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The United Methodist Church Youth Ministry Through BSA, GSUSA, CFUSA, and 4-Hby Mildred B. Keeney The United Methodist Church seeks to minister to young people today through four agencies:
Groups sponsored by the church are welcome to participate in activities of the local church, but the various religious opinions and practices of the individual members are respected. No attempt is made to require the youth to take part in religious observances of the sponsoring group, and faith teaching is believed to be the responsibility of parents and their religious leaders. OUR LEADERS... We believe in the responsibility of faith modeling, and leaders of these organizations are expected to show young people that God is important in their lives by the way they live. They are entrusted with the lives of young people and will be using these programs to teach citizenship, character development, and physical fitness, as well as the various skills. A good leader will demonstrate faith with love and concern for the young people and share their excitement, joys, unhappiness, and concerns. A good leader will demonstrate the importance of one's faith by actively participating in church, realizing the example you are setting for the young people. Include religious observances in meetings and campouts to encourage the spiritual growth of the members. The leaders will provide the youth with a safe atmosphere, free from cursing, off-color stories, prejudice, alcoholic beverages, and any other drugs or health-damaging substances. Youth leaders may be the best models some young people will ever observe. They may, in some cases, be the only positive faith model a young person will be willing to follow. Therefore, we expect the best in our leaders. It is an awesome responsibility. THE LOCAL CHURCH SUPPORTS THE AGENCIES Within the local church, a Scouting Coordinator is appointed to be the liaison between the agencies and the church. This person serves on the church Administrative Board and Council on Ministries, or the Administrative Council, as well as the District Committee of Scouting. One of the responsibilities is to assist the pastor and the worship committee in planning the Scouting Ministries Sunday, usually in February or March. There may be a Scouting Committee if there are several groups within the church. The Scouting Coordinator is to see that the God and Country program is offered to children and youth, and to help those members of other denominations to obtain information about the programs in their churches. When volunteer adults are qualified, the Scouting Coordinator sees that they are recognized with the Cross and Flame award. When a group is eligible, application is to be submitted for the Bishop's Award of Excellence. LET'S GET STARTED To increase our church's ministry to children and youth in the community, consider using one or more youth agencies. Present a plan to the local Administrative Board/Council on Ministries, or Administrative Council. Get approval to provide support for a budget to get the group started. Elect a Scouting Coordinator and other adult leadership for a task group. Determine which youth agencies to invite, and contact the appropriate agencies for professional help in forming the units. Set up a recruiting night, and work with the agencies to get them started. A consecration service can be planned for leaders, and be sure to plan for the Scouting Ministries Sunday service. By building on long-standing, cooperative relationships with these agencies, The United Methodist Church will be better able to serve youth and the community. It will be an opportunity to bring them into an environment that fosters spiritual and moral values and develops the ability to transfer these values to life situations. The skills and values developed by adults and youth through these agencies often help in other areas of the congregation's ministry, also. Each congregation is urged to explore the exciting possibilities made available to the church by incorporating these agencies into the congregation's Youth Ministry program. CHURCH OFFERS GOD AND COUNTRY RELIGIOUS PROGRAM There are four age levels of the God and Country series: "God and Me" for grades 1, 2, and 3 "God and Family" for grades 4 and 5 "God and Church" for grades 6, 7, and 8 "God and Life" for grades 9, 10, 11, and 12. Girls and boys of these ages are eligible to participate in the four levels of the God and Church program even if they do not belong to a Girl Scout, Boy Scout, or Camp Fire group (church youth and Sunday School members are eligible to participate in this program). Each participant must have his or her own copy of the student workbook. A pastor's signature is required on the application/order form. The new God and Me curriculum is designed to help children become best friends with Jesus and tell their story of “God and Me” together. Children will make a game in each lesson and keep their games in a GAMEBOX (God And Me Exploring BOX). These games will reinforce the Bible lessons and provide opportunities for families to explore God's love together. The new God and Family curriculum is designed to help youth understand the importance of family and God’s role in a healthy family. The God and Family Program provides an opportunity for young people and their families to explore their faith together. Children will compare families and “pizza.” The six steps for making pizza will be compared to God’s plan for strengthening families. The pizza theme is meant to give students a concrete, “hands-on” model on which to build their understanding of God’s love for their families. They will make a pizza as they study how families can grow together in God’s love. The God and Church program will lead young people on a journey. It will be a faith journey with three parts: meeting Jesus, worshiping God, and witnessing and ministering for Christ. Participants will create either a video or a photo album to share what they have learned on their faith journeys. The God and Church Program provides young people with the opportunity to work with their pastor or other Christian adult, to understand the church's structures and objectives, and to participate in service projects that will give them a better understanding of the mission of the church. The God and Church program can take from three to five months to complete. The program is very flexible and can be structured in a number of different ways. Ideally, the youth will complete this program in his or her own church under the supervision of his or her own pastor. However, it is possible to teach the course to a group of young people who belong to different denominations. In this situation, the individual churches should be contacted ahead of time. The pastors need to be invited to the class sessions that deal with specific church history and doctrine. The young people can benefit from this type of comparative study and learn to appreciate the unique aspects of their own denomination. The God and Church curriculum was developed without theological bias; yet it was designed to permit the introduction of particular theological and denominational viewpoints on the material being studied. It is the responsibility of the counselor to provide this specific instruction. Therefore all students use the standard God and Church curriculum regardless of church membership. It is at the God and Church level that denominational logos are available on certain recognition items. The God and Life program is the fourth program in the God and Country Series. It is a reflective type of curriculum: students will study the lives of men and women in the Bible and discover what their lives teach them about