New Year New boys added to the older group.

We are taking the month of August off from Sunday nights because the church is not having services on Sunday nights in August. So I am enjoying my vacation from Ranger meetings.

YET!!!!
I stop by the Ranger Annex. Clean up from, Pow Wow, Cardboard Regatta, Fix Vacume cleaners, Clean carpets. Put stuff away. Clean the toliet. Think about what we want to do this year.

Last year we did all the FCF Merits. Made Cedar Lanterns 2 one to keep one to trade, Cedar Puzzle Boxes for Moms, Build boats and Pow Wow props and attended over 14 events. 8 or more were camping - hiking - floating related.

We had such a good time. I think we will do much of the same thing. For the boys that have already done them.... they will get better at them. More hands on and be better at doing them. The GMA boys.. will send them on to merit camp and incourage them to use the TracClub and work on merits at home. I will review and sign off on them.

We will vary the lanterns for a FCF wooden hinge oak box to keep their stuff in. Can be used as camp furniture as well as to sit on or as a table. Will be a good memory keeper box. Simple yet nearly indesctructible. All pierod construction with butt joints and dowels and glue. (the pattern box is already made out of pine) Just have to pickup the Oak.

Mark Jones

Your to-do list is making me tired hehe

It sounds like a lot but I really enjoy this stuff so it doesn't seem like work to me.

I enjoy seeing the boys get good at doing the skills. They gain confidence and grow into young men that enjoy the outdoors. All the while. Pointing them to Jesus Christ and His Church.

It's good stuff.

Mark Jones

Cut it out Mark   

you are making the rest of us look bad!  

(just kidding)

Webster's Dictionary is trying to locate Mark for his picture. They need to add it next to the definition of servant/leader! J/k

I know of a way to get even with you guys. Send you a lost sock that didn't make it home from one of our backpacks... I have a whole sack of stuff that just shows up in the missing category. Err..that reminds me. I need to wash that sack of stuff...ooooeeeee. I bet it smells bad for sure now. Any one want to volunteer their home address? Postage paid...HA!

A chance to sign up for Servant Leadership 911. Truth be told. I burn most of that stuff around the camp fire that is laying around that no one claims...always seems to be a endless supply of it.

Mark Jones

You can get even with me when/if we have another camporama! This year will be only 2 AR total since 13 is automatic "promotion" to youth.

My boys are allowed to remain in Rangers for as long as they want. Normally, the lure of Pizza & Girls starts getting them around the age of 13, or so.

I have one requirement: that they notify me a month or so in advance, so that I am not ordering materials for a group of 10 boys, and then only have 7.

If they give me the notification, I will mount their ribbons & shooting medals in a matted frame and award them. That is "Leaving Under Honorable Conditions".

If they just stop coming, and sneak off to Youth Group with no notice given............oh well.

Here's its automatic. I still have the 1-2 meetings a month option for them. We'll see.

Technically it is optional here, but a year back our youth pastor left under unpleasant circumstances and the youth  program has been in growing pains since.  Meanwhile I have continued to run AR and none want to quit, and I'm not kicking them out.  So far we have 4 BMA, 2 with specific plans for their SMA, and all 4 are FCF working on their outfits for Buckskin and we are making plans for Nat'l Ron next year.

from our merit sched
AR / DR
from Sept thru Dec - Global Missions (bits here and there)
Dutch Oven / Cooking
Primitive Snares / Rope Craft
Leadership
Wood Carving / Models & Design
Break away prep (build whatever the contest is)
Knife & Hawk / Tool Craft
Adv Archery / Archery
Green BB Gun / Firearm Safety

Depending on weather in late Oct/Nov we will do Survival Camp again for AR
if it is snow, we'll Winter Camp
if not, it's Primitive Shelters

We'll likely flex a bit, but this is plan A

strods wrote:Technically it is optional here, but a year back our youth pastor left under unpleasant circumstances and the youth  program has been in growing pains since.  Meanwhile I have continued to run AR and none want to quit, and I'm not kicking them out.  So far we have 4 BSA, 2 with specific plans for their SMA, and all 4 are FCF working on their outfits for Buckskin and we are making plans for Nat'l Ron next year.

