By Sharon Mager, BCM/D Correspondent
Columbia, MD––Bethany Church (a satellite location of Bethany Lane Baptist Church), Columbia, will host the state “Bible Bee” competition from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 24. The church is combining the “Bee” with a community block party on the church’s parking lot with games, food and exhibits.
Twenty-two families are participating in the local event. Contestants ages 6 to 17 will compete in oral and written tests covering 24 Bible memory passages for a chance to advance to the national level where they can win part of the $260,000 prize money.
“I think it’s a fantastic program,” said Rachel Parson, Bethany’s minister of children. Parson said she distributed a questionnaire during a “birthday party for Jesus” last year asking if families would be interested in having material for a family devotional time. “All of them marked yes.”
She began researching family discipleship material and discovered the Bible Bee program, whic
h offers families the opportunity to spend 20 minutes a day in Bible study, learning and memorizing two Bible passages a week as a family.
Participating families pay $30 plus shipping and receive age appropriate “Sword Study” with memory verses, a Bible-Bee Bible, T-shirt, contestant buttons and guides for the family.
The national Bible Bee competition, held from Nov. 20 to 23, will be at the Wilderness Stone Hill Lodge in Sevierville, Tenn. The competition incorporates family fun at an indoor water park and other family activities. Over 2500 families are registered nationwide.
For more information about the contest, see www.Biblebee.org. For information about participating in Bethany’s block party, contact Parson at Rachel@bethanylanebaptist.org.