|
Programs
of Religious Activities with Youth|
|
God & Me |
God & Family |
God & Church |
God & Life |
Four Star |
Total Usage |
|
2006 |
13,689 |
10,522 |
3,206 |
1,165 |
154 |
28,736 |
|
2005 |
13,484 |
10,605 |
3,209 |
1,017 |
88 |
28,403 |
|
Percent |
2% |
-1% |
- |
15% |
75% |
1% |
|
|
2006 |
2005 |
|
|
Boy Scouts of America |
21732 |
21531 |
1% |
|
Camp Fire USA |
9 |
19 |
-53% |
|
Girl Scouts of the USA |
5030 |
5087 |
-1% |
|
American Heritage Girls |
183 |
150 |
22% |
|
Other (Sunday school, etc) |
1781 |
1616 |
10% |
|
|
28735 |
28403 |
1% |
WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE
· God and Church Program – Martha Grainger from Las Vegas, NV arranged for her God and Church class to meet in a different church each time. They visited inner city churches, suburban, large, small, etc. “The logistics in planning were a little difficult. HOWEVER it was a very cool way to do it. Each pastor talked about the missions and ministries of his or her own particular congregation. What I was hoping that the kids could see was that there were a variety of ways to be in Christian service. I wanted the kids to see other than their own congregations.”
· God and Family Retreat – Dawn Bozeman in Pensacola, FL is a Webelos Den leader who wanted to encourage her boys to earn their religious emblems. Last year she had seen two boys receive their awards and saw how the companionship of having “another boy” made the program more interesting and fun. But since her boys didn’t attend the same church, Dawn went online, found the “retreat” idea on the P.R.A.Y. website, and planned a weekend retreat at a Christian camp for her Webelos and parents. The camp provided plenty of indoor and outdoor activities (miniature golf, paddle boats, gymnasium, hayride, etc.), and Dawn provided the God and Family program. Each boy came with a parent, and some of the parents took turns leading some of the discussion sessions. According to Dawn, “It’s really important to prepare, prepare, prepare … I’m fortunate to have some wonderful, Christian parents who had a real desire to share this program with these boys. Having a group of boys who already knew each other made it easier to have meaningful and honest discussions.” Click here for a sample retreat schedule .
· God and Life Service Project - Joelyn Brenneman in Cincinnati, OH has a Great Dane named Cosmo who is a therapy Dog. She had her God and Life participants go with Cosmo to visit a local Nursing facility to fulfill one of the service requirements to help other people. The experience was fun for the boys. They also overcame their own inhibitions of visiting “old people they didn’t know.” The Scouts saw the fruit of their actions and how animals can bring comfort and open pathways of communication.
· God and Life Reading Plan and Memory Verse List - In the last bulletin, we mentioned that David Sease had created a reading schedule and Scripture memorization list for the God and Life program. We forgot to include these resources. Click here to review these resources.
· Girl Scout Sunday – The Protestant Committee of the Girl Scout Council of Greater St. Louis hosted a God and Country Tea to recognize God and Country recipients. The program included a sharing time during which girls were invited to say a few words about what they learned through the God and Country program. As the girls from each program level were recognized and presented with a patch, they repeated a prayer by one of the clergy. It was very effective to have the girls repeat line-by-line! Click here to read the prayers, invocation, and see the program bulletin.
WHAT KIDS HAVE DONE
· Joshua and Christopher from Brooklyn, NY participated in a “beach cleanup” as part of their God and Family and God and Me service requirements. It was “International Beach Cleanup Day”, September 16, 2006. The brothers drew some pictures from when they worked at the Gateway National Recreation Center – Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. One of the drawings included a person with a clipboard … they were required to count how many of each type of garbage was collected! Click here to see a photo and their artwork.
· Dakota recently “caught up” to his older brothers Doug and Dalton and received his God and Me award. But being the last one in the family to make a GAMEBOX, everyone had already played the board game and knew the answers to all the questions. So Dakota made up his own set of questions. Click here to see pictures of their game board and to read their “homemade” questions.
· Four-star recipient Brett O’Connor delayed his Eagle Court of Honor until he could receive his God and Life award and be recognized as a Four-Star Recipient at the same time. “Getting Eagle and getting the Four-Star award are very similar … both are the pinnacle of their respective programs. I take a lot of pride in both of them, and I am glad to have been a part of these programs.” In reflecting on the God and Country program, Brett said he learned a lot from all the programs, but that his favorite was probably God and Life. “I was able to do it one-on-one with my pastor, and it gave me the opportunity to lead a Bible study.” Brett led a two-part Bible study at the suggestion of his pastor. The Bible study was held after classes at the high school and involved 8-10 people. The experience was challenging and yet very rewarding. “I definitely conquered some of my fears by leading this Bible study, and I’m glad I did it. It was really awesome to share some of what I had learned in the God and Life program with my friends and peers.” Brett attends Mandarin United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, FL. Click here to see Brett’s photo gallery.
