Winners in the youth and high school competition are shown, left to right, Noah Darnell, Julia Lentz, Aaden Thompson, Aubrey Lee, Alicia Lentz.
LITTLE ROCK – On Saturday, April 13, there was an air of anticipation as 14 students arrived at the Arkansas Baptist State Convention building to compete before a panel of judges in the youth and high school divisions of the State Bible Drill competition.
This annual event is the culmination of months of memorization and practice calls by the students and their leaders. By the time the competitors arrive, they have competed at the church and regional level. Part of each competition involves knowing where to find specific Scripture passages based on a one-word descriptor and quoting multiple verses.
Aubrey Lee, a 10th grader from Grandview Baptist Church in Berryville, placed first in the high school competition. She will represent Arkansas at the national competition to be held in North Carolina in June. In her first year to participate in Bible Drill, Alicia Lentz, an 11th grader from Rudd Baptist Church in Green Forest, placed second.
In the youth division, placing first was Aaden Thompson, a 9th grader from Harvest Baptist Church in Paragould. He will represent Arkansas in the national competition as well. For the first time in recent memory there was a tie for second place between Julia Lentz, an 8th grader from Rudd Baptist Church and Noah Darnell, a 9th grader from First Baptist Church in Pea Ridge.
The first-place winners of each division also received a partial scholarship to Super Summer.
A key part of each competition is the person known as the “caller,” whose job it is to clearly call out each passage and check for accuracy when passages are quoted.
Emily Hopp has called at the church, regional, and state levels, “I have learned several of the verses in four versions (KJV, NIV, HCSB, and CSB). Sometimes in practice they will get mixed up and the kids correct me, and we call it the ‘Emily version.’ It is so important to me that children memorize scripture. God’s Word will stay with them forever. Even if they can’t remember the reference of a verse, they will know His truths.”
Hopp began participating in Bible Drill as a fifth grader then went on to win the Speakers Tournament her senior year in high school.
Looking back, she surmised that she has been involved in Bible Drill for a total of 38 years, taking a break only during college and while her husband, Dr. Phillip Hopp, was in his residency program. The couple has continued to work together in Bible Drill even though their four children have grown up now, with him coaching children while she coaches youth at Second Baptist Church in Conway.
When asked about the value of Bible Drill, Arkansas Baptist State Convention Children’s Specialist Emily Smith said, “Bible Drill is a great discipleship tool for teaching children and youth God’s Word. Children and students can develop strong scripture memory skills while learning the books of the Bible and key biblical passages. The program is designed to allow children and youth to enjoy learning the Bible in the midst of low-pressure competition. Although it is impressive to see kids and youth step across the line in eight to ten seconds, the best part of Bible Drill is knowing children and youth are learning and studying God’s word.”
Smith mentioned the benefit that she sees in her own family, “I’ve had the opportunity to witness my boys participate in the program the past two years. Now as we talk through life situations, they can recall scripture to apply to their current circumstances. This is what this program is about—not the competition but the applicable concept of applying God’s word into one’s life. This is a skill that hopefully will continue to follow the children and youth for years to come. My prayer for my boys and all participants is that they will see the value of studying God’s word, apply it to their lives and continue this skill as they continue to grow spiritually.”
Smith also noted her appreciation for the leaders who invest in the next generation.
“The Bible Drill program cannot happen without great leaders at the church, regional and state level. We have regional coordinators that play a pivotal role in connecting with churches and organizing our regional competitions. The support of these great leaders is what helps make this a successful program in the state. It’s so encouraging to see leaders at the local and regional level who have been serving in some capacity for over 30 years. Being able to recall the scripture learned many years ago and having the opportunity to pass it along to our own kids and the next generation is one of the greatest joys about this program. We can’t let the decline of biblical literacy among the next generation have a stronghold. We have an obligation to teach the next generation that the importance of God’s word still stands today as it did for thousands of years before us.”
For more information about Bible Drill and how to get involved, visit absc.org/bibledrill.