A Baptist teen from Alabama was among national youth drilling their way to success at the June 13 National Youth Bible Drill and Speakers Tournament Invitational.
Michelle Hopkins, a member of Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, earned first runner-up in the tournament, while Randall Martin from Jackson, N.C., won the event. Both of them are homeschooled.
“This was the first year for the winners of the Baptist-sponsored state Bible drill contests to have a national invitation tournament,” said Sonya Tucker, associate in the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions’ office of discipleship and family ministries.
Discipleship and family ministries offices in state Baptist conventions sponsor state Bible drills, but this is the first year for a national competition. Tucker said the new national tournament in Atlanta drew 15 Bible drill participants representing 13 state conventions and 13 speaker’s tournament participants representing 12 conventions. Most were from the South, but they did have participants from Arizona and Montana. The 2004 event will be June 11 in San Antonio, Texas.
Hopkins said she was surprised at her high placement. “I think part of my first thoughts was how happy my (Bible drill) teacher Tim Lawrence was going be. He said he’d be praying for me, and he’s always really supportive.”
Lawrence took Hopkins and other youth through once-a-week sessions from the second week of January until June 13.
The daughter of Bill and Tammy Hopkins of Harvest, Hopkins worked hard at home on Bible drills with drilling assistance from her brother, Daniel, and her mother.
“I guess you have to be willing to work really hard, and I would say that my parents and my family have been really supportive. I’m not sure I could have done as well without them,” she said.
Her favorite Bible verse this year is Joshua 1:9. “It tells me that God is with me wherever I am, and that helps calm my nerves, even at competitions,” she said.
Another Alabamian made the cut for an elite group of 13 participants in the public speaking portion of the competition. Amber Cheung, a member of West End Baptist Church, Aliceville, advanced to the national speaking tournament because she won the state speakers tournament in Alabama May 3.
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