SCOUT SPONSORSHIP MEETING

I guess I can say that I have been involved with Scouting for about 35 years. When I was 8 I became a Cub Scout over in Flint. Our Cub Pack was sponsored by Longfellow Elementary-Junior High School. We'd meet for our pack meetings in the school auditorium. And I remember the Blue and Gold Banquets and the skits we'd put on to entertain our parents.

I remember one of these skits. We were telling the story of the sinking of a large freighter on Lake Superior during a storm. My den, Den 10, was doing the skit. I was one of the deck hands. And our den mother's son, John, was the captain. And I remember asking the captain which way were heading. And John looked down at his compass and answered, "I think we're going in a north-south direction!" I must confess that neither one of us knew why our parents laughed when they heard that one.

But, there is one thing for sure: In a day when youth are more confused than ever before about the direction their lives should take, in a day when drugs and alcohol are such a terrible problem, in a day when parents are working while their youth stay home alone to fend for themselves, it is good to know that there is an organization like Scouting which does give direction to our youth.

If you were to talk to Henry Reinwald for a few minutes he would tell you that it is very unusual for someone who has gone through the Scouting program to ever be arrested for a serious crime. He would tell you of the surprisingly large numbers of boy scouts who will go into some kind of ministry after they leave the Scouting program. Henry would tell you about the amazing number of scouts who go on to college and become successful business men, educators, doctors, and lawyers. And, I sure that Henry would tell you how many professional persons can give credit to Scouting for having introduced them to the skill they now practice professionally.

So, if you are looking for something you can do to help make society better, if you are looking for something meaningful to do with your building a few hours a week, if you are looking for some way to effectively give money so that you can give the most benefit for the dollar, then being a sponsor of a Cub Pack, Boy Scout Troop, or Explorer Troop is where it's at.

I actually got introduced to Scouting much earlier than when I was a Cub Scout. In fact, my father's brother, my Uncle Dwight, was a District Executive in the Detroit Area for a number of years, back in the early 1950's. Then, when I was about four years old he moved to Rockford to work as a District Executive. I can vaguely remember visiting my Uncle Dwight's Boy Scout camp with my Grandmother. Several years later he became the Council Executive at Appleton, Wisconsin. When I was eleven, or so, I spent two weeks at his camp, situated on the beautiful and wild Wolf River in northern Wisconsin. It was actually there that I learned to swim well, even to the point of being allowed to take a float trip several miles down the river, with nothing but some plastic milk bags filled with air to keep us afloat.

I was always proud of my Uncle Dwight for his work with the Scouting program. In some ways, it was like having a member of the family in the ministry. For, being involved in Scouting, either as a District or Council Executive, or even as a scout leader, or as a sponsor is a kind of ministry.

One of the great things about Scouting is its attempt to round out a young person's experience. From the very beginning of a young person's encounter with scouting, there are emphases on everything from moral character, to what it means to be a good citizen, to what it means to care for the earth, to being familiar with nature, to learning how to get along with others. The first thing that a Boy Scout has to learn is the motto: Be prepared. And the Scout oath: "On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, and to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." And, before a Scout can really be a Scout he has to memorize and learn what it means to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent, otherwise known as the 12 Points of the Scout Law.

When I was eleven I became a member of Boy Scout Troop 31, sponsored by Court Street Methodist Church, in Flint. I think Court Street probably had to have been a sponsor of that troop almost from the very beginning of scouting in Michigan. And I think that Norman Asselstine, my Scout Master, had to have been its Scout Master for at least as long.

Our troop met in the at the Church. But, a Scout Troop does not necessarily have to have a gym to meet in. Any relatively large sized room will do. When I was the pastor of a church in Strawberry Point, Iowa, I was the Scout Mastor for a troop which had meetings in the basement of the City Hall and was sponsored by the Lion's Club. One of the small rooms in the City Hall was reserved just for our equipment, our tents, our camping supplies, and so on. Here in Corunna, there are actually two troops, Troop 77, which is sponsored by the V.F.W., and Troop 377, which is sponsored by our United Methodist Men. The troop here at this church mainly meets here in the Mumby Room on Wednesday nights. However, its activities often spill over into other parts of the church, such as the kitchen, or upstairs or into the large room, depending upon what they're doing.

But, what does being a sponsor mean? It means providing a context wherein a scouting organization can function. It means providing some space, perhaps some storage space, maybe providing some money for equipment, helping to provide leadership for the organization. In fact, a sponsor can put as little or as much into the program as is wished. But, as is true with any worthwhile investment, the more that is put in, the greater the return.

When I was 21, going on 22, immediately after I had graduated from Easter Michigan University, during the summer just before I went off to three years of seminary, I got a job. And, it wasn't just any summer job. Rather, it was a job working as chaplain for the Tall Pine Council at one of the nicest Scout camps you'll find anywhere in Michigan, or in the United States, for that matter: Camp Tapico.

The memory of that summer will always stick with me. I remember one incident, very well. During one of our busier weeks there were two troops whose scouts were always picking on each other. Investigating the situation, I learned that the troops were sponsored by rival junior high schools. So, it made sense that if they were to be rivals on the basketball court, or on the football field, or at the track meets, then, of course, they would have to be rivals at Scout Camp, as well. So, as the boys made their way around the camp they seemed to be getting into fights.

But, we solved that problem. Getting the troop leaders together, I proposed that the two troops unite to have a baseball game. Teams would be chosen in such a way that each troop would be equally represented on each team. Following the game the boys would share a watermelon. Well, the plan worked. The fighting stopped. They all became friends. And the lesson that was learned was that in Scouting there is cooperation and teamwork. It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter who you are. In Scouting there is unity, friendship, and cooperation. Certainly, there is room for each person's growth as an individual, but the stress on teamwork makes Scouting special. And we all know how important teamwork is in these competitive times.

Several years ago President Bush started a program called "A Thousand Points of Light." In many ways, those who are involved in scouting, either as leaders, or as sponsors, or as partici pants, are truly points of light shining in the darkness.

In fact, I was thrilled, but not really surprised, a couple of years ago, to learn that my Scout Master, Norman Asslestine had been named by President Bush as being one of these Thousand Points of Light. Indeed, Norm Asslestine had been in scouting for over 70 years when he received the reward, and to this day has remained an active part of the life of the troop, while in his nineties.

There are thousands of young folks in our communities who need such points of light to point the direction they need to take in their lives. Those of us who involve ourselves in Scouting may not think we're doing such a great thing. But, in the eyes of a young person, even the smallest contribution we make in time, money, service, talent, and ability may shine like a beacon in the darkness of the storms of life. We have that opportunity, now. And I hope you'll take some thought to making use of that opportunity; of stepping out of the darkness to help someone find the way.

Thank you very much.