March 1, 2006

Dear Bible Quiz Leader:

I trust you are having a great Bible quizzing season and that you are looking forward to participating in the exciting conclusion to this season at the Bible Quiz Finals at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. On the web site you will find the registration forms for Quiz Finals. These need to be sent to the Quiz Finals Tournament Co-director Eric Young (in New York), postmarked by May 1, 2006

DATES: Opening registration will be on Monday (June 26) from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Please note that no meals will be served on Monday. (Fast-food is located within close walking distance.) The closing banquet and subsequent awards ceremony will be early Friday afternoon, June 30. Everyone will be free to head toward home Friday afternoon. Friday night housing is not included, but additional lodging at SAU is available for an additional cost. (See Additional Housing Form.)

FORMS: There are seven registration forms: Payment, Housing, Team, Individual, Additional Housing, QUIC Adult Quizzing, and Medical. All of these need to be mailed to Eric Young with your payment by May 1, 2006. A completed medical form for each person in your group (quizzers, adults, children) must accompany these forms. If you need housing for extra nights, please fill out the additional form for these needs. (Extra night housing is available at $14 per person per night.) These forms can be downloaded from the 2006 Quiz Finals web page at www.fmquizzing.org/06finals/

HOUSING & MEALS: Registration for quizzers and adults is $175.00 for programming, four nights lodging, eleven meals, and a t-shirt. Housing on campus will be limited to the first 630 persons that register. After 630 persons have registered, teams will need to make their own housing arrangements at nearby hotels. (The individual registration fee will be reduced by $55 for those not staying on campus, and that can be applied toward the cost of the hotel rooms.) In addition, the first teams to register will have first chance to stay in the air-conditioned rooms. Extra banquet tickets may be purchased for $13 per person.

LINENS: Towels, sheets, blankets, and pillow cases will NOT be provided for anyone. EVERYONE will need to provide their own towels, sheets, blankets and pillows. This condition holds true even for those flying in.

CHILDREN: The rate for non-quizzing children who sleep on the floor in their parent’s room is $120 for ages four and up, and free for three and under.

TEAM QUIZZING: Each team registration will be $160. This cost covers the quizmaster expense, Quiz Finals expenses, and what it takes to run the Bible quiz ministry through the year. We may run eight divisions, with an A and a B level in each division. Please mark the appropriate division for each of your teams on your team form. (We reserve the right to move teams from A to B, or from B to A, based on their performance during the season, particularly when 16 teams have already registered for a division.) There will be no C divisions. Remember that in order to be a rookie team, the team can have only one experienced quizzer. If a team has two quizzers who have each quizzed at least one half of a year before this quiz season, then that team must be a veteran team. (Quizzing in 6th grade and under does not count toward this experience.)

SPECIAL TEAM REGISTRATIONS: Any coach wishing to register a team that is not made up of members as defined by the Rulebook must contact the Denominational Director before registering such a team. This includes teams made up of quizzers who do not all attend the same church, teams that have quizzers under 6th grade, and many other possible scenarios which may occur. Quizzers without teams can attend and be placed on a "pooled" team of like quizzers, but must compete in a "B" level division.

INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION: Please register quizzers for Individual Competition. The cost is $5.00 each. In the top Senior Teen Veteran Individual Division, scholarships to any Free Methodist College will be awarded in the amounts of $2,000 for 1st, $1,750 for 2nd, and $1,500 for 3rd place.

DISABILITIES: If you have a quizzer with a disability for whom you would like to request special consideration in the competition, please send your request as soon as possible to the denominational director for consideration. ADD is one condition that may be considered in this category.

JUMP SEATS: Quiz Seats are needed. Please bring them. Also please bring your broken down sets. Two skilled electricians have volunteered to work throughout Quiz Finals to repair jump seats at no cost to you. Let’s make sure that all our jump seats are in good working condition--not only for this tournament, but also for the coming quiz season.

