Miami, Florida, United States…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
After months of studying and competing in local church and regional competitions, thousands of Adventist young people are done studying the Bible for this year’s Inter-American Youth Bible Bowl. However the 15 finalists representing the 15 regions within the Inter-American Division (IAD) territory are still preparing for the third annual finals competition on Nov. 25 at the Central American Adventist University in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The finalists have less than 10 days to review the gospels before the competition which will take place in front of a panel of judges, a live audience, and which will also be streamed live on the internet.
The Youth Bible Bowl is part of an initiative by the Youth Ministries department of the Inter-American Division headquarters to encourage Adventist young people to study God's Word daily, says Pastor Bernardo Rodriguez, youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America.
“This year our emphasis is 'Obsessed with Jesus Love' so we thought what better than the four gospels where we can appreciate the love of God,” said Pastor Rodriguez.
Styled after the popular American game show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”, the competitors will use computer terminals to answer a series of 40 questions.
Prizes up for grabs for the top three winners will include a full scholarship to one of Inter- America's universities, a laptop computer, and a collection of books.
Regional Winners from the 15 IAD Unions are:
Caribbean Union – Chester Hinds
Central American Union – Sonia Reyes
Colombia Union – Jose Freddy Moreno
Cuban Union – Kariuska Azahares Cintra
Dominican Union – Mario Luis Herasme
French Antilles Guiana Union – Lise Thierry
Haitian Union – Venette Mardi-Gras
Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union – Bilgai Abner Cruz Topete
North Central American Union – Javier Rangel Recinos
North Mexican Union – Daniel Orozco Villalobos
Puerto Rican Union – Zylkia Martinez Lopez
South Central American Union – Israel Gamas
South Mexican Union – Cesar Pech
Venezuela Antilles Union – Rebeca Garrido
West Indies Union – Natalie Cummings-Reid
The competition is scheduled to begin Saturday, Nov. 25, at 3:00 p.m. Miami time (Eastern Standard Time). To view the live competition, visit us at www.interamerica.org and click on the live webcast event banner.
