Who’s your one?
by Karen North
In 2019, the North American Mission Board launched its personal evangelism initiative, “Who’s Your One?”, with the goal of challenging every church member to intentionally build a relationship and share the gospel with at least one person during the year. I’d like to expand on this as we go past sharing the gospel to the part of discipling and mentoring those in the faith in our churches.
If you have ever been involved in Student Speakers Competition, think back – although it may have been a bit daunting to get started and to work up the courage to speak in front of a group, what positive things did you learn from your experience? What I have seen from the viewpoint of a parent of several Student Speaker Competition participants is that they had to think about their Christian faith and find something they could share with others. They developed discipline in sitting down to write, rewrite, memorize, rehearse, and rehearse again. They learned public speaking skills that some have been able to put to use in their careers. Long lasting relationships were formed with other student speakers at the different levels of competition.
As an audience member and a judge, I have been challenged, encouraged, and convicted by the many messages I have heard over the last 15 years. There are points that I have heard in speeches that still affect me to this day. It doesn’t make a difference if the speaker was the state winner or not – he/she still had an impact.
If you have been a former student speaker participant, who’s your one? If you have been the parent, or sibling, or grandparent of a former student speaker participant, who’s your one? If you have been the pastor, the Sunday School teacher, or the friend of a former student speaker participant, who’s your one? If you have been a member of the audience whether at church or at a church level, association, region, or state drill and have heard former student speakers, who’s your one?
Who is the one student in the 10th -12th grade in your church who has a message, a testimony, or a life experience others need to hear? Who is the one student in your church who needs encouragement to share God’s Word through a channel such as Students Speakers Competition? Who is the one student you know who needs to be given a voice to share with those around him or her? Who’s your one you can encourage to participate in the competition and then walk along side them as they choose a topic, develop a speech, and prepare to present their message?
Who’s your one you can impact for life via Student Speakers Competition?
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For more information on how to develop a speech, a student speakers’ guide book, a sample judge’s sheet/guide, a list of suggested topics, and a list of dates for the region and state competitions, see
https://bibledrillandspeakers.com/student-speakers-competition/
https://bibledrillandspeakers.com/5-steps-for-developing-a-speech/
https://bibledrillandspeakers.com/events/
Karen North is a Bible Drill Leader at Covenant Baptist Church in Valdosta and a champion of Student Speakers Competition. She serves as a State judge and a member of our board for Georgia Baptist Bible Drill and Speakers, Inc.