“I would like for you to know that it worked. It worked for me, and I’m sure it did for others who are here today,” a former Bible driller said in recognizing her drill instructor of many years prior.
“The hours, the sacrifices, and all of the work and encouragement were not in vain. The passion that you have shown through the years for sharing the Bible with children has not gone unnoticed,” Candace Tyler told Esther Suggs during the Carolina Baptist Association’s Bible Drill April 1.
Suggs was instrumental in helping establish a Bible drill program at Sharon Baptist Church, Longs, and is one of several faithful volunteers who make the association’s Bible drills possible. The association celebrated the 25th anniversary of its drills April 1, with 22 children representing four churches. More than 150 children, 48 leaders and 12 churches in the association have been involved in the program through the years.
Tyler, who was among the first children taught by Suggs, recalled practice drills in her living room and Bible learning games at the church on Saturdays. She also shared with current participants the profound impact the drill program has had on her life.
“I’ve been through many trying times in my life since those years in Bible drill, and have been surprised at how those verses have come to my mind at different points when I truly need them. I never would have imagined way back then that the verses I was learning would actually mean something to me later in life,” Tyler said. “Because I had them hidden in my heart, I would feel at times as if God were throwing me a lifeline by bringing them to mind.
“Sometimes, when I was at the darkest points in my life, who knew that Bible drill verses would give me that little bit of hope that I needed to hold onto,” she said. “When there was absolutely nothing else, I found myself clinging to the word of God in order to make it through those days.”
Expressing her appreciation to Suggs for her devotion to helping children come to understand the Bible and the importance of memorizing scriptures, Tyler underscored, “She knew that the Bible is truly our only lifeline.
“I’m so thankful that God gave you the wisdom to know just what this kid would need,” she said.
Initiated by Rhonda Bell, a church training teacher, Sharon Baptist was one of two churches to prepare children to participate in the first Bible drill competition in Carolina Association in 1982-83. The other was Mt. Leon Baptist, Longs, where Ina Bullock, a Sunday school teacher, had seen a Bible drill demonstration at a conference, and was impressed with the program.
For more information about Bible drills, contact Tracy Spires, consultant, SCBC childhood ministry group, at 1-800-723-7242.