Despite past challenges, Scouting America stabilizes with support from faith-based units

By DAVID CRARY Associated Press National Writer NEW YORK AP For the Boy Scouts of America just now renamed Scouting America the past years have been arduous Opening its programs to gay people and later to girls sparked dismay in selected quarters Its bankruptcy declaration led to prolonged wrangling over compensation for thousands of men claiming they were sexually abused as scouts Yet the -year-old organization though serving far fewer youths than at its peak decades ago seems to be stabilizing with a slight uptick in membership last year A key factor is the abiding loyalty of major religious denominations that still view scouting s mission as uniquely in tune with their own I tell parents this is the best time to be involved with Scouting America and the best time to be involved through a Catholic unit mentioned Bill Guglielmi who chairs the National Catholic Committee on Scouting There is a hunger out there now for finding a values-based organization Scout Troop participates in the U S flag retirement ceremony for Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Church during the annual Patriots Day observance at the church in Santa Clarita Calif on Thursday Sept AP Photo Krysta Fauria Guglielmi and others who are engaged in faith-based scouting praise the manner in which time-honored scouting programs such as camping and expeditions have been blended with newfangled events such as indoor skydiving and an artificial-intelligence merit badge But foremost they value the organization s continued commitment to communal prayer Worship is a big deal here announced Bill McCalister who served more than years as scoutmaster of Troop in San Antonio under sponsorship of a United Methodist church Every campout we have a formal worship operation Sometimes we serve Communion he noted Various scouts come to me and say Mr Mac this is my church A diversity of faiths in scouting According to Scouting America s latest figures faith-based organizations account for of the nearly units operated by chartered organizations The Catholic Church and its affiliates are No overseeing units serving more than of the roughly million boys and girls now working in scouting Other major sponsors include the United Methodists the Episcopal Church and various Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations Nearly units serving more than scouts are sponsored by Muslim Jewish and Buddhist organizations Roger Krone Scouting America s president and CEO took the post in as the organization emerged from bankruptcy proceedings He appreciates scouting s religious diversity In this photo provided by Rashid Abdullah from left he Shafiqah McLaughlin and his son Nuruddin Abdul-Rashid attend a Vietnamese Jamboree at Camp Snyder in Virginia on July Rashid Abdullah National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting via AP It really speaks to the alignment of the mission vision and values that our organization has and what those organizations have he recounted The Associated Press It s character rise it s spiritual enhancement it s public organization The Boy Scouts lifted a ban on openly gay youth members in and began accepting girls in measures Krone depicted as a message of welcome to any family considering scouting One step the organization will not take Krone explained is abandoning the religious credo at the core of its mission The famed Scout Oath begins On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God while the Scout Law s concluding message is Be reverent toward God Be faithful in your religious duties Respect the belief of others There are selected places this day where you re not encouraged to talk about spiritual enhancement and what may be going on outside your little bubble Krone stated In our organization it s been core to our principles for years and years and will continue to be core Krone acknowledges that selected nonreligious families while admiring aspects of scouting might be uncomfortable with the Duty to God pledge He encourages them to try scouting nonetheless You are all welcome in our organization he announced But I want people to know when you come to scouting there s this concept of reverence and spiritual development and saying prayers and being thoughtful The parent can come and be a volunteer and go through a couple meetings and a couple of campouts and watch what we do see what effect the way we deal with duty to God and reverence has on the youth of your child s age and then make a decision Krone declared Don t dismiss us out of hand How it s done by Troop That welcoming approach is fully practiced by Troop chartered by St Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita according to one of its adult leaders Christine Tezai Related Articles Driver rams car into FBI building gate in Pittsburgh and leaves behind an American flag Jerry quits Ben Jerry s saying its independence on social issues has been stifled At present in History September aircraft crash kills a person for the first time North Dakota newspaper columnist whose Olive Garden review went viral dies at Judge won t release identities of two women once described as prospective co-conspirators of Epstein She estimates that less than half the troop s -plus scouts are Catholic yet all participate in occasional religion-themed events including an annual Mass at which religious awards are presented It doesn t matter if you re Catholic Tezai announced A scout is reverent it doesn t matter how you re reverent You don t have to say prayers You know what we do by showing kindness and being helpful Her -year-old son Mykhail Tezai entered Cub Scouts in the first grade Now as a high school senior he s on track to become an Eagle Scout He announced several fellow scouts don t identify with a specific faith but feel content in a church-chartered troop They re very curious about my religion and being Catholic he revealed They want to know how it works Selected faith groups broke away After the decision to admit gay youth certain disgruntled conservatives formed a new group Trail Life USA which created its own ranks badges and uniforms It now states youth members participating in church-run units aligned with biblical Christian principles The biggest blow came at the start of when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints then the Boy Scouts largest faith-based partner withdrew more than scouts in favor of new programs of its own Krone commented plenty of Latter-day Saints families remain fond of Boy Scout programs and now place their children in units unaffiliated with their church We would love to have more Mormon youth in our effort Krone reported They can have their own venture but also maybe embrace Scouting America more than they have the last couple of years to gain the benefits of the operation we ve developed As for Trail Life Krone acknowledged that its conservative Christian outlook has strong appeal for selected families But our project will prepare you better for life he declared Once you get out of high school you need to learn to get along with others in the world as it is in the modern day outside of the surroundings that you grew up in The loss of various units affiliated with the Latter-day Saints and conservative Christian churches was part of a broader shrinkage experienced by the Boy Scouts which served more than million boys in the s The COVID- pandemic and the bankruptcy process were major factors as membership dwindled In all more than people filed states alleging they were sexually abused as scouts Leading faith-based sponsors of scout units including Catholic dioceses and Methodist churches contributed to a billion reorganization plan that took effect in allowing the Boy Scouts to keep operating while compensating abuse survivors The Rev Mark Carr a Jesuit priest who serves as national chaplain for Catholic scouting disclosed concerns about liability and insurance were key factors in dissuading chosen dioceses from continuing with scouting For those who stayed a deep commitment Steven Scheid director of the United Methodists Center for Scouting Ministries sees specific upsides for scouting after its previous difficulties He cited rigorous child-protection policies that he views as effective in curtailing sex abuse The lessons we can gain out of the mistakes of the past can make a better stronger area a safer one he stated Back in the United Methodists accounted for almost youth members in the Boy Scouts The figure now is But Scheid an assistant scoutmaster of a troop founded in in Springfield Tennessee says adults still loyal to scouting are deeply committed They see this as a calling While Christian churches account for the vast majority of Scouting America s faith-based units there are more than scouts in Muslim-sponsored units and about in Jewish-affiliated units Muslims in America are searching for their identity and there s nothing more American than scouting commented Rashid Abdullah executive director of the executive director of the National Association of Muslim Americans on Scouting It s aligning perfectly with the values of our faith Abdullah is also a lead organizer of scout units chartered to the Islamic Center of Northern Virginia Trust and the father of three sons who like himself made Eagle Scout Another Eagle Scout of long standing is Ricky Mason a bankruptcy attorney who helped negotiate the reorganization plan and who next year will become the second Jewish chair of the Scouts National Executive Committee His mother foresightedly narrated Mason when he was that he would become an Eagle Scout through their synagogue-sponsored troop in Richmond Virginia Amid concerns that antisemitism is increasing Mason depicts scouting as a way for the U S Jewish population to remain connected with American society In addition to the having fun part scouting is really about character and leadership growth Mason revealed This organization is needed now more than ever AP journalist Krysta Fauria in Los Angeles contributed Associated Press religion coverage receives endorsement through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content