Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

P.R.A.Y. Boy Scout News Bulletin

First Quarter 2005

Welcome to P.R.A.Y.’s Boy Scout News Bulletin.  This Bulletin is how we share information about the religious emblems programs and ways to strengthen relationships with the religious community.

Religious Emblems Awareness Project (R.E.A.P.)

P.R.A.Y. is initiating a Religious Emblems Awareness Project. Its goal is to increase the number of religious emblems recipients among BSA members. Other religious committees and scouter associations will be working together in support of R.E.A.P.

R.E.A.P. is based on the following rationale:

·        Duty to God is an integral part of the Boy Scout Program.

·        Religious emblems reinforce Boy Scout values.

·        Only 3% of youth in BSA receive a religious emblem in any given year

R.E.A.P. is a comprehensive approach incorporating the following tactics:

·        A “Duty to God” patch program – a four-segment patch will be available to youth and adults who learn about the religious emblems and then tell others about them.

·        Religious Emblems course at Philmont (see additional information below)

·        Ten Target Councils – ten councils will be selected for specialized training and field testing of programs

·        Duty to God Program at Philmont and the Sea Base high adventure camps

·        Duty to God Summer Camp Program (being tested by the target councils)

·        Post card mailings – several denominations will do post card mailings directly to their congregations that sponsor units

If your council is interested in serving as a target council in the future, or if you would like more information on R.E.A.P., please contact Mark Hazlewood via email at markp@praypub.org.

New Religious Emblems Course at Philmont

Course:                      Religious Emblems for Youth and Adults

Date:                           August 7-13, 2005

Instructor:                    Mark Hazlewood

It’s not too late to sign up. Besides providing information on the religious emblems programs, this course will also detail how the religious emblems programs can help build membership. For more information on Philmont, click here http://www.scouting.org/philmont/ptc/.

Updates on Religious Emblems

·        The Catholic religious emblems booklets are now available from P.R.A.Y. at www.praypub.org or call 1-800-933-7729.

·        If you have experienced problems getting the Jewish requirements on line, there is an alternative web site: www.scouting.org. Click on “site map” and then “relationships.”

·        The following web sites may be helpful in promoting religious emblems to your constituency:

Baha’i  www.education.usbnc.org/child_spir_ed/scoutin.htm

Catholic www.nccs-bsa.org

Churches of Christ  www.acu.edu/mccs-scouting

Community of Christ www.forefrontministries.org

Eastern Orthodox www.eocs.org

Hindu www.naha.us

Jewish www.jewishscouting.org

Lutheran www.nlas.org

Presbyterian Church (USA) www.presbyterianscouters.org

Friends (Quakers) scouting.quaker.org

United Methodist www.umcscouting.org

Square Knots & Devices

Most people are familiar with the square knot which religious emblems recipients may wear, but not many are familiar with the devices. Only one knot is worn (the silver knot on purple, No. 05007), but any combination of devices may be worn on the same knot to show the different program phases when the emblems were earned. Click here for photos and more detailed descriptions: http://usscouts.org/usscouts/awards/devices.html

Cub Scout device, No. 00926

Webelos Scout device, No. 00932

Boy Scout device, No. 00927

Venturer device, No. 00930

2004 God and Country Usage Reports

P.R.A.Y. reports that the number of God and Country awards earned by members of the BSA increased 1% in 2004. See how your council is doing. Compare your usage (of the P.R.A.Y. programs) to other councils. Click here to see the God & Country YTD usage report for your council.

Congratulations to the following councils who were the top ten users of the God and Country program in 2004:

Sam Houston – Houston, TX

Heart of America – Kansas City, MO

Greater St. Louis Area – St. Louis, MO

National Capital Area – Bethesda, MD

Atlanta Area – Atlanta, GA

Occoneechee – Raleigh, NC

Circle Ten – Dallas, TX

Piedmont – Gastonia, NC

Greater Alabama – Birmingham, AL

Old North State – Greensboro, NC

The following councils had over 100 recipients AND a 50% increase over last year.

Buckeye – Canton, OH

Hawk Mountain – Reading, PA

Indian Nations – Tulsa, OK

Indian Waters – Columbia, SC

Mid-Iowa – Des Moines, IA

Quapaw Area – Little Rock, AR

Sequoyah – Johnson City, TN

Viking – Minneapolis, MN

Special recognition to the following councils who have experienced over 15% growth two years in a row (in both 2003 and 2004)

Arbuckle Area – Ardmore, OK

Atlanta Area – Atlanta, GA

Blue Grass – Lexington, KY

Chickasaw – Memphis, TN

Gerald R. Ford – Grant Rapids, MI

Great Trail – Dalton, MA

Greater Lowell – Chelmsford, MA

Green Mountain – Waterbury, VT

La Salle – South Bend, IN

Nashua Valley – Lancaster, MA

Ouachita Area – Hot Springs, AR

Rip Van Winkle – Kingston, NY

San Francisco Bay Area – Oakland, CA

Santa Fe Trail – Garden City, KS

Scenic Trails – Traverse City, MI

South Plains – Lubbock, TX

Ventura County – Camarillo, CA

News from P.R.A.Y.

·        New Recognition for FOUR STAR Recipients – P.R.A.Y. has announced a new recognition for candidates who have earned all four levels of the God and Country Protestant program. These four-star recipients are eligible to receive a certificate and letter of congratulations. A special pin is available at additional cost. For more information including the application form, click here  http://www.praypub.org/fourstar.htm

·        Revised God and Life Curriculum Now Available from P.R.A.Y. – God and Life (for high school students) has been revised and is now available from P.R.A.Y.  This is the fourth and final program to be revised in the God and Country Protestant series. Click here for more information on the new God and Life program: http://www.praypub.org/god_country/life/god_life1.htm

·        Display Awards – One of the easiest ways to promote religious recognitions is to simply display the emblems in a prominent area at the council office or store or at special council-wide events. P.R.A.Y. makes its religious awards available at a special discounted rate for Boy Scout Councils. Please contact joanw@praypub.org to request a Display Medal Order Form.

·        God and Country Email Bulletin – P.R.A.Y. now offers a God and Country Bulletin featuring the Protestant religious award program. The first issue was sent via email in September 2004 and contained information on the curriculum revisions, new application process, Spanish translations, and new PowerPoint presentation. To view this bulletin, click here: New God and Country bulletin.  To sign up to receive this bulletin, please email Jennifer at jenniferh@praypub.org with your first and last name, email address and a note that you would like to sign up for the God and Country Email Bulletin. 

·        Soon to be in Spanish: God and Me, God and Family Needed: Volunteers to Field Test Spanish Program – P.R.A.Y. has translated the God and Me and God and Family programs into Spanish and will be printing a limited number of books to be field-tested. We are looking for volunteers from different parts of the country to field-test these programs in Spanish teaching either an individual or a class. Volunteers would agree to provide feedback and complete an evaluation of the program for P.R.A.Y. If interested, please contact Deb Hazlewood at debh@praypub.org or call 1-800-933-7729.

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