|
Programs
of Religious Activities with Youth|
Jan-Sept |
G-Me (gr. 1-3) |
G-Family (gr. 4-5) |
G-Church (gr. 6-8) |
G-Life (gr. 9-12) |
4-Star |
Total |
|
2006 |
12,183 |
9,181 |
2,665 |
987 |
116 |
25,132 |
|
2005 |
11,984 |
9,211 |
2,791 |
863 |
78 |
24,927 |
|
Percent |
2% |
0% |
-5% |
14% |
49% |
1% |
Members of the Boy Scouts of America are driving the increase. Here is the breakdown by youth agency. (Please note: the “Other” category refers to youth in Sunday schools, youth groups, confirmation classes, etc. who are not registered in a scouting group.)
|
Jan-Sept |
BSA |
CFUSA |
GSUSA |
AHG |
OTHER |
Total |
|
2006 |
18,961 |
6 |
4,486 |
169 |
1,510 |
25,132 |
|
2005 |
18,759 |
19 |
4,581 |
142 |
1,426 |
24,927 |
|
Percent |
1% |
-68% |
-2% |
19% |
6% |
1% |
“Reluctant” Troop Chaplain Finds
Ministry in God and Country Program
Lorie Walton will be the first to say how reluctant she was to accept the position of Troop Chaplain for her Troop in Chief Okemos Council, BSA in Mason, Michigan. Although the reason she got involved in Scouting years ago was because it was a “special kind of God-honoring, family-oriented program”, she hesitated to become Troop Chaplain because as a woman she wasn’t sure how well she would be accepted in that role. Very well, as it turns out!
This past year Lorie Walton served as counselor for the God and Church and God and Life programs. Seven Scouts participated along with their parents who served as mentors. One of the lessons they studied was on the theme “God calls all kinds of people”. As Lorie puts it, “Perhaps I learned more than the Scouts!” The class involved Scouts from diverse backgrounds. “Some had been raised attending church on a regular basis, some had not. We had a beautiful ceremony for all the Scouts together in June. Since then, I have attended a wonderful, riverside ceremony where one of the families was recognized by their own congregation. This next month, another scout may be immersed in baptism and I will get to attend! I urge anyone who has ever considered becoming involved in this program to do so now.”
Lorie Walton received a special thank you from the God and Country award recipients. Not only did she receive flowers and movie/dinner passes, she also was presented with a poem written especially for her by Ethan Hartnett, one of the Scouts:
Once a Stone fell into a River
Causing a ripple in the Water.
That small little Stone
Changed things in that river forever.
Like that little stone, Lorie
You changed the lives of others
Just by caring enough to be there for all of us.
This is not about Good-byes
Or the end of our Journey.
But the beginning of our Quest for God
That you Lorie Walton have led us on.
To tell you from our Hearts
These Thoughts to you our Friend
For sharing the Blessing of God with us
And the furthering of His Kingdom
That has touched our lives.
Choosing to keep Christ the
Center of our Lives....
Thank-You Lorie Walton
And thanks to all you God and Country counselors who indeed help young people keep Christ the center of their lives. May you be blessed in your ministry to young people!
Cub Scout Recognized in Youthscope
Newsletter Becomes Four-Star Recipient
[Note: The Youthscope newsletter
was a P.R.A.Y. publication prior to the Quarterly Bulletins that
P.R.A.Y. now distributes electronically.]
Jonathan Sprott was featured in the July 2000 issue of the Youthscope newsletter as a seven year-old Cub Scout (pictured on right) who was baptized on Easter as a result of having participated in the God and Me program. As it turned out, the God and Me program was just the start of a journey for Jonathan, and it was a journey that led him through God and Family in 2002, God and Church in 2003, and God and Life in 2006. Today Jonathan is fourteen years old and a four-star recipient. P.R.A.Y. contacted Jonathan and asked him to reflect on his God and Country experience. Here’s what he had to say:
I remember most visiting many churches and learning about their stained glass windows and how they each one told a story. I loved the mosaic stained glass above the choir in my church in Lancaster, CA. I remember learning about the Apostle Paul and how courageous he was. I loved playing the handbells for my service project during God and Church, and how could I ever forget packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child for another service project. I was amazed at how many boxes there were and how generous people were to people in need. All you hear about on the news is about bad people and bad things happening to people, but then you go to the distribution warehouse and you realize that there actually are very good people in the world.
Also, when I did the first two awards (God and Me and God and Family), I only worked with Pastor Jim Ledgerwood at Lancaster United Methodist Church, which was fun. But, when I was 10, we moved to Valencia, CA where we joined Santa Clarita United Methodist Church. I finished the last two awards there and really enjoyed being in classes working on projects with other kids. It was a great way to get to make friends in a new neighborhood.
For
my Statement of Commitment I wrote: "I will pray every night at least. I
will try to read the Bible at least three times a week and will make God
a very significant part of my life. I will join a Christian rock band. I
want to show people the word of God through good-sounding music. I
believe that I can draw more people to God that way. I hope to read the
entire Bible before I die and spread its word. I also would like to
learn how to speak Aramaic some day.”
I hope to have my children go through the program. You read and learn about the Bible. I learned how my faith in Jesus can help you go through terrible times in your life and get through it as Jesus and Paul did. I felt so great being the first Four Star Recipient (pictured on left) at my church, and I hope to encourage other kids to go through the program.
