SOUTH AFRICA—Members of the Johannesburg Philadelphia Church of God congregation held their annual pine car derby on April 25 with the championship coming down to a match between American-made hardware and South African-made hardware.

After sunset, members transformed their Sabbath hall into a racing track and shared a potluck dinner.

The opening ceremony began with a welcome address by Assistant Pastor for Africa George Githembe. Long-standing member Hilda Reynders then waved the black and white checkered flag, officially starting the first race of the evening.

Awards for the most creative pine cars went to Two-by-Two by Elizabeth Githembe, followed by Noteworthy by Zeo Smith and The Last Hour by Mag Kotze.

“Some of the pine cars were genius designs,” member Trudy Van Zyl said. “We have artistic engineers among us.”

Master of ceremonies Divan Muller said he was impressed by the skill South African members have developed in only three years. “It was impressive to see just how much effort brethren had put into making their cars more creative and, of course, faster,” he said.

The final race was a showdown between Coen Bothma’s The Enforcer, a car with South African wheels, and a car with wheels from an American kit. The crowd cheered as The Enforcer sped through to the finishing line claiming victory once again.

Member Gregory Lightfoot jokingly said, “I had my fastest racing shirt on, but still my pine car did not win.”

Liam Jordan’s Livestock Lorrytook third place, and Jenni Seller’s Blue Bellstook second. The fastest car and winner of the night was The Enforcer by Coen Bothma.