Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

Boy Scout News Bulletin

Third Quarter 2006 

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

PHILMONT COURSE RECEIVES HIGH SCORES

The second “Religious Emblems Course” held at the Philmont Training Center in July 2006 was very well received. The 29 participants included Scout Executives, District Executives, Unit Commissioners, Interfaith Committee Chairs and other volunteers. There were representatives from the P.R.A.Y. Target Councils as well as individuals from other councils across the country. Here are some of their comments:

·        Eye opening!

·        Helped make me more aware of the importance of partnerships.

·        Broadened my knowledge base to be more informed when collaborating with religious organizations. 

·        Excellent tools to increase membership.

·        Forced me to look at ways to put plan into action

·        Thanks for all the resources!

The course presented ways to promote religious emblems, but it also focused on using religious emblems as a membership tool to increase BSA membership in faith communities. Click here to read some personal action plans that were created as part of this course.

Above: Course participant Jeff Bays making a religious emblems presentation in Sequoyah Council in Johnson City, TN after receiving training at Philmont.

WANTED: 10 TARGET COUNCILS FOR 2007

P.R.A.Y. is starting the process to select 10 Target councils for 2007. Target councils receive 2 scholarships to the July 29-Aug 4, 2007 Philmont Training Course on “Religious Emblems”. Target councils also receive follow-up onsite training by P.R.A.Y. on working with the religious community. If interested, scout executives should contact Mark Hazlewood at markp@praypub.org for an application.

DUTY TO GOD PROMOTION PATCH

The second segment of the Duty to God Promotion Patch is now available. The second patch features the mountain and the setting sun. This is the only patch available until August 2007.  Remember: the puzzle patches are on a continuous four-year cycle. The goal of the program is to encourage leaders to make presentations on the religious emblems EVERY year. The patch is called a “Promotion” patch because that is how you earn it: you learn about religious emblems and promote them. Click here to order your patch now.

Here are some common misconceptions about the puzzle patch:

False: You must earn your religious emblem in order to get the puzzle patch.

This is false because the puzzle patch is a “promotion” patch. You earn this patch by learning about and promoting religious emblems. You may receive the puzzle patch before you earn your religious emblem.

False: The four segments of the puzzle patch correspond to the four emblems that a Scout can earn.

This is false. The four segments of the puzzle patch may be earned in four consecutive years. A Scout does not have to wait until he has earned all four religious emblems as a Cub, Webelos, Boy Scout, or Venturer in order to receive the four segments of the puzzle patch.

False: If you didn’t do the patch last year, you missed your chance to get the segment with the kneeling Scout.

This is false because the segments become available in a continual four-year cycle. The kneeling Boy Scout will become available again in August 2009.

False: The puzzle patch replaces the square knot. This is false because the puzzle patch serves to promote the square knot, not replace it. The puzzle patch is worn as a temporary patch.  

CATHOLIC PRAYER BOOK AVAILABLE FROM P.R.A.Y.

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting has published the 2006 edition of A Scout is Reverent: A Prayer Manual for Boy Scouts and Venturers of the Catholic Faith which also includes My Duty to God: A Prayer Guide for Cub Scouts of the Catholic Faith. This is a pocket-sized booklet to be used at camp, on hikes, and even at Scout meetings. It is available on the P.R.A.Y. web site for $1.00 plus shipping and handling. 

P.R.A.Y. COLLABORATES WITH RELATIONSHIPS DIVISION AND SUPPLY GROUP TO DISTRIBUTE NEW RESOURCES

The Relationships Division, The Supply Group and P.R.A.Y. collaborated to produce two new resources for promoting religious emblems of all faiths.

The first resource is a store employee training on a CD. It is a PowerPoint presentation that provides the “who what where” of religious emblems from the store’s perspective.  The CD is part of a Religious Emblems Kit for Boy Scout Stores. This kit contains a poster, several brochures, a set of Duty to God puzzle patches, and a DVD. This resource was distributed by P.R.A.Y. free of charge but it could only be request by the store manager.

The second resource is a Religious Emblems Presentation Kit. It contains sample presentations for council wide trainings (i.e. Pow Wow’s, College of Commissioner Science, University of Scouting) as well as for unit presentations to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers. The complete kit includes a DVD (with PowerPoint presentations, scripts, and related handouts) as well as a poster and complete set of Duty to God puzzle patches. This kit was distributed free of charge by P.R.A.Y. but it could only be requested by the Religious Relations staff person.

Thanks to all the Boy Scout councils for promoting the religious awards and for helping Scouts fulfill their Duty to God!

WANTED: NEWS ABOUT SUMMER CAMP DUTY TO GOD PROGRAM

If your council implemented a Duty to God emphasis in your summer camps, we’d like to hear about it. Whether your camps did it for the first time, or whether they have done it for decades, we’d like to hear about your model and the success that you have had. Please share your story with P.R.A.Y. by emailing debh@praypub.org.

