Fifty-six quizzers gathered this summer at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., for the 2015 National Wesleyan Bible Bowl Tournament (WBB). The teens came from nine Wesleyan churches, from South Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Teams had been studying the book of Acts for months, culminating in this event.
Reflecting on the competition as a whole, National Director Jim Terwilliger, stated that, “while competition is certainly an important aspect of WBB, the ultimate goal is for students to grow closer to God through the study of his Word. The competition is merely a tool to get students involved–discipleship is the real goal for every adult that is involved. If we can get kids memorizing, understanding, and applying Scripture now, the long-term benefits in their lives are beyond measure, especially in a day and age when so many young people are leaving the faith.”
After two initial days of competition, teams were divided into two divisions to compete for the championship on the final day. In the top Division, the team from Christ Wesleyan Church of Milton, Pa., finished first, beating the team from First Wesleyan of Bartlesville, Okla., on the final question of the championship quiz. This was the third time in four years these two teams have faced each other in the finals, and the most exciting finish of them all. Rounding out Division A were the teams from Weedville Wesleyan Church (Weedville, Pa.), Union St. Wesleyan Church (Winchester, Ind.), Sweetser Wesleyan Church (Sweetser, Ind.), and Penn Forest Worship Center (Roanoke, Va.).
Members of the winning team were Jon Povish, Megan Crawford, Grace Ann Deitrick, Katherine Reed, and Abby Terwilliger. Each team member was awarded a $1,100 scholarship to a Wesleyan college in recognition of their efforts. Coaches were Dave and Lesley Seiber, and Jon Weber.
Six teams competed in Division B in the championship round. Cypress Wesleyan (Cypress, Ohio) captured top honors here, with Sonlight Wesleyan (Sound Bend., Ind.) taking second in their first national tournament. Also participating was Grace Point Wesleyan (Brookings, SD), as well as additional teams from Bartlesville, Sweetser, and Milton.
Scholarships were also awarded for head-to-head individual toss-up and written competition (ranging from $3,500 for first place to $250 for tenth place).
The top quizzer in the toss-up competition was Katherine Reed (Milton), edging out Buk Phillips (Penn Forest), who had won this honor three year running. Other winners in this stage of the competition included Jenny Rearick (Weedville), Anna Phillips (Bartlesville), Grace Ann Deitrick (Milton), Andrew Lehman (Bartlesville), Jordan Yaryan (Union St.), Anna Dennie (Sonlight), Sam Phillips (Bartlesville), and Serenity Bloom (Weedville).
In the written competition, based off quizzes taken over the course of the competition, the top quizzer was Anna Phillips (Bartlesville), following closely by Katherine Reed and Abby Terwilliger (both of Milton). Rounding out the top quizzers here were Buk Phillips (Penn Forest), Andrew Lehman (Bartlesville), Grace Ann Deitrick (Milton), Serenity Bloom (Weedville), Dillon Stewart (Sweetser).Joseph Pnillips (Bartlesville), Elayna Stewart (Sweetser), and Jenny Rearick (Weedville).
Two $500 character scholarships were also awarded, recognizing two young people who have exemplified putting God’s Word into action in the lives. The recipients were Jordan Yaryan, Union St. Wesleyan Church and Jon Povish, Christ Wesleyan Church. They were selected by the National Quiz Council after being nominated by their coaches, who also had the privilege of presenting the awards to their quizzers at the closing awards ceremony.
Over the coming year, teams will be studying the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, culminating in WBB Finals at Oklahoma Wesleyan University next summer. For more information about Wesleyan Bible Bowl, please contact Jim Terwilliger at jimt@cwcmilton.org.
