PENSACOLA (FBW)—Jordan McBride, a member of Bellview Baptist Church in Pensacola, took top honors at the 2012 National Invitational Bible Drills and Speakers’ Tournament June 22 in Brunswick, Ga. He is the first winner from Florida in the 9-year history of the national event.
McBride’s victory in the high school division of the national Bible Drill finals came after winning the Florida High School Bible Drills April 21 at Trinity Baptist Church in Apopka. His older brother, Joseph, was runner-up to Jordan in the state event.
His national title is the culmination of a lifetime of Bible Drill preparation. He participated at his church informally as a preschooler, in the Bible Buddies program for 1st-3rd graders, and was eligible to compete in the Children’s Bible Drill when he entered the 4th grade. The 16-year-old also competed in the national event last year as Florida’s Youth Bible School winner, a division of Bible Drills for middle school students
WINNER Jordan McBride, a member of Bellview Baptist Church in Pensacola, took top honors at the 2012 National Bible Drills and Speakers’ Tournament. photo by Bryan Nowack, Georgia Baptist Convention
His father, Gregg McBride, pastor of Bellview Baptist, said it was a challenge over the years to keep him involved in Bible Drills, a program that requires extensive Bible memorization and Bible handling skills.
“He stuck with it, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of him,” the elder McBride said.
His son’s mode of preparation, however, was a source of irritation for his parents. McBride and his wife, Angela, teach college success courses at Pensacola State
College in which they instruct freshmen on the process of learning that requires an early start and constant repetition for success.
“Jordan and Joseph always wanted to wait until a month before to start really preparing for Bible Drills. I guess it works for them, but it drove us crazy,” he said.
Jordan McBride jokingly explained his learning method.
“I studied a lot in the car on the way to Brunswick, so I guess doing it at 70 miles per hour may be the secret,” he said.
By whatever method he learned the required scriptures, the Pine Forest High School junior outshone representatives from ten other states in the final drill. The Florida champion was impressed with his competition.
“A couple of them were scary fast,” he said.
Both Florida’s and Missouri’s representatives had perfect scores in the final, but McBride had more bonus points—sometimes earned by stepping out first with the correct answer, Gregg McBride said.
Jordan McBride is ineligible after his national championship to compete in associational and state Bible Drills in Florida, but he said he will help Bellview Baptist’s Bible Drill Coach Pam Hubbard ready the next Bellview Bible Drill team for events in 2013. His brother Jonathan, 12, will be on the Youth Bible Drill team next year.
McBride has now turned his attention to his responsibilities as varsity kicker for the Pine Forest Eagles, but he said he will continue memorizing the Bible all of his life.
“I know what I memorize in the Bible will always be with me. You have to stick with it, because you never know what will happen,” he said.
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