| Stepping Up to the Plate: Our First Contest Host |
2008-11-04 |
Nobody had even heard of the National Bible Bee Competition at the end of September. Then the Bible Bee website came online, and an ad for the Bible Bee appeared in the October issue of World magazine. A homeschooling mom from Matthews, North Carolina read about the competition and decided to call Bible Bee headquarters and find out more. This mom then placed a call to a friend, Christi Deason to let her know about the Bible Bee and to discuss the possibility that Christi might be willing to take the lead in hosting a Local Contest. She agreed, and in short order, their contest became the first official Bible Bee Local Contest. Christi Deason is a recently retired homeschooling mom with two grown children, the second of which just entered college. With one task completed, she feels that she has time for a new challenge—hosting a Local Contest. “I believe holding a local Bible Bee will increase awareness among Christians about the importance of Scripture memory and Bible knowledge,” says Christie. Already, she has two strong team members on her committee and is looking for a few more. Local Contests are planned and hosted by Local Planning Committees made up of volunteers committed to seeing a contest become a reality. While Christi and her team are excited about reaching out to their community, they are well aware that many more Local Contests need to be hosted in the area. Christi says, “I hope that our Local Contest will inspire others in our area and nationwide to start their own Bible Bee Local Contests so that many others will be blessed.” The Deason family attends a small church, but Christi’s vision goes way beyond their small fellowship. Because she is hoping to pull many participants from the community, she and her committee are searching for a bigger facility in which to host their contest. The phone is already ringing at the Deason house, as interested families contact Christi to find out more about the Bible Bee. Contact information related to this contest is posted on the Bible Bee website. As the contest brings together people from many churches in the Charlotte area, Christi sees that it has the potential to develop a greater sense of community. She says, “We all run way too fast and need to slow down and get to know others. By working with people from various parts of the community, we are going to draw closer as Christians and increase our fellowship.” Back at Bible Bee Headquarters, the phones are constantly busy. The website is busy, too. While the Matthews Local Contest was the first to become official, it will not be the last. A map of the United States posted on the Bible Bee website (www.biblebee.org) shows hundreds of Local Contests in the process of being established. The Bible Bee Competition seeks to promote godly character in children and youth by motivating them to memorize passages and facts found in the Bible. Contestants from ages 7 to 18 will have the opportunity to participate in Local Contests throughout the nation on September 12, 2009. From those contestants, one hundred finalists in three different age groups will be selected to compete in the National Contest held in Washington, D.C., November 5–6, 2009. Bible Bee Headquarters continues to seek qualified leaders to chair the planning committees necessary to host Local Contests. Interested candidates may call 1-888-BIBLE-B (1-888-324-2532) to speak with an event planner. The deadline for registering to host a Local Contest is January 31, 2009. |
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