Overview of Curriculum and How to Implement In Your Troop The P.R.A.Y. Program Overview of Curriculum and How to Implement In Your Troop Welcome folks! Thanks for joining the webinar today which is the P.R.A.Y. program, an overview of the curriculum and how to implement this program in your Troop. Please let me start with prayer. Dear Lord, how grateful we are to you today to have us come together to learn about how to share your word and get students excited about you through this program. We ask that you be with us, give us clarity of thought to share, give us ideas on how best to implement this program in our individual troops and we will give to you all the glory. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Presenters Debra Hazlewood, Curriculum author Jeanne Wurm, AHG Troop Coordinator, P.R.A.Y. Board member

Sample SCREEN SHOT ONLY

Please note! The P.R.A.Y. Program was created for Protestant and Independent Christian Churches This presentation is specifically on the Protestant Christian series

Sample listing of denominations Sample listing of denominations who currently use the P.R.A.Y. curriculum: AME ● AME Zion ● Assemblies of God ● Baptist ● Church of God ● Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) ● CME ● Episcopal ● Lutheran ● Nazarene ● Pentecostal ● Presbyterian ● Reformed ● UCC ● United Methodist Church ● and nondenominational congregations

Overview of the P.R.A.Y. Program Topics: FAITH-SERVICE-FUN Summaries Christian Education & Evangelism www.praypub.org Adult Awards Setting Up a Class

What is the P.R.A.Y. Program? Created by the churches Awards are approved for wearing on the official Boy Scout and American Heritage Girl uniforms For girls and boys grades 1-12 Implemented by Troop Shepherd, Unit Leader, or any other person with a passion of teaching His Word. Clergy reviews the work and signs it off Before we begin the program summaries, keep in mind that the P.R.A.Y. program is created by the churches. Even though the awards are approved for wear on the official Scout uniforms, the Scouting agencies do not create them. The churches do. And that is why the P.R.A.Y. program is for both boys and girls, and for scouts and non-scouts. All boys and girls (associated with a Protestant or Independent congregation) are eligible for the P.R.A.Y. program. The only requirement is that the pastor/clergy does the final review with the child (clergy reviews all work and signs it off, not a parent or Scout leader).

Program Summaries God and Me, grades 1-3 God and Family, grades 4-5 God and Church, grades 6-8 God and Life, grades 9-12 the P.R.A.Y. series offers recognitions by grade level There are 4 grade levels (and these grade levels do not necessarily correspond to the ranks in the Scouting programs): God and Me, grades 1-3 God and Family, grades 4-5 God and Church, grades 6-8 God and Life, grades 9-12 Please adhere to these grade guidelines. Each level is developed as an individual study so that it can stand on its own as a complete unit. Students should jump in at their appropriate level and not go backwards and earn younger awards.

Program Summary: God and Me (grades 1-3) God and Me is the first program in the P.R.A.Y. series. It is for boys and girls in grades 1-3. Children will tell their story (maybe even discover their story) of “God and Me” together.

God and Me Grades 1-3 Theme: “Best Friends with Jesus” Hands-On: GAMEBox Memory Requirement: The Lord’s Prayer Schedule: minimum 4 sessions The theme for this program is “Best Friends with Jesus.” Children will make a GAMEBox, and after each Bible lesson, they will make a game that reinforces the lesson. They will play these games with their families. The memory requirement is the Lord’s prayer. A typical schedule for the God and Me program is 4 to 6 sessions, depending if you want to include an introductory session or a party at the end.

God and Me Grades 1-3 Table of Contents: Lesson 1: God Created Me Lesson 2: Jesus Is God’s Gift to Me Lesson 3: I can Talk with God Lesson 4: Because God Cares for Me, I Can Care for Others The table of contents lists the four lessons: The first lesson is “God Created Me”. Children will read the story of creation and marvel at God’s creativity, and learn that they are special to God and made in his image. The creation story is paired with the passage from Isaiah that says “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine!” We want kids to know how special they are to God, and when they do, then our response is to praise God. The last activity is writing a Song of Praise. Lesson 2 is “Jesus is God’s Gift to me.” How much does God love you? God loves you so much he gives us Jesus. Children will read the Christmas story and tell parallel stories: Jesus was born n Bethlehem, I was born in St Paul. Jesus’s mother was Mary. My mother is MOM. Jesus becomes alive as a real live person. The Christmas story is paired with John 3:16 to show us that Jesus was born to be our savior. What do we need to be saved from? How does Jesus save us? How is Jesus the most wonderful gift of all? These are questions that we delve into in lesson 2. The third lesson is a wonderful lesson on prayer to teach children “I can talk with God.” We read the story of Samuel, and how God talks to a young boy. We also read about a time when Jesus is missing and the disciples finally find him in a solitary place and what is he doing? He is praying. And the disciples ask, Lord teach us to pray. And we read the Lord’s prayer. The last lesson is about the good shepherd and the story of Zacchaeus to help children know that “Because God Cares for Me, I can care for others.” Jesus is not a best friend that we keep to ourselves. We tell others about Jesus by caring for them!

