DON’T LET THEM MISS OUT!
LAUNCH YOUNGEST SCOUTS ON THEIR FOUR STAR JOURNEYS
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Offer a God and Me Class at Your Church
A Four Star Recipient is someone who started in the first, second, or third grade and continued on to earn all four levels of the P.R.A.Y. series: God and Me, God and Family, God and Church, and God and Life.

If a child skips the God and Me program, they miss out on the opportunity to become a Four Star Recipient. God and Me is the first step. It must be earned while the child is still in the first, second or third grade. Children cannot go backwards (awards must be earned in the proper order at the appropriate grade level). Don’t let your children (i.e. your Scouts, your Sunday school kids, the children in your community) miss this opportunity. Talk to your pastor about organizing a God and Me class. There are many options. Here are just a few:

  • Offer a 4-6 week session for parent/child in the evenings or on Sunday afternoons
  • Incorporate God and Me into Sunday morning Sunday school classes
  • Schedule a kickoff for parent/child teams to complete all lessons at home as independent work and a final gathering to review all work and celebrate accomplishments
  • Add God and Me sessions on alternate weeks around Scout meetings
  • Gather on Martin Luther King Day in January and President's Day in February to offer a “retreat” style setting in which to complete work (with time in between to do family projects)
  • Integrate God and Me into Wednesday night programs in January and February leading up to Scout Sunday celebrations in February and March

Click here for information on the God and Me program. Start your children on their Four Star journeys today!
ALYSSA EARNS PRESTIGIOUS FOUR STAR AWARD
Reflections on Four Star Journey
Alyssa H. brought her Four Star journey to a close when she received her God and Life award in May 2017. Her six-year journey started in 2011 with the God and Me award, and included stopovers for God and Family in 2013 and God and Church in 2016. 
Alyssa belongs to AHG Troop MI0408 and is a member of First Baptist Church in Charlotte, MI. She was asked to look back on her journey and share her thoughts. Here’s what she had to say:

I remember comparing my birth story and Jesus' birth story in God & Me. I remember the pizza party at the end of God & Family and how families are like pizza. From God & Church I remember that my home church was started by 3 women over 150 years ago. For God & Life I made a bulletin board at church about how God calls all kinds of people. Of all 4 levels, God & Church was the hardest because it was about the history of my church and my church is over 150 years old so there is a lot of history. The projects at the end of each were fun and of course the pizza party!

When asked if she would recommend the P.R.A.Y. awards to other American Heritage Girls, Alyssa replied, “Yes, because it's a fun experience learning about God!”

Thank you, Alyssa, for sharing your journey with us. Blessings to you and all those who seek to grow strong in faith and in service to God.

Visit P.R.A.Y.’s Four Star page for more information including award usage and history. Share your own story and photos through our Spotlight page . 
GRANDMA SHARES IN FOUR STAR JOURNEY WITH GRANDSON  
Nancy Easton had the rare privilege of sharing in the Four Star journey with her grandson Travis. From Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Folsom, CA, here’s her story:
 
July 2017 was the end of a wonderful journey that I took with my grandson Travis. We started our journey when he was in the second grade and finished it eight years later when he earned the Four Star Award. 
 
P.R.A.Y. enabled us to go on this faith journey to be closer to Christ. From playing games from his “game” box to our family pizza party to all of his service projects and our studies of the Bible, we not only became closer to Christ but also to each other.
 
I would encourage all who have the opportunity to make this journey with a young person, to jump at the chance. You will get much more out of it than you put in.
 
Blessings to you from Travis’ grandmother. 

Take Nancy Easton's advice ... use the P.R.A.Y. Program to embark on a spiritual journey with a young person today!
MORE THAN JUST AN AWARD
THE P.R.A.Y. AWARD AS EVANGELISM
The P.R.A.Y. Award is more than just an award, and it is certainly more than just a “Scouting thing.” When talking to pastors and introducing the P.R.A.Y. program to churches, it is critical to make the point that the P.R.A.Y. Program is EVANGELISM - it has the potential for outreach into the community and to draw families into the life of the congregation. This is easily overlooked. Too often the P.R.A.Y. award gets pegged as a Scout award and something separate from the church. Don’t fall into this trap. Be sure to present the P.R.A.Y. award as a tool for Christian Education, Discipleship, Mentorship, and EVANGELISM.

Here are some articles highlighting best practices in interpreting the P.R.A.Y. Program as ministry:
CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES
  • P.R.A.Y. usage figures (totals by program level, agency, denomination, local councils, etc.) along with suggestions for how to use this information are available online. Use this data to set goals for next year.
  • The P.R.A.Y. website has a page in Spanish. Share this link with others. Be sure to check out the flyer “Reconocimientos De P.R.A.Y.” and don’t forget that our online store has Student, Counselor, and Mentor books for “Dios y Yo” and “Dios y La Familia.”
TEST QUESTION
Question?
What do MJ and his “Pizza of Faith”, AHG explorers from KY0522, Four Star recipient Slade, Conover First United Methodist Girl Scout Troop all have in common?

Answer: They all appear in the Spotlight section of P.R.A.Y.’s website.

Browse our Spotlight page and share your own stories and photos to inspire others in their faith journeys through the P.R.A.Y. program!
Thank you for partnering with P.R.A.Y. in  Building Faith in Youth!