MONROE – The post-Easter season often means relaxing on the porch, barbecuing on the grill and spending time on the beach for Louisianans. But for Pam Jones, the season’s main focus is Bible Drill.
By Brian Blackwell
Staff Writer
MONROE – The post-Easter season often means relaxing
on the porch, barbecuing on the grill and spending time on the beach
for Louisianans. But for Pam Jones, the season’s main focus is Bible
Drill.
Next month, several children and teens from First
Baptist Church in Monroe will compete in the state Bible Drill
competition. The Northeast Louisiana church on May 2 will host one of
seven Children’s Drills across the state.
“Bible Drill gives our children and youth a good
foundation and excellent tool to hide God’s Word in their heart,” said
Jones, children’s director at First Baptist.
Since mid-September, the church’s participants have
practiced each week to prepare for Bible Drill. Fourth, fifth and sixth
graders practice on Wednesday afternoons while seventh, eighth and
ninth graders rehearse on Sunday afternoons.
Their instructors utilize music, games and puzzles
to help the children and youth memorize verses and books of the Bible.
“We use any way we can that helps the children and youth learn the material,” Jones explained.
Participants such as eighth-grader Sarah Wheat are excited about this year’s state competition.
“Bible Drill is fun because I get to learn verses
and become more familiar with the Bible itself,” said the fifth-year
participant. “The verses I learn help me out in situations later in
life, such as when a bad storm came in the third grade at my school. I
remembered Psalm 56:3 and was so calm from that point on.”
Though Bible Drill has long been a tool to help
children and youth learn books and verses of the Bible, Louisiana
Baptist Convention State Bible Drill Coordinator Linda Aguillard said
the true success is not the actual competition itself.
“It is the ability of the driller to implant the
words of our Lord in their hearts and minds and then recall those
verses and apply them as they walk with our Lord,” Aguillard explained.
“We have received testimonies of how the verses learned from Bible
Drill have helped students in cases of physical and sexual abuse,
persecution, spiritual growth and many more.”
The purpose of Children and Youth Bible Drills is to
help the students increase their knowledge of the Bible by memorizing
scripture, books of the Bible and references of key passages, leaders
explain.
For the Youth Drill, scriptures are selected from
verses that are considered to be life promises. Many are taken from The
Baptist Faith And Message and “100 Verses to Memorize” found in
Disciple Helps: A Daily Quiet Time Guide and Journal.
Meanwhile, the Youth Speakers’ Tournament is open to
teenagers in grades 10 through 12 and centers on a speech on an
assigned topic by each participant.
Topics include God’s grace, spiritual warfare, humility and doubt.
The Speakers’ Tournament is designed to stimulate
growth toward Christian maturity by asking youth to think seriously
about their Christian commitment, said Kevin Boles, LBC youth
strategist and Youth Bible Drill coordinator.
Participants in the Children and Youth Bible Drills
and Youth Speaker’s Tournaments compete as they advance to the church,
association and state levels.
Awards for the tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade
first-place winners include a scholarship to the Youth Evangelism
Celebration in Alexandria, a handheld personal digital assistant, a
trip to the national Youth Speakers Tournament at Samford University in
Birmingham, Ala., and a four-year, $4,500 per year scholarship to
Louisiana College in Pineville.
A special medallion is presented to those who have
participated in Children or Youth Bible Drills on the state level for
three, six or nine years.
But the eternal awards are more significant, as
participants gain confidence in handling the Bible and memorize verses
that carry with them into adulthood, said Carolle Greene, LBC childhood
strategist and Children’s Bible Drill coordinator.
“A Bible Drill alumnus never has to look in the
Bible’s table of contents to find a book,” said Greene. “The discipline
of memorizing Bible verses so that they are word-for-word perfect
ensures their retention, long after Bible Drill is over.
“Key passages identified and learned help children
understand that the tenets of our faith are based on Scripture,” she
continued. “Memorizing the plan of salvation equips them to personally
embrace and to share their faith.”
Children’s Bible Drill dates and locations are as follows:
• May 1 – Summer Grove Baptist Church, Shreveport, and First Baptist Church, Gonzales;
• May 2 – First Baptist Church, Monroe, and Williams Blvd. Baptist Church, Kenner;
• May 4 – First Baptist Church, Ponchatoula, and Moss Bluff First Baptist Church, Lake Charles.
• Children’s and Youth Bible Drills and Youth
Speakers’ Tournament also will be held May 6 at Louisiana College in
Pineville.