Trail Life USA

Do you think that RR OP's would be willing to work with Trail Life USA Troops?  I doubt OP 375 will ever be reactivated in my church.  I have been turned off by the BSA for the past few years.  After my son Eagles out, we may get involved in TL-USA.  I am working with one Scoutmaster in NY to start a TL-USA troop.  It is about a mile away from Sr. Cmdr. Santulli's OP at the Central Assembly of God in Horseheads, NY.  I suggested that Trailman Adam Hungerford contact the OP and see if they would be interested.  Adam is an Eagle Scout and a believer and active member of the Nazarene Church.  So they have a good man in the position.

What do you guys think?  I never met a RR Cmdr. that I did not like.  Most Scoutmasters are good, but some are not good.  If it came to a choice of a Cmdr. or a SM, I would choose the Cmdr. or Trailman.  I grew up working with other denominations and my work in the Gideons International has allowed me to get to know other denominations.  I have heard this statement made,  "If you are busy in the field harvesting the crop with other believers, you don't have the time to ask what denomination they are with."  So why not work with Royal Rangers and Trail Life USA?

Trail Life USA seems to be a hybrid between the BSA and Royal Rangers.  I will still work with scout troops since the focus is on the boys.  I include Bible teachings in almost everything I teach.  I had a few BSA leaders tell me that I can not speak the name of Jesus, but I ask them where my paycheck is.  So they get the point and back off.  I had a person in my own troop complain about me preaching to the boys.  I called the priest and asked him if he had any issues with me teaching from the Bible and his reply was "No, but keep doing it."  He told the parent/leader that if they were offended at the name of Jesus, then they need to transfer to another troop.  You go Father Andrew!

I have made the comment that it does not matter if a scout or ranger knows how to start a camp fire if they are headed to hell.  At that point, the skill has no purpose.  Saving the soul is what counts.  Developing the church, family, and work place leader counts.

Any comments are appreciated.  Thank you in advance.  Kelly

I personally wouldn't have a problem teaming up with a TL group for events. I imagine some might though. As you pointed out, some people are very concerned with denominational lines. I'm non-denominational, so my only concern is whether we believe in the main points of the faith. Is Jesus the Son of God? Is Jesus the only way to salvation, etc. Outside of the main points there's always going to be different views because we all have different amounts of truth that we've gotten ahold of, and none of us have it all yet.

As I've posted here before, our outpost is already a hybrid because while we do RR for the boys, we do AHG for the girls. AHG is a great program with cost being the only negative point. It is substantially more expensive to be a part of than is the RR program. However, it is the best girl's program we could find, so we bite the bullet and go with it...

Roguedawg, I am right there with you.

For some reason, many Christians would rather fight over the 8% that they differ on, than to work on the 92% that they agree on.

I have told the boys that, "If you have to work for God, then find something that you are good at....".  I don't like going door-to-door and handing out Bible Tracts, I'm too old & ugly to sing in the choir, I am a lousy cook, but I am not bad at running a Live-Fire Rifle Range with a bunch of 10-to-14 year-olds and having most-all of the bullets go in the same general direction.

When the boys criticize other religions (especially the old, orthodox churches), I bring up Mother Theresa devoting her entire life to working with the poorest, sickest, dirtiest people in Calcutta in the name of God.

I asked the boys if they think that God thinks that what she did was good work; they said yes.  I asked them if it was important work; they said yes.  I asked them if THEY wanted to do that work; they said no.

I said, "Then don't judge or criticize someone else who is working for God, even if you may not do it exactly the same way as them".

I have heard nothing but good about Trail Life. Wouldn't bother me to work with them

I got hammered once in a pm on fb for merely posting certain verses on her adult sons's post without commentary I might add. Then she hammered my wife in pm. I don't think any of us got it all correct. There are a few groups like JW's, Mormons, Seven Day Adventist, Christian Scientists, and others who are way off. Core is Jesus deity, Trinity, Salvation by grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, scripture alone is ultimate authority over tradition, and Glory to God alone for the work done in us. I believe in free will but God's sovereignty and providence rules over all. I do know God's elect are found in many places today so I don't damn a whole group of people.

RRCmdrBennett wrote:I got hammered once in a pm on fb for merely posting certain verses on her adult sons's post without commentary I might add. Then she hammered my wife in pm. I don't think any of us got it all correct. There are a few groups like JW's, Mormons, Seven Day Adventist, Christian Scientists, and others who are way off. Core is Jesus deity, Trinity, Salvation by grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, scripture alone is ultimate authority over tradition, and Glory to God alone for the work done in us. I believe in free will but God's sovereignty and providence rules over all. I do know God's elect are found in many places today so I don't damn a whole group of people.

Oh yeah.

Hopefully, God will look at what we got Right, rather than what we got WRONG.