QUIZMASTERS: will be contacted directly concerning their participation in Bible Quiz Finals, after the Denominational Director has received recommendations from the Conference and Regional directors. A quizmaster is not confirmed until he/she has received confirmation from the Denominational Director. Selected approved staff will not be charged the registration cost. Do not register someone as staff until that person has received confirmation from me.

QUIC: (QUizmasters Including Coaches) quizzing will be over James 1-5 and Romans 8. We are asking that adults form teams and register to compete either as a team of former quizzers or a team of non-former quizzers. If there is one former quizzer on the team, it qualifies as a former quizzer team. Coaches and quizmasters are encouraged to get a team together to enjoy the fellowship. There will also be QUIC Individual quizzing--divided into two categories--former quizzers and non-former quizzers.

AIRPORT PICKUP: Transportation to and from the airports and train stations will NOT be provided. If you need to be picked up at the airport and returned there, you will need to make the arrangements on your own. The following are shuttle companies that provide shuttle from the airport to campus:
      Chelsea Airporter Transportation Service: 1-800-644-3444
      Detroit Metro Airport Service: 1-800-720-0797
  The following company would be good for people taking the train into Jackson:
      City Cab Company: 517-841-9630

COLLEGE CONTACT: Our Spring Arbor University contact is Dawn Schnitkey. Her office phone number is (517) 750-6427. Her e-mail address is danderso@arbor.edu If you have any questions about Spring Arbor University, feel free to contact Dawn.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: Around Friday noon, there will be a special dinner and subsequent awards ceremony. Tentative plans are to have a thematic Awards Banquet in the Sport's Facilty to conclude Quiz Finals. (The theme will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.) Also several evening activities are being planning including an inflatable carnival, talent show, and the testimony/communion service. Recreational activities during the free time include beach volleyball, swimming, basketball, and ping pong. Seminars to better equip the adult leadership for more effective ministry to youth are being planned.

TALENT SHOW: If there are groups that want to be a part of the talent show, they need to register prior to Finals by sending an e-mail description (along with the coach's endorsement) of their act to Eric Young at fmquizzing@gmail.com Acts need to be registered prior to arrival at Quiz Finals. Only the first 15 acts to register will be accepted, and only one act per church is allowed.

DEADLINE: Mail all forms (including medical forms for each person in your group) and your payment (check) made out to "Spring Arbor University" to Eric Young in Gowanda, NY. It must be postmarked by May 1st. Late registrations may not be accepted. Please make and keep a copy of the completed registration forms before mailing. Additional forms are available on our web site. Remember that housing on campus will be provided only for the first 630 persons that are registered. Any registrants after that will need to make reservations in area hotels.

CONFIRMATION: Please be checking our web site at www.fmquizzing.org for additional information on Quiz Finals. Updated team registrations will be posted there following May 1st . Your only registration confirmation will be that your teams will be posted on the web site. Corrections to team and individual registration can be made via e-mail to Eric Young at fmquizzing@gmail.com.

Please be praying for God to touch lives in a special way at Quiz Finals. Pray for God's leadership for Eric Young and me as we co-direct this important ministry event. May God richly bless you and your ministry for Him.

2006 BIBLE QUIZ FINALS AT SPRING ARBOR UNIVERSITY:

The time for Quiz Finals at Spring Arbor University is fast approaching. Promotion for this tournament was sent out (via e-mail) about a month ago, and already registrations have begun arriving.  If you did not receive the promotion, copies of the letter and registration forms can be found at the quizzing web site at www.fmquizzing.org.

Please note that those planning on attending Bible Quiz Finals need to have their registrations mailed to Eric Young by May 1st. Housing is available on campus for the first 630 persons who register.  As of March 31st, a total of 11 teams with 63 participants have registered.

One of the special features for this Quiz Finals is an awards banquet built around the theme of the Oscars.  While we won't provide the opportunity for acceptance speeches, the look of the banquet facility and possibly even the trophies will go along with the theme.  Coaches are asked to encourage their youth to dress nicely for this part of Quiz Finals.

