Students earn top awards in BGCT Bible Drill & Speakers’ contests

DALLAS—Students from First Baptist Church in Carrollton, First Baptist Church in Winnsboro and First Baptist Church in Seguin took top honors in Texas Baptists' Bible Drill and Speakers tournaments recently.

Rachel Mathes of First Baptist Church in Carrollton won the youth Bible drill competition. Joshua Acock of First Baptist Church in Winnsboro won the high school Bible drill competition. Lauren Mandaville of First Baptist Church in Seguin won the youth speakers' competition.

Hannah Mabry of First Baptist Church in Stephenville and Taryn Smith of First Baptist Church in Allen tied for second in the youth Bible drill. Sherissa Blender of West Main Baptist Church in Alice placed second in the high school Bible drill. Megan Baranski of First Baptist Church in Allen earned second place in the speakers' competition.

Mathes, Acock and Mandaville advance to compete in national Bible drill and speakers' tournaments this summer.

"The level of commitment and discipline shown by the students who participate in Bible drill and speakers' tournament is very impressive," said David Adams, who coordinated the state Bible drill. "But there was something that impressed me even more at this year's state competition. I was in the 'getting-ready rooms' with a group of drillers and also a group of speakers. In both cases, they prayed for Jesus to be honored, regardless of the scores they received. Texas Baptists can be proud of their students."

Wes Wilkinson, associate pastor of youth at First Baptist Church in Carrollton, noted Mathes and the other participants from the church worked hard in preparing to compete, and each did extremely well. The Scripture passages they memorized will continue to be with them as they make decisions in their lives, he said.

"Rachel's great," he said. "She's very consistent. She's always here. She has a very sweet heart."

David Rose, pastor of First Baptist Church in Winnsboro, said the congregation was thrilled to hear Acock won first place. His family is passionate about Bible drill and the importance of Scripture memorization. Joshua worked hard memorizing Scripture for the competition.

"The church is really proud," Rose said. "They gave him a standing ovation Sunday morning."

Brice Mandaville, pastor of First Baptist Church in Seguin and father of Lauren, said his daughter had been preparing for this year's speakers' competition since placing second in last year's contest. She based her speech on beauty from the inside on an experience with a childhood friend who went through significant burns.

"The church is thrilled," Mandaville said of his daughter's achievement. "I told them Sunday morning. They were all thrilled and congratulated her."

Participants in the Bible drill competition must locate Scripture passages within seconds. They also memorize passages of Scripture and recite them. Speak-ers use Scripture to speak about relevant issues.

"One of the great things about Bible drill is that you know many of the verses and passages will stick with these students for a lifetime," Adams said.

"And the skills learned navigating the Bible will always be important for navigating life's challenges. My 20-something sons were pretty good at Bible drill during their elementary years, and when they left for college, I was glad they had learned their way around the Bible years before. God's truth went with them when I couldn't. I'm fairly sure they could still whip me in a Bible drill, too."