Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

P.R.A.Y. God and Country News Bulletin

SECOND Quarter 2007

 

Welcome to P.R.A.Y.’s God and Country News Bulletin. This Bulletin is written for pastors, counselors, mentors, and parents associated with Protestant and Independent Christian churches. It includes program helps, best practices, and special features to support a God and Country ministry. We hope you enjoy this bulletin and take the time to share it with others.

 

MEET FOUR-STAR RECIPIENT ASHLEE KEPHART

 

When Ashlee Kephart was certified as a Four Star Recipient in November this past year, little did we know the extent of her “credentials.” Yes, we confirmed that she had completed all four levels of the God and Country series. But, no, we had yet to learn the magnitude of her community service. Ashlee is into service. This is a result of the strong compassion that she feels for those less fortunate, and this compassion spills out into service to others.

 

This first became apparent in third grade when Ashlee started collecting donations for “Nurse Nancy’s Wish List.” Then she started a program called “Music From the Heart.” She has since collected shoes, books, caring bags, stuffed animals … you name it. Her donations have been distributed to local shelters, as well as Hurricane Katrina and Rita victims, and even Kenya and Liberia.

 

According to her mother Sharon Kephart, Ashlee’s participation with the God and Country program came at a time which challenged her to go global. Ashlee had met with her pastor, and her pastor connected Ashlee with someone who needed support for schools and orphanages in Liberia. This initial contact has developed into a partnering type of ministry.

 

Ashlee operates from an attitude that, “If you put your mind to it, anything can happen.” And she is making things happen. As the founder of a non-profit organization called “Kids For A Better World,” she has dreams of buying a building with a storefront, plenty of space for storage, and room for volunteers to assemble kits and work on ongoing projects.

 

Please visit Ashlee’s website at www.kidsforabetterworld.com.

 

Although Ashlee’s community service did not start with the God and Country program, it certainly grew through it, and definitely shows no sign of ending. May we all be challenged by Ashlee’s example and strive to live out our faith in service to others.

 

HOMESCHOOL FAMILIES FIND GOD AND COUNTRY A PERFECT FIT
 

More and more homeschool families are using the God and Country series as part of their home school curriculum. Consider what God and Country has to offer:

 

·        Family emphasis

·        Bible-based curriculum

·        Hands-on activities

·        Flexible scheduling

·        Adult mentor component

 

The God and Country curriculum is easily adapted to a homeschool setting. Some families have used the curriculum as a three or four week module spending half an hour each day on lessons. Although children may be working on different programs based on their grade, the activities are designed with the family in mind, i.e. the GAMEBox, pizza toppings, filming the video – siblings of all ages are encouraged to be active participants. Homeschool groups in your area may appreciate knowing about the God and Country curriculum. It is yet another tool to help strengthen children in their Christian walk.

 

UPDATES FROM P.R.A.Y.
 

·        New Shipping Rates and Policies – P.R.A.Y. has adopted new shipping rates and policies as a result of the postal increase this spring. Please visit our website for current prices and shipping/handling charges. Our adult nomination forms and youth application forms have all been updated online.

 

·        The second segment of the BSA Duty to God Puzzle Patch is drawing to a close. July 31st will be the last day to order the second segment with the mountain and the sunset. These patches are on a four-year cycle always switching in the month of August. The new patch in August will be the fish jumping in the brook. Information on religious awards and sample presentation resources are available online.

 

·        God and Country Training - P.R.A.Y. will co-sponsor a God and Country Workshop on August 25, 2007 in St. Louis to train church and scout volunteers on the God and Country curriculum. The workshop will present a general overview of the entire God and Country series (i.e. basic guidelines, core requirements, initial steps for starting a program) and then provide breakout sessions for participants to receive detailed instruction on specific program levels. The workshop is for pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth group leaders, parents (especially home school parents!), and Scout leaders (Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.).  The workshop will be held from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Concordia Lutheran Church, 505 S Kirkwood Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122 (near the intersection of 270 and 44) located across from the Magic House. The cost is $10.00, which includes lunch and a complete set of God and Country booklets. Registration is required.  Click here for the registration form. For more information, please contact Deb Hazlewood at debh@praypub.org or call 1-800-933-7729.

 

GREETINGS FROM GERMANY

Five Junior Girl Scouts living in Stuttgart, Germany successfully completed the God and Family program this spring and send their greetings “Gross Gott” which means “God be with you.” According to their counselor and Girl Scout leader Lisa Beebe, “The girls learned a lot and loved making their family a pizza. Most importantly, the girls are able to talk more freely about being a Christian.” Pictured at right (click to see full version), the girls are holding their paper pizzas in front of the pizza shop where they were allowed to make and eat the real thing. 

