June 18, 2010
Dear Quiz Coach,
Bible Quiz Finals at Greenville College is only a week away! There are still many details left to cover and your leadership team is working overtime to make this an exciting and enjoyable event.
The previous update from last week has a lot of important information. You can find it lower in this page.
The newest update is below:
(1) DAVE MARKELL EXCELLENCE IN ATTITUDE AWARD: Each year at Quiz Finals, a graduating senior is honored for their excellence in attitude. This award is named in honor of the Dave Markell. Rev. David Markell served as the Director of Youth Ministries during the 1980's, before his untimely death from leukemia. His leadership and advocacy of quizzing lives on through the lives of hundreds of quizzers, officials and coaches to whom he ministered. His attitude, even as he faced death, was always one of calm, wisdom and strength. His family has consented to the use of his name to honor the quizzer who most exemplifies the life of Christ through their attitudes and behavior in quizzing.
Directores, coaches and leaders are invited to nominate a graduating senior who will be in attendance at Quiz Finals. Nominations need to be submitted to Eric Young by Thursday, June 24th. Nominations will be considered closed after June 24th; no nominations will be accepted at Quiz Finals.
(2) STATEMENT OF CLARIFICATION REGARDING QUESTIONS: Throughout 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul switches back and forth numerous times between referring to himself alone (“I,” “me”) and referring to himself along with one of his co-authors (“we,” “us”). Accordingly, questions at Nationals this year will precisely reflect Paul’s self-identification. So, when the portion says “I” or “me,” the question will use “Paul.” (Obviously when there is someone else speaking, like God, for example, the question will refer to that speaker, not Paul.) And when the portion says “we” or “us,” the question will use “both Paul and Sosthenes” (for 1 Corinthians) or “both Paul and Timothy” (for 2 Corinthians).
There are two important exceptions to this rule. First, there are a few passages where another group (such as “us apostles” in 1 Cor. 4:9) is clearly identified as the “we” or “us.” In those cases, this other, identified group will be used in the questions. Second, there will be some cross-chapter questions where the question may simply ask what “Paul” did but which may require an answer that includes what Paul alone did (“I,” “me”) as well as what he and one of his co-authors did (“we,” “us”). This is logical since Paul is necessarily included in his “we” and “us” statements.
Hopefully this will help as you study for Nationals, especially by making careful note as to which passages use which pronouns (“I”/”we”, etc.). As you hear “Paul” or “both Paul and Timothy” (for example), this should help you to narrow down which passage of Scripture the question is coming from.
If you have questions of further clarification of this statement, do not hesitate to ask, sooner rather than later.
(3) TEAM TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE: Given the distribution of teams among the divisions and the limited time to run larger double elimination tournaments at the end of the week, we are building on processes we have used in the past to fairly seed the tournament and provide a reasonable amount of quizzing for all teams.
We have strong registration in Senior Teen Veteran A division this year. Fifteen teams will have a full round robin and double elimination tournament. In Senior Teen Rookie and Young Teen Veteran A we have seven and eight teams respectively registered in each division. This will allow a double-round robin (each team will quiz all other teams twice) and culminate in a normal double elimination tournament.
We have 21 teams registered in both Senion Teen Veteran B and Young Teen Veteran B. As we have done in the past, only the top sixteen teams after the round robin will advance to the double elimination tournament in each of these two divisions. We will divide each of these two larger divisions into two balanced subdivisions. Teams will quiz all of the other teams within their subdivision and a specific number of teams outside of their subdivision. The rounds outside of a team's subdivision are important, and will be used in tie-breaking situations. What will be slightly different this year is that for the double elimination tournament, we will combine the teams from both divisions that don't make the sixteen team cut into a single consolation division. This division will have both senior teen and young teen teams competing among themselves on the tournament day.
Within Young Teen Rookie we have exactly 16 teams registered total between A and B. These teams will be combined into a single YTR division (no distinction between A and B) for both the round robin and double elimination tournament.
(4) SPORTS TOURNAMENT/ADMISSIONS NIGHT: On Tuesday night there will be a sports tournament hosted by the admissions department. Students will be encouraged to sign up on teams of 7-10. This is a great opportunity to meet students from other churches. Each team will participate in indoor volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball, dodgeball and capture the flag. Each team will earn points and a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place team will be awarded. Sign ups will take place Monday night during registration.
(5) TALENT SHOW ACTS STILL NEEDED: We have 4 teams signed up for the talent show on Wednesday night. We are still in need of 11 more acts! Please sign up this week!!! We know our students have talent!
June 10, 2010
Dear Quiz Coach,
Bible Quiz Finals at Greenville College is only a few weeks away. Paul and I are looking forward to a great time of worship, fellowship, training, celebration, and competition with 91 of the top teams from across the United States. About 500 youth and adults have registered. There are several Quiz Finals matters for the immediate attention of attending coaches; please take special note of each one, and please pray for God's blessing and working during this special event.
There is one week left to make division changes for your teams (due by NOON on June 18th). Please be sure to review your team registration at: http://www.fmquizzing.org/10finals/teammatrix.shtml.
