Fred Goodwin, CMA
2008-07-25 04:06:42 UTC
Putting faith in Scouting
<http://www.dwtx.org/index.php?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=37>
http://tinyurl.com/5osdv5
July / August, 2008
Caroline Parke
The Church News
St. Paul’s Church in Brownsville has found a way to attract one of the
most elusive demographics in the Episcopal Church: middle school boys.
The parish’s inspired method for drawing the attention of adolescent
males relies on the Boy Scouts of America, an organization with a
longstanding reputation for its winning mixture of fun and discipline.
The Rev. Chuck Sharrow, vicar of St. Paul’s, commented that the recent
connection of a successful Boy Scout Troop to the St. Paul’s community
has proven a significant opportunity for outreach. He remarked that
appeal of scouting to a young, male demographic has been especially
effective given that “a lot of times it’s difficult to get middle
school age boys into church.” Sharrow is among many in the St. Paul’s
community who attest that sponsorship of the Boy Scout troop serves as
a “vehicle to introduce [Scouts] to Jesus.”
As one who has come through the middle school years and is still
active in Scouting, Marcos Gracia embodies the combination of scouting
and faith found at St. Paul’s. A recent graduate of Hannah High School
in Brownsville, he has attended St. Paul’s for seven years. About two
years ago, his Boy Scout Troop, 214, transferred from another
sponsoring organization to St. Paul’s Church.
Throughout the time that St. Paul’s has sponsored Troop 214, Gracia
has been an integral part of both troop and church activities. So much
so, that this year he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout by organizing
and executing a service project: the renovation of the St. Paul’s food
bank. His mission was “to remodel the St. Paul’s food bank; that
consisted of painting, putting in a new floor, building new tables,
installing new lamps, cleaning” and renovating the whole space. This
particular project is important to him, he says, because: “I was
thinking months ago about things that I could do, and when I was
praying what I could do . . . I was very proud to remodel a place that
is in this church, not even for Eagle rank. When I was praying, I was
asking God to give me one chance to do something big for this church.”
Gracia has accomplished something big not only for St. Paul’s, but for
the other boys in his troop. Assistant scoutmaster, guitarist for the
Ministry of Music, and founder of the church’s soccer team, Gracia is
“involved in everything” he can be around the church, and he feels
that his recruiting of boys to be members of Troop 214 opens the door
for God to recruit them to be members of His church.
The troop currently numbers about ten, and each member is responsible
for bringing a visitor to each week’s Thursday meeting. “Every boy
goes to different places to talk about the things we do and [others]
come and they see the meeting, and if they like it, they stay.”
Gracia adds that when new boys “come and see us doing things in the
troop and learning the things we do, we invite them to come to the
service.” Gracia said he hopes his success in achieving the rank of
Eagle Scout will encourage other members of Troop 214 to do the same.
Though already a high school graduate, Gracia plans to continue
encouraging the troop in years to come. Next year, he will attend the
University of Texas at Brownsville and plans to devote his time “in
the afternoons” to helping the troop, doing all he can to helping
other boys achieve Eagle rank” as he did. Additionally, Gracia said
Putting faith in Scouting that he would like “to involve more kids in
this troop because we have a relationship with God, and from it they
can learn a lot of things, they can learn anything.”
Gracia and Sharrow agree that sponsoring the Boy Scout troop exposes
the boys to the community of faith, and serves as a bridge connecting
new and old scouts to church activities like youth group.
As is evident in the example of its first Eagle Scout, Marcos Gracia,
St. Paul’s Boy Scout Troop 214 is empowering young men through
scouting and through Jesus, equipping them to serve both the church
and the world.
<http://www.dwtx.org/index.php?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=37>
http://tinyurl.com/5osdv5
July / August, 2008
Caroline Parke
The Church News
St. Paul’s Church in Brownsville has found a way to attract one of the
most elusive demographics in the Episcopal Church: middle school boys.
The parish’s inspired method for drawing the attention of adolescent
males relies on the Boy Scouts of America, an organization with a
longstanding reputation for its winning mixture of fun and discipline.
The Rev. Chuck Sharrow, vicar of St. Paul’s, commented that the recent
connection of a successful Boy Scout Troop to the St. Paul’s community
has proven a significant opportunity for outreach. He remarked that
appeal of scouting to a young, male demographic has been especially
effective given that “a lot of times it’s difficult to get middle
school age boys into church.” Sharrow is among many in the St. Paul’s
community who attest that sponsorship of the Boy Scout troop serves as
a “vehicle to introduce [Scouts] to Jesus.”
As one who has come through the middle school years and is still
active in Scouting, Marcos Gracia embodies the combination of scouting
and faith found at St. Paul’s. A recent graduate of Hannah High School
in Brownsville, he has attended St. Paul’s for seven years. About two
years ago, his Boy Scout Troop, 214, transferred from another
sponsoring organization to St. Paul’s Church.
Throughout the time that St. Paul’s has sponsored Troop 214, Gracia
has been an integral part of both troop and church activities. So much
so, that this year he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout by organizing
and executing a service project: the renovation of the St. Paul’s food
bank. His mission was “to remodel the St. Paul’s food bank; that
consisted of painting, putting in a new floor, building new tables,
installing new lamps, cleaning” and renovating the whole space. This
particular project is important to him, he says, because: “I was
thinking months ago about things that I could do, and when I was
praying what I could do . . . I was very proud to remodel a place that
is in this church, not even for Eagle rank. When I was praying, I was
asking God to give me one chance to do something big for this church.”
Gracia has accomplished something big not only for St. Paul’s, but for
the other boys in his troop. Assistant scoutmaster, guitarist for the
Ministry of Music, and founder of the church’s soccer team, Gracia is
“involved in everything” he can be around the church, and he feels
that his recruiting of boys to be members of Troop 214 opens the door
for God to recruit them to be members of His church.
The troop currently numbers about ten, and each member is responsible
for bringing a visitor to each week’s Thursday meeting. “Every boy
goes to different places to talk about the things we do and [others]
come and they see the meeting, and if they like it, they stay.”
Gracia adds that when new boys “come and see us doing things in the
troop and learning the things we do, we invite them to come to the
service.” Gracia said he hopes his success in achieving the rank of
Eagle Scout will encourage other members of Troop 214 to do the same.
Though already a high school graduate, Gracia plans to continue
encouraging the troop in years to come. Next year, he will attend the
University of Texas at Brownsville and plans to devote his time “in
the afternoons” to helping the troop, doing all he can to helping
other boys achieve Eagle rank” as he did. Additionally, Gracia said
Putting faith in Scouting that he would like “to involve more kids in
this troop because we have a relationship with God, and from it they
can learn a lot of things, they can learn anything.”
Gracia and Sharrow agree that sponsoring the Boy Scout troop exposes
the boys to the community of faith, and serves as a bridge connecting
new and old scouts to church activities like youth group.
As is evident in the example of its first Eagle Scout, Marcos Gracia,
St. Paul’s Boy Scout Troop 214 is empowering young men through
scouting and through Jesus, equipping them to serve both the church
and the world.