 

 

“MY PICTURE OF GOD AND ME I SAW IN MY DREAMS”

Jim Norris Jr. received his God and Me award in April. When he submitted his application to the P.R.A.Y. office he included the picture at right (click to see full version). It is a picture that he drew after having a dream about God. Here’s what he said about his dream:

 

“In my dream, I was allowed to walk around in heaven. Then Jesus walked up to me, put his arms around me, and hugged me. He told me that his purpose for me is to help others to come to know and realize his love for all of us. He told me he loves me and that he would make my name great for his glory. It is a wonderful thing to know that God and Jesus are real. I wish everyone could see what I saw!”

 

 

52 GIRL SCOUTS EARN AWARDS THROUGH NEW BIRTH BAPTIST CHURCH

Girl Scout leaders worked hard to make a dream come true when 52 Girl Scouts received their God and Country awards this spring in Miami, FL through New Birth Baptist Church. All four God and Country program levels were offered. In addition to the individual course material, the counselors brought their classes together for a combined program which involved the following:

·        Movie night  - Girls watched “One Night With the King” and had questions to answer about the movie

·        Church Service – Girls distributed information and pendants for Breast Cancer Awareness before the worship service

·        Puzzle Packet – Girls learned the books of the Bible

·        Prayers – Girls were required to memorize O Gracious Father, the Lord’s Prayer, and the 23rd Psalm

·        Christmas party – Teens from the Group Home were invited and received personal hygiene gift bags

·        Religious Hike – this was a Gold Award project for a Cadette and Senior Girl Scout; girls visited different churches to learn about their house of worship

Click here for a photo gallery from New Birth Baptist Church.

  

WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE

 

·        “This past summer we did a one-day marathon with God and Me, and God and Family. The program started at the beginning of the summer with parents going through the books (readings and outside activities) with each child and all the craft and other activity work was done on the Marathon day. It was a BLAST! Several of the parents thought it was a great idea because they could work on different things during the summer and still go on vacations. We had our Marathon day two weeks before school started.” McMannen UMC, Durham, NC

 

·        “I enjoyed teaching God and Me. Excellent curriculum! We made a giant game board for the review and used parents and pastor for game pieces. It was fun!” – Mobile, AL Click here to see a photo.

 

·        “Because writing has always been a difficult skill for [my son], his counselor came up with some very creative ways to do some of the God and Family exercises. One of my son’s favorite activities was using legos to build lego models of each family members’ strength/talent. - Springfield, VA

 

·        [God and Church] was excellent Bible study material. The boys loved the video projects. We met 9-10 times. We also met for about 6 hours one Saturday. The all-day get-together helped to shorten the class duration.  – Flower Mound, TX

 

·        The “foot hunt” was the favorite activity for one boy in a God and Me class. His teacher used cutouts of feet for them to find. It was part of the lesson on prayer to teach them the four “steps” or parts of prayer.

 

·        Nik’s favorite project was his stained glass window. Nik designed his stained glass to be the story of his family and how they all worked together on the God and Me award.  Nik is pictured here with his stained glass window (click to view larger version).

 

WHAT PASTORS/COUNSELORS HAVE SAID:

 

·        [God and Country] is a good program...one I've conducted with many Scouts. It is well written, provides age appropriate opportunities to live what is being learned, and gives the pastor a chance to get to know young people one-on-one. In my church of over 2000 people, that is a true gift. Thank you for all you do to advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ! - Pastor Nancy
 

·        I like how in-depth the candidate can involve himself in God’s Word and use it not just now but throughout his life. And how it helped him and his parents become closer in the teenage years ... that in itself is priceless. - Pastor, Fayetteville, GA

 

·        I like the curriculum, especially from my perspective as a youth minister. The mix of scripture and service is especially appealing. - God and Life Counselor, Sanford, NC

 

·        We used [God and Church] as our Sunday school curriculum. Excellent! - Corning, NY

 

·        We met in Sunday school, about 30 minutes a week from September through January. We used this as pre-confirmation material. It suited that purpose very well. - Hampton, VA

 

·        I greatly enjoyed teaching the God and Church course and believe that I personally got more from the program than the youth. It has taken me to a new level in being able to understand and openly express my faith. I am looking forward to working with additional youth this coming fall. – Advancement Chairman, Mt. Pleasant, IA

 

·        I have been teaching the God and Country series courses for about 30 years both through my current church and former churches. I have seen this program improve over the years and even though I never completed the God and Country program as a Scout back in the 50's, it still has meaning for me as a counselor. Thank you for continuing to update a long-standing program for the better understanding of our youth.

 

·        When [the Scout] brought the book to me from the Cub Scouts, I opened it with some skepticism. I was pleased that this material was both Biblical, age appropriate, and a faithful tool to introduce this boy to saving faith in Christ. His mother, who is not active in any church, sat with us while her son prayed to ask God to forgive his sins, come into his life, and give him everlasting life. It was a precious moment.

 

·        I personally feel that your program was quite possibly the most rewarding program I have ever participated in. I feel God and Country has given me some very valuable tools to work with [this Scout]. This is particularly important since he is an extremely challenged and troubled youth. It is quite possible that this was his first experience in what would be unselfish love. Thank you for your terrific program.  

 

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