June  2016
PRAY UPDATE  
Information on the Protestant Christian Program Series

7 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG
Justin B. has been performing a community service project which he calls "Easter Goodies from Youth to Youth." He started this project seven years ago when he was doing the God and Family program and liked it so much, he continues doing it to this day.  Every Easter, he assembles Easter baskets containing stuffed animals, books, toys, and candy and he donates them through community organizations to kids who might not otherwise get an Easter basket.  He gets most of his items as donations from churches and local businesses. Justin has distributed 137 baskets over the years to kids as young as one-year-old and as old as high school students. Justin not only plans on continuing this project, he is also eager to encourage other scouts to start similar campaigns in their own communities and has shared his resources here.
Justin B.
Boy Scout Troop 1
Grace Episcopal Church
Paducah, KY

Currently participating in 
God and Life
God and Church 2013
God and Family 2010
God and Me 2009
SHARE YOUR STORY
We're so proud of Justin. And there are many more kids just like Justin helping other people through service projects through Scouting and the church. We would love to hear their stories! The P.R.A.Y. curriculum challenges students to put into action what they have learned in their Bible lessons. Our goal is to develop servant leaders with a passion to help others. Share your picture and story by sending an email to spotlight@praypub.org. 
SPOTLIGHT
Primera  Iglesia Bautista de Carolina
(First Baptist Church of Carolina, Puerto Rico)
God and Family

"This program is certainly a blessing for all the participants and their families. Bless you all."

William Rodriguez
Chaplain, BSA Troop 572, Puerto Rico Council  

The First Baptist Church of Carolina, Puerto Rico has been using the P.R.A.Y. curriculum for several years. Looking for resources in Spanish? Click here.
FOREST HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH OFFERS SUMMER PROGRAM 
THREE YEARS IN A ROW
Forest Hills Baptist Church (FHBC), in conjunction with American Heritage Girls (AHG) Troop TN516, is offering three levels of the PRAY program for scouts (including BSA, AHG, GSUSA, and Trail Life) and other interested students this summer. This is the third straight summer for this program.  Stephanie Arredondo, former Troop Shepherd and current Vice Coordinator and Explorer Unit Leader, has coordinated the classes and considers it a "wonderful outreach to the community." As she explains, "It all started with me seeking some people to complete God & Me and lo and behold, it's now a big scouting program at our church." The fact that it is offered as a fun summer experience helps the church target families during the typical summer lull. The program offers flexibility for families to complete the requirements with the group or individually when summer vacations take them out of town. It has taken time to build this program. One of the challenges has been finding parents to help teach and lead the classes. But once the classes get started, everyone enjoys them and they are sad to see them end.  According to Stephanie, "Summertime has been the best time to offer the [P.R.A.Y. Program] as it's a great way to support social development along with spiritual development... Everybody enjoys the P.R.A.Y. Program."
Start Your Own Evangelism Program
Join Forest Hills Baptist Church in doing community outreach and evangelism through the P.R.A.Y. program. It may be too late for this summer, but you have plenty of time to plan something for this fall. Start by understanding how the P.R.A.Y. Program is more than just an award (it is Christian Education and Evangelism) and then get some tips on setting up a class.
http://www.praypub.org/god_country/start_up_kit_08.htm
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