Deborah (Deb) Somerville

1. What years did you quiz?
   1967 and 1968 (I think!)
2. Where and for what church did you quiz?
   Wabash Conference, for the Mt. Carmel (IL) FMC
3. What were the highlights of your quizzing years?
   Getting to travel and meet kids from other conferences; my church was quite small and we were trying to get a program going. We were not one of the more serious contenders from month to month, but we tried!
4. Did you or your team win any championships? If so, what and when?
   No! (not even Miss Congeniality!)
5. What was your favorite scripture? Why?
   Probably Acts 10:34-35. This was perhaps Peter's most profound "A-ha!" moment, as he came to realize through vision and anointing that all people everywhere were candidates for God's grace and the Holy Spirit's indwelling. It was another progression in his ministry and his journey of faith.
6. How did quizzing affect you as a teen?
   It drew me into the Word of God more than I might have been otherwise. It also gave me a greater appreciation and respect for my peers as well as the adults who devoted so much time to the program.
7. What difference has quizzing made in your life to this day?
   It deepened my knowledge of the Scriptures as a high school student, and that served me well in the years to come. As an adult and quiz coach I celebrated the fact that our son chose to participate, and valued the time he spent in the Word. Even though our daughter was too young at the time, she was impacted positively by spending time with the quizzers.
8. Are you presently involved in Bible quizzing in any way? If so, how?
   At present, my involvement in Bible quizzing is as a support to my local team as the senior pastor of the McPherson (KS) FMC. For several years in the mid-1980s and early 1990s I was a coach at Pearce Memorial Church. When we began the program, there were no teams in that part of the State. The closest were in the Pittsburg Conference. We began building a team and promoting quizzing to other area (Genesee Conference) churches through quiz demonstrations and testimonials from our quizzers. Gradually, the program took hold and grew significantly through the years. It was extremely gratifying to serve as an encourager and coach during that period of time.
9. What ministries are you currently doing? How are you presently active in serving the Lord?
   I was ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church in June of 2003 in the Gateway Conference, where I served on staff at the Greenville (IL) FMC. In July of 2008 I began my appointment as senior pastor of the McPherson (KS) FMC where I continue to serve.