Contact: Kit Rasche, National Bible Bee, 619-401-0385 ext. 101, krasche@biblebee.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY, Jan. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is excited to introduce the first-of-its-kind annual National Bible Bee, a motivating Bible memory competition for children and youth from 7 to 18. The goal of the Bible Bee is to build godly character in young people by calling them back to the lost discipline of Scripture memorization. Most people are familiar with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where youth compete annually in the Nation's longest-running educational contest. While it is certainly beneficial for our children to commit the spelling of words to memory, imagine how much more life-changing it will be for them to memorize the Word of God.

Local Bible Bee Contests will be conducted throughout the United States on Saturday, September 12, 2009. One hundred finalists from each of three age categories will then advance to the National Bible Bee for a two-day, world-class competition which will be held in Washington D.C. on November 5-6, 2009.

The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is the home of Bible Bee Headquarters. The Bible Bee Staff is currently assisting parents, teachers, pastors and Christian leaders across the country who are planning and coordinating Local Bible Bees. The deadline for registering to hold a Local Bible Bee is January 31, 2009. Those interested in hosting Local Bible Bees in their communities are encouraged to call 1-888-3-BIBLE-B

(1-888-324-2532) for introductory information.

The Bible Bee Competition will distribute more than $260,000 in prize money with $100,000 being awarded to the first-place winner of the top age category.

The long-term vision of Bible Bee Competition is to equip children and youth to be bold ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation.

If you would like more information about the Bible Bee or would like to schedule an interview, please call Kit Rasche at (619) 401-0385, ext. 101, or e-mail Kit at krasche@biblebee.org.