God and Me: Prayer Cube Favorite lesson: The lesson on prayer Kids use acronym P-A-T-H* to learn four parts of prayer by making a prayer cube. * Praise - Apology - Thanks - Help A favorite lesson is the lesson on prayer. They use the acronym “PATH” to learn four parts of prayer and they make a prayer cube for their gamebox. Path stands for: (praise, apology, thanks, help) P.R.A.Y. is a PATH to keep us close to God.

AHG Connections 7 C’s of History Toys and Games Daughter of the King Requirements1, 2 – Six days of creation Toys and Games Requirement 7 – Create a board game Daughter of the King Requirement 1 – “Me” box vs poster

God and Me Award Red is the color for the God and Me program. Red symbolizes love and the blood of Christ. When children wear the recognition, they are reminded that they are “Best Friends with Jesus.” Red is the color for the God and Me program. Red symbolizes love and the blood of Christ. When children wear the recognition, they are reminded that they are “Best friends with Jesus.”

Program Summary: God and Family (grades 4-5) God and Family is the second program in the P.R.A.Y. series. It is for boys and girls in grades 4 & 5. This program is an opportunity for young people and their families to explore their faith together.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Theme: “Growing in God’s Love” Hands-on: PIZZA Memory Requirement: The Ten Commandments Schedule: minimum 6 sessions The theme is “Growing in God’s Love” and this is our “pizza” program. Students will compare the layers of a pizza to the layers of a family and learn about God’s plan to grow strong families. The memory requirement is the Ten Commandments. A typical schedule will include 6 to 8 sessions.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Crust – Foundation – We Are God’s Family Sauce – Family Heritage, Spiritual Heritage Toppings – Our Talents and Gifts Strengthen Our Families Cheese – In God’s Family We’re Loved No Matter What! Because We’re Loved, We Follow Rules Bake – Being in God’s Family Helps Us When Things Are Tough Eat, Share, Enjoy! – In God’s Family, We Share as a Response to God’s Love The table of contents lists the 6 layers or steps to making a pizza. This program typically will take at least six lessons but usually a few more.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Crust – Foundation – We Are God’s Family In this lesson we are designing our pizza box and creating our crust. The crust represents our foundation. Families need to be built on a foundation of God. They need to be built on God’s love and faithfulness revealed in the Lord, Jesus Christ. There is no stronger foundation. On our crust we add pictures or photos of people that are all part of Gods family. We also add Jesus to the center of our crust. In this chapter, we not only create our crust, we make a recipe card to show how you are connected to God’s family. Ingredients are listed such as God, Jesus, you, your family and then students are asked to create their own family recipe, which may include things such as kindness, love, compassion, etc.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Sauce – Family Heritage, Spiritual Heritage Sauce – because it simmers over time – represents our heritage, our family and spiritual heritage. It is something that is very difficult to duplicate. Sauce is unique just as our family heritage is very unique. No two families share the same background and we learn to understand and appreciate our family’s background. We discuss what is means to be part of our family, what makes us unique, what have you inherited from your family, good and bad, what makes your family special. We then meet bible families and how they are unique. We meet Ruth and Naomi and how their relationship was very special. We also meet Jesus and His family and what made that family unique. We also add to our recipe cards. As we make up this card, we write down a list of ingredients or people who have played an important part in making our family what it is today, those that have helped on your faith journey. We then make our sauce to weave the family history and Christian heritage and place on top of pizza crust.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Toppings – Our Talents and Gifts Strengthen Our Families The toppings represent the special talents and gifts - given to individual members – to strengthen our family. We read about Moses and Aaron and how their gifts strengthened one another. We discuss how our families can become stronger by combining the skills of several members. We learn that we must use our gifts to make them stronger. We study Timothy and how his faith, which came from the examples of his mother and grandmother, was strengthened by Paul as he journeyed with him. We then add our toppings to our pizza. On the website, there are templates you can use or you can have your students use their creativity to make up their own toppings.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Cheese – In God’s Family We’re Loved No Matter What! Because We’re Loved, We Follow Rules Cheese melts over the pizza and holds it together. “In God’s Family we’re loved no matter what! Because we’re loved, we follow rules.” Cheese represents the rules that keep us in right relationship with each other. On each of these strips of cheese are listed the 10 Commandments. This is the memorization for the God and Family program. We study the Prodigal son. We make up a recipe card to explain how our family has made rules to help members be responsible to one another and to the Christian faith so on this recipe card we will add names of people who have helped us understand and follow rules.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Bake – Being in God’s Family Helps Us When Things Are Tough Lesson 5 is our bake lesson which teaches us that “Being in God’s family helps us when things are tough and can actually strengthen and improve families. Of course this lesson would not be complete without Shadrach, Meshach and Abenego from the book of Daniel 3 and Paul and Silas in prison. We learn that being in tough situations can force us to use our faith tools, which we just learned about in previous chapters, that is, our gifts, our family, our friends, and the rules we follow. Our recipe card will list those who have helped us get through tough times. We create an oven mitt representing the tools that help the family when times are tough. Shown is a simple mitt made of construction paper and yarn but we actually made simple mitts from potholders (2 for .99 cents at Walmart) and strong thread and decorated them with fabric paint.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Eat, Share, Enjoy! – In God’s Family, We Share as a Response to God’s Love What do you do with a pizza? “ We Eat, Share, and Enjoy it!” “In God’s Family, we share as a response to God’s love”. Pizza is compared to our families which provide spiritual and physical nourishment to us. Just as our family shares with us, we are called to share God’s love with others. We meet the apostles and how they shared the good news of Jesus with others. We meet the boy who shared not only his lunch but the experience of this miracle with others after going home. We learn that we, too, are called to share God’s love with others. Our recipe card in this lesson will explain how and why Christians share. We will add names of people we know whom we can share the good news. Lastly we will decorate our pizza box with a logo, a catchy slogan and a name.

