Weirton, W.Va. — No, this isn't traditional bowling. It's the Miami Valley Bible Bowl, of which Weirton Heights Church of Christ hosted again for the third time in March 2023.
Designed for congregations to compete on their knowledge of the Bible, 2023 marks their 37th year running.
Teams ranged from 4th through 6th grade, 7th through 12th, as well as an adult team, making up nearly 200 participants from states such as West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Yet, there is a lesson to be found amidst this tournament.
"Even though it is a competition, it's more about building lost-lasting relationships, friendships," director Mark Zopp of Weirton Heights Church of Christ said, "And a lot of the kids that are competing today have been in this since they were like five years old, so it's really great to see people come back year after year."
And according to the founder himself, as he watches close to third generation kids participate, "The main purpose of the Bible Bowl from the very beginning was to encourage primarily young people to study God's word," founder Bruce Adams of Florence Church of Christ explained.
Questions were pulled from two New Testament books: Hebrews and James.
Multiple choice took over Saturday's competition and then Jeopardy-style on Sunday--with detailed instructions.
"Every time a question is asked, the kids are raising up the letter to the answer that they think is correct. Scorekeepers are noting that down and then at the end, that score gets run through our scorekeeping process," coordinator Brian Driver of Richland Road Church of Christ added, "And it helps to determine which teams are going to be towards the top at the end, as well as which individuals have done the best."
Awards were then granted for both teams and MVPs at the competition's closure on Sunday.
With this being a tradition for not only for the state of West Virginia but for other states, as well, the churches plan to continue the Bible Bowl for many years to come.
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