LYLE MCCOON, JR.

1. What years did you quiz?
   1985-1991
2. Where and for what church did you quiz?
   Pontiac (MI) First Free Methodist Church; Clarkston (MI) Free Methodist Church (We changed churches after my 7th grade year)
3. What were the highlights of your quizzing years?
   Rededicating my life to Christ for the first time at the Communion service at Nationals after my 9th grade year; getting to go to 5 Nationals at 4 different Free Methodist colleges; quizzing with and against many future close friends including my future wife, Dawn Bosworth.
4. Did you or your team win any championships? If so, what and when?
   My team was East Michigan Conference champs in 1990 and 1991 in STV; at Nationals, however, no; sadly, the closest we came was a 3rd place finish in STR in Seattle in 1989. Individually, I was the East Michigan Conference champ in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991; at Nationals, the closest I came was in 1988 when I finished 2nd at Greenville in YT Individuals and in 1989 when I finished 4th in Seattle in ST Individuals.
5. Did you receive any other special quizzing awards? If so, what?
   I was captain of the Senior Team All-Star Team at Nationals in 1989, 1990, and 1991, quizzing out every round of Nationals all three years.
6. What was your favorite scripture? Why?
   My favorite passage was always 2 Corinthians 4:7-9. I loved the imagery of the passage, and it was a source of encouragment to me to continue living an overt and openly Christian life in my public high school.
7. How did quizzing affect you as a teen?
   It completely rearranged my attitudes. I was quite stuck on myself as a young teen, and success in quizzing fed my arrogance. What I did not realize is that the Scripture I was memorizing was working on my heart, even if I did not realize it. It all came together at the Communion service at Nationals in Greenville after my 9th grade year when I realized how messed up I was and rededicated my life to Christ. After that, my attitudes changed greatly and I became far more ministry minded, receiving a call to full-time ministry the following year.
8. What difference has quizzing made in your life to this day?
   Quizzing's influence on my life is immeasurable. I am literally the person I am today because of quizzing. Through its motivation to memorize Scripture, quizzing has continued to impact my life every year that I have participated (20 years now).
9. Are you presently involved in Bible quizzing in any way or have you since you were a quizzer? If so, how?
   I am currently the conference director for the New South Conference as well as the national question writer for the C level quiz questions. In addition, I have for the past several years written the Junior questions for the Pacific Northwest. The following is a summation of my quizzing participation since graduating high school: head coach of Greenville, IL (1991-1995); conference director of Gateway Conference (1996-1999); regional director over Gateway, North Central, Great Plains, etc. (1998-2000); head coach of Quincy, IL (1999-2000); conference director of New South Conference (2000-present); head coach of Open Door, Nicholasville, KY (2000-2003).
10. What ministries are you currently doing? How are you presently active in serving the Lord?
    I am an ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church. I have served local churches as pastor for 9 years. I am also pursuing a doctorate in New Testament (working on the book of James) with a view to teaching Bible and theology in a Christian college or seminary. I currently fill in preaching as needed, teach a Sunday School class, and give leadership to the Nicholasville (KY) Open Door Free Methodist Church.