Hubby had an idea a while back: Everyone knows about spelling bees, but why doesn’t somebody start a Bible bee? We didn’t act on the idea, but were excited to learn that somebody else had the same idea and actually did it!
Does this sound like good clean fun, or what?! We recently asked some questions about the upcoming Bible bee, and here are the answers we received from Mark Rasche, the Executive Director of the National Bible Bee.
- Give us the short answer: What is a Bible Bee?
- Who came up with this idea? How and why?
- Are there any limits to who can participate?
- What do you think participants will gain?
- How many local Bible Bees are there right now?
- Is it difficult to start a Local Bible Bee in my area?
- What is the best way for folks to get involved right now? (start a Bible Bee?)
- Where can I find information about starting a Bible Bee?
The Bible Bee is a Bible memory competition for children and youth between the ages of 7 and 18. It is very similar to a spelling bee, except contestants are required to recite Bible passages and facts rather than spell words. You can visit our website at www.biblebee.org for more detailed information.
The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is preparing to launch the first-of-its-kind, world-class Bible Bee Competition. The competition will begin with Local Contests in communities nationwide on September 12, 2009. The top 100 finalists from each age group will advance to the National Contest in Washington, D.C. to compete on November 5-6, 2009.
The inspiration behind the National Bible Bee was a young lady named Shelby Kennedy. Shelby went home to be with the Lord after an intense struggle with cancer in 2005. Shelby was described as a “one-in-a-million Christian who had an unusual spiritual gift of faith, a special person who radiated joy, life, and hope to everyone she met.” Although Shelby had minimal energy and needed to use a wheelchair most of the time she was awake, what energy she had was focused on proclaiming Jesus Christ. Her testimony of hope in the midst of a fiery trial sparked a spirit of revival in those around her.
A good friend of Michael Farris (our Board Chairman) attended Shelby’s memorial service and was so encouraged about her love for the word of God and commitment to Scripture memorization, that he wanted to do something to honor her memory.
He got to thinking about the National Spelling Bee, and what it seemed to be—a comparative waste of time. He concluded that while spelling words have their place, there is no value in spelling words when compared with learning the word of God.
Taking these two ideas together, he approached Mike Farris and said, “Let’s start a National Bible Bee, in honor of Shelby Kennedy, to see that young people memorize what’s truly valuable—the word of God.”
Any student between the ages of seven and eighteen is eligible to participate in the National Bible Bee Competition.
There is unprecedented prize money of $260,000 being offered at the National Competition in Washington D.C. But while competing for awards is fun and exciting, the greatest reward is drawing near to God. We are striving to make every effort to help children and youth comprehend the power of the Bible passages they are studying (Hebrews 11:6). We recognize that only a small percentage of contestants will win awards; so, as the playing field narrows, we want to encourage all contestants to cheer on the finalists and “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15).
The bottom line is that while the National Bible Bee promises to be a financially rewarding experience for a select group of national finalists, it is important to keep in mind that every child or youth who hides God’s Word in his or her heart is a winner! This is why we want to strongly emphasize our overarching goal—to reach children and youth with the truth of God’s Word, encouraging them to genuine spiritual growth, so that they may be effective ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation.
We just announced the National Bible Bee a few weeks ago, and we have received hundreds of phone calls from people all over the nation requesting information on how to host a Bible Bee. And we already have about a dozen Local Planning Committees registered! Incidentally, the cut-off date for registering a Local Planning Committee is January 31, 2009.
Not at all. We have spent several months putting together a comprehensive procedure manual that walks you through every step of the process. The manual is fun, user-friendly and thorough. Additionally, we have full-time professional event planners who are available toll-free throughout the entire program.
I recommend that anyone interested in hosting a Bible Bee first go to our website – www.biblebee.org and get familiarized with the local and national Bible Bee information. After reviewing the site, they should call our toll-free number at 1-888-324-2532 to speak with one of our Event Planners about registering.
www.biblebee.org or call us toll free at 1-888-324-2532!
So…check and see if there’s a chapter in your area. If there is, consider joining. If not, consider starting one. And let us know if you do either!
***If you’re not convinced yet, check out the awards. You won’t believe what you see!***
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I’m one of those hundreds of people who already called! A friend passed this on to me last week. It sounds really neat.
We do one called the Bible Bowl it’s great. Our kids don’t meet the age requirements yet but it’s a specific book or epistle each year so the kids get an intensive in that section of scripture. Good, spiritual fun with eternal rewards.
I love, love, love this idea! Thanks for sharing it!
My church is Assmeblies of God and we have something called Bible Quiz. It too has Bible verse and questions. We get together with other churches once a month and have “meets” complete with ribbons and trophies. It’s actually a nation wide thing. The Bible Bee sounds like a great idea too!:)
Thank you so much for this information! We are really excited about this!
My son made it to the Nationals! We are so excited! Lots of studying going on here.