We have a national champion in our midst.

High school students from across the country competed in 12 categories during the annual Talents for Christ competition in Lancaster, Pa., part of the national conference of the General Association of Regular Batist Churches.

Briana Harrier, 17, of Clinton, representing Riverside Baptist Church of Decatur, won in the Bible knowledge category.

She did it in gee whiz fashion, zipping through the written test of 150 questions in about 1 1/2 hours. The five contestants had been given 3 hours to complete the test. She scored 97.6 percent accuracy.
"I was in this contest last year and finished fourth," she said. "So I knew what to expect."

Home schooled, Briana prepped for the test by memorizing four books of the New Testament: First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus and Philemon. She won the Illinois state competition at Bunker Hill, answering about 60 questions, to qualify for the national competition.

Her AWANA background undoubtedly was a major help. AWANA - the letters stand for Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed - is a church youth program that blends Bible teaching, scripture memorization and fun. Briana was an AWANA member for 10 years and received an award for memorizing all of the books of the Bible. "Memorizing seems to come easy for me," she explained.

The national championship brought a $5,000 college scholarship. She will enroll at Faith Baptist College in Ankeny, Iowa. In the meantime, Briana is working this summer as a cook and lifeguard at Camp Manitoumi, near Metamora, a ministry of the Illinois-Missouri Association of Regular Baptist Churches.

Lori Harrier, Briana's mother, praises her as "very determined and diligent, particularly after finishing fourth last year. This time, she studies at every opportunity."

Briana calls her success "a gift God gave me." She enjoys swimming, reading and listening to contemporary Christian music. She and her mother have sung in Riverside Baptist Church.

In the future, she would like to work in AWANA and maybe at a camp like Camp Manitoumi.

Whatever she does, expect success.

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