Scout Sunday

[qwazse]

At Scout Sunday Service, our crew historian, an Italian exchange student, gave a "Minute for Mission" on what being 5000 miles from home and still having a scout unit to call her own meant to her.

 

It was quite touching. The best part IMHO, she held up the woggle on her neckerchief and said, "We say this means always a scout, I now know it also means anywhere a scout."

[CalicoPenn]

What a great sentiment - good thing she doesn't read parts of this forum.

[NJCubScouter]

We did not have any youth members speaking at Scout Sunday.  Our Scouts did assist with the service as they typically do, handing out the programs (if that's the correct term), to the arriving worshippers, ringing the bell and helping with the collection.  The pastor recognized us and our relationship with the church and the community, as she always does, but to my recollection her words about the troop were somewhat lengthier and more effusive this year I guess we must be doing something right.

 

I usually have one or two of the older congregants coming up to me and discussing their past Scouting activities.  I spent some time after the service yesterday speaking with a woman who told me she was a commissioner in the early 70's (I did not know women could be commissioners back then) and that she received the Silver Beaver award the first year it was awarded to women, 1974.  Before that the BSA awarded the Silver Fawn as the council-level equivalent for women.  I was a Scout at that time, but had not been aware of that part of the history of these awards.  I also mentioned to her that my father had been in the same council she was and had received the Silver Beaver in 1982.  She said his name sounded familiar.  She was probably just being polite, but that's ok.

 

(I just realized this was in "Scouting around the World" so my story about Scouters from New Jersey probably doesn't fit, but that's ok too.)

Edited February 6, 2017 by NJCubScouter

[qwazse]

What a great sentiment - good thing she doesn't read parts of this forum.

@@CalicoPenn, if she did (or, perhaps, when she eventually does), she will be in the thick of it.

 

@@NJCubScouter, no worries. Some folks in this neck of the woods may probably think they need passports to cross the Deleware!

 

I started the tradition of youth reporting because of the crew. One of the official responsibilities of crew presidents is to give an annual report to their crews' CO. So, this time seemed ideal for that sort of thing. We try to have the former crew president sum up the year and then acknowledge the newly elected president. Then, the SM thought that his SPL could speak, so we encouraged that. One year one of the Webelos reported on the pack (the Cubmaster's son helped him prepare it). I gotta say that it is so much more interesting having the youth give their take on the program. This, year, the former president was not available, and the new president is still getting organized, and this young woman likes to speak and does well.

 

It used to be just adult leaders addressing the church. In the program, we've labeled that time as a number of things. I've encouraged the church to call it "Minute for Mission" as many Presbyterians are familiar with that term -- and I hope it gives them the sense that we aren't just saying, "Thanks for keeping the lights on for us." The goal is to make them understand that scouting is a real investment on their part. Even the CO no longer charters the troop, boys still come here from multiple troops for Scout Sunday. We have those boys provide color guard ... Oath and Law are incorporated in the service. This year the new pastor gave the boys lots of speaking and reading parts. Being someplace where they feel welcome ... even if they the style of worship is a little different to them ... means a lot.