Riverside Presbyterian Church, our charter organization since 1939, invites you to attend RPC on Scout Sunday, February 7. The sermon for Scout Sunday, “A Boy Scout is Brave,” is taken from Isaiah 6:1-8.  How is Isaiah similar to a Boy Scout? In Scouting, kids learn new skills and are asked to try new things, including leadership positions. Isaiah speaks of feeling unsure and under-qualified to become a prophet, yet he follows God’s call anyway. RPC’s service begins at 10:00 a.m. Scouts will serve as ushers, acolyte, and liturgists.

The Boy Scouts of America annually celebrates its founding on February 8, 1910, based on the program started by Lord Baden Powell in England in 1907. Scout Sunday was added to the Scout celebration in the middle 1940s. Scout Sunday is always the Sunday preceding February 8. The Scout Sunday tradition was started to make people in houses of worship aware of Scouting, and to allow Scouts to live out their “Duty to God” pledged each week. The Scout Law says that a “Scout is Reverent” and the Scouts of all ages promise to do their “Duty to God”.

Troop 24 will be participating in the Voyageur Trace Klondike Derby in Bemis Woods South, Western Springs, on Saturday, February 13. We will leave from Riverside Presbyterian Church at 8:00 a.m. and return to RPC by 3:00 p.m.
The cost per boy is $6.50, due with permission slip no later than Thursday, January 28.

A Klondike derby is an annual event held by some Boy Scout districts during the winter months and is based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush. BSA units have been running Klondike derbies since 1949. The event varies by district, but the typical Klondike derby consists of a series of stations where units must test their Scoutcraft skills and their leadership abilities, earning points towards a total score. The unit must transport their gear on a dog sled, usually self-constructed and pulled by the Scouts. For photos of the 2008 Klondike Derby, please visit our photo gallery.

We leave for Eagle Cave on Friday, January 15, at 5:30 from Riverside Presbyterian Church! Your scout should bring a sleeping bag, extra clothes, a flash light, money (there is a store there, and they may be stopping to eat on the way home), a garbage bag to put wet clothes in, and plastic to put under and over their sleeping bag (Important!). A ground cloth, a tarp, an old shower curtain–something to keep their sleeping bag dry, because it is a cave. If there is snow, they can go sledding, so they should bring snow clothes. There will likely be room for small sleds, if your scout would like to bring one. That determination will be made at the time of loading, by the drivers.

Merit Badge Counselor training is being offered on January 19. According to the Council’s website, “Merit Badge Counselor Orientation gives counselors the confidence and consistency needed to counsel Boy Scouts in Merit Badges. This course is required for every Merit Badge Counselor.”

There is no further information on the Council website, so if you are interested in attending, please contact the Des Plaines Valley Council at 708-354-1111. The class will also be offered on March 13 and May 18. It only lasts about 90 minutes. If you’re looking for a way to be involved with the Troop without committing to attending every Troop meeting, this is a great opportunity. If you’re already acting as a Merit Badge Counselor without having the training, this is your opportunity.

This week our Troop meeting will be held on Friday, January 8, at the Scout Cabin at 7:00 (NOT on Thursday at RPC). On the agenda is a fire safety demonstration by a firefighter, a video about the luge outing planned for January 30 in Muskegon, followed by popcorn and a movie. Because we’ll be meeting on Friday rather than a school night, scouts can stay later than our normal meeting time. You may wish to send your scout to the meeting with a cell phone. We have the Scout Cabin until 11:00.

1. Beginning with this Friday’s meeting, the first meeting of each month (the first Friday following the first Thursday of the month) will be held at the Scout Cabin. Special events or presentations will be held at the first meeting of the month.

2. The second meeting of the month (second Thursday) will be held at the church at 7:00 (following a Patrol Leader meeting at 6:30). We will cover a requirement for new scouts (Joiner or Tenderfoot), and separately work on a 1st Class requirement. Scouts who are 1st Class or above will have the option of working on individual merit badges (assuming they have set up an appointment with a Counselor), or have the opportunity to give back to the Troop by helping teach the younger boys or work on their troop jobs.

3. The third meeting of the month (third Thursday) will be a Troop merit badge meeting, working as a group on Eagle-required merit badges. We’ll be wrapping up Personal Fitness and will begin Emergency Preparedness in February. The youngest scouts will work on Tenderfoot requirements. Also at the third meeting 15 minutes will be designated for Patrol meetings. Boards of Review can be scheduled for the third meeting of the month, if the scout has notified the Scoutmaster in advance that they are ready.

4. The fourth meeting of the month (fourth Thursday) will follow the same format as the second meeting.

The Eagle Cave outing, held every 2 years, is one of the scouts’ favorite events. This year, we leave RPC at 5:30 p.m. on January 15 and return by noon on January 17. For more information about the cave, visit www.eaglecave.net. To see photos from previous years, visit our online photo gallery. If you need additional information, please contact Lisa Buffo. We have room for 45, so please turn in your permission slip, with payment of $55, at the meeting on Friday. (Reminder: Scouts who have popcorn credit can use it for outings, or save it for summer camp. Contact Nancy Hopkins if you don’t know how much credit you have.)

Just a reminder that the Troop Committee meeting is Tuesday, January 5, at 7:00 p.m. in the RPC parlor (preschool door & upstairs). All parents are welcome to attend.

Visit our Photo Gallery to see pictures from our holiday party.

Scouts who are working on the Personal Fitness Merit Badge: You must complete your fitness log and turn it in to Mrs. Lanken in order to receive this merit badge. Personal Fitness is an Eagle requirement, as well as a requirement for all scouts going to Seabase this summer.

Scouts and Parents: Please join us at the Courtyard Healthcare facility at 3601 S. Harlem in Berwyn on Sunday, December 20, to deliver cards to the patients. We will bring the cards signed at the holiday party on December 17. Meet at the Courtyard at 1:30 and help bring some holiday cheer to patients.