Bible Bowl teams learn to pursue excellence while studying scripture

Bible Bowl champions representing Springfield Baptist Church are (front, l-r) Dionysus Gartrell, Christen Lewis, Dauri Binns, Tevin Binns, and (back) coach John Jackson. In an effort to encourage America's youth to pursue academic excellence, President Barack Obama appeared on television a few days ago and shared with us a story about Malia and Sasha. He stated that when they were younger, he and his wife, Michelle, made them understand that low grades were unacceptable from the Obama girls. He went on to say that Malia and Sasha accepted their parents high expectations, and he encourages all parents to set high expectations for their youngsters. Now that their grades are consistently in the 90s, one of his daughters recently came to him and said, "Dad, I just love having knowledge; I love to learn new things."

In a like manner, the young middle and high school students who enthusiastically competed in the November 28 Wilkes County Sunday School Union Bible Bowl were saying in essence, "I love having knowledge of the Word of God; I love learning new things from the Bible." Because of their desire for knowledge, these aspiring Bible scholars are to be commended for their commitment to their own growth and development and the growth and development of the Sunday School Union. Indeed, they have found a way to study the Bible that is interesting and fun for young people.

Bible Bowl provides them an opportunity to test their knowledge on what they have learned. It enables them to enjoy fellowship with students from other churches while at the same time engaging in friendly competition with them. Bible Bowl allows our students to be a part of something bigger than themselves. There are no losers in Bible Bowl, for indeed, our students are learning scripture and Biblical principles that they will retain for a lifetime.

Many of our students are third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth generation members of the Wilkes County Sunday School Union, which was founded in 1889. So they, like their forebears, are active in the Union and are making their contributions in this present age.

Just as President and Mrs. Obama encourage Malia and Sasha to pursue excellence, the parents, pastors, coaches, Sunday School Union leaders, and others are encouraging our youngsters to continue to pursue academic, moral, and spiritual excellence; for they are the hope of the future. Education, self-discipline, and faith in God are the keys to the success of our youth.

Congratulations to the Bible Bowl team from Springfield Baptist Church, the defending champions, on their success in again being the most knowledgeable Bible scholars on the lessons from our last quarter's theme entitled "Covenant Communities." Pastor Norman Williams, coach John Jackson, Springfield parents and members, and the entire Sunday School Union can be proud of team members Dionysus Gartrell, Christen Lewis, Dauri Binns, and Tavin Binns for their demonstration of excellence. Pastor Charles Belton, coach Flint, and the Mount Carmel and Union family can be equally proud of Jonathan Flint and Robert Gresham, the runner-up team, for their demonstration of excellence.

The next Bible Bowl will take place during the afternoon of January 30, 2010, during the quarterly Sunday School Union at White Rock Baptist Church. Union churches desiring to participate should contact their Sunday School superintendent.