January 27, 2013 - Computer Merit Badge class

Computer Merit Badge Class
Sunday, January 27th, 4 pm to about 6 pm
at the Microsoft Store in Century City

This class will be taught by Microsoft store personnel along with Hal Schloss, Scoutmaster of Troop 360.

Limited space is available, so one must sign up in advance.

The presentation and discussion will cover the "discuss/explain" aspects of the merit badge. Scouts are expected to complete the merit badge that day and will need to bring the files required to fulfill requirements 6 and 7, and will have researched requirement 9 ahead of time.

While prerequisite files can be prepared on any computer, only those that are compatible with Microsoft Windows can be displayed using the equipment provided by the store. So if using a Macintosh or other non-Windows computer, please either convert the files to a Windows compatible format prior to the class, or bring a laptop/notebook to the class that can be used to display the files. Files compatible with Windows systems can be brought on a thumb drive for use with the store's computers or displayed on the Scout's laptop/notebook.

All Scouts should be in Class A uniform.

All Scouts will need to bring Blue Cards signed by their Scoutmaster.

To sign up, or if you have any questions, please send e-mail to scoutmaster@bhtroop360.org or call (310) 559-9638

Yours in Scouting,

Faith Denis
Registrar / Customer Service Manager

January 26, 2013 - Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow / University of Scouting - Instructors needed

Do you have a special way of running your meetings or events?
Are you really good at managing boy behavior?
Does your unit have special events that are not usually promoted in the Scouting world?
Does your unit committee run exceptionally well?
Do you like to do really fun and amazing things with your Scouts?
Do you have a special skill?

If you have said yes to any of these questions and you would like to share your knowledge with others for the benefit of Scouting, then we want to hear from you!

The 2013 Pow Wow / University of Scouting Team is looking for instructors. Please email us at wlaccpowwow2013@gmail.com

The event will take place on Saturday January 26, 2013. We look forward to hearing from you!

Laurel Lofland
Co-Committee Chair

In memory: Neil Ferguson

It is with great sadness I share the news of the passing of Neil Ferguson. Neil had served as a District Chairman and a District Commissioner for the old Stony Point and West Valley Districts as well as a Commissioner for Balboa Oaks District.

The memorial service will be Sunday, December 2, 2012 at 2:00 pm at the
First Baptist Church of Canoga Park
20553 Sherman Way
Canoga Park, CA 91306

Thank you,

Christine Demmitt

December 7-8, 2012 - Order of the Arrow Winter Ordeal

To all members of Achoicominga OA,

Just a reminder that the Winter Ordeal is coming up on December 7th weekend. Our chapter is co-hosting it. We do need members to show up and help. We do have a couple of candidates from our chapter going through their Ordeal. We need to show our support of them. This is a Friday to Saturday night event.

There will also be a Brotherhood ceremony for those that are eligible for Brotherhood. It will take place on Saturday around 4 to 6 pm. If you've been a member more than 10 months, then you have fulfilled the tenure part of the qualifications. You should read your OA handbook on the topic of Brotherhood to learn about the other items to know. Some of you have paid, but never went through your Brotherhood ceremony. Well, this is your opportunity. Hope to see you there.

Frank Casias
frankpapac@aol.com
Achoicominga Associate Advisor

December 8, 2012 - Troop 10 Family Ice Skating

All Webelos are invited to join our Troop for a fun afternoon!

Saturday, December 8
2 pm - 4 pm

Iceoplex
Easy Street Arena
Simi Valley

$9.00

Please RSVP by Monday Dec 3rd.

RSVP: TeriMJones@earthlink.net or Kimberlyryu@yahoo.com

December 1 and 8, 2012 - Ken Leonard Aquino's Eagle Scout Project

I will be leading my Eagle Scout Service Project on:

Saturday 12/1/2012 and the next Saturday 12/8/12
from 8 am to 1 pm

The Eagle Scout Service Project will take place at:

Cleveland High School
8140 Vanalden Avenue
Reseda, CA 91335

I will be leading a beautification project which is upgrading of the outdoor lounge and garden of the Special Education Office for the students and staff of Cleveland High School. Specifically, we will excavate/remove the dirt and transport it to other campus location.  Put concrete in the place of the dirt. We will remove and salvage the old wooden bench. We will also remove the weeds, dead plants and dried leaves. We will be installing a new metal bench, as well as putting edging stone near the garden. This Eagle Project will require a lot of work and manpower if my project is to be complete in two days. That is why I'm asking all who would like to assist me in completing this part of my project. If you would like more information you can reach me at these sources.