Jonathan’s accomplishments have special meaning to his mother Pamela Sprott, who was diagnosed with a rare terminal cancer two years ago. His completing the God and Country series assures her that he has had a great introduction to the teachings of the Bible and how to live one's life through the grace and love of God. “It also assures me in knowing that he will never be alone because he has a family in Christ through his church. What more could a mom ask for than to have a child who has a good Christian foundation based on love, grace, and service to others!”
For more information on the Four Star recognition, please visit the P.R.A.Y. web site: http://www.praypub.org/fourstar.htm.
DON’T FORGET … GOD AND COUNTRY IS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Many people hear about the God and Country award through a Scouting group and do not realize that the award is for both boys and girls. God and Country is for boys and girls whether or not they belong to a scouting program. This means that churches may use the God and Country curriculum as a discipleship resource for ALL their youth and also as an outreach resource to Scouts in the community. Click here for a handout introducing God and Country as Christian Education and Outreach: http://www.praypub.org/god_country/start_up_kit_03.htm.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL TARGETS SCOUTS
St. John Presbyterian Church in Arlington, TX offered God and Me and God and Church classes as part of their Vacation Bible School program this past summer. St. John Presbyterian Church charters a Pack, Troop, and Crew and wanted to increase the number of Scouts earning their religious emblems. Their idea was to promote Vacation Bible School.
St John offers annually a Vacation Bible School, which is open to youth in the community in the first through sixth grades. This past year they promoted the VBS program to their Scouts and their siblings and offered separate classroom times for the Christian God & Me and God & Church awards, and the Catholic Light of Christ, and Ad Altare Dei awards. (The dates conflicted with the District Cub Scout Day Camp so they didn’t offer classes for that age group.)
Much to their surprise – and great pleasure – eighteen boys, led by four counselors, participated in the religious emblems program, and five siblings participated in the VBS program.
The Scouts participated in the VBS opening and closing sessions in the sanctuary, but then attended their individual classes. Each Scout paid a fee. Part of the fee went to the church for the VBS T-shirt and refreshments, and the other part paid for the religious emblems workbooks and supplies.
Much planning went into the religious emblems classes. Scouts received assignments prior to the VBS session. They also received daily homework assignments during the week. Some assignments were modified. For example, instead of completing individual photo albums, the God and Church participants each contributed to a huge collage which they added to daily based on the lessons they were studying. This collage was placed on the altar during the awards presentation.
According to William Spencer, “We are planning on presenting the Scouts with their knots in their Units and all will be invited back this year on Scout Sunday when, for the first time, the Unit will be presented with the Presbyterian Unit Award of Excellence! So successful was this program that we are already making plans for another special session, perhaps over the Christmas Holidays, for the God & Family and the older Scout God & Life programs. We are definitely planning to repeat this opportunity again next year and hopefully can avoid the Day Camp/Summer Camp conflict by pre-planning and scheduling the dates.”
The program was well received. A comment on the evaluation form at the conclusion of the program sums it up best: "I didn't know God could be fun!"
[At the conclusion of the VBS Program, the Pastor called forward and presented 9 God & Family Awards and 4 God & Church Awards. Certificates of completion were presented to 3 Light of Christ youth and Certificates of Progress and Participation to 2 Ad Altare Dei Candidates. The Catholic youth, in that Diocese, after completing the requirements and having them approved by the pastor or his delegate, forward the application to the Diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting and the Awards are presented by the Bishop at the Annual Scout Sunday observance in the Cathedral in Fort Worth. Please note: Special consideration must be made when organizing the religious emblems classes. Appropriate religious organizations must be contacted and program requirements and guidelines must be adhered to.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT THE GOD AND COUNTRY PROGRAM
· This program has served to remind me that 1) while I am responsible for teaching my son about God’s grace and mercy and love, his salvation is not in my hands but in our Father’s. 2) God is joy, and I need to remember to live out joy in my life, both for myself and for my son. 3) We’re both children of God, and we’re both in this together, and we can and should lift each other up and learn from each other. 4) My son is my greatest gift and my greatest responsibility in this life. Parent/Mentor – Christiansburg, VA
· My son is so excited about learning more about God. We have begun attending church again, which is awesome. Parent of God and Me Recipient - Jackson, OH
· We are going through a difficult time right now, so this program, which focused on the importance of family, and being grounded with Christ was perfect timing – according to His plan! Parent of God and Family Recipient - Utica, KY
· I used to walk around with a sad face. Now I walk around with a happy face. God and Family Recipient - Sebastian, FL
· Even though Rachel attends a Christian school and has been in church since she was born, I love the way this program personalizes God and the Bible for her. She enjoys having an intimate relationship with Jesus and the Bible. I love the program! Mother of God and Family Recipient – Marietta, GA
· I remember lesson 1 the best because it was about how Jesus was human and not just a do-goody robot. God and Church Recipient - Houston, TX
· God and Church is a good program for several reasons: 1) I observed my son reading a chapter a night from the bible; 2) he would often discuss these passages with his older brother; 3) It encouraged him to find out more about our church and its beliefs. Parent – Merriam, KS
· We were all a little hesitant about the photo album at first [in the God and Church program], but it turned out to be the best thing for cementing truths and sharing. BS Troop Leader – Lakewood, WA
· During completion of the God and Life program Logan made a serious commitment to read and study his Bible on a daily basis, and encouraged others in the family to do the same. Parent - Mooresville, NC
· I liked the comparisons of Biblical characters in the lessons. They helped me identify with the point. It was also good to require separate daily Bible reading. It helped me wrestle with other challenges I am facing. God and Life Recipient - Melissa, TX
· While my daughter is well grounded in the Scriptures, God and Life was a very insightful study for her. The projects were well developed too. Parent - Melissa, TX
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