How quickly can you find Joel 2:12 or Titus 3:9? The task takes five seconds or less if you are an average Bible driller, according to the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) office of discipleship and family ministries.
But this skill is not learned and refined so students can display their vast knowledge of the Bible. Some leaders say it’s an opportunity to firmly embed God’s Word into their hearts so they can live it out on a daily basis. For many, this process is life-changing.
“Through the Bible Drill program in our church, I have seen children develop self-confidence, make new friends and, most importantly, learn God’s Word and apply it to their lives,” said Belinda Stroud, SBOM Bible Drill consultant and a member of Meadow Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham.
Over the past five years, nearly 1,500 students in grades 4–12 have learned and sharpened their skills at the State Bible Drill/Speakers Tournament Retreat at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega. Focusing on “Surfing God’s Word,” 2009’s event, set for Jan. 30–31, promises to be no different.
“What a fantastic opportunity for boys, girls, teenagers and their leaders to work on their Bible Drill skills and get prepared for the upcoming drills in the spring,” Stroud said. “Leaders will have the opportunity to make resources to use when they go back home to their churches and to get plenty of ideas to make their Bible Drill program even better.”
As leaders learn to improve their church ministries, students attend classes designed to help them know God’s Word, enhance Bible Drill skills and live out what they learn, a process seventh-grader Samantha Vick greatly appreciates.
“Every year, I am amazed at how much we can learn in such a little amount of time,” said Vick, a member of Eastmont Baptist Church, Montgomery, who has attended the retreat for four years and participated in Bible Drills for three. “Bible Drill retreat helped me to focus on God’s Word without the distractions of everyday life at home … and grow closer to God in the process.”
Speakers Tournament participants have the same appreciation for the portion of the retreat designed to help them develop, write and present speeches.
Jenna Tanner, the 2007 state Speakers Tournament winner and student at Samford University in Birmingham, attended the retreat two years ago.
“It was that weekend that I learned not only how to write a speech but also how to share Christ while doing so,” said Tanner, a member of Shades Crest Baptist Church, Bluff Park. “Colossians 4:4 states, ‘Pray that I may proclaim the message of Christ clearly.’ With the help of (instructor) Steve Williams, I left the retreat excited about being able to share Christ clearly and felt prepared to write my speech.”
Her father, Denis Tanner, who serves as minister with students and young adults at Shades Crest Baptist, said the retreat also helped him. “I now use the resources we received at the retreat to help me when I prepare sermons, and I know that I will express what I am led to share.”
For more information, visit www.alsbom.org/drills.
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