Sword of the Spirit

Guidelines for Participating in Sword of the Spirit:

Participants will seek to memorize the Scripture verses from the provided list (given below) and recite them to adult volunteers provided by the church coordinator. The following guidelines are to be observed.

The Scripture verses that are provided are arranged in FIVE GROUPINGS. Each group contains eighteen (18) to twenty-two (22) verses. These scriptures will NOT change from year to year, therefore mastery of them should get easier for the participants who participate in this event year after year.
Verses for memorization and recitation can only be taken from the standard list provided in these rules.
The participant may use any translation of the Bible except for those referred to as paraphrased or condensed.
The participant may use a list of Scriptures (book/chapter/verse) during the recitation settings, but they may have NO other notes.
Memory work should be quoted according to their groupings and the order they are listed.
The goal of this event is to ENCOURAGE youth to learn and memorize important verses of the Bible. A participant may become discouraged when trying to recite verbatim and want to give up, therefore, it is suggested that participants in grades 3 and 4 be permitted “3 helps” per grouping of verses, participants in grades 5 and 6 be permitted “2 helps” per grouping of verses, and participants in grades 7 to 12 be permitted “2 helps” per THREE groupings of verses. A HELP is defined as a word or two said to the participant when they are “stuck” while reciting a certain passage.

Award Requirements:

Sword of the Spirit is not a judged event. Awards to participants will be given according to the following criteria.

GOLD: 5 groupings of verses in up to 5 settings
SILVER: 3 groupings of verses in up to 3 settings
BRONZE: 1 grouping of verses in 1 setting

Submission Protocol:

Submissions of Sword of the Spirit entries should follow these guidelines.

Sword of the Spirit entries should be submitted to the Sword of the Spirit event director.
Submissions can be made via the REGISTRATION page uplink, or by email/postal mail to the event director.
Click on the event director’s name posted at the top of this page, or visit the CONTACT US page, for information on how to submit materials to the event director.
Submissions must include a Pre-Convention Cover Sheet (listing all Sword of the Spirit participants from the church) and a copy of the Sword of the Spirit Award Certification Form for each participant from the church registered in the event.
All required materials must be submitted on or before the pre-convention submissions deadline (postal submissions must be post-marked on or before this date).
Do not send entries in a manner that require signature receipt.
The event coordinator will send confirmation of receipt of the submission to the church coordinator.
If applicable to the participant(s), a LTCSW Special Needs or Concerns Form should be submitted to the LTCSW Special Needs Coordinator by the registration deadline.

Resources:

What follows is the standard list of Scriptures that are eligible to be memorized and recited for the Sword of the Spirit event. The Scripture verses that are provided are arranged in FIVE GROUPINGS. Each group contains eighteen (18) to twenty-two (22) verses. These scriptures will NOT change from year to year, therefore mastery of them should get easier for the participants who participate in this event year after year.

Grouping #1 (18 verses)	Grouping #2 (22 verses)	Grouping #3 (21 verses)	Grouping #4 (19 verses)	Grouping #5 (20 verses)
(1) Genesis 1.1	(8) Psalm 121.1-8	(12) Matthew 5.1-12	(3) Matthew 6.25-27	(6) Ephesians 6.13-18
(1) Genesis 2.21	(2) Psalm 139.13-14	(4) Matthew 5.13-16	(2) Matthew 7.7-8	(3) Ephesians 6.1-3
(3) Numbers 6.24-26	(1) Psalm 145.8	(5) Matthew 6.9-13	(2) Matthew 7.13-14	(1) 1 Timothy 4.12
(1) Deuteronomy 7.9	(2) Proverbs 3.5-6		(4) Matthew 22.37-40	(4) James 1.22-25
(1) Deuteronomy 31.6	(1) Ecclesiastes 9.17		(2) Matthew 28.19-20	(1) Romans 10.17
(1) Joshua 24.15	(1) Isaiah 12.2		(4) 1 Corinthians 13.4-7	(1) Mark 16.16
(1) 1 Samuel 16.7	(2) Isaiah 40.30-31			(1) Luke 13.3
(1) 2 Samuel 22.33	(1) Isaiah 41.10			(2) Romans 10.9-10
(6) Psalm 23.1-6	(3) Jeremiah 29.11-13			(1) Acts 2.38
(1) Psalm 24.1	(1) Micah 6.8
(1) Psalm 27.1