March 1, 2009

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 Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY. It is my prayer that Quiz Finals would be a meaningful spiritual experience for you and your students. On the web site you will find the registration forms for Quiz Finals. These need to be sent to the Denominational Director, Eric Young, postmarked by May 1, 2009.

DATES: Opening registration will be on Monday (July 6) from 3:00 - 6:00pm in Room 219 of the Cultural Life Center.  The closing banquet and subsequent awards ceremony will be on Friday afternoon, July 10. 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/Airport Shuttle, QUIC Adult Quizzing, and Medical. All of these need to be mailed to Eric Young with your payment by May 1, 2009. 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 $25 per person per night.) These forms are not attached to this letter, but can be downloaded from the 2009 Quiz Finals web page at http://www.fmquizzing.org/09finals/

HOUSING & MEALS: Registration for quizzers and adults is $189.00 for programming, four nights lodging, eleven meals, and a t-shirt. Housing on campus will be limited to the first 600 persons that register. After 600 persons have registered, teams will need to make their own housing arrangements at nearby hotels or campgrounds. (The individual registration fee will be reduced by $80 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 $20 per person.

LINENS: Towels, sheets, and blankets WILL be provided for everyone.  However, you will need to bring your own pillow.  Pillows are limited and will only be provided for those teams arriving by plane.

CHILDREN: The rate for non-quizzing children who sleep on the floor in their parent’s room is $109 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 and 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.  Eric Young will be processing and confirming recommendations.  A quizmaster is not confirmed until he/she has received confirmation from Eric. 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 Director, Eric Young.

QUIC (QUizmasters Including Coaches) quizzing will be over the following material from Luke – chapters 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15 and all 38 quotes from the season. 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 Rochester airport and train station ONLY WILL be be provided.  If you need to be picked up and returned, please fill out the provided form.

TRAVEL INTO CANADA: If you plan to travel through Canada on your way to and from Quiz Finals or plan to visit Niagara Falls on the Canadian side while traveling to or from Quiz Finals, please be aware of the new requirements that will go into effect on June 1, 2009:

On June 1, 2009, the U.S. government will implement the full requirements of the land and sea phase of WHTI. The proposed rules require most U.S. citizens entering the United States at sea or land ports of entry to have a passport, passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

CHILDREN: U.S. citizen children under the age of 16 will be able to present the original or copy of their birth certificate, or other proof of U.S. citizenship such as a naturalization certificate or citizenship card.

Groups of U.S. citizen children ages 16 through 18, when traveling with a school or religious group, social organization, or sports team, will be able to enter under adult supervision with originals or copies of their birth certificates or other proof of citizenship. See the Department of Homeland Security's GetYouHome.gov for more information on the changing travel requirements.

COLLEGE CONTACT: Our Roberts Wesleyan College contacts are Mary Jane Devan, Housing Coordinator and David Dunn, Conferences Services Director. The Conference Services office phone number is (585) 594-6230 or e-mail address is Conferences@roberts.edu. Feel free to call or e-mail them with any questions that you might have about Roberts Wesleyan College.

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 Voller Athletic Center to conclude Quiz Finals.  (The theme will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.)  Several evening activities are being planned including a carnival, an evening of worship with Relevant Worship (www.relevantworshipmusic.com) , and the testimony/communion service. Recreational activities during the free time include swimming, basketball, tennis and ping pong. 

DEADLINE: Mail all forms (including medical forms for each person in your group) and your payment (checks made out to "Roberts Wesleyan College" or your credit card information) to Eric Young in Scottsville, 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. Forms are available on our web site. Remember that housing on campus will be provided only for the first 600 persons that are registered.  Any registrants after that will need to make reservations in area hotels and campgrounds.  No refunds will be made after June 1st.

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.  Corrections to team registrations cannot be made after June 1st. 

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.

Eric

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