Notes on how the team tournament will be run this year, based on received regsitrations, can be found at: http://www.fmquizzing.org/10finals/compnotes.shtml.
May God abundantly bless you and your faithful ministry to youth.
Eric Young -- Director
Free Methodist Youth Bible Quizzing
(585) 943-7374 fmquizzing@gmail.com
P.S. If you are not attending Quiz Finals, please also remember this important ministry event in your prayers. Thanks.
(1) REGISTRATION LINE: Coaches will register at the Armington Center of Greenville College from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 28th. To help expedite the process we encourage coaches to have a copy of their registration forms with them during registration.
Note: Any coaches who registered more than one team in the same division need to make sure that their strongest team is the team # 1 and the weaker is team # 2. The competition has been set up with this assumption in mind.
(2) INDIVIDUALS REGISTRATION: Statistician Paul Stackhouse needs coaches to confirm ahead of registration which quizzers are honestly prepared and willing to participate in individual competition. Each year six hours or so is spent trying to balance the rooms, and each year a few quizzers who were "signed-up" by their coach don't end up "showing-up" at the quiz. This ends up giving an advantage to the fewer number of quizzers who are left in the room. There's no problem if quizzers want to drop out of individuals during registration, but once registration is complete, we really need them to follow-through with their commitment.
Information on how individual advancement will take place can be found at: http://www.fmquizzing.org/10finals/indivnotes.shtml.
(3) WHAT TO BRING: Please make sure your quizzers bring a light jacket or sweatshirt. Also bring sunscreen and pillows. Linens will NOT be provided. Bring nice clothes for the awards banquet, and appropriate quizzing and recreational clothing (See next item!). Make sure quizzers do NOT bring any "water-fight" materials or "fire-works" materials. Coaches will be held responsible if their quizzers are involved in any of these activities. Large stereo systems are also discouraged since we want to keep music levels appropriate.
(4) DRESS GUIDELINES: Coaches, please talk with your quizzers about appropriate dress! We ask girls not to wear low-cut tops, halter tops, spaghetti-string tops, mid-drift tops, or mini-skirts. These have been of particular concern while girls are in a quizzing position. Also, we ask guys not to wear pants that show boxers or briefs, and we ask guys to wear shirts at all times. Please do not bring skateboards or roller blades.
(5) HOUSING: Everyone registered for Quiz Finals will be housed in an air-conditioned room! You can leave your fans at home .
(6) LINENS: Towels, sheets, and blankets WILL NOT be provided. Everyone will need to provide their own towels, sheets, blankets and pillows. LINENS WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR ANYONE.
(7) FOLLOW ALONG AT HOME: Let your parents and church know that they can follow along with the competition on the web page at:
http://www.fmquizzing.org. Paul Stackhouse will be making daily updates to the page with the results of quizzing and current standings and photos from the event. The daily schedule is already posted.
Tourney e-mail: Family members and friends who are unable to attend may also use this address [finals@biblequizzer.com] to send encouraging messages to their teams. These may be posted for public viewing.
(8) TEAM OUTFITS: We are planning on offering a "spit-shine" award this year for the quizzing outfit that best meets the following criteria: Name of team, name of quizzer, creativity, and goes with a theme of the current quizzing material. We'd also like to see the uniforms of a design that would be functional / usable in actual quizzing competition. The "Spit-Shine" competition will be at the end of our OPENING SESSION on Monday evening. If you are able, Paul would like to encourage teams to e-mail him at finals@biblequizzer.com a serious digital photo of your team ahead of finals. (Paul won't promise that he will use all of the photos, but if teams would like to pose in front of their church sign or at a practice in uniform, we'll try to use it.)
Teams are encouraged to bring and use their digital cameras as we will have the capability of off-loading their files and displaying selected photos at various events throughout the week and on the web site.
(9) AWARDS BANQUET: Bible Quiz Finals will conclude with a dinner and awards ceremony. Both of these will occur in the same location - the Armington Center. The food service staff is confident that we will all be able to eat together in the dining hall, which means there will be air-conditioning for the banquet!. Our banquet will be formal, so please encouraged your quizzers to dress up since many photographs will be taken at the awards ceremony.
(10) JUMP SEATS: Please DO NOT FORGET your quiz seats. If you have a broken set, bring it along also as electrician Lyle McCoon, Sr., will be available to repair sets throughout this event at no cost. Take advantage of this opportunity to have your quizzing equipment made ready for the new season. If you have old sets that you are not using and would like to donate them to new teams getting started, please bring those sets to Quiz Finals as well. ALSO, PLEASE LABEL ALL YOUR JUMP SEATS AND JUMP BOXES WITH YOUR CHURCH'S NAME. (A return address label on each part works well.)
(11) QUIZ SUPPLIES: At Quiz Finals, coaches will have an opportunity to buy quiz materials for next season as study begins on the Book of John. Kevin Gunter from ACME Quiz Products will be on campus from Tuesday evening through Thursday evening with supplies for purchase. The quote verses and break down of the chapters will be posted at the quizzing web site within the next few weeks. Those selling materials have already been contacted and the order forms and promotional materials we receive from them will be placed in the registration packets that coaches receive in the registration line.
