Newsletter

SPECIAL RELIGIOUS EMBLEMS COORDINATOR LAUNCH EDITION
Newsletter
Winter 2011
“Building Faith in Youth”
BSA Edition
New Council and District Advancement Responsibilities . . .
Religious Emblems Coordinator (REC) Becomes Tool for Growth and Retention
Upon recommendation of a BSA Youth Development Team task force, there is now a Religious Emblems
Coordinator (REC) responsibility on both the council and district advancements committees.
The three-fold purpose of the REC is to:
1. Encourage all youth to earn the emblem of their faith.
2. Promote religious emblems usage like the Boy Scouts
of America promotes other youth advancement.
3. Establish goals with the council and district advancement committees for the number of religious emblems
to be completed within the year.
Anticipated outcomes of implementing the Religious
Emblems Coordinator plan and the resulting increase
in religious emblems usage are…
► Reinforcing the values taught in Scouting and
through the faith-based organizations.
► Enhancing relationships with existing religious
charter partners.
► Establishing and building relationships with new
charter partners.
► Strengthening and sustaining existing faith-based
Scouting units.
For more information on the Religious Emblems Coordinator, (REC)) visit the BSA’s new REC web
page . . . CLICK HERE
PRAY Offers Council Field
Support for REC /
Unit Growth & Retention
PRAY is now offering a three-part,
daylong event for Boy Scout councils
aimed at sustaining existing membership and starting new units. These
three-part events event include:
S Council Staff Orientation (introduction to the new council/district
Religious Emblems Coordinator
(REC); building sustainable units
through duty to God and faith-based
organizations)
S Field Visits to Potential New
Unit Charter Partners
S Volunteer Training (role of the
new Religious Emblems Coordinator; effective use of the religious emblems program; overview of adult religious recognitions; religious relationships committees)
Several of these three-part events
have already been conducted in Area
9 of the Southern Region in cooperation with Area Director John Meeks.
A few additional 2011 dates are still
available. To obtain additional information or to secure scheduling information, contact R. Chip Turner, Director of Communication and Training (rchipturner@praypub.org).
Need Help
Promoting “Duty to
God” in Your Unit,
District or Council?
PRAY is pleased to offer
you one free copy of
the Duty to God Promotion Resources
DVD just for the cost of
shipping and handling
($3.50). See page 3 for
complete details or click
on link below:
Free DVD offer
Page 2
In the Spirit of the New Council and District Religious Emblems Coordinator...
Coastal Empire Council Includes Religious Emblems Goal in
100th Anniversary Celebration / Sets Council Record
Years ago when then Scout Pete
Mastopoulos was encouraged by
his Scoutmaster to pursue the
religious emblem of his faith,
little did either of them realize
the impact it would have years
later on the Coastal Empire
Council which is headquartered
in Savannah, GA, (and located
many miles from Pete’s birthplace). Pete’s Scoutmaster encouraged every Scout in his troop
to earn his religious emblem.
And, more times than not, when
a young man stood to receive his
Eagle medal in Pete’s troop, he
was already proudly wearing his
religious medal.
Like so many young men before
him, Pete followed his Scoutmaster’s admonition and became a
religious emblem recipient. Now
years later, he found himself as
Council Commissioner for the
Coastal Empire Council. When
it came time to set goals for the
council observation of BSA’s
100th anniversary, Pete knew
one of those goals should relate
to religious emblems usage. He
proposed that there be no less
than 100 children and youth
earning the religious emblem of
their faith during 2010. His suggestion was accepted by the
100th anniversary planning committee and a strategy put in
place to accomplish it.
A large part of the council’s plan
was aimed at educating Scouts,
Scouters, parents, and faith
group leaders about the various
religious emblems. At every
sizeable district and council
event during the year, displays
and handouts were present. In
addition to educating them about
religious emblems, these efforts
reminded everyone of the 100 in
100 goal and challenged them to
get involved in pursuit of victory.
Attendees at district banquets, the
annual council banquet, council
executive board meetings, district
and council camporees, Order of
the Arrow functions, roundtable
meetings, and other Scouting
events learned more about the religious emblems goal. An ample supply of religious emblems books was
maintained in the Scout Shop. A
large progress-toward- goal poster
in the shape of a religious medal
(see picture in next column) was
updated regularly and prominently
displayed.
◄One of the progresstoward-goal posters
used in the yearlong
emphasis
Religious emblems
presentation ceremonies
shown below, including
Troop 88 chartered to
St. James Catholic
Church, Savannah▼
Even before the end of 2010, the
council exceeded their goal. Congratulations to Commissioner Pete
Mastopoulos and Coastal Empire
Council. You have positively impacted children, youth, and families while demonstrating Scouting’s
commitment to “duty to God.”
◄Cub Scout
Pack 88
chartered to
St. James
Catholic
Church,
Savannah
Did You Know???
Religious Emblems Coordinators help create opportunities to…
More effectively use the religious
emblems for youth development,
Work with Scouting in instilling the
importance of one’s duty to God,
Enhance relationships between
faith-based charter partners and
Scouting,
Create sustainable units which accomplish the missions of faith-based
organizations and of Scouting, and
Be involved in the values education
parents want for their children.
Functioning much like Religious
Emblems Coordinators, Coastal
Empire Council leaders contributed
to religious emblems usage as they...
1) Set challenging, attainable goals,
2) Educated Scouts, Scouters, parents,
and religious leaders,
3) Featured the emblems at Scouting
events and in publications, and
4) Worked with the faith community to
provide religious emblems studies.