If there are groups that want to be a part of the talent show, they need to register prior to Finals by sending an e-mail description (along with the coach's endorsement) of their act to Eric Young at fmquizzing@gmail.com  Acts need to be registered prior to arrival at Quiz Finals. Only the first 15 acts to register will be accepted, and only one act per church is allowed. So far, one church has registered an act.

In order to better support youth and adults in other countries who are interested in learning God's word through the Bible Quizzing ministry, a special offering will be received at Quiz Finals.  All funds received will help in purchasing scripture portions and jump seats and providing other materials for Bible Quizzing in countries outside the United States.

In regard to questions at Finals, the "A" level questions will be used for STV-A; "B" level questions will be used for STV-B, STR, and YTV; and "C" level will be used for YTR.

If you are planning on attending Bible Quiz Finals and have questions about the campus or area, please contact Dawn Schnitkey. Her phone number is (517) 750-6427.  Her e-mail address is danderso@arbor.edu  If you have any questions about Spring Arbor University, feel free to contact Dawn.

Quiz mailing sent 5/15

1)  CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION:  The team registrations have been posted at the Bible Quiz web site.

A total of 108 teams from 60 churches from the US have registered for Bible Quiz Finals.  (About 600 persons are registered for this event.)  The team registrations have been posted at the Bible Quiz web site at www.fmquizzing.org.  Specifically the address is:  http://www.fmquizzing.org/06finals/teammatrix.shtml.  Please take a moment to check the web site and make sure that your teams have been accurately registered.  If you desire to make any changes or corrections, please submit those to Eric Young (fmquizzing@gmail.com) by May 26th.

SENIOR TEEN VETERAN "A" DIVISION:  At this time, 19 teams are registered for the Senior Teen Veteran "A" Division at Bible Quiz Finals.  Our time limitations only allow for a 16-team double-elimination tournament on Thursday, and so 3 of the STV-A teams will be eliminated following the round robin competition of Tuesday and Wednesday.  (There will be no further competition for those 3 teams at Finals.)  If you have registered for STV-A and would like to change that to STV-B, you have until May 26th to make the change.  Please contact Eric Young at fmquizzing@gmail.com immediately if you wish to make this change.

As for other divisions with more than 16 teams, those divisions will be divided into two smaller equal divisions with equal awards offered in each. As in the case of the Senior Teen Rookie Division where the total teams in A and B together are less than 16, those divisions will be combined into one STR division.

2)  OFFERING FOR INTERNATIONAL QUIZZING:  In order to better support youth and adults in other countries who are interested in learning God's word through the Bible Quizzing ministry, a special offering will be received at Quiz Finals.  All funds received will help in purchasing scripture portions and jump seats and providing other materials for Bible Quizzing in countries outside the United States. Presently there are plans for introducing quizzing in Taiwan and Tanzania, and also for actively promoting the quizzing ministry in Canada and the Philippines.  An offering will be received during Wednesday chapel service at Quiz Finals.

3)  "OSCAR NIGHT" will be the theme of our awards banquet at the 2006 Bible Quiz Finals.  The trophies will have the appearance of oscars, and there may be a red carpet entrance.  Sorry, but no acceptance speeches will be allowed. (smile)  The t-shirt provided by Spring Arbor will also reflect this theme.  The youth are asked to be prepared to dress very nicely for this special ocassion.  Another special feature of this theme is being considered, but we are unable to announce it at this time.

4)  TALENT SHOW:  If there are groups that want to be a part of the talent show, they need to register prior to Finals by sending an e-mail description (along with the coach's endorsement) of their act to Eric Young at fmquizzing@gmail.com  Acts need to be registered prior to arrival at Quiz Finals; no acts will be added after June 24th. Only the first 15 acts to register will be accepted, and only one act per church is allowed.  So far three acts have registered.

5)  LINENS: Towels, sheets, blankets, and pillow cases will NOT be provided for anyone.  EVERYONE will need to provide their own towels, sheets, blankets and pillows. This condition holds true even for those flying in.