TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Regional Youth Bible Quiz Held In Spring Hill

ADVERTISEMENT

MAUREA SLEESMAN

Hernando Today Correspondent

Published: October 28, 2008

SPRING HILL - Well before sunrise Oct. 18, six sleepy Deltona teens piled into a van to make the two-and-a-half-hour drive for their church's Bible Quiz team. Some 88 youth from various Florida church teams came to participate in a denominational Florida Southeast District Bible Quiz, from distant locations including Hollywood, Westwood, Rainbow Springs, Lakeland, Piedmont Park, Tallahassee, Miami and Zephyrhills. Some teams arrived Friday night and stayed in local host homes.

One team wore black T-shirts with a large white graphic of a guitar pick, whose black lettering said "Pick Jesus." Another team wore hand-painted shirts and sprayed their hair a matching green.

The high-spirited teams were quizzed from 9:30 a.m. until late afternoon in Spring Hill to test their knowledge of Luke, the biblical book chosen for their year-long studies and weekly quizzing for denominational Bible Quizzes of Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA).

The Bible Quiz meets are held monthly locally, then by district and internationally. Each year, one of eight different Books is selected, such as John, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Peter, Matthew, Romans and James, and others.

Linda Brown coaches the Deltona team every week throughout the year. She was in a C&MA Bible Quiz as a youth and recalled using the King James Version.

"Now the NIV Bible is used for its easier language," she said, juggling a quiz questions workbook and an infant granddaughter. Her daughter, Jennifer Stasney, was the opening emcee and "questions-asker" for the team sessions that met in the sanctuary.

The quiz sessions each began with prayer said by a team member. The quiz segments are physically lively as contestants sit on special benches with seat-sensitive lights that are connected to the computer/score keeper. Some of the questions need whole teams to leap off the benches in group quickness. Most questions elicit the quickest single person to arise, and sometimes that person may make an error or not know the entire correct answer. A few official answers were challenged by the students, and gave evidence of careful thought and possible future attorneys.

Quizzes consist of 20 different questions from that month's quizzing material. Question types include multiple choice, interrogative, chapter references, chapter/verse, situations, finish-the-verse and biblical quotes.

At the Spring Hill Bible Quiz, the 23 teams rotated in sessions held in the fellowship hall and classrooms building, in addition to the sanctuary. Each session had attendant audiences, questioners, sound technicians and scorekeepers. Audience members were to keep quiet, although obvious clapping and affirmations followed correct answers as well as nearly correct or "nice try" replies. Team members gave each other countless silent high fives and beaming smiles on stage, and all present were courteous, encouraging and joyful.

Candy bars gave quick energy boosts mid-morning, and 150 subs made and served by Hope and visiting adult volunteers were the lunch mainstays. Rivers of bottles of water and sodas disappeared during the tense sunny day.

Leo Duarte, local event organizer, youth director and Bible Quiz coach at Hope, gave thanks to God and all participants and volunteers for the day of hard work, good studying, fellowship and joyfulness. He noted that for each regional quiz, trophies are awarded to winning teams who keep them until the next quiz, with ribbons for top quizzers and outstanding rookies.

Stan Stoltz drove the Deltona van. His daughter Heidi, 12, placed first overall. Abbey Johnson of Piedmont Park took second, and his teammate, Josh Oliver, got the rookie award. Top winning teams were Piedmont Park and Zephyrhills.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT