It's so easy to be in your own little bubble. We enjoy having more contact with other associations, and fortunately, that's going very well."