God and Family: Grades 4-5 Favorite activity: making a YUMMY pizza! The hands down favorite activity, is making (and eating) a real pizza!

AHG Connections Ancestor Detector 2,17 - Interviewing relatives 4 – Family Crest 9 – Heirlooms 11 - First names 12 – Family Tree Cooking 11 – pizza crust 15 – Fruit pizza

AHG Connections Family Helper 1 – Three reasons why each family member is important 3 – Tell about a family activity Artastic 13 – Design a personal logo Bible Basics 12,13 – Ruth Daughter of the King 3 – Family members – how are you similar, different? Make a Tshirt

God and Family: Award Yellow is the color for the God and Family program Yellow symbolizes sunlight and joy. When children wear the recognition, they are reminded of the joy and blessings of family as they seek to “Grow in God’s Love.” Yellow is the color for the God and Family program. Yellow symbolizes sunlight and joy. When children wear the recognition, they are reminded of the joy and blessings of family as they seek to “Grow in God’s Love”

Program Summary: God and Church (grades 6-8) God and Church is the third program in the P.R.A.Y. series. It is for young people in grades 6-8. Students will have the opportunity to work with their pastor or other Christian adult as they study the church's history/organization/structure and objectives and participate in service projects that will give them a better understanding of the mission of the church.

God and Church: Grades 6-8 Theme: “My Journey with Christ” Hands-on: Video or Photo Album Memory Requirement: Creed Schedule: minimum 12 sessions Daily Bible Reading Requirement: 3 weeks min. Service Projects: Community and Church service projects The theme is “My Journey with Christ.” The hands-on component is either a video or a photo album that young people will make as part of their journey. The memory requirement is a creed or passage of scripture. A typical schedule will include 12 sessions. Students have a Daily Bible Reading requirement (3 weeks minimum) as well as service projects to the community and church.

God and Church: Grades 6-8 Table of Contents Unit I - My Journey: Meeting Christ Unit II - My Journey: Worshiping God Unit III - My Journey: Witnessing and Ministering for Christ The program begins with a unit on Jesus because Christ is the head of the church. Students have to know Jesus in order to know the church. Unit 2 is on worshiping God (students will study how Jesus worshiped, then look at how their congregation worships, and then be challenged to get involved in some aspect of leading worship) Unit 3 is on witnessing and ministering for Christ (students will study how Jesus witnessed and ministered, then look at how their congregation does it, and then be challenged to get involved in a project that will witness and minister in a meaningful way to others.)