Claymore wrote:

RRCmdrBennett wrote:I got hammered once in a pm on fb for merely posting certain verses on her adult sons's post without commentary I might add. Then she hammered my wife in pm. I don't think any of us got it all correct. There are a few groups like JW's, Mormons, Seven Day Adventist, Christian Scientists, and others who are way off. Core is Jesus deity, Trinity, Salvation by grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, scripture alone is ultimate authority over tradition, and Glory to God alone for the work done in us. I believe in free will but God's sovereignty and providence rules over all. I do know God's elect are found in many places today so I don't damn a whole group of people.

Oh yeah.

Hopefully, God will look at what we got Right, rather than what we got WRONG.

Unlike gnostics we're saved by grace through faith not knowledge. He has a lot of grace!

We have rented our District Royal Rangers camp to the Trail Life District here in Missouri. I have to ask the question?

Why would you want to go Trail Life over Royal Rangers?

Having said that I would say this. If Royal Rangers ever gets to that point that it has a new paradyne shift away from the scouting type activities and would no longer let me be a "Scouter" in Royal Rangers I would jump into Trail Life quickly. (most of the other trails, arts, technology, trades, sports,ministry just don't offer the same Adventure like the camping program does.)

However that is not even close to the case. I am doing more ADVENTURE in our Royal Rangers than ever in our District.
http://readyrangers.tzo.com is proof of that happening.

If you have someone that is killing your ranger program...side step around them. (only exception is the Pastor of the church..in that case change churches and start up a new outpost)

Don't give up. Trust me there is a daily battle that goes on in the Spirit world. Sometimes those spirts use well intentioned folks inside the church to kill ministry... I would say almost always that is the case. So expect it. Sometimes it gets me down but not for long. He who is the Greatest is with in me. Lord wins always.

Mark Jones

Roguedawg wrote:Do you think that RR OP's would be willing to work with Trail Life USA Troops?  I doubt OP 375 will ever be reactivated in my church.  I have been turned off by the BSA for the past few years.  After my son Eagles out, we may get involved in TL-USA.  I am working with one Scoutmaster in NY to start a TL-USA troop.  It is about a mile away from Sr. Cmdr. Santulli's OP at the Central Assembly of God in Horseheads, NY.  I suggested that Trailman Adam Hungerford contact the OP and see if they would be interested.  Adam is an Eagle Scout and a believer and active member of the Nazarene Church.  So they have a good man in the position.

What do you guys think?  I never met a RR Cmdr. that I did not like.  Most Scoutmasters are good, but some are not good.  If it came to a choice of a Cmdr. or a SM, I would choose the Cmdr. or Trailman.  I grew up working with other denominations and my work in the Gideons International has allowed me to get to know other denominations.  I have heard this statement made,  "If you are busy in the field harvesting the crop with other believers, you don't have the time to ask what denomination they are with."  So why not work with Royal Rangers and Trail Life USA?

Trail Life USA seems to be a hybrid between the BSA and Royal Rangers.  I will still work with scout troops since the focus is on the boys.  I include Bible teachings in almost everything I teach.  I had a few BSA leaders tell me that I can not speak the name of Jesus, but I ask them where my paycheck is.  So they get the point and back off.  I had a person in my own troop complain about me preaching to the boys.  I called the priest and asked him if he had any issues with me teaching from the Bible and his reply was "No, but keep doing it."  He told the parent/leader that if they were offended at the name of Jesus, then they need to transfer to another troop.  You go Father Andrew!

I have made the comment that it does not matter if a scout or ranger knows how to start a camp fire if they are headed to hell.  At that point, the skill has no purpose.  Saving the soul is what counts.  Developing the church, family, and work place leader counts.

Any comments are appreciated.  Thank you in advance.  Kelly

Our Outpost Yell:
"RANGERS LEAD THE WAY"

Our Outpost Motto:
"ADAPT AND OVERCOME"

Our Outpost Philosophy:
R.T.K. & "IN THE MIDST OF ADVERSITY, LIES OPPORTUNITY"

HOOO RAH! YES! Thanks guys for sharing your hearts on these things. Makes us all think about it and go and do more for Jesus!

Mark Jones

Maybe someday it'll be trail life for me too.

One advantage scouts or TL has it reaches across denominations.

So does our outpost... We still teach what we teach, but our outpost is setup to be an outreach instead of an in reach for our church. All depends on the pastor you have...

Ranger outposts are now open to any denomination, not just AG or other Pentecostal ones. Baptists and any other Christian denomination is welcome in the Ranger organization.

A bunch of years ago, I started a RR outpost in a non-AG church. We were accepted and it worked just fine. Not long after that, our district also okayed the Salvation Army to start an outpost.

Non A/G churches have been chartered for a long time. My current church is non A/G too. I know for a long time you had to submit a statement of beliefs that conformed to pentecostal doctrines specifically baptism in the Spirit being a second or possibly third definite work of grace with evidence in speaking in tongues, rapture of the church, and divine healing as well.

Has that changed? Is any doctrinal unity required like deity of Christ or the trinity?

Baptists is not very well defined. Many years ago most Baptists would be Calvinist and cessationist in regard to miraculous sign gifts being active. Others go by Baptist name like "free will Baptist" are indistinguishable from A/G but retain Calvin's 5th point of Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints aka "OSAS".