Ministry Monday: Cub Scouts

Cub Scouts is a part of the Boy Scouts Of America. The scouting program involves so much more than just hiking, camping and fishing. Each level of Scouting focuses on building character traits and good citizenship.

The Cub Scout program targets 1st-5th graders. Each grade level has its own small group or Den. All the Dens come together at least once a month to form a pack that does activities together. The smallest scouts learn team work, as well as other life skills, by experiencing life in a controlled environment. The scouts will visit a police or fire station, a TV or radio station, attend a professional team sport game like baseball or hockey, a historical site and the list goes on. The boys are encouraged to do activities both with the scout unit, Pack, and with their families. These activities are innumerable and include playing a team sport, biking, hiking, fishing and camping. The motto of the Scout program is Fun With A Purpose. Everything we do in Scouts is about learning but is also about having fun.

So.... how is this a ministry???  Is there a spiritual aspect of scouting???

Well, Churches, Civic Organizations, and other Community Groups can host a unit such as a Pack. That is exactly what our church has done. I am the Adult leader known as the Cub Master... meaning I oversee the program and supervise other leaders. The King's Queen is the Tiger Den Leader meaning she is the adult leader who directly teaches the Tigers or 1st graders.

The Cub Scout oath is as follows:

I promise to do my best, to do my duty to God and my Country, to help other people and obey the law of the pack.

In many cases God is explained as the Great Scout who created the world and everything in it. Primarily though, the scouting program is an opportunity to introduce families in the community to the leaders of the host church and to inform the families about the ministries offered by the church. Ministry is all about growing relationships with the ones in the community where God has called you to minister and creating a doorway to minister to these families in other ways, so Scouting can be used as a great ministry outreach program.

There are Scouting opportunities for boys of all ages, so just log onto scouting.org for more information about Scouting in your area. I have personally seen lives changed for Christ through Scouting and would encourage others to pursue Scouting as a ministry.