Teaching tips for "Duty to God"?

[jakesmom]

Hi, all - I'm leading our Wolf Cubs' den meeting tonight, and foolishly chose "Duty to God" as our discussion. I don't find the handbook to be particularly helpful, and wondered if some of you more seasoned scouters have any tips to offer?

[johndaigler]

Hi, Jakesmom! Welcome!!!!

 

Ok, you're in a rush - but that makes it hard. The handbook is brief, the Cub Leaders handbook is "briefer". You might try calling the council office to see if you can find someone to talk to about the Religious Award Program, but last minute, I don't know . . .

 

If your Cubs are religiously homogenous then try that religious org. for contacts, but I wouldn't suggest any old speaker/resource for a mixed group of boys. Respect for their families religious choices would dictate spending more time planning and researching.

 

I tried the "Scoutmaster's Other Handbook" for you.

It suggested the site >> MacScouter's Big "A Scout is Reverent" Resource Book (http://www.macscouter.com/scoutsown/)

 

You might try that - I'll keep looking.

 

Good Luck

 

jd(This message has been edited by johndaigler)

[johndaigler]

Hi, Jakesmom,

 

you might also try>>>>

 

http://www.praypub.org/scripts_cubsc.htm

 

PRAY is an org. mentioned in the Boy Scout Handbook. I'd take that as official blessing to trust/use their site and ideas. This page will mention a video to show your Cub families - it might be available last minute from your Council Office. But if your tech savvy and equipped . . . it can be downloaded from PRAY (?~$6?).

 

Good Luck.

 

jd

[jakesmom]

Johndaigler, thanks for the resource references. I ended up going it alone (with assistance available from an experienced Cubmaster, who did "Your Flag" for me), and it seemed to go OK. This particular Achievement requires some serious follow-up at home, and all parents were in agreement that it was important to discuss with our boys in more depth as a family. I feel much better now!

 

Thanks again - I appreciate the time you took to reply, and I'll check out the sites you've mentioned for future reference and my own family's discussion.

 

[Chicken Ranch]

If your chartered organization is a church, you might check with the pastor or youth education person about setting up a "God & Country" seminar over 2 or 3 meetings.

When my son did this about a zillion years ago (1993-97), we did the work independently through the United Methodist Church and sent him to church camp where it was specifically offered.

[johndaigler]

"Church Camp" . . .

 

Thanks for the mental jump start, chickenranch!!!!!

 

 

 

jd

[fgoodwin]

This is such a great question -- I know I'm responding late, but there may be others out there wondering the same thing and who may not be aware of all the resources available to them, so here goes:

 

There is a "duty to God" activity in the Wolf, Bear and Webelos Scout handbooks. For den leaders who want to discuss this and are not sure how to proceed, the PRAY script that was mentioned earlier is a great place to start. Be sure to get several copies of the religious emblems poster (a bin item available from your local Council resource center, no. 5-879B) so families can see what the medals of their faith look like.

 

If your CO is a church, then going to your pastor / priest or youth minister is also good advice, assuming they know about the religious emblems program and the "duty to God" requirements.

 

Every Pack should have a religious emblems coordinator (can be an ACM, per the Cub Scout Leader Book, p23-9 of the 2001 edition, or a Committee member such as Advancements or the CC). Go to this person to see what resources they may have that can help with your den presentation, or ask them to do a Packwide presentation, which could be done as part of a special recognition to a Cub(s) who has earned his religious medal.

 

Moving up a level, your district committee may have a religious relationships coordinator (usually part of the membership committee) who sits on a larger Council Religious Relationships Committee. Seek out your District Committee at your next Round Table to see if such a resource exists.

 

Not every Council has a religious relationships committee (may be called an interfaith committee or by many other names). If such a committee exists, they may be able to put on a special presentation at your district RT about starting a religious emblems program in your unit.

