March 1, 2008

Dear Bible Quiz Leader:

We 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, MI. 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 2, 2008.

DATES: Opening registration will be on Monday (July 7) from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m in the Poling Center Lobby. The closing banquet and subsequent awards ceremony will be on Friday afternoon, July 11. Everyone will be free to head toward home late Friday afternoon. Friday night housing is not included.

FORMS: There are seven registration forms: Payment, Housing, Team, Individual, Additional Night Housing, QUIC Adult Quizzing, and Medical. All of these need to be mailed to Eric Young with your payment by May 2, 2008. 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 $20 per person per night.) These forms are not attached to this letter, but can be downloaded from the 2008 Quiz Finals web page at www.fmquizzing.org/08finals/

HOUSING & MEALS: Registration for quizzers and adults is $195.00 for programming, five nights lodging, eleven meals, and a t-shirt. Housing on campus will be limited to the first 750 persons that register. After 750 persons have registered, teams will need to make their own housing arrangements at nearby hotels. (The individual registration fee will be reduced by $90 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 $15 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 $105 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 Co-Directors 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. Mark Colgan will be processing and confirming recommendations. A quizmaster is not confirmed until he/she has received confirmation from Mark Colgan. Selected approved staff will not be charged the registration cost. Do not register someone as staff until that person has received confirmation from the Denominational Co-Directors, Mike Hopper and Eric Young or Mark Colgan (quizmasters).

QUIC (QUizmasters Including Coaches) quizzing will be over the book of Galatians. 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
    Michigan Flyer: 1-888-MI-FLYER (1-888-643-5937)
  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 Paul Korson. His office phone number is (517) 750-6427. His e-mail address is pkorson@arbor.edu. If you have any questions about Spring Arbor University, feel free to contact Paul.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: On Friday afternoon, there will be a special dinner and subsequent awards ceremony. Plans are to have a thematic Awards Banquet in the Field House to conclude Quiz Finals. (The theme will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.) Also several evening activities are being planned including a carnival, waterslide, games, and the testimony/communion service. Recreational activities during the free time include swimming, basketball and tennis. Seminars to better equip the adult leadership for more effective ministry to youth are being planned.

DEADLINE: Mail all forms (including medical forms for each person in your group) and your payment (checks made out to "Spring Arbor University" or your credit card information) to Eric Young in Scottsville, NY. It must be postmarked by May 2nd. Late registrations may not be accepted. Please make and keep a copy of the completed registration forms before mailing. Forms are available on our web site. Remember that housing on campus will be provided only for the first 750 persons that are registered. Any registrants after that will need to make reservations in area hotels. No refunds will be made after June 2nd.

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 2nd .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. Corrections to team registrations cannot be made after June 2nd.

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

Mike & Eric

Mike Hopper * Co-Director
Free Methodist Youth Bible Quizzing
(507) 352-5455 E-mail: swimfast@hmtel.com

Eric Young * Co-Director
Free Methodist Youth Bible Quizzing
(585) 571-4544 E-mail: fmquizzing@gmail.com