God and Church: Grades 6-8 God and Church can be incorporated into confirmation programs. Special consideration must be made when teaching multi-denominations Denominational Pins can be ordered with God and Church Award. A few comments that pertain specifically to this level: God and Church is often incorporated into confirmation programs. Remember, these awards may be presented to both Scouts and nonScouts alike. ALL church youth may participate and be recognized. Special consideration must be made when teaching multi-denominations in a one class. Certain lessons (like the ones on denominational history or congregational structure) must be completed within the child’s home congregation, or pastors can be invited to these lessons and share in a panel discussion. This is the only level that offers denominational pins. As the name implies, “God and Church” requires young people to study their church and denomination, so this is the level where denominational pins are available. These pins may be worn by themselves or pinned in the ribbon of the medallion.

God and Church: Grades 6-8 Favorite activities: Making videos Learning about their own congregations Interviewing clergy Visiting other churches Favorite activities include Making videos Learning about their own congregations Interviewing clergy Visiting other churches

AHG Connections Memory Maker (scrapbook) Cinematography (video) Photography 6 – Photo album 9 – Caption photo with scripture verse Theater 1 – Write a skit 3 – Perform your show

AHG Connections Bible Basics 9 - Bible reading plan 7 – Prayer journal 16 – Interview an adult Travel 2 – Packing 4 – List places you want to visit 12 – scrapbook Let’s Talk 13 – create radio show

God and Church: Award Blue is the color for the God and Church program. Blue symbolizes loyalty and truth. When young people wear the recognition, they are challenged to uphold these values as they continue a lifetime “Journey with Christ.” Blue is the color for the God and Church program It symbolizes loyalty and truth. When young people wear the recognition, they are challenged to uphold these values as they continue their lifetime “Journey with Christ.”

Program Summary: God and Life (grades 9-12) The final program in the P.R.A.Y. series is God and Life. It is for young people in grades 9-12. Young people in BSA’s Venturing program are also eligible to earn this award.

God and Life: Grades 9-12 Theme: “Called by Christ to Serve Daily Bible Reading Requirement: 3 months minimum Schedule: minimum 12 sessions plus 5 Service Projects Required: Write a Personal Statement of Commitment The theme is “Called by Christ to Serve.” The curriculum is a Bible study that requires reflection and personal application. The Daily Bible Reading Requirement is for 3 months minimum. A typical plan will include the book of Acts, as well as Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians. A typical schedule will include a minimum of 12 sessions plus 5 service projects. The final requirement is to write a personal statement of commitment.

God and Life: Grades 9-12 Table of Contents Lesson 1 - God Calls All Kinds of People Lesson 2 - God Doesn’t Expect Us to Do It On Our Own Lesson 3 - Each of Us Must Make a Personal Response to the Call of God Lesson 4 - God Gives Strength to Face Adversities Lesson 5 - God Can Accomplish Great Things through Those Who are Willing to Do His Will The curriculum is based on the life of the apostle Paul. The table of contents includes 5 lessons. 1. Before his conversion, Paul persecuted Christians. Lesson 1: God calls all kinds of people. 2. Paul was immediately helped by Ananias and then later by Barnabas. Lesson 2: God doesn’t expect us to do it on our own. 3. Paul was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. Lesson 3: Each of us must make a personal response to the call of God. 4. Paul led a difficult life: many people wanted him dead. Lesson 4: God gives strength to face adversities. 5. Because of Paul, the church was strengthened and it grew in numbers. Lesson 5: God can accomplish great things through those who are willing to do God’s will.

God and Life: Grades 9-12 Favorite Activities Bible Study Leading a worship service Service projects Planning and Implementing the children’s sermon Favorite activities include the actual Bible study, service projects, leading a worship service, and doing the children’s sermon.

God and Life: Award Green is the color for the God and Life program. Green symbolizes new growth and eternal life. When young people wear the recognition, they are strengthened in the knowledge that they are “Called by Christ to Serve.” Green is the color for the God and Life program. Green symbolizes new growth and eternal life. When young people wear the recognition, they are strengthened in the knowledge that they are “Called by Christ to serve.”