P.R.A.Y. STAFF SPONSORS CHILD THROUGH
COMPASSION.ORG
Every Christmas it has been a tradition for the P.R.A.Y. staff to collect the money that they would have spent on gifts for each other and to give it to a charity. This year Office Manager Joan Walker made the suggestion of sponsoring a child. The office staff loved the idea, and they are now the proud sponsors of a seven-year-old boy from El Salvador. The boy’s name is similar to the Hebrew word “Adonai” (which is used as a name for God) and it reminds us to give praise to God and thank God for the privilege of sponsoring a child in need.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID
· My favorite part was finding out Jesus saved me because he loves me! - God and Me recipient, Levittown, PA
· [What do you remember best?] Me and Jesus have the same heavenly Father!” - Second grader, Lexington, SC
· I loved working so close with my daughter and getting to see her views on God and creation. - El Paso, TX
· We all loved this program. It made us realize how much God is in our lives. I am so thankful that our Girl Scout leader provided this for us. Parent, Monroe, MI
· The program mostly changed my husband. Through Scouting and this program he has become a calmer, more understanding, and forgiving person. God and Me Mentor, Cameron, NC
· “I have realized that we need to become more involved with our religion. This program has brought me back to church and renewed my life.” Mother of God and Me recipient, Fort Lewis, WA
For more God and Me Comments, Click Here .
· Decorating the box was cool. Making the pizza was fun, too. I made “A Slice of Heaven” brand pizza with a drawing of St. Peter on the box. My ingredient list included 100% love, 100% faith, 0% sin! – God and Family recipient, Auburn, AL
· This was the first time my son opened a Bible to read. - Sharpsburg, PA
· She talks more about church and Girl Scouts to other children. She gets excited talking and doing things with her sister and family. - Hampstead, NC
· I remember when Mr. Dan would throw Hershey kisses at us if we got the question right. - Macedonia, OH
· [God and Family] has changed my daughter in a very positive way: more respectful and more communication between her and me. - El Paso, TX
· My son at 10 is now questioning what his purpose is and wanting to read the Bible everyday. It has had a powerful positive impact on both of us. - Mother, Old Monroe, MO
· Tim was baptized! What a great joy. He reads his Bible every day and it’s such a joy to see him grow in his faith. - Williamsburg, VA
For more God and Family Comments, Click Here .
· I did not like Sunday School in the past. Now I like to participate in the youth group and youth retreats. The program made me want to become more active in my church and in helping others. Girl Scout, Inverness, IL
· My favorite part of the program was reading from the scriptures every day because I felt close to God. – Boy Scout, Beavercreek, OH
· My favorite parts were doing the post cards and seeing how I felt then and how I feel now. - Boy Scout, God and church, Kansas City, MO
· I remember the quiet times with my mom as we read and sang. - Girl Scout, God and Church recipient, Titusville, FL
· It helped me to win my dad to Jesus. - Boy Scout, Decatur, AL
· She seems much calmer and more satisfied with the quiet lifestyle she lives. She’s more accepting of people. - Flossmoor, IL God and Church award
· I liked learning that Jesus was a lot like us. He got upset or sad too. It made me feel confident that when I cried he would help me through it and understood what I was thinking. - Ft Jackson, SC
· My favorite parts of God and Church were the making the video, and Lesson Seven. I remember when I made a mistake in my video. I said “Hello” but omitted an “O”. I laughed about it for a long time. This program is cool! Thanks! – Boy Scout, Brunswick, OH
For more God and Church Comments, Click Here .
· Probably the most favorite thing I did was to conquer my stage fright in project five. - God and Life recipient, Springfield, TN
· In the midst of several intense activities, the serenity of the God and Life program has really helped to keep my daughter centered. Mantua, UT
· Jon has become more tolerant and patient in considering others and seems to have “re-committed” in his religious perspectives. - Father of God and Life recipient, Raytown, MO
· I think my favorite part of the program was the required daily reading. It was challenging, but also helped me to get into a better habit of reading my Bible. - Girl Scout, Brownsburg, IN
For more God and Life Comments, Click Here .
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