Nice job, Tom.

2 days ago, I just got back from a "Holy Pilgrimage" at Rock Island Arsenal, then up Hwy 61 through Dubuque.

Sorry, I didn't think about trying to link-up.

Strods, were any of your 4 boys present at Camporama?

three of them, the fourth joined the fall after

Cool so most of you know the lay of the land. Camporama had a good size village.

I wish we had gotten involved in RR earlier so we could have done camporama. When's the next one?

I wish there was a way for more churches to adjust schedules so that youth group and RR didn't have to go head to head. The church I was at during my teen years didn't have a RR outpost, but they still did youth church on Sunday nights. I say youth church instead of youth group because it was! A "group" tends to be internally focused whereas a church is (should be) externally focused. It was crazy! The youth church ended up surpassing the regular church in attendance! We had kids coming from other churches and no churches. The schools were feeling the effect too. It was legit. We weren't sitting around playing chubby bunnies and going on retreats. Kids were getting on fire and telling everyone else about it.

I feel that that youth pastor would've worked well with a RR outpost because he's not about self, he's about God's Kingdom and whatever works to bring people into that Kingdom.

I think the problem with ministries striving against each other stems from those who are trying to build their kingdom instead of God's Kingdom. Man has a way of always trying to bring glory to himself "look at this big group I created" instead of "look how much God has moved in the lives of these people and given me the privilege of being involved with it". Both point to the success, but only one gives honor where it's due.

As Mark points out so often, and well, we need to keep our eyes on the Father, not ourselves.

Watch out Philip is channeling Mark j/k. I like the idea of a Sun am or pm for youth church. Pastor met resistance from some over wanting to move youth to sun am to integrate the bus kids and it would eliminate competition on Wed. I see no reason for youth to have to be Wed nights only.

Phillip Gross wrote:
I think the problem with ministries striving against each other stems from those who are trying to build their kingdom instead of God's Kingdom. Man has a way of always trying to bring glory to himself "look at this big group I created" instead of "look how much God has moved in the lives of these people and given me the privilege of being involved with it". Both point to the success, but only one gives honor where it's due.

Yup! Some of Mark's Wisdom is starting to rub off onto Phillip.

If we look with "earthly" eyes, we only see the trees. I need to remember that, if I only have three boys at a meeting, and I am making a positive impact toward their spiritual and developmental well-being, it is better than just being a baby-sitter for nine boys.

But we also have to be careful to not go to the other extreme. I saw a Pastor who tried to push 60% of the people in attendance from our church, because he knew that the 40% remaining were the folks whom he could control, and have free, unchallenged reign.

But if you look at either extreme, they are both "about us" and not about God's Kingdom.

We will be promoting 1 Discovery Ranger to AR this year. Still trying to decide on a 2nd one. Age wise she should be AR this year, but I am not sure she has the maturity yet.

has she finished the Gold Eagle? You run such an independent outpost your call could always be for them to complete or next medal

no she hasnt

Well then she clearly has territory she could cover. Some times being "left behind" is good motivation. Remember our National Director?

Last night we had 11 boys 4 leaders. It was fun. Did the normal get contact info, hand out calendar, reviewed new recruit requirements. Tied the square knot about 10 times then 5 times behind the back.

Went out and jump roped.. long rope the boys seemed to enjoy this. Will do that again. It's good exercise.
Put the new wheels and axles on the Ranger Mobile. The new wheels are a lot faster than the old plastic wheels...we should take some trophies home this Saturday.

It was a 13 hour day for me. I was plumb tuckered out when I got home. Between work and Rangers... wore out.

Mark Jones

Last week we have 7 ARs, 1 Dr, & 8 RKs, Plus 6 cmdrs, (4 vets, 2 new) the 2 new are blessings. Because or RK Cmdr needed the help and next year will be a BIG grow year. 4 RKs will graduate to DR, & several AR will be Masters and ready for ER.