God. The young people will then be challenged to integrate their faith into their daily lives. The outline for the God and Life curriculum is based on the life of the Apostle Paul as recorded in Acts 9:1-31. This is a brief account that describes how Paul became a Christian. Five chronological "events" out of this story will be highlighted and used as the focus for the five different sections in this program. Each section will illustrate a key element in learning how to live one's life for Christ. The Adult Mentor program is an optional program for parents. Rather than having just their children go through the program by themselves, parents may choose to work on the program alongside their children. In the Adult Mentor program, parents have a workbook with lessons and projects to complete just like the child. Parents will be challenged to learn more about their faith and to talk about their faith with their children. The God and Service Award for adults also is available from P.R.A.Y., not to be confused with the Mentor study. It is by nomination only, not a work/study program to earn. It is a national recognition for distinguished service by adults in ministry to young people through service to the Church and one or more of the national youth agencies. It may be given to any adult who is an active member of his or her church and who has rendered a minimum of five or more years of distinguished service to young people both through the church and one or more of the national youth agencies. UNITED METHODIST RECOGNITIONS THAT CAN BE AWARDED The Cross and Flame award is a religious service award authorized for recognizing outstanding service to youth at the local church level. In order to qualify, a person must have been an active leader in a youth serving agency (BSA, CFUSA, GSUSA, or 4-H) for at least five years, and have given outstanding leadership to children and youth in the local church. The candidate must also be active in his or her local church. The Torch award is a religious service award authorized for recognizing service to children/youth at the District or Annual Conference level. In order to qualify, a person must be an active member of The United Methodist Church and have given outstanding leadership to children and youth through the church, through one (or more) of the four youth serving agency programs, and must have promoted the God and Country program. The Bishop's Award of Excellence is authorized for the purpose of recognizing outstanding Boy Scout, Camp Fire, Girl Scout, or 4-H units operated by local churches (or organizations within) of The United Methodist Church that have met the established criteria. Upon nomination by the Scouting Coordinator and approved by a proper committee or representative of the Annual Conference, the Bishop's Award of Excellence is presented by the presiding Bishop to the pastor, the unit leader, and at least one member of the unit at the next regular session of the Annual Conference. The award recognizes activity of one year and may be earned again. The Good Samaritan award can be presented by the local church to a youth who has given significant personal and selfless contributions toward others or assistance to individuals in need. Applications for these four awards are available for download from the www.naums.org web site. The awards can be ordered through the Office of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting Ministries, P.O. Box(340006) Nashville, TN 37203-0006, telephone 615-340-7145. E-mail address for the director, Larry Coppock, Email: Larry Coppock. CHURCH ORGANIZATION SUPPORT A District Scouting Coordinator serves on the District Council on Ministries and the District United Methodist Men Executive Board, as well as the Conference Committee for Scouting. This person works closely with the District Superintendent and has the responsibility to see that qualified local church coordinators are recognized with a Cross and Flame Award. A Conference Scouting Coordinator works with the District Coordinators and keeps them informed on Scouting Ministries. This person works closely with the Bishop to promote the ministry of scouting throughout the conference and to coordinate Bishop's Dinners for Scouting for this purpose. The Conference Scouting Coordinator is responsible for recognizing qualified volunteers with the Torch Award There also is a Jurisdictional Coordinator who works with the Conference Coordinators of the Jurisdiction, with responsibilities for training and events related to Scouting Ministries. The Jurisdictional Coordinator is a member of the Jurisdictional United Methodist Men's organization. This person should see that Conference Coordinators are awarded the Torch or the God and Service Award when qualified. Training is available for all Scouting Coordinators. It is important for understanding the responsibilities and opportunities of this ministry. The General Commission on United Methodist Men (national organization) provides resources and support for the national Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting Ministries and the National Association of United Methodist Scouters (NAUMS) for training of local church, district, annual conference, and jurisdictional Scouting Coordinators The Office of Civic Youth-Serving Agencies/Scouting Ministries is the national office that communicates with the four youth agencies. They work with NAUMS in this process and in presenting training. Up-to-date information is on the United Methodist Church Civic Youth/Scouting Ministry website at www. naums.org. To subscribe to the Scouts-UMC e-mail list, send the command "Subscribe Scouts-UMC" to LISTSERV@HOME.EASE.LSOFT.COM. N.A.U.M.S. INVITES YOU TO JOIN THEM The purpose of the National Association of United Methodist Scouters is to enhance the ministry of The United Methodist Church, to develop strategies and resources; and to organize and expand the church's youth ministry through the programs of the four youth serving agencies. Through youth agencies and church partnerships, the Association has undertaken the mission of providing character and citizenship development under the leadership of Christian role models. Membership is open to people who have an interest in providing quality programs for today's children/youth within The United Methodist Church. Through cooperation with United Methodist Churches, local officials of the youth serving agencies, United Methodist Men, and annual conference structures, the NAUMS invites you to become involved in this vital ministry to help children and youth. There is a $25 annual fee or a life membership is $400. Send your name, address, phone, and name of your Church Conference and District to the National Association of United Methodist Scouters, 1000 17th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37212-2202. Or click the link below: Information in this web page was obtained from previous publications by the Office of Civic Youth-Serving Ministries/Scouting, by the National Association of United Methodist Scouters, by Programs of Religious Activities with Youth, and by the Board of Discipleship. 10/98mbk Revised 03/04ewh/mbk |
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The National Association of United Methodist Scouters does not endorse, warrant, or guarantee the internet products, services, or information described above. The Cross and Flame is a registered trademark and the use is supervised by the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church. Permission to use the Cross and Flame must be obtained from the General Council on Finance and Administration of The United Methodist Church: Legal Department, GCFA, Post Office Box 340029, Nashville, TN 37203-0029, Phone: 615-369-2334. |
