Laura Christensen Colberg
Laura Christensen Colberg is the director of Free Methodist Bible Quizzing. Click here to support her leadership of this ministry or contact her at lchristn12@gmail.com to learn more about starting a Bible quiz ministry at your church.
By Laura Christensen Colberg
The 2023 Free Methodist Bible Quiz International Finals are in the books. We had 40 teams in three divisions. We did 200 accuracy questions in 100 minutes on the opening night, with our top-two scorers correctly answering 194 or 193 of those!
Ninety-one persons received certificates from host Greenville University for a $20,000-per-year scholarship on the basis of their qualified participation this season (five out of eight regular season quizzes, 80% of quote verses, attending finals). I ordered 30 “I Know It All” ribbons to hand out to everyone — adults and students — who memorized this season’s material (1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Matthew 1–13), and exactly 30 people came forward to receive those. (Next year’s material will be Matthew 14–28 and 1 and 2 Thessalonians.)
_
“We sat at Jesus’ feet as if hearing His words to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount.”
_
“Mountain Time” was our theme, and we embraced the irony of celebrating peaks and mountains and other high points even though we were in Illinois, one of the flattest states in the nation. We sat at Jesus’ feet as if hearing His words to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount — taking a moment out of our day-to-day world to look back at the road we’ve traveled and to look forward off in the distance to places we’ll go. We quizzed over mountain peaks, and I believe everyone will recognize my home state champion, Mount Rainier, since its ridges and contours are captured in the silhouette of our event logo (inspiration for Quiz Finals 2025 in Seattle).
Distinguishing Discipleship
Free Methodist Elder B. Elliott Renfroe, Greenville University’s dean of students and chief diversity officer, led us in chapel all week as did the university’s Pursuit worship band. Renfroe charted out features of “Distinguishing Discipleship” — discipline, direction, destruction, doctrine.
_
“Learning on the fly how to quiz with new or unknown quizzers, hearing questions based on a theme in each of those rounds, this was an adaptation we made on our comeback year post-COVID, and it’s been a hit.”
_
At the tail end of round robin quizzing, quizzers got to compete in “scramble” rounds — with random (or not-so-random) teammates chosen for them from other churches. Christa Stackhouse gets the credit (or blame) for putting Liam, Liam and Liam in a room facing off against Lillianna, Lily and Lindsey. Learning on the fly how to quiz with new or unknown quizzers, hearing questions based on a theme in each of those rounds, this was an adaptation we made on our comeback year post-COVID, and it’s been a hit. This year our stats maven, Terri Durfee, working remotely, also compiled an interesting list including which seat scores the most (third seat on the right) and the least (first seat on the left), which quizmasters awarded the most (and fewest) points in these scramble rounds, most consistent scorers and most improved.
GU’s admissions team put on a spectacular pool party at the city pool; other field games (disc golf, spike ball, pickleball and more) kept folks busy another evening, competing with the lightning bugs and cicadas.
An attendee ended up hospitalized due to a recurring condition that flared up in the excitement of the first few days of finals. An offering to help defray those medical expenses was taken with over $4,500 given to help this individual! He was released and able to travel home with his church the day after finals, but God also placed with us a new-to-us nurse, someone who had specialized experience in a facility treating conditions such as this one. She could reassure, understand and communicate just what was happening, what was to be expected and how to respond. The care in St. Louis was top-notch in this field of treatment too. God knew.
We broke bread together, celebrating the Lord’s Supper in our annual communion/testimony service.
Trophies and Honors
It was a delight to hand out several variations on a mountain/peak image, celebrating achievements (not without some heartbreak along the way). In our Rookie Team Final, there was a brother on each opposing team. In our Senior Teen Veteran Final, two brothers on the same team prevailed — those same brothers took first and second in STV Individuals.
The Alpha & Omega trophy, for the first time since it was created in the 1970s, went to the same church for the third consecutive time; yes, a three-peat for New Hope Free Methodist Church in Rochester, New York. Albion Free Methodist Church in New York came from the losers’ bracket to force a super-final — all the excitement you can imagine.
We honored four graduating seniors, all of whom are poised for wonderful things in the next chapter of their lives. Three of the four were nominated and strongly supported for the Dave Markell Excellence in Attitude Award, which ultimately went to Abby Lyon of New Hope FMC. The award is given in memory of Markell, who served as the denomination’s director of youth ministries before his death of leukemia. His wife, Judi Markell, honored Lyon in the presentation this year.
Visit ezcard.com/fmbq620 for pictures, video links, stats, awards and other details. Final rounds were livestreamed and recorded, so you can watch the action using the links below:
Senior Team Veteran Super-Final
Young Team Veteran Super-Final
Click here for journalist Susan Chism’s coverage of the finals for area newspapers.
+
Laura Christensen Colberg
Laura Christensen Colberg is the director of Free Methodist Bible Quizzing. Click here to support her leadership of this ministry or contact her at lchristn12@gmail.com to learn more about starting a Bible quiz ministry at your church.
