In May 1889, the adult Sunday School teacher at New Ford Baptist Church, G.B. Blakey, was inspired to suggest that the Elbert, Lincoln, and Wilkes County Sunday School Union be established. Impressed with the idea, the Pastor of Gibson Grove, Rev. C. H. Holloway invited Blakey, the New Ford Sunday School, and all interested participants to come to Gibson Grove and organize the Union.

Four buggy loads of caring Christians arrived at Gibson Grove on June 18, 1889, and accomplished this historic task. For the past 117 years the Sunday School Union has met quarterly to study God's Word, to worship, to inspire our young people to develop themselves spiritually and academically, and to enjoy fellowship with other Christians throughout the county.

In 2005, another New Ford Sunday School teacher was inspired to suggest that the historic Union (now called Wilkes County Sunday School Union) initiate a "Bible Bowl" to encourage our young people to attend Sunday School and study God's Word and then demonstrate their level of knowledge during Bible Bowl competition at quarterly Union gatherings.

As fate would have it, the first official exciting competition would take place at historic Gibson Grove Baptist Church on April 29, 2006, at the recent quarterly Sunday School Union meeting. Indeed, the participants, both young and not so young, were excited about being called on to respond with their knowledge of the contents of the Sunday School lessons for the ongoing quarter.

Young people of Wilkes County are being asked to reconnect with their home churches and with their Sunday School classes and provide the additional mental sharpness necessary to enable their home churches to be represented at the Bible Bowl. All the participants in Bible Bowl are winners, for they have new knowledge and new inspiration, but the team that scores the highest number of points is recognized as "Bible Scholars of the Quarter" and they receive a certificate signed by the president of the Sunday School Union to be displayed at their home church or other places of honor.

The very diverse team from New Ford Baptist Church accumulated the highest number of points at the most recent meeting. Members of the team were Marcia Whimbush, Diane Jackson, Rudy Whimbush, and team coach, Kathryn Anderson.

The Wilkes County Sunday School Union expects to have teams compete from each of its member churches at the next meeting on the last weekend in July. By the end of June, the questions to be asked will be sent to the superintendents so that the members of the team can study and prepare for competition.

Sunday School superintendents and team coaches will have a full month to drill and otherwise prepare their teams for the fun of competition and the satisfaction of studying and knowing God's Word. It is time for young people of all ages, to include college students, to step up and participate in an organization and institution that nurtured and inspired our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so many others in our families. With the help of the Almighty, we will keep the Union alive, vibrant, and exciting by participating in Bible Bowl and other facets of this dynamic and historic institution in our community.