(12) 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 right now to the denominational Director Eric Young for consideration. ADD is one condition that may be considered in this category.
(13) COACHES' MEETING: On Tuesday evening while the Admissions Department is providing activities for the youth, the coaches and quiz leadership will meet in LaDue Auditorium. A Conference & Regional Directors meeting will also take place following the coaches' meeting. The Bible Quiz Ministry Suggestion Form is attached to this e-mail. I encourage to take time to think about this past season and come prepared to discuss any new ideas or concerns you may have. You are also welcome to e-mail any feedback to me as well. Our chapel speakers this year include Pastor Chadwick Anderson (youth pastor at Decatur, IL), Pastor Josh Mackenstein (Pittsburgh Conference Quizzing Director and pastor of New Brighton, PA FMC), FM World Missions Director Dr. Art Brown, and Pastor Chris Hemberry (church planter and leader of fm:infuse).
(14) SPECIAL OFFERING: On Thursday morning during chapel, Dr. Art Brown will be speaking on the topic of "Sowing Generously, Reaping Generously." We will be focusing on the church's response to the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. We will be taking a special offering to be given to the Bishop's Famine and Relief Fund to continue to support the church's response.
(15) TALENT SHOW: We are attempting to bring the talent show back. Right now, it will be a rather quick show with only one act registered! We are limiting the show to first 15 acts that register. Please e-mail me right away to register!
(16) QUIC quizmasters are needed for Bible Quiz Finals. As coordinator of the QUIC program for this year's finals, Laura Colberg is interested in names of responsible teens who would come recommended by their coach. Please forward interested names to Laura, with a brief summary of experience and qualifications. She'd like to have a pool of 9-12 names to choose from. You may reply to her directly at laura@lawgate.net.
(17) COLLEGE CONTACTS: Our Greenville College contact is Tom Ackerman, Conference Services Director. The Conference Services office phone number is (618) 664-6509 or e-mail address is Tom.Ackerman@greenville.edu. Feel free to call or e-mail him with any questions that you might have about Greenville College.
(18) DATE FOR THE NEXT QUIZ FINALS:
June 27-July 1, 2010 @ Spring Abrbor University in Spring Arbor, MI
(19) DEADLINE FOR CONTACTING ERIC: You can reach me, Eric, at fmquizzing@gmail.com or call my cell at 585-943-7374. Our family will be leaving for Quiz Finals on Saturday, June 26th.
(20) PRAYER: Please be praying for an outstanding Quiz Finals, where the young people are strengthened in their faith, experience loving Christian fellowship, and are encouraged to continue their study of God's Word. Please pray for the officials and quiz leaders, for the youth ministry equipping training, for safe travel, and for a spirit of unity among us. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be honored in all that takes place.
March 2, 2010
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 Greenville College in Greenville, IL. 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, 2010.
DATES: Opening registration will be on Monday (June 28) from 3:00 - 6:00pm in the Armington Center. Please note that no meals will be served on Monday. The closing banquet and subsequent awards ceremony will be on Friday afternoon, July 2. 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, 2010. 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 $15 per person per night.) These forms are not attached to this letter, but can be downloaded from the 2010 Quiz Finals web page at http://www.fmquizzing.org/10finals/
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 650 persons that register. After 650 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 $15 per person.
LINENS: Towels, sheets, blankets, and pillow cases will NOT be provided. Everyone will need to provide their own towels, sheets, blankets and pillows. LINENS WILL NOT BE PROVIDED FOR ANYONE.
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 DOES 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. The Association of Free Methodist Educational Institutions awards the top three finishers in the Senior Teen Veteran Individual Division, valuable scholarships to any Free Methodist college or university to honor their accomplishments.
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 book of 2 Corinthians 1-10 and all 45 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 St. Louis airport ONLY will be provided. If you need to be picked up and returned, please fill out the provided form.
COLLEGE CONTACT: Our Greenville College contact is Tom Ackerman, Conference Services Director. The Conference Services office phone number is (618) 664-6509 or e-mail address is Tom.Ackerman@greenville.edu. Feel free to call or e-mail him with any questions that you might have about Greenville 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 Crum Recreation Center to conclude Quiz Finals. (The theme will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.) Several evening activities are being planned including a carnival, a talent show, and the testimony/communion service. Recreational activities during the free time include basketball, tennis, and volleyball.
TALENT SHOW: The Talent Show is back and will take place on Wednesday evening. The show will be limited to the first 15 acts to sign up. There is a limit of one act per church. All acts need to be submitted by e-mail to Eric Young.
DEADLINE: Mail all forms (including medical forms for each person in your group) and your payment (checks made out to "Greenville 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 650 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. While refunds for team registrations cannot be made after June 1st, legitimate requests to drop or move teams between divisions should be communicated as soon as the coach is aware of the need. Accomodating teams moving between divisions after June 1 are granted at the discretion of the tournament leadership and are rarely allowed within a week before the tournament.
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