NEWS FROM CAMP MANATOC:

800 SCOUTS AND LEADERS DO THEIR DUTY TO GOD

During the busy and exciting seven weeks Camp Manatoc this past summer, 800 Scouts and Leaders participated in the new “Duty to God” program. In cooperation with PRAY and the Great Trail Council Chaplain Corps, the  “Duty to God” recognition was introduced.

The reason for the program came from the recent “BSA Summer Camp Outcome Study” which revealed that almost three-fourths of scouts and leaders think more about their relationship with God while at summer camp.  Because of this, the Chaplain Corps encouraged troops to support the spiritual element of Scouting by taking part in the Duty to God summer camp program.

The Duty to God patch is a four-segment “puzzle” type with one segment earned each year of summer camp.  This summer, the "Scout" segment was issued.  In future summers, a different patch will be given and participants are encouraged to earn all four segments over a four-year span.

“We were very excited about this program and are pleased that so many boys and leaders took the time during their week at camp to think more about God and participate in vespers and devotions,” commented Rev. David Weyrick, Council Chaplain. “I’m not aware of too many other camps in our Region that had such support for this new program.”

The Troop Chaplain Aide oversaw the participants in his troop.  Each Aide was provided with a book of suggested daily devotions, a brochure about Scouting’s religious awards, and requirement cards.  The Chaplain Aides did an outstanding job of providing leadership. 

Manatoc Chaplain Wayne Enders explained, “Our Chaplain Aides took this and really made it happen.  Not only that, but we had 82 boys participate in our Chaplain Aide training throughout the summer. Compare that to 22 boys trained in the summer 2005 and you can see the impact of this program.  That’s almost a 300% increase!  And 26 adults were so interested that they sat in on Chaplain Aide training as well.”

For the Duty to God, camp participants completed four requirements:

1.      Attended the two camp vespers services during their week.

2.      Participated in at least four devotionals with their troop or patrol.

3.      Led a prayer with others sometime during the week or memorized the Manatoc Grace.

4.      Learned about the religious awards for their faith traditions.

The Great Trail Council Chaplain Corps, made up of District Chaplains and the Manatoc Chaplain, has been in existence since May 2005.  Its mission is to serve the Council by providing for the spiritual needs of the Scouts and Scouters in all levels in order to emphasis their duty to God. The Corps also trains Unit Chaplains and Chaplain Aides and will be conducting training this fall at the District Roundtables.

P.R.A.Y. RECEIVES DONATION FROM YAH-TAY-HEY-SI-KESS LODGE

The Order of the Arrow Lodge of the Great Southwest Council in Albuquerque, New Mexico chose P.R.A.Y. as the recipient of the offering collected at their church service during their Spring Conclave last May. The Order of the Arrow is Scouting’s National Honor Society. It is a unique organization, where membership can only be obtained by being elected by non-members.  It is a service-oriented group, and nominated individuals (youth and adult) must meet high standards of service and camping.  Elections are held once a year in each troop, team and post desiring one.  After election, candidates must complete an Ordeal, a complex and very meaningful induction ceremony. At the Great Southwest Council, Ordeals are held twice a year at the Spring and Fall Conclaves. It was at this conclave that the YAH-TAY-HEY-SI-KESS lodge chose to honor P.R.A.Y. with their church offering. 

SECOND QUARTER FOUR-STAR RECIPIENTS

The following individuals were recognized in the second quarter of 2006 for completing all four levels of the God and Country series (i.e. God and Me, God and Family, God and Church, and God and Life). Four-Star recipients receive a certificate and letter from CEO Mark Hazlewood congratulating them on their accomplishments.

·        Blackhawk Area (Rockford, IL) – Tyler Stallard

·        Buckskin (Charleston, WV) – James Tuckwiller

·        Buffalo Trace (Evansville, IN) – Stephen Vanhooser

·        Circle Ten (Dallas, TX) – Thomas Joyce

·        Connecticut Rivers (East Hartford, CT) – Ben Cover

·        Denver Area (Denver, CO) – Alex Buehler

·        Gerald R. Ford (Grand Rapids, MI) – Jacob Bourjaily, Nicholas Bourjaily, Eric Bourjaily

·        Greater Niagara Frontier (Buffalo, NY) – Sean Pegado

·        Greater St. Louis Area (St. Louis, MO) – Sharami Brown

·        Heart of America (Kansas City, MO) – Charles Jarboe

·        Hudson Valley (Salisbury Mills, NY) – Adam Franco

·        La Salle (South Bend, IN) – Timothy Lane

·        National Capital Area (Bethesda, MD) – Thomas Kane

·        North Florida (Jacksonville, FL) – Andrew Cross

·        Overland Trails (Grand Island, NE) – Brent Potthoff, Austin Potthoff

·        Sagamore (Kokomo, IN) – Cameron Ryan

·        Sam Houston Area (Houston, TX) – Kevin Davenport, Matt Silva

·        San Diego Imperial (San Diego, CA) – Scott Mahon

·        Tidewater (Virginia Beach, VA) – Ian Abernathy, Robert Powell

·        Western Los Angeles County (Van Nuys, CA) – Johnathan Sprott, Brent Waddell 

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