THE AMAZING RACE - ROCKING ALL RELIGIONS
Silver Award Project Promotes Religious Understanding 
Here’s a story that shows the power of a Girl Scout! A member of Girl Scouts of Orange County, Natalie ran an event called “The Amazing Race - Rocking All Religions.” The newspaper that covered the event wrote an article called, “ Tustin Teen Turns Bullying into Religious Educational Experience .” More than 100 middle school youth attended the event and went through 7 different stations learning about the history, beliefs and practices of different religions. Interested in learning more? View pictures and explanations of the various stations and read Natalie’s narrative explaining the preparation that went into her “Amazing Race.”

Thanks to Natalie for her impact on religious tolerance!
CHRIST-CENTERED GIRL SCOUTING
Peace Lutheran Girl Scout Troop in Saginaw, MI was born of the desire to grow CHRISTIAN Girls of Courage Confidence and Character . This is the 3rd year of empowering fabulous young ladies at Peace Lutheran School to focus first on Christ, and second on making the world a better place. The Brownie Girl Scouts meet twice a month for troop meetings and 1-3 times a month for Christian Service Projects and Educational field Trips. Each member of the troop proudly wears a golden cross on their Brownie vest to show the world that Christ is at the center of their sisterhood. 
Girl Scout Leaders Haley Cottrell and Keri Radde are strong proponents of faith-based Scouting. One of the reasons their Girl Scouts wear “troop uniforms” of navy and tartan is to stand out and draw questions from people. “We want others to know that Christ-Centered Girl Scouting IS possible and incredibly beautiful.” The girls come to each meeting with The Holy Bible for Kids and Devotions for Girls: God and Me!  The weekly devotions serve as the focus of their meetings and also keep the girls connected to Him in between troop meetings. [As Daisy Girl Scouts their primary handbook was Brave Girls Bible Stories. See P.R.A.Y.’s Spotlight story for details on how the troop used this resource at each meeting.]
It is not surprising that the Brownie Girl Scouts from Peace Lutheran Church have participated in both religious growth series from P.R.A.Y. According to Haley and Keri, “The girls LOVED earning this beautiful religious award, God and Me .” Instead of a traditional 4-session program, the leaders chose to run a mini-camp and hosted their very first over-night at the church. [Visit P.R.A.Y.’s Community Hub for more details on their mini-camp adventure .] The girls have also earned “The Good Book” patch from P.R.A.Y.’s Bible Basics RP3 Series and plan to earn all the other RP3 badges because they fit so perfectly into their Christ Centered Scouting model.
 
Haley and Keri love the rich history of Girl Scouting . “We tell everyone we know that the P.R.A.Y. Program is a wonderful way to insert faith into the Girl Scout curriculum. We are grateful to have these merit-earning opportunities that encourage us to grow as Christians.”

Troop 50934 delivers over 150 preemie outfits to local NICU


After learning about the “Super Power of Prayer“ (our super power as human beings is the ability to communicate with our creator through prayer), the girls prayed for their school in the capes they made.
Start Planning NOW for Girl Scout Sunday and Sabbath
All Girl Scouts promise “To Serve God,” and it is appropriate to celebrate faith and spirituality especially on Girl Scout Sunday/Sabbath in March. Girls are encouraged to wear their Girl Scout uniforms to their places of worship. Better yet, families are encouraged to contact their clergy and ask how their congregation can celebrate Girl Scouting.

Here are some ideas:
  • Serve as greeters and hand out bulletins
  • Serve as ushers during the service
  • Provide special music
  • Form a Girl Scout choir
  • Host coffee hour during fellowship time
  • Provide the “children’s time” during the service
  • Ask all Girl Scouts, leaders, and alumni to stand during the service and be recognized
  • Sponsor a breakfast to thank the congregation for its support
  • Recognize religious award recipients
  • Provide Girl Scout Sunday patches


Consider how your troops and congregations can honor Girl Scouts who seek to grow in faith. Together let's seek TO SERVE GOD.
Announcements from P.R.A.Y.
Holiday hours:
The P.R.A.Y. office will be closed from noon on Friday December 22nd through January 1st and reopen on Tuesday January 2nd.

Postage and Handling Increase:
Effective January 1, 2018, the standard fee for postage/handling for religious awards will be $5.00 (an increase of $.50). The fee for expedited shipping will be $30.00 (an increase of $5.00). Click here for details on P.R.A.Y.'s shipping policies. 
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P.R.A.Y.
Building Faith in Youth
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