 

Be aware they some faiths (for example, the Catholic Church) have their own Scouting committee, and that their boundaries may not follow your Council boundary. For example, your local Catholic Committee on Scouting may follow its own diocesan boundaries. So its possible that you might contact one Diocesan Scouting Committee, and then be referred to another in your area.

 

Many religious relationships committees also put on training for religious emblems counselors and mentors. Ask around to see if such training is available in your district or Council, or ask your local religious relationships committee to offer such training if they currently do not.

 

Many Pow-Wows offer courses in the religious emblems program. Look for your next Pow-Wow and ask your Council Training Committee to include such a course if your last Pow-Wow did not. A "Duty to God" course may also be offered at your "Commissioners College" or "University of Scouting".

 

Intended for Commissioners, typically this training is also available to all leaders who wish to attend. If your UoS does not offer a "Duty to God" course, ask your Council Commissioner to consider adding one.

 

If none of these local resources are available, consider aproaching a nearby Venturing Crew for assistance. My son is only 11, so I don't know much about Venturing, but I understand they need opportunites to teach, so a Venturer working on their own Religious Life Bronze Award may be happy to assist with putting on a religious emblems presentation for your den or Pack. If you don't know of any nearby Venturing Crews, ask your Unit Commissioner to put you in touch.

 

As mentioned, the PRAY website is a wealth of resources about the religious emblems program. There are many other resources on the Internet; one of the best is on the USScouting webpage:

 

http://usscouts.org/scoutduty/index.html

 

Be aware that some of the information on this great resource is dated and may not be current.

 

Another helpful resource are national religious Scouter organizations, like the National Association of United Methodist Scouters (NAUMS):

 

http://www.naums.org/

 

Not all faiths / denominations have such Associations, but NAUMS is a good one, and they list many resources that are not Methodist-specific.

 

If this is a topic that you see yourself perhaps getting into in a big way (say on a district or Council committee), you might consider attending one of many training courses at the Philmont Training Center (PTC) that covers faith in Scouting:

 

http://www.scouting.org/philmont/ptc/index.html

 

Courses offered in 2005 during the week of Aug 7-13 include:

 

(1) Religious Emblems for Youth and Adults

(2) Scouting in the Jewish Community

(3) United Methodist Scouter's Workshop

(4) Scouting in the Church's Ministry

(5) Membership/Relationship Committee

(6) Scouting in the Catholic Church

 

There is an entire week just for LDS Scouters (July 2-8).

 

Getting a PTC slot is easier than you might think: just ask your DE! The cost for the course and transportation is considerable -- ask your Council if scholarships are available, and you might be able to share a ride with others going from your Council.

 

Finally, I have participated in "God & Me" and "God & Family" workshops and would be happy to answer questions about those programs. My son and I have not yet been through "God & Church" or "God & Life" so I am less familiar with those programs.

 

The bottom line is: you are not alone! There are many resources available to assist you: written, electronic and human! Good luck to all of you who are helping your boys do their "Duty to God"!

 

Fred Goodwin

Protestant Committee on Scouting

Alamo Area Council

[cakes302]

Dear Jakesmom,

My name is Susan Banks. I am a memebr of Troop 418 in Nanticoke, Pa. Recently I had the privilage of attending Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. There I had taken a Religious Emblem program. The orangization you are loking for is called PRAY< located in Minnesota. The man you need to contact is Mark Hazelwood, the director of Pray. They are an organization that puts out all the information with regards to Religious Emblems. He can be reached at mark@praypub.org or their web site is www.praypub.org

do tell him I had refered you to them. If in a hurry as leaders we usually are, then go to your church. I'am sure they will be happy to help you. There are also a lot of web sites out there were you can get alot of information in a hurry. Also your council, or your cubmaster/scoutmaster should beable to help you as well. Some of the troops Committe Chairman/woman can also in many cases help too. I know as I was the Pack Committe Chair for a local Cub Scout Pack at one time. If you need any mofre help please feel free to email me at cakes302@aol.com I will try my best to help you. Take care and have fun Susan Banks