Story contributed by Steven Scheid, Director of Scouting Ministries
Scouting partners with a number of religious chartered organization across the nation. The BSA cherishes these strong relationships because they allow more and more families the opportunity to experience Scouting. Among those relationships, the BSA has a long-standing partnership with the United Methodist Church. District executives are encouraged to work closely with United Methodist Church in their communities to strengthen these existing ties and continue inviting more families to experience Scouting.
Scouting in the United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church supports the character-building, adventure-filled experiences Scouting provides youth. In order to better serve the youth in the church, we suggest better familiarizing yourself with how Scouting works alongside the church to best serve youth.
Within the United Methodist Church, there are 54 regions known as Annual Conferences. A list of them can be found here. To best facilitate Scouting in the Church, each conference should have a Conference Scouting Coordinator. Each Conference Scouting Coordinator works to develop a team of District Scouting Coordinators and other support members for their Scouting committee.
But what if you run across a conference without a Scouting team? For these areas, you’ll need to identify local listings for churches in the area who have Scouting and those that do not. This information will help connect churches with strong Scouting programs to churches who need help developing our programs. The best way to facilitate this interaction is through existing Scouting volunteers in the church. Those volunteers are then encouraged to share their passions and experience in Scouting with less involved churches so they can learn about the opportunities available to their youth.
How can you connect with local UMC churches?
- If you would like to know the Scouting contact for your area, please send an email to [email protected].
- Identify United Methodist Churches in your area and reach out to them.
- Develop relationships with your local churches and identify how you can help them reach their mission.
Our partnership with the United Methodist Church will reach its 100-year anniversary in February 2020 and we hope to continue strengthening these bonds for another 100 years and beyond. Thank you for serving the youth of our country. Your work is appreciated and so are you.
Have questions about this partnership or need assistance finding a contact in your area? Please email [email protected].
Scouting Wire would like to thank Steven Scheid for contributing this story
The post How District Executives Can Connect with the United Methodist Church Locally appeared first on Scouting Wire.
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