A Scout is reverent

As Auburn United Methodist Church celebrated Scout Sunday today, several Troop 50 Scouts and leaders who worship with their families at AUMC celebrated the annual event by joining with more than 50 other Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts by serving in one of the church's five services. Thanks to Kyle for ushering in the 8 am Sanctuary service; Davis for saying the opening prayer and Robert for helping with the Scripture reading in the 9:30 am Chapel service; James Robert for ushering in the 9:30 am Sanctuary service; Andrew for filling in all morning where needed; and Rob Stanford for his leadership when not working the sound boards during the Sanctuary services. Many of our Troop 50 families were additionally represented by their Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts who provided similar services.

Michael Tullier
Chartered Org Rep
and Troop Chaplain

Take shelter!

Shelter-building

Troop 50 took shelter this past weekend at the Forest Ecology Preserve, where Scouts developed and put into practice the wilderness survival skills they learned during the past two troop meetings. As a result of their work, Scouts attending the campout earned the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge. This was also the troop’s inaugural campout, which gave them a chance to check out troop gear and begin working together in their patrols and as a troop-team.

Fire-building

After creating their shelters, which included a combination of natural and fabricated materials, the troop’s youth leadership led sessions on fire building, orienteering and signaling. Our two patrols competed in a map-reading and orienteering course, with the final bearing leading to a gravity-fed shower for each patrol's future use.

SPL Jake, Instructor Vincent and
Anonymous Patrol members
William, Andrew (patrol leader)
and Josh with their gravity shower prize.

On Sunday, the troop held a Scouts’ Own service, where Scouts and leaders focused on how being equipped is important, whether it is being equipped for Scouts, sports or their spiritual life. The troop then conducted a service project for the preserve – exercising Scouting’s “Leave No Trace” principles by removing the traces of blazed trails and improper fire pits created without the preserve’s consent.

Average Joe's Patrol members
Davis, Kyle (patrol leader) and
Robert with their gravity shower prize.

In its Patrol Leaders Council the following Monday evening, youth leaders praised the fun everyone had, noted the shelters held up well, and the compass course was a good time. They also thought rotating troop cooking and cleaning among patrols worked well and spread the load among everyone. They also agreed that more orienteering practice would be helpful.

Check out more photos from the campout in the troop's online photo album