Organizing Your Box

Supplies

NCFCA rules allow competitors to bring the following into the competition room: box, blank and/or prepared 4 x 6 index cards, a pen/pencil and a Bible.

• Box: the important thing with this is that it fits 4 x 6 cards. Beyond that, you can do pretty much anything. I used a shoebox covered with wrapping paper (although if you do that, I would recommend reinforcing the box with duct tape, as mine got pretty beat up after three years). Many of the people in my club used photo boxes. For smaller collections, index card files are popular.
• Index cards: they absolutely have to be 4 x 6, or you will be penalized. It’s a good idea to keep extra blank cards in your box, in case you have a brilliant new idea in a round or you draw a speech you’re unprepared for and need to write one during prep time.
• Pen/pencil: …make sure it works. Also, that you don’t leave it in the competition room. I lost a lot of really nice pens that way. 😦
• Bible: this should be your own Bible, the one you’ve studied, so that you’re familiar with it and can easily find verses you’re looking for. I use the RSVCE translation, but as of today (7/12/15) there are no restrictions on which translation you are allowed to use.

While you can’t take a binder into the room, I found having one very helpful. I kept in it a complete list of the topics that I printed off the NCFCA website, and I’d cross off each topic as I completed the card set and filed it in my box. It was also useful for keeping track of quotes or stories that I came across in my reading and wanted to include in card sets, but didn’t have time to outline at the moment. When I sat down to work on apologetics, I could reference this page and see, “Oh, I wanted to put James 5:16 into my card set about prayer” or “Hmmm, page 54 of Mere Christianity must have had something to do with that topic on Jesus’ divinity.”

Organization

It’s essential that your box be well-organized, so you don’t waste prep time trying to find what you’re looking for.

• Labeling Cards:
  • On your cover card (more about cover cards on this page), write the topic at the top. As you flip through the box, it will be easy to find the ones that correspond with the topics you’ve drawn. This part of the labeling is helpful during prep time, as you’re trying to find the card you need.
  • Label each card in the upper right hand corner with the Category number, Section type, and Section number. For instance, “Explain the meaning and significance of the eternality of God” is from Category 1, Definitions #6. I labeled it 1:D6. “Why are there parallel myths to the Biblical narrative in other religions?” is from Category 2, General Questions 9. I labeled it 2:GQ9. “Analyze and respond to the statement: ‘I don’t need to go to church. I can worship God wherever I am.'” is from Category 4, Statement Analysis 8. I labeled it 4:SA8. This part of the labeling is helpful after your round, as you’re trying to put your card back in the correct place. Having each card in the same place every time will streamline prep time. It’s also useful if your box gets dropped or knocked over.
• Organize cards by category: Print out a list of the topics from NCFCA, and arrange the cards in order. I took five index cards (one for each category) and put the topics for each category on its own card. At the top of the card I wrote the category number (“Category 1: Existence and Nature of God”). I also used different colored markers to tint the upper edge of each of these cards (Category 1 was red, Category 2 was yellow, and so on). During prep time, it was easy to see where each category began and ended. File each card set in the correct category.
• Organize cards by section: Within categories, put definitions together, general questions together, statement analyses together.
• Organize cards by number: within sections, put the cards in numerical order. (Definitions 1-10, General Questions 1-8, etc.)