AHG Connections Creative writing Textile Arts – banners 19 – journal Textile Arts – banners All God’s Children 23 – Visit an agency that works with people with disabilities

AHG Connections Bible Basics 9 - Bible reading plan 7 – Prayer journal 16 – Interview an adult Daughter of the King #6 – share what you have learned in Me/Family/Church/Life with others

Four-Star Recipients Four-star recipients are those individuals who have earned all four levels of the P.R.A.Y. series. Four-star recipients receive a certificate and letter of congratulations from P.R.A.Y. A special four-star pin is available at nominal cost.  Four star recipients are those individuals who have earned all four levels of the P.R.A.Y. series. Four star recipients will receive a certificate and letter of congratulations from P.R.A.Y.. A special pin is available at additional cost. This pin may be worn by itself or in the ribbon of the God and life medallion.

The P.R.A.Y. Program: More than Just an Award FAITH-SERVICE-FUN Growing in faith Learning to serve others Christian Education Bonding as a family We just finished the program summaries and have an understanding of the requirements that young people need to complete in order to get their award. Now, what about when you approach a congregation? What if you’re on the staff of a GS Council and want to talk to churches about Girl Scouting, for example? How can you leverage the P.R.A.Y. program? How can you use the P.R.A.Y. program in approaching congregations? You need to be able to interpret the P.R.A.Y. program as more than just an award. You need to be able to interpret the P.R.A.Y. program as a resource for the church. Christian Education

Christian Education Bible-based curriculum Appropriate for Sunday school programs, confirmation classes, and small group opportunities.

Christian Education Family ministry Participants are required to do projects with their families. Parents may choose to participate in the Adult Mentor Program Mentors have a workbook to complete just like their children The Adult Mentor Program is an intentional program for parents to share their faith with their children.

Christian Education Raising servant leaders Participants put their faith into action by designing meaningful service projects. Service projects target the family, the congregation, and the community.

Christian Education Changed lives! Parents notice changes in their children and how they interact with one another. Girls have asked to be baptized after completing a class. Parents learn to pray with their children and openly talk about their faith. Families have started attending church again because of a P.R.A.Y. class.

Faith-Service-Fun AHG Oath states “I promise to love God” The Troop setting can be a place to help families fulfill this promise. AHG members want faith and values for their girls first and foremost

Keeping Faith First in your ministry Offer a P.R.A.Y. class. Use meetings as an opportunity for members of congregation to interact with Scouting families. Include AHG in service projects at the church to help girls earn service hours. Plan Award Ceremony during a regular worship service

Help Make Connections Use people from your church (i.e. Sunday school teachers, pastors, parents, etc.) to teach classes Use Mentor program as an opportunity for AHG parents to interact with each other and with members of your church or chartering organization.

Conclusion American Heritage Girls is a rich mission field. A P.R.A.Y. class may be a non-threatening way for your unchurched families to come to a personal knowledge of our gracious Lord and Savior It is a Win-Win for all involved!~

P.R.A.Y. website www.praypub.org Visit the website for additional resources in teaching, games, templates, etc.

Adult Awards Adult awards are very different from the youth awards

Adult Recognitions By nomination only Require a minimum number of years of service Require the completed nomination form, resume of candidate’s activities, and letters of recommendation from the Scout Council and the religious institution Congregations are encouraged to use these adult recognitions to support their adult volunteers These recognitions can revitalize volunteers in their service through Scouting

Setting Up a Class Decide which program(s) you will offer Consider whom you will invite to participate in your class Consider using it as a recruitment tool Publicize your class Make a budget Recruit and train adult counselors/teachers Consider if you will offer the Adult Mentor component

Setting Up a Class Choose dates Create a class schedule with assignments Review the supply list and gather materials Order booklets Arrange to order recognitions and plan the award ceremony

Let’s get started! Eligibility requirements: Girls and Boys May be earned by scouts and non-scouts Membership in church not necessary to participate

Let’s Get Started! Present in a variety of formats: classroom setting, weekend camp retreat, at home with parents, or as an independent study with the pastor. Participants are required to present their work to the pastor. The pastor may or may not be the teacher, but the pastor (not the Scout leader or parent) conducts the final interview with the students.

Blessings on Your AHG Ministry! Thank you for attending our presentation! Visit Learning Center for additional webinars We hope we’ve given you the tools and encouragement to strengthen your AHG Troop and families! Programs of Religious Activities with Youth 11123 S. Towne Square, Ste. B, St. Louis MO 63123 phone 1-800-933-7729 or 314-845-3318 fax 314-845-0038 email pray@praypub.org