Youth ministries to wrap up five-year study of Bible with Super Bible Boom event
February 17, 2015 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens/IAD
UPDATED: May 8, 2015
Image by Abel Marquez/IAD
Inter-America’s Youth Ministries Department will wrap up its largest Bible reading final competition event in Miami, Florida, in less than three months.
The event, coined as Inter-America’s Super Bible Boom, will take place on May 9, 2015, and will feature the top four Bible Boom winners from the previous final competitions since 2011. Top winners will get a chance to grab the top prize of becoming a youth delegate representing the Inter-American Division (IAD) during the church’s upcoming General Conference Session in San Antonio, Texas, in July.
Waylon Johnson of Atlantic Caribbean region and 2011 Bible Boom winner, Victor Jaimes of South Colombia, 2012 winner; Jempsey Juguerson Tisma of Haiti, winner in 2013; and Miriam Orozco of North Mexico, 2014 winner; will get to battle it out and show their knowledge of all 22 books of the Bible including Luke, Acts of the Apostles down to Hebrews, as well as the first minor prophet books from Hosea to Micah.
This is the first time that all top winners represent the three major languages of the IAD territory, said Louise Nocandy, associate youth ministries director for the church in Inter-America and organizer of the event. “We are so excited because this is a perfect representation of young people sending a powerful and motivating message that no matter what language you speak – Spanish, English, or French – you can be a winner,” said Nocandy.
The Super Bible Boom competition is the second such quinquennial event organized since the territory Bible reading initiative was heavily implemented in 2004, leaders said.
Louise Nocandy, IAD associate youth ministries director and organizer of the Super Bible Boom event. IAD file photo
“We praise the Lord because the interest for the Bible Boom across the territory has been growing among our more than 1.5 million young people in the IAD,” said Nocandy. The competition has also expanded to include children participating in Adventurer Clubs across churches in the territory, according to Nocandy.
The four finalists will get to answer some 50 questions on the 22 books of the Bible in front of a live audience of more than 150 top church leaders from throughout the IAD during the church’s business meetings in May. The program will also be streamed over the internet.
Waylon Johnson, who took the win in 2011 after studying the books of Luke and Acts of the Apostles dozens of times, feels privileged and richly blessed to have the opportunity to study more books and compete again. “I am overwhelmingly excited and simply praying that depending solely upon God’s divine providence as I read His Word.”
Victor M. Jaimes, who studied the books of Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians and Galatians in 2012 for the title win, studying more books brings him joy and nostalgia at the same time since this competition will be the last one he can participate at this level. Studying the Bible is not complicated, he added. “There’s really no secret nor special technique to study the Bible, it’s just reading every day, coupled with prayer and respect.”
Myriam Orozco of North Mexico, who won the top title in 2014 and was fascinated by minor prophet books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, is devoting a lot of time studying and praying the remaining 16 books she will be tested on during the final competition.
Youth leaders across the territory not only rejoice for the accomplishments of the four top winners who will compete but for the hundreds of thousands who continue week by week, month by month, and year by year studying the Word of God, said Nocandy.
“Our young people matter to God and we pray they continue being connected to Jesus claiming the promises found in the precious Sacred Book,” Nocandy said.
Inter-America’s Super Bible Boom competition will be held May 9, 2015, from 4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m (Miami Time) in Spanish, English, and French at webcast.interamerica.org