Cub Scout
Pack 296
chartered
to Guyton
United
Methodist
Church,
Guyton►
◄Boy Scout
Troop 691
chartered to
Faulkville
Baptist
Church,
Faulkville
Page 3
Free Copy of
Promotional
DVD Available
to YOU as a
PRAY
Newsletter
Reader!
For a shipping/handling charge of $3.50, you can secure a
copy of PRAY’s comprehensive religious emblems promotional DVD. Here’s a sampling of the content:
Promoting Duty to God Video
Promoting Duty to God Game
Duty to God Brochure
Duty to God Patch Requirements
Resources for Promoting Duty to God
PowerPoint Presentations
Duty to God Roundtable Presentation
Promoting Religious Emblems: A Council /
District Training Syllabus
Religious Emblems Presentation for Cub Scouts
Religious Emblems Presentation for Boy Scouts
Religious Emblems Presentation for Venturers
Promoting Religious Emblems PowWow /
University of Scouting Feature
Creating a Religious Emblems Display
This excellent resource for Religious Emblems Coordinators, Religious Relationships Committees, Religious
Emblems Counselors, and other interested persons may
be secured by clicking on:
Free DVD offer
http://www.praypub.org/store/Duty-to-God-Resource-DVD-Rom-P46.aspx
LATE-BREAKING NEWS . . .
Council & District
Religious Emblems Coordinator
Workshop Added
Thursday Afternoon - May 26
San Diego, CA
“Congratulations”
Four-Star Recipients
Four-star recipients are Scouts who have completed all
four levels of the PRAY Program . . . God and Me, God
and Family, God and Church, and God and Life.
Congratulations to these new four-star achievers:
Alabama-Florida Area Council
Black Warrior Council
Greater Yosemite Council
Greater Yosemite Council
Longs Peak Council
Flint River Council
Chicago Area Council
Three Fires Council
Illowa Council
Lincoln Heritage Council
Great Sauk Trail Council
Great Sauk Trail Council
Great Sauk Trail Council
Gamehaven Council
Gamehaven Council
Gamehaven Council
Heart Of America Council
Pony Express Council
Greater St. Louis Area Council
Greater St. Louis Area Council
Cornhusker Council
Greater Niagara Frontier Co.
Mecklenburg County Council
Mecklenburg County Council
Mecklenburg County Council
Occoneechee Council
Occoneechee Council
Tuscarora Council
Buckeye Council
Buckeye Council
Last Frontier Council
Minsi Trails Council
Minsi Trails Council
Penn's Woods Council
Penn's Woods Council
Penn's Woods Council
Palmetto Area Council
Great Smoky Mts. Council
Golden Spread Council
Golden Spread Council
Sam Houston Area Council
Sam Houston Area Council
Sam Houston Area Council
Alamo Area Council
Green Mountain Council
Potawatomi Area Council
Burlington County Council
Black Hills Area Council
Sequoyah Council
Sioux Council
Yocona Area Council
Bucks County Council
Bucks County Council
Matthew Laramore
Zacharie Guyton
Frankie Gigliotti
Danny Spears
Travis Andersen
Garrett Jones
Aaron Jacobson
Jacob Stout
Alex Moore
Matthew Paul
Jared Bauer
Caleb Bauer
Aaron Bauer
Joshua Halverson
William Marquart
Matthew Meyer
Matthew Bell
Joshua Babb
Danyel Nobles
Anders Jovaag
Adam Lif
Tyler Fulater
William Keeton
Parker Irreland
Robert Linton
Adam Cox
Jason Cox
Benjamin Munoz
Tyler Miller
Jason Tweedie
Jake Sutton
Nathaniel Decker
Joseph Shindell
Matthew Scott
Jason Glacken
Travis Rosenbaum
Michael Robinson
Joshua Melton
Taylor Goodnight
Tyler Smith
Tyler Cassens
Zack Holt
Dalton Owens
Thomas Damrow
Troy Mullins
Christopher Englund
Harry Lewis
Nathaniel Brown
Benjamin Riggs
Matthew Paulsen
Noah Robertson
Erin Cadwallader
Evan Swanger
Page 4
Registration is Now Open!
PRAY Course Set is July 10-16 in New Mexico
Philmont Training Center
“Building Sustainable Membership Through Religious Emblems” will be offered at
Philmont Training Center (PTC) July 10-16. The course is designed to help councils and congregations achieve sustainable growth. The new BSA council and district Religious Emblems
Coordinator will also be introduced. In addition to the practical, hands-on training for conferees, family members will enjoy hiking, tours, handicrafts, horseback riding, and a variety of
other activities. Philmont is truly the perfect family experience.
Council and district Religious Emblems Coordinators, Scouting professionals, volunteers
responsible for membership, religious relationships committee members, and other individuals
interested in promoting “duty to God” and the religious emblems programs of all faiths, should
plan now to attend. The course will focus on “duty to God” and the religious emblems program
as membership tools. Conferees will examine retention tools, approaches for increasing membership from current chartered partners, and strategies for reaching under served areas. Class
members will also learn how religious emblems can reinforce BSA values education.
For more information about PTC, go to: www.philmonttrainingcenter.org. Effective immediately, you may register online at www.my-scouting.org under “event registration” in the
events tab. Select “Philmont Training Center.”
Announcing Scouting.org’s
new web page for the
Council and District
Religious Emblems Coordinator
PRAY Newsletter is produced by
PRAY Publishing.
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Suite B, St. Louis, MO 63123-7816
PHONE - 800-933-PRAY (7729); 314845-3318; Fax - 314-845-0038
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Newsletter - R. Chip Turner,
Editor, rchipturner@praypub.org