Scout Sunday at First Presbyterian Church

So most churches celebrated Scout Sunday last Sunday. However, at First Presbyterian Church (my home church) we do Scout Sunday the 2nd weekend in February because it won’t double-up with communion Sundays, which are long enough as it is. This is the 5th Scout Sunday I’ve helped plan at the church and each year it keeps getting better and better.

This year we had Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturers and Girl Scouts helping as worship assistants. The only person involved in the service (besides the choir) who weren’t current or former Scouts was the organist (I believe; I think the pianist was a Girl Scout in her youth). I was very happy with how it turned out. Here’s the layout of the service (items in bold are also read by the congregation in unison):

PRELUDE – Organist (Non-Scout) & Pianist (former Girl Scout)

WELCOME – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

PRESENTATION OF THE COLORS – Boy Scout calling with a Scouter, Eagle Scout, Venturer, Webelos and 3 Girl Scouts as color guard.

CALL TO WORSHIP (responsive) – Pastor (Eagle Scout)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

PRAYER OF PRAISE AND ADORATION (unison) – Brownie Girl Scout
Eternal God, our beginning and our end, be our starting point and our haven, and accompany us in this day’s journey. Use our hands to do the work of your creation, and use our lives to bring others the new life you give this world in Jesus Christ, Redeemer of all.  Amen.

HYMNAL #564 – O Beautiful for Spacious Skies (Materna)

PRAYER OF CONFESSION (unison) – Junior Girl Scout
Almighty God, who made light to shine in the darkness, shine now in our hearts. We confess that we have sinned and have not walked in your light. Forgive us, we pray, and restore us to the way of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

SILENT CONFESSION

DECLARATION OF PARDON – Junior Girl Scout

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE PEACE

CIRCLE TIME FOR YOUNG DISCIPLES – Eagle Scout

RESPONSE – HYMN #338 – Kum ba Yah (verses 1 & 4)

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION – Webelos Scout

FIRST SCRIPTURE LESSON – Deuteronomy 30: 15-20 – Webelos Scout
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

PSALM 119: 1-8 (responsive) – Brownie Girl Scout
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.
You have  commanded your precepts to be kept dilligently.
O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous ordinances. I will observe your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

SECOND SCRIPTURE LESSON – 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9 – Pastor (Eagle Scout)
And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not merely human?
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neighter the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
The Word of the Lord!
Thanks be to God!

SERMON – “Trail the Eagle” – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

A MOMENT FOR SILENT MEDITATION

HYMN – “Philmont Prayer” (sung to the tune of “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”)
Almighty God of hill and plain,
O’er which we hike in sun and rain,
On mountain top and valley low,
Protect us, Lord, where’er we go.
And from our grateful hearts we’ll raise
Glad hymns of thankfulness and praise.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH (unison) – from “The Brief Statement of Faith” – Boy Scout
We trust in Jesus Chris, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal.

GLORIA PATRI – HYMNAL #579
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end,
Amen, Amen!

PRESENTATION OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS – Venturer

OFFERTORY – “The Greatest Gift is Love” (Mark Hayes) – Sanctuary Choir with flute soloist

DOXOLOGY – HYMNAL #592
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
Praise God, all creates here below;
Praise God above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

SHARING JOYS AND CONCERNS – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

PASTORAL PRAYER – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

THE LORD’S PRAYER (unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name; thy kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

HYMN – “Scout Vespers” (sung to the tune of “O Tannenbaum”)
Softly falls the light of day
While our campfire fades away.
Silently each Scout should ask
Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
Everything to be prepared?

Listen Lord, oh listen Lord,
As I whisper soft and low.
Bless my mom and bless my dad,
These are things that they should know.
I will keep my honor bright,
The oath and law will be my guide.
And mom and dad this you should know,
Deep in my heart I love you so.

CHARGE AND BLESSING – Pastor (Eagle Scout)

POSTLUDE – “Christ for the World We Sing!” (Lani Smith) – Organist (non-Scout) & Pianist (former Girl Scout)

Everyone who was a part of the service did an excellent job, especially those doing the readings (one of whom was terrified of going up and speaking in front of the whole church).

After we got done eight of us went and had our traditional Scout Sunday brunch at Frisch’s.  All in all I was very happy with how well everything went.  Next year we are probably going to move our Scout Sunday to March 11 to be closer to the Girl Scout’s 100th birthday (3/12/12).