Dear NCFCA Affiliates,

A few NCFCA leaders have asked me to provide a brief statement concerning the selection of Bob Jones University as the host site for the 2009 NCFCA National Championship. Below my signature is information that I provided to NCFCA leaders on May 7^th. In addition to that communication, I would like to add the following thoughts.

First, I’d like to thank NCFCA Affiliates who take the time to express their concerns to NCFCA leadership. NCFCA is a volunteer-led organization comprised of State Representatives, Regional Coordinators, and a Board of Directors who work to provide competitive speech and debate opportunities consistent with the NCFCA Mission Statement. Part time office staff helps with answering some questions, the NCFCA website is continually being updated with an ever-growing amount of information, but much of the service provided by NCFCA leaders consists in addressing Affiliate concerns in one form or another. Some inquiries may fall through the cracks, but many inquiries do require additional handling and investigation before an answer can be given. E-mails sent directly to the Board are most often referred to a committee or specific individual for review and follow up, so an Affiliate should not expect a direct response from each Board member on any particular item. Affiliate concerns may be reviewed at different levels within the organization, so responses may also come through a different channel than the one through which it was received.

Second, regarding the venue for the 2009 National Championship (or any league issue for that matter), I would not intend to minimize any person’s concerns especially in matters of conscience. At the same time, I am compelled to offer some brief comments which may not address every concern, but it will address a competitor’s obligations for attendance at Nationals. Attendance at the National Championship, as with any sanctioned NCFCA event, is solely a family’s choice. Across the country, many NCFCA families work diligently to find facilities to host Qualifiers, Opens, Regionals, and Nationals. I would hazard a guess that not all NCFCA Affiliates would be pleased with every facility chosen for NCFCA events, but each family makes a choice on which events they will attend. After many, many months of work, the site for the National Championship was announced on March 24^th. At that time, families were given the opportunity to consider plans before Nationals invitations were awarded. If a family has conflicts with the plans for Nationals, then they are free to not attend Nationals.  

There is a diversity of doctrinal positions within the body of Christ held by many people in many different denominations. Not all believers will agree with each other on every issue. I am sure that NCFCA would not agree with everything that BJU does, and that BJU would not agree with everything that NCFCA does. And we should recognize that this is the case for most any venue hosting an NCFCA tournament. Just this past season, NCFCA tournaments have been hosted at Baptist, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Lutheran, Methodist, Bible & Independent facilities and also secular facilities and public school facilities. {My apologies if I left anyone out.} Where does this leave us? A “perfect” tournament facility which satisfies every family situation does not likely exist, and each family will make their own attendance choices based on their own criteria. We should always be grateful to God for each tournament facility that He provides.

Once a family chooses to register a competitor for the National Championship (and please note at the time of this writing that registration has not been opened), that participant and family have two obligations. First, NCFCA Affiliates will be expected to abide by tournament rules and regulations throughout the course of the week. Competitors will be expected to attend the mandatory orientation as listed in the tournament schedule. Missing any portion of this mandatory event could lead to dismissal from the tournament. Second, each family is expected to exhibit Christian love and grace throughout the tournament. This is an ongoing obligation that each of us has in all situations. Each of us should demonstrate courtesy and respect to BJU for hosting this tournament, which will cost them more financially than they would ever recoup from the small fee being charged to NCFCA. In addition to that, many dedicated BJU staff members have worked diligently to make our tournament a success, and for that we should be grateful.

We should all be thankful to the NCFCA leaders in Region 8, especially Lisa Kays, who have worked tirelessly to ensure a fantastic experience for all of us at Nationals. Words cannot express sufficient thanks for all of the work which is required to pull off a National Championship.

And to all those individuals who have worked diligently throughout this season to find facilities and host NCFCA tournaments, let me offer the heartfelt thanks of the NCFCA Board.

In His Service,

Mike Larimer

NCFCA Board President

---------- Excerpt from 5/7 NCFCA Leader update ----------

BOB JONES UNIVERSITY DOCTRINAL POSITIONS. There has been some concern expressed by some Affiliates related to BJU doctrinal positions. We all know that in the body of Christ there is a diversity of beliefs beyond even core beliefs such as the virgin birth and inerrancy of Scripture. The Board members who worked on the site selection for this year’s National Championship considered these issues when making a recommendation to the full Board. Instead of participating in rumors, Affiliates with concerns should review the BJU website for more information. Of particular interest may be their statement on race which is located at http://www.bju.edu/welcome/who-we-are/race-statement.php. I would strongly encourage each Affiliate with concerns to do their own personal research as those involved in site selection did several months ago.