National Bible Bee registration extended

The local and national contests will include both oral and written tests. Half of the questions will be based on Bible knowledge and half will be based on Bible memory.

Participants will range in age from 7 to 18. The three age categories are:

• Primary, ages 7-10
  
  
• Junior, ages 11-14
  
  
• Senior, ages 15-18
  
  

  The enrollment deadline was originally April 30, but has been extended to Friday, May 15, by the bee sponsors, the Shelby Kennedy Foundation and Patrick Henry College.

  A woman who died of cancer at the age of 23, Shelby Kennedy spent the end of her life studying the Bible. The Shelby Kennedy Foundation, a nonprofit ministry designed to encourage children to memorize Scripture, was founded in her honor.

  Patrick Henry College ia a Christian college in Purcellville, Va. The school offers undergraduate degrees in government and liberal arts.

  To compete in the National Bible Bee, participants must first register with one of 360 local contests and then register on the bee's Web site (www.biblebee.org). There is a $20 fee to participate.

  On the national level, prizes range from $25,000 for the first-place primary winner to $100,000 for the first-place senior winner.

  That's a pretty nice incentive, eh?

  Preparing for the contest will not be easy. I downloaded and printed all the study materials last weekend. One file was 100 pages long. Another file was 85 pages.

  For families who study Scripture together on a regular basis, though, the study guides are manageable. My family is looking forward to studying this material together over the summer.

  As I was looking through the material, I asked my 14-year-old the questions listed at the beginning of this column. He answered and then asked what I was working on.

  "Oh, we've just officially started studying for the National Bible Bee," I said.

  He just smiled.

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  Answers:

  
  
  

  1. There are 66 books in the Bible.

  2. El Shaddai means "God Almighty."

  3. Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law.

  Lisa Tedrick Prejean writes a weekly column for The Herald-Mail's Family page. Send e-mail to her at lisap@herald-mail.com