Programs of Religious Activities with Youth
P.R.A.Y. Girl Scout News Bulletin
Third Quarter 2007

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.

GO FISH! THE NEWEST PIECE OF THE PUZZLE

The FISH joins the anchor patch as the newest piece of the To Serve God puzzle patch. The anchor patch features the kneeling Girl Scout, and it will continue to be available for first-time participants. The rest of the segments will be available on a rotation basis. For example, the fish segment became available August 1, 2007 and will continue through July 2008. It will be followed by the Eagle and finally the Mountain.

The puzzle patch is an interfaith program designed to promote the religious awards of all faiths. Girls and adults may earn this patch by learning about religious awards and making a commitment. The puzzle patches are worn on the back of the vest or sash, and they are designed to encourage Girl Scouts to enroll in the religious awards program of their faith.

Plan now to make a presentation to your troop or group. Encourage your Girl Scouts to get a jump on the program in time for Girl Scout Sunday/Sabbath in March. Sample scripts and slide presentations are available online to make it easy on you. Visit

• 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 multiple order forms have all been updated online.
   
• Staff Training in Kansas City - Girl Scouts of Northeast Kansas and Northwest Missouri, Inc. has invited CEO Mark Hazlewood to conduct a staff training on Religious Awards as Membership. The workshop will be conducted on November 6, 2007.
   
• Religious Awards Quick Reference Chart - In the past P.R.A.Y. has always distributed the full-color To Serve God brochure to Girl Scout councils upon request. This year P.R.A.Y. is posting the brochure online for easy access for council staff and volunteers. The brochure is a two-sided form. The front is a full-color display of all the medals; the back is a chart listing the contact information for the various religious committees. http://www.praypub.org/pdf_docs/toservegod.pdf
   
• PowerPoint Presentations - P.R.A.Y. has developed two PowerPoint presentations to help explain the religious awards programs to two different audiences.
  • The first presentation is designed for a council training event for adult leaders. It explains the religious awards programs, but more importantly it explains the role of the adult leader and highlights some resources that are helpful in promoting religious awards.
  • Service Unit Slide Presentation
     
  • The second presentation is appropriate for girls and their families. It is a short presentation that the leader can use to explain the religious awards to girls of all faiths. It encourages girls to pursue their awards with the help of their parents and religious leaders.
  • Slide Presentation to Troops and Parents

The PowerPoint slides come with notes. Please use these notes as your “script” when making the presentation.

• P.R.A.Y. and Council Alignment - Thank you for your patience as P.R.A.Y. strives to update our Girl Scout database to reflect the council mergers. The recent third quarter recipient report reflected mergers completed prior to October. P.R.A.Y. is working hard to stay on top of the alignment process. We appreciate the cooperation that we have received from our council contacts in providing P.R.A.Y. with updated information.

RELIGIOUS AWARDS UPDATE

• GOOD SAMARITAN AWARD - The Good Samaritan Award recognizes girls and boys (ages 12 through 20) for outstanding outreach service. The award is administered by the United Methodist Church, but the recipients do not need to be members of a UMC congregation. Click here for more information and an application form.
   
• RAMADHAN PATCHES - The Islamic Committee on Girl Scouting has Ramadhan Patches for the Brownie, Junior, Cadette and Senior levels. Girl Scouts of the Islamic Faith may contact the Committee for information or visit http://www.nicgs.com/NICGS/gs_ramadhan.htm
   
• FRIENDS / QUAKER - The Friends Committee on Scouting has posted the That of God and Spirit of Truth programs on their website. Here's the link to get the PDF files: http://scouting.quaker.org/page3.html

SECOND QUARTER FOUR-STAR RECIPIENTS  

The following individuals were recognized in the second quarter of 2007 for completing all four levels of the God and Country series. Four-Star recipients receive a certificate and letter from CEO Mark Hazlewood congratulating them on their accomplishments.  

• Dakota Horizons (Sioux Falls, SD) – Amanda Flint, Rachel Haug, Carly Hayes, Allison Mogen, Rebecca Mogen, Kala Sigaty, Natalie Volzke
• Hornets Nest (Charlotte, NC) – Lauren Sharpe
• Monterey Bay (Castroville, CA) – Kayla Harvey
• Otahki (Cape Girardeau, MO) – Sasha Snell
• Penn Lakes (Edinboro, PA) – Kaitlin Pander
• South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands (Greer, SC) – Stacey Stallard
• Tres Condados (Santa Barbara, CA) – Amy Klein
• Wagon Wheel (Colorado Springs, CO) – Suzanne Cooley, Michelle James 

FIRST QUARTER 2007 ADULT AWARD RECIPIENTS

The following leaders received special recognition from their congregations for their service to girls and young women through Girl Scouting. 

• Bayou (Lafayette, LA) – Diane Moore, Episcopal St. George Award
• Cahaba (Birmingham, AL) – Roxann Edsall, UMC God and Service Award
• Coastal Carolina (Goldsboro, NC) – Cathryn Creasman, Baptist Good Shepherd Award
• Colonial Coast (Chesapeake, VA) – Joyce Halbauer, Baptist Good Shepherd Award
• Greater New York (New York, NY) – Jovanni Torrellas-Contreras, Catholic Margaret Ann Seton Award
• Greater St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) – Karla Frye Ph.D., AME God and Service Award; Judy Garland Heard, AME God and Service
• Kentuckiana (Louisville, KY) – Melissa Ann Morgenson, Episcopal St. George Award
• Magic Empire (Tulsa, OK) – Kimberly Renkema, UMC God and Service Award
• Maine (Brewer, ME) – Marie Arnold, UMC God and Service Award
• Montachusett (Worcester, MA) – Diana Rousseau, UMC God & Service Award
• Nassau County (Garden City, NY) – Florence Meiselbach, Lutheran Lamb Award
• Nation’s Capital (Washington, DC) – Patricia Esposito, UCC God and Service Award
• Northeast Kansas & Northwest MO (Kansas City, MO) – Debra Sue McKee
• Penn Lakes (Edinboro, PA) – Dawn Burns, Eastern Orthodox Prophet Elias Award
• Pines of Carolina (Raleigh, NC) – Emily McMillan, UMC God and Service Award
• Pioneer (Gastonia, NC) – Susie Davis, UMC God and Service; Connie Hall, UMC God and Service; Sherry Kale, UMC God and Service
• South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands (Greer, SC) – Sheila Marino, Protestant God and Service
• Spar and Spindle (North Andover, MA) – Constance Turner, UCC God and Service Award
• Tropical Florida (Miami, FL) – Audra Handal, UMC God and Service Award
• Virginia Skyline (Roanoke, VA) – Helen Hill, Protestant God and Service Award
• Western Reserve (Akron, OH) – Cynthia Linehan, Lutheran Lamb Award 

For information on adult religious recognitions, visit the P.R.A.Y. web site: http://www.praypub.org/promotional_adultnomination.htm  

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