The Bible Bowl games, which have become an exciting part of the Youth Ministries program in many conferences across North America, had their beginning in the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

In 1979, Pastor Trevor H. C. Baker, while serving as Youth Ministries Director of the Northeastern Conference, was impressed by the Holy Spirit to conceive and create the Bible Bowl game in his quest to awaken the interest of the young people within his youth societies, and strengthen their devotional life.

The game, which is patterned after the order of the old television show, General Electric College Bowl of the 1960s, was designed to encourage Bible reading and study among the young people, and to allow them to experience a measure of enjoyment while doing so.

It has been the studied opinion of Pastor Baker that because of the
mind-set of today's young people, they will not study the Bible just
for the sake of it. Consequently, the Bible Bowl games were instituted
as a means to an end. In order for the game to be the intended catalyst,
it had to appeal to the minds of the youth. Therefore, the rules governing
the game were crafted to embody the elements of quick recall,
split-second response, excitement, and friendly rivalry.

After weeks of development, the game was ready to be tested, and word
was sent to each Adventist Youth Society leader within the Northeastern
Conference announcing this new innovation. Along with the rules, a list
of the books of the Bible, which were to serve as the source material for
study, as well as suggestions on how to set up the teams, were also sent.

Initially, the source material was solely books from the Bible. However, as time evolved, Elder Baker expanded the material to include Seventh-day Adventist church history. The purpose of this addition was to familiarize the young people with the heritage of the church, a lack of which was very evident.

In the Northeastern Conference, the material for study was always distributed a minimum of six months prior to the start of the games. This allowed the young people to have ample opportunity for study, and to avoid making the game laborious and dull. A high level of interest in Bible Bowl can be maintained only if (a) the players know the material, (b) the questions are well-written, and (c) the game host is articulate and is well-versed in the rules.

The early response of the youth in the Northeastern Conference to the Bible Bowl games was gratifying and gained momentum each succeeding year. During the first few years, the games were played on a set designed and manufactured by Pastor Larry Bailey, one of the local pastors of the Northeastern Conference. The interest and excitement awakened in the youth societies of the Conference were evidenced by the standing-room-only audiences that came to witness the games, which resulted in increased participation in subsequent years.

The success of this program in the Northeastern Conference awakened interest in other conferences. The first conference to jump into the proverbial waters was the South Central Conference, under the leadership of its youth director, Elder Joseph McCoy. The result of the interest awakened in that conference culminated in a tournament between the Northeastern Conference and South Central Conference.

In 1981, the Bible Bowl program expanded nationally at the United Youth Congress in Detroit, Michigan. That tournament ignited great interest and excitement when the Central States Conference edged out the Northeastern Conference by a mere ten points in an exciting finish. Since that time, there have been annual National tournaments held within one of the Regional Conference territories, and the Bible Bowl program continues to keep youth and young adults involved in reading and studying the Word of God.

Over the past twenty-two years, several hundreds of young people have shared in this stimulating game and ministry. Some of the Adventist Youth Societies which distinguished themselves as champions early in the history of Bible Bowl in the Northeastern Conference were: Brooklyn Temple, Christian Fellowship, East New York, Flatbush, Jamaica, Linden, Mount Vernon, and Shiloh Brooklyn.

Praise God for what has been accomplished through this program! It is the continued belief that every person who has participated in this worthwhile endeavor emerges as a winner because of the quickening power of God's word, and the effect that the study of His word has on the mind.