Defending champions the Golden Girls added another win to their belt last weekend at Mt. Zion AME?s annual Christian Faith Quiz competition, held at the Fairmont Southampton Princess last Saturday.

?It was really a collective effort,? said Ceci Bernard-Lambert of her team?s win. ?Looking back on it, it was a lot of fun. The fellowship we developed? The first two months, I thought: ?What have I got myself into???

Questions are asked in five different categories: Old Testament, New Testament, AME Doctrine and Discipline, Trivia and Miscellany, and Current Events.

?We were given a group of 500 questions,? explained coach Gilda Richards.

Current events questions were all taken from religion section, dating back to October 2005.

?To get us to read the papers, every Sunday they?d ask a two-part question,? said teammate June Dickenson.

New additions are made to the question list each year, particularly in the Trivia and Miscellany category.

The Golden Girls were one of the most senior teams, but a group of young ladies, the Angelic Hosts, aged eight to 13, also made an excellent showing.

?They carried themselves as seasoned quizzers,? Ms. Dickenson said.

The team, which consists of Phyllis Simmons, June Dickenson, Helena Tucker, Ceci Bernard-Lambert and Pandora Moore, was led by coach Gilda Richards and beat out second-place team, the Mighty Men of Valour, by a mere ten points, with a final tally of 165 points to 155 points. Grace and Mercy finished with 150 points and Zion?s Lions with 145 points.

There were two perfect scorers during the finals ? Robert Harvey of the Mighty Men of Valour, and Karen Perinchief from third place team, Grace and Mercy.

Mt. Zion AME is located at Whale Bay, Southampton, and is under the ministry of Rev. Dr. Wilbur Lowe, Jr., JP.