Winners all around at the National Bible Bee

GoodFaith_NationalBibleBee_wide shot — The National Bible Bee: 360 contestants, their families, and friends will travel to San Antonio for the November event (2014 photo courtesy of biblebee.org)

(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – Nov. 16, 2015) It’s better than a spelling bee and has a much higher purpose.

The National Bible Bee encourages the entire family to enjoy God’s Word together. This organization offers study guides beginning with a level for ages four to six. Older students can compete in local contests and may qualify for the national bee.

Executive Director Robert Upton says the Bible Bee is not about scholastics and prizes, but about transforming a generation of youth. “They memorize and study God’s Word, but the heart behind it is to know Jesus at a deep level. His Word builds a love for Him. These children gain peace, mission, and purpose, which spills over to families, churches and communities.”

Bible Bee participants are typically home-schooled, which facilitates the study time involved. But Upton hopes the organization will bring in more traditionally-schooled students in the future.

The big event

The seventh-annual, 2015 National Bible Bee will be held in San Antonio from November 17-21 and will welcome 360 contestants, their families, and friends. The 120 students in each of three age divisions (primary, 7-10; junior, 11-14; and senior, 15-18) qualified for the big event after quoting six passages to an adult and then completing an online test of the Bible Bee study material. At the national competition, they’ll be tested on the first 12 chapters of the book of John.

The top nine students—three in each category—will earn more than medals. Prizes for this year’s contest exceed $270,000. Anonymous donors fund the cash awards through the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, which sponsors the bee. The winners will also receive other prizes and scholarships.

Local Bible Bee community

North Texas students involved in the Bible Bee enjoy competing locally with a group that meets at North Garland Baptist Fellowship. This community serves to encourage participants and also prepares them to qualify for the national bee.

GoodFaith_Natl Bible Bee 2014 - Noah — Noah Zachary enjoyed competing in his first National Bible Bee in Orlando, Florida last year (2014 photo courtesy of Scott and Heather Zachary).

At least two students from this group will compete in November—their second time at the national contest. Emma Fernandez, of Fort Worth, and Noah Zachary, of Plano are both homeschooled and fifth-graders.

Emma took 15^th place in her age division at last year’s event in Orlando. “I was really nervous being alone on the stage,” she says. “But I just prayed for God to give me confidence.”

Noah says the study time is a challenging leap, going from the local to the national competition: “Learning fifty verses compared to over 500.”

GoodFaith_Natl Bible Bee_Emma Fernandez primary-semi — Emma Fernandez’s nerves did not keep her from placing 15th at last year’s national contest (2014 photo courtesy of Katie Fernandez).

His grandparents, Sonny and Gail Zachary, of Rockwall County, plan to join Noah’s family in San Antonio to see the ten-year-old compete. Mrs. Zachary says, “I’ve been astounded at how many verses Noah has learned. And his younger brothers pick them up too. They walk around the house singing the scriptures to help remember them. I wish more kids knew about the Bible Bee.”

A good investment

The November event will be available for online viewing. Those who tune in to watch will be amazed to see the contestants pour out the words of God—like fountains of living water (John 4:14).

God’s World Publications founder Joel Belz is a long-time proponent of the Bible Bee. He describes the atmosphere of the national competition as beyond tense: “The stakes are high, and it’s crushing to lose. But in the end, they’ve stored up treasures of wisdom by investing their time in the scriptures. It gets them in alignment with God’s Word. How do you go wrong with that?”

Emma Fernandez agrees, saying, “Learn a certain verse and it guides you through life.”

Find out more at: biblebee.org.