Please bring tools for gardening and concreting.

Thank you in advance for coming, each person who helps can truly make a difference for the students at Cleveland High School.

Ken Leonard Aquino
aquinoblf@yahoo.com
cell (818) 644-5360 or (818) 422-1343

P.R.A.Y. update

Find out how your council is doing!

Hey R.E.C.'s! If you haven't noticed already, PRAY's Third Quarter Usage Reports are posted online. We provide your council's YTD totals, usage by quarter, also a listing by rank, and the honor roll recognizing those councils who have 50 or more recipients and a 10% or greater increase in usage. We would like to highlight the Chattahoochee Council in Columbus, GA which is one of our honor roll councils which had a 79% growth and passed the 100 recipient milestone for the very first time! Congratulations!

Please note that the usage reports on the PRAY website contain only the data for the Protestant Christian program.

Membership in Faith Based Units Increased 16 out of 17 Months

BSA membership in Faith Based Units has shown growth in 16 out of the last 17 months. Research shows that units have greater retention and advancement in faith based units, which led to the Faith Based Initiative.

Recognize Your Adult Leaders

Boy Scout Sunday is coming up quickly. Plan now to recognize your adult leaders with an Adult Religious Recognition. The adult recognitions are by nomination only. Encourage your adult volunteers with one of these prestigious recognitions!

New "Unit Religious Emblems Coordinator" Position

PRAY hosted the first training opportunities last month for the new "Unit R.E.C." position. Chip Turner was the presenter and covered the resources, responsibilities, and strategies for the Unit R.E.C.

PRAY Learning Center Announces New Webinars

Upcoming Webinars include:

• REC's Leading Religious Emblems/ Duty to God Courses for University of Scouting / Pow Wow, etc. - The How To's and Content for Leading an Hour-Long Session at Council and District Training Events
• Planning and Conducting a Duty to God Encampment (Including On-line Planning Tools and Templates) - Presentation by John Lyons, Council REC and Experienced Leader of Atlanta Area Council Duty to God Encampment

Visit the Learning Center to sign up!

Support P.R.A.Y.'s Mission

P.R.A.Y. is known for "Building Faith in Youth." We promote religious emblems and collaborations between the Scouting program and the faith community. If you have benefited from P.R.A.Y. and our free resources online, please consider becoming a Friend of P.R.A.Y. by making a financial gift. P.R.A.Y. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your gifts are tax deductible.

Please note that our secure website will ask you to create an account with your email and password of your choice. You may use MasterCard, Visa, or Discover. If you prefer, donations payable to "P.R.A.Y." may be mailed to 11123 S. Towne Square, Ste. B, St. Louis, MO 63123.

Thank you for your support!

New President of PRAY Board is BSA Volunteer

Rev. Dr. William Kenneth Lyons, Jr. was elected President of the PRAY National Board of Directors at the PRAY Annual Meeting held September 2012. Ken is a retired pastor with the United Methodist Church and has extensive experience with the PRAY program. He is a member of the Baltimore Area Council, BSA and is active on the Interfaith Committee. Ken has served on the PRAY Board since 2009. We look forward to his leadership!

American Heritage Girls

Did you notice the article on page 12 in the November/December issue of Scouting Magazine? It featured the AHG and the Memorandum of Mutual Support it has with the BSA.

Other Resources from PRAY

• "Click and Go" Resource Sheet for REC's
• Sample tabletop display
• P.R.A.Y. Brochure in Spanish
• Framed set of P.R.A.Y. medals for display purposes (available for purchase from the P.R.A.Y. online store).
• Duty to God t-shirts are available to order from the P.R.A.Y. online store. Limited sizes and quantities are available.

P.R.A.Y.
11123 S. Towne Sq. Ste B, St. Louis, MO, 63123

www.praypub.org
jenniferh@praypub.org