CYPRESS, Texas––Susan Lawyer, mother of a 17-year-old Boy Scout and a 12-year-old Girl Scout, became a scouting ministry specialist after serving as charter organization representative for a troop at Good Shepherd UMC and after attending a February training experience at the Florida Sea Base.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Lawyer juggles carpooling, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, volunteering at Vacation Bible School, chaperoning school trips, packing lunches, and planning troop meetings with her role as student ministry assistant at Good Shepherd UMC.
“Last fall our Boy Scout Committee chairperson suggested that since I was our troop’s charter organization representative, I should attend the February 2013 UM Men Conference at Sea Base in Florida,” said Lawyer. “I was excited about this opportunity because I have been working with my home church to teach the PRAY (God & Family series) for the last several years.
“I really wanted to learn more about becoming a scouting ministry specialist and how I could use this position to expand the program for more Scouts to earn their religious awards through our Boy Scout district and Girl Scout community here.”
Lawyer says that after being certified as a scouting ministry specialist, she offered neighboring churches help with the PRAY series. “I’ve had really good responses from the youth ministers and pastor’s that I’ve spoken to so far. Most are already familiar with the series we want to teach, have done it before and are onboard.
“I know from personal experience, that just opening their doors for Scouts to have their troop meetings in church have brought young people to church,” says Lawyer. “My own troop of 6th grade Girl Scout Cadetts meets on Wednesday afternoons and when our troop meeting concludes, the girls head straight upstairs to the weekly youth program at the church for an evening of pizza, fun, fellowship and the Word. It’s been wonderful knowing that my Scouts, who don’t necessarily have a church of their own, are plugged into a youth ministry.
“The role of scouting ministry specialist seems like the perfect fit for me in my role in both Boy and Girl Scouts,” she concluded.
For information about becoming a scouting ministry specialist, contact Marc Stowe (615-620-7262) (mstowe@gcumm.org).