ASHLAND — A local group of students participating in the National Bible Bee is reporting a dramatic increase in interest in Bible memorization, a shift being detected across the nation: a generation returning to the Bible.
According to Hopewell Bible Bee Host Tara Beechy, “This year our local Hopewell Bible Bee went from forty-five students last year to eighty-two this year. In addition, I was in touch with national offices in San Antonio recently and they reported that one hundred students were registering a day during the registration period; record-breaking numbers since the National Bible Bee first started in 2009.”
The local group had to change meeting locations to West Hill Baptist Church in Wooster to accommodate the influx of new students.
“2018 was an exciting year of competition for our local Bible Bee,” says Beechy. “After an amazing and fruitful summer study in the book of James, we were blessed to have 13 national qualifiers.”
Hannah Wright of Atwood, Ohio finished fourth in the nation as a Junior Division Finalist in the 2018 nationals. Even more, Titus Alexander of Medina, Ohio finished third in the nation. Titus was the first student in the competition’s history to get a perfect score on the Summer Study qualifying test.
“In the Junior Division, students memorize eight hundred-thirty Bible Scriptures and the Senior Division students memorize at least one thousand verses,” says Beechy.
“In the Junior Division, students memorize eight hundred-thirty Bible Scriptures and the Senior Division students memorize at least one thousand verses.”
Tara Beechy
Hopewell Bible Bee Host
During the Summer Study, young people learn how to unlock the Scriptures and memorize God’s Word. Whether they are studying on their own or taking part within a church or other hosted group, the participants use the eight-week Summer Study Discovery Journal, Memory Passage Cards and other resources to learn how to study the Scriptures for themselves in as little as twenty minutes a day with the option of a deeper study.
The top 120 students in Primary Division (ages 7-10), Junior Division (ages 11-14), and Senior Division (ages 15-18) go to the National Bible Bee Competition, which hosts 360 of the top contestants from around the nation who compete for over $100,000 in prize money
The National Bible Bee Competition 2019, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. will be held at Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, KY on November 18–21, 2019.
The ministry’s mission is to engage young people in the memorization and study of God’s Word and provide opportunities to proclaim it through local, national and broadcast competitions.
The Hopewell Bible Bee has had a number of activities throughout the summer. This past Wednesday, Beechy took her Hopewell Bible Bee to Sar Shalom Center recently to learn the Hebraic roots of Scripture.
“We could have sat there for twelve hours listening to the Rabbi expound on the Scriptures. The congregation was very hospitable to our group.”
Students pictured in feature image include local finalists to the 2019 National Bible Bee. Front row: Rosie Alexander, Hannah Wright, Sarah Johnson, Grace Johnson. Back row: Alec Wennerstrown, Caleb Wright, Owen Beechy, Landon Beechy, and Lincoln Naylor.
View the promotional video for the 2018 National Bible Bee below.
