To the Bible Quizzing Family,

We’re closing another chapter in the Bible Quizzing program, and looking back on it, I’d like to mention a number of highlights:

• The times of worship and devotions in our quiz meets. I’d like to thank all of you who had a part in leading them.
• The Olympic Memory Challenge. We found it positively delightful that so many of you stepped up to this challenge.
• The Bible Quizzing Steering Committee. Jim Benson, Dwight & Judy Boyum, Stan & Gwen Carlson, John Raygor, and Gary Kadansky really helped to add a lot to the program this year, and helped to carry a lot of the load.
• The new quizzers and families involved in the program. We hope that you have a long future of Bible Quizzing ahead of you.

There are 8 teams from among us that will be competing in the Chicago Tournament at the end of the month. We certainly wish them the very best, and would like to encourage the rest of you to consider participating in the tournaments next year.

And for this year, there is yet one other opportunity to quiz. The World Bible Quiz Association Finals will be held in Cedarville, Ohio, June 25-28. You can find more information on the WBQA website (wbqa.org). I know some of you are planning to go. If others of you have interest in going, please contact Steve Faas.

For those of you who are “graduating” from Bible Quizzing after this year, I want you to know that it has been great to have you in the program over the years. Some of you have been with us for a very long time, and it won’t be the same without you next year. So if you can find a way to come back and help us next year, or coach a new team, that’d be great. Or even if you’re away at college, you might be able to find some kids to work with and start a team wherever you are. But if you’re going to be in the area, and would be available to help with quizmastering and/or scorekeeping, please let me know!

I would like to thank the many people who so enthusiastically volunteer their time and energy to make the quizzing program a success. As you think of all the coaches, quizmasters, scorekeepers, computer-tally folks, and moms and dads who work with quizzers, offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for their contribution.

As you know, the quiz program is run entirely on a volunteer basis, and we rely on donations to make ends meet financially. Many of you donated throughout the year, and we appreciate it very much. A special thanks to those of you who made donations at the last quiz. I think when the dust settles, we’ll be right at the “break-even” point for the year. It truly is amazing to watch how God continues to provide year after year.

During the off-season, keep spreading the word about the Bible Quizzing program. Feel free to contact me to borrow a video. The more teams we can have involved next year, the more fun it will be for all of us. (Not to mention that more kids get into God’s Word). While obviously everyone is welcome, I’m especially interested in recruiting new quizzers into the Little League.

We'll have the Dessert Kickoff in September to start the new quiz year, quizzing over the Book of Luke. We haven't picked a date yet, so you'll hear more about this as it develops. At that time, we'll award permanent trophies for the top teams and individuals and enjoy getting together again.

Please feel free to make any suggestions for the benefit of the quizzing program. Have a great summer, and again, thank you for your support of Bible Quizzing!

PS. The 2009-2010 quizzing year will be our 25th anniversary season. I know it is a ways off yet, but when we get there, we’d like to have a real celebration- something noticeably grander than our normal mode of operation. We’d like to do a lot of the planning for this throughout next year’s quizzing season. If you would like to help with this event, we’d really like to hear from you!

Karl Kirkman