Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

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

Second Quarter 2005

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

Revised 2005 “To Serve God” Brochure

P.R.A.Y. is once again producing the “To Serve God” brochure picturing the religious recognitions available to girls and adults in Girl Scouting. These brochures are available free of charge to Girl Scout Councils. P.R.A.Y. has sent emails to councils offering them a free supply of brochures. If you would like to check whether or not your council has placed an order, please contact Joan Walker at joanw@praypub.org.

P.R.A.Y. has assumed the cost of printing and distributing these brochures as part of its mission. This year P.R.A.Y. has received a contribution from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry. P.R.A.Y. would like to acknowledge and thank the NFCYM for its donation to this important project. Thank you!

To Serve God Brochure … a one-page handout???

The “To Serve God” brochure has a new look! The 2005 brochure pictures the religious awards against a light green background. It also condenses the brochure into a one-page handout. A single page? Yes. The cover is the same: it features the religious awards for both girls and adults and identifies each award by religion and specific program name. The back page has two important pieces of information: it lists the national religious organizations and their contact information, and it explains the four basic steps to get started on the programs. Click here to view the new brochure.

That’s it? No grid? No FAQ’s? Why the change?

The To Serve God brochure is an important resource for promoting religious recognitions. Its primary function is to serve as an interfaith resource for leaders and to point girls and parents to the appropriate organization for their particular faith. The one-page brochure accomplishes this. It connects families with the appropriate religious organizations that can provide detailed information on their specific programs. We hope you like this new format.

Please note: The May 2004 printing of the To Serve God brochure is still valid. If you still have a supply of these brochures, please use them because the information is correct and still up-to-date. In fact, P.R.A.Y. will continue to post the 2004 brochure on its web page for those who prefer the four-page format.

Reminder: Religious awards make good summer projects for Girl Scouts
Girl Scout Sabbath/Sunday is a good time to talk about the religious awards, but so is the end of the school year. Religious awards make good summer projects for girls and their families. Girl Scout leaders are encouraged to present information on the religious awards. The P.R.A.Y. web site provides a sample script and the color chart showing all the religious awards available to Girl Scouts. Click here for these important resources:
http://www.praypub.org/scripts_gs_trooplead.htm
http://www.praypub.org/recognitions/girlscout.htm

Religious Emblems Web Sites
The following web sites provide information on the religious emblems programs:

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

Christian Church (DOC) http://www.homelandministries.org/CivicYouth/index.htm

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

Community of Christ www.forefrontministries.org

Eastern Orthodox www.eocs.org

Friends (Quakers) scouting.quaker.org

Hindu www.naha.us

Jewish www.njgsc.org

Lutheran www.nlas.org

National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry – www.nfcym.org
United Methodist www.umcscouting.org

Adult Award Recipients

The adult recognitions are given to adults for outstanding service to young people through service to the faith community and Girl Scouts. During the last quarter of 2004, the following Girl Scout Councils recognized adults for their outstanding service:

Buckeye Trails (Dayton, OH) – Sherry Spehr, Lutheran Servant of Youth

Freedom Valley (Valley Forge, PA) – Sandra Devenny, Episcopal St. George

Nation’s Capital (Washington, DC) – Karen Styer, Lutheran Servant of Youth

River Bluffs (Glen Carbon, IL) – Joan Bowman, Methodist God and Service

Totem (Seattle, WA) – Sharon L. Scott, Lutheran Servant of Youth

Please note that P.R.A.Y. does not handle all of the religious awards. The list above includes only those awards administered by P.R.A.Y. Click here for adult award applications.

Religious Recognitions Etcetera

The National Catholic Committee on Girl Scouts and Camp Fire Management Committee has announced that new patches are available for youth who have completed any of the four religious recognition programs: Family of God, I Live My Faith, Mary, the First Disciple, and The Spirit Alive. These patches resemble the existing medals but are not meant as a replacement for them. Rather the patches may be worn on the back of uniforms, on camp shirts, or on other clothing and apparel. http://nfcym.org/v3/nccgscf/patches.html
The National Lutheran Association of Scouters (NLAS) offers a certificate online that can be used to recognize Lutheran Girl Scouts who have received their religious award or their Silver or Gold award. http://nlas.org/recognition.htm
The Friends Committee on Scouting has made the That of God and Spirit of Truth curriculum available on its web site. The booklets are available in Word or PDF format at scouting.quaker.org
American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship: Girl Scout Achievement Award

This scholarship is for Girl Scouts who have received their Gold Award AND their appropriate religious emblem (Cadette or Senior level). Click here for more information: http://www.legion-aux.org/scholarships/docs/girlscoutsch.html
The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting: Scholarship
Girl Scouts who have received their Gold Award AND the Orthodox Alpha Omega Award may apply for this scholarship.
http://eocs.org/Religious Awards/Scholarship PR 2004_2005 New.htm

2004 Council Recognition

In January, P.R.A.Y. presented the 2004 God and Country usage reports and highlighted the top ten councils. P.R.A.Y. would like to give special recognition to the following Girl Scout Councils, which have experienced over 20% growth for two years in a row and have over 30 God and Country award recipients.

Covered Bridge – Terre Haute, IN

Hoosier – Indianapolis, IN

Lone Star – Austin, TX

Sahuaro – Tucson, AZ

San Fernando Valley – Chatsworth, CA

Trailways – Joliet, IL

Trade Discount Available to Girl Scout Stores
P.R.A.Y. offers a Trade Discount to Girl Scout Stores that stock the God and Country booklets for resale. Store Managers may request a copy of the Trade Discount by contacting Joan Walker at joanw@praypub.org or 1-800-933-7729.

Please share this News Bulletin with others

Please forward this email to other people in program, membership/marketing, newsletter/publications, council store, volunteers, etc. who may benefit from this information.

Here is the link to sign up for our mailing list. Please pass it on to those who are not signed up. (If you received this in an original email, you’re already signed up!)

Unsubscribe

If you feel that you have received this email in error, or would prefer not to receive these emails, please reply to this email with “Unsubscribe” in the subject line or send an email to jenniferh@praypub.org to be removed. Thank You!