Faith-Based Awards
Strengthening Collaborations between
Girl Scout Councils and
United Methodist Congregations
Faith-Based Awards:
My Promise, My Faith and Religious Recognitions
 Welcome!

Larry Coppock, GCUMM
 Our audience tonight:


UMC Scouting Ministry Specialists (SMS)
Girl Scout staff
 Goals:


Help SMS’s understand the faith-based
awards available to Girl Scouts
Help Girl Scout staff gain new perspectives on
using the faith-based awards to approach
UMC congregations
Faith-Based Awards:
My Promise, My Faith and Religious Recognitions
 Presenters


Gladys Padró-Soler, GSUSA
Deb Hazlewood, PRAY
Poll Questions
Faith-based awards include:

My Promise, My Faith Pins

Religious Recognitions
To Serve God
 All Girl Scouts promise to serve God.
 Girl Scouting encourages girls to grow
in faith.
My Promise, My Faith (MPMF) Pin
 The MPMF Pin:
 Is created by the Girl Scouts of the
U.S.A.
 Is found in the Girl’s Guide to Girl
Scouting.
 May be earned every year.
 Is worn on the front of the uniform
My Promise, My Faith (MPMF) Pin
My Promise, My Faith (MPMF) Pin
 The MPMF Pin:
 Helps girls connect Girl Scouting with
their faith.
My Promise, My Faith (MPMF) Pin
 Requirements may be completed within
a Troop setting.
 Religious institutions may also host
MPMF events.
 MPMF can strengthen the partnership
between the local Girl Scout council and
the faith community.
Requirements
 Activities are
based on the
Girl Scout Law.
 Girls will
examine a line
of the Girl
Scout Law and
consider how it
ties to their
faith.
Requirements
 Step 1: Choose a line of the law and
relate it to a song, prayer, reading or
tradition of your faith
 Steps 2-5: Continue to explore that line
of the law through interviews, reflection,
creativity, and commitment.
Requirements
 Step 2: Girls interview a woman from their
faith about how she tries to apply the line of
the law in her life.
 Step 3: Girls gather three inspirational quotes
by women that fit with the line of the Girl
Scout Law they have chosen.
 Step 4: Girls make something to remind them
of what they’ve learned. (It might be a
drawing, painting, or poster; or even a story or
a skit.)
Requirements
 Step 5: Girls find out if their faith
community offers a recognition program
for Girl Scouts. They talk with friends,
family, or a group in their faith
community about what they’ve learned
about their faith and Girl Scouting. Girls
ask them to help them live the GS Law
and their faith.
New Updated Description
 There are 2 updates to the MPMF
description.
 The current Girl’s Guides to Girl
Scouting do not reflect these updates.
Find out about
Religious
Recognitions
P.R.A.Y.
website
New UPDATED Description
 Requirement #5 is “Keep the
Connection Strong.”
 Girls are instructed to “Find out if your
faith community offers a recognition
program for Girl Scouts.”
 The MPMF pin does not replace
Religious Recognitions: it
complements them.
New UPDATED Description
 As part of the MPMF requirements, leaders
should help girls find out if their faith
community offers a Religious Recognition
 Go to
http://www.praypub.org/partner_gsusa.htm
for information on religious recognitions
offered by different faith communities, and for
resources to make presentations on the
religious recognitions programs.
GSUSA Resources:
MPMF Booklets
 “Your Faith and Girl
Scouts: Make the
Connection” – for
younger and older
Girl Scouts
 Booklets include
activities to explore
the Girl Scout Law
 Booklets are not
required in order to
earn the MPMF pin
MPMF Booklets
 Available in English
and Spanish
 Are available online:
 http://girlscouts.org/pr
ogram/basics/faith/
Best Practices
 Recent webinar:
 MPMF series offered
by a church
 MPMF series offered
by a Christian
University
My Promise, My Faith (MPMF) Pin
 In summary, the MPMF pin:
Helps girls make the connection
between their faith and the Girl Scout
Law
 Points to the Religious Recognitions
 Provides new opportunities to partner
with the faith community

www.girlscouts.org
 http://girlscouts.org/program/basics/faith/
 http://girlscouts.org/program/basics/for_vol
unteers/where_to_place/
Poll Questions
The PRAY Program
 Understanding the
PRAY Award as the
linchpin for a Girl
Scout ministry
The PRAY Program
 Congregations want “To Know Christ
and Make Christ Known”
 Discipleship and Evangelism
 Use Girl Scouting as a tool for both
Cornerstone UMC
 Houston, TX
 2 Packs, 5 BS Troops, and 2 Girl Scout
Troops
 Dr. Dave Meadows:

"We're always looking to reach out to the
community. The P.R.A.Y. program has a
double benefit. We used it as a successful
Sunday school program AND Evangelism
tool."
Cornerstone UMC
 After more than ten years of offering the P.R.A.Y. program
as a separate class to the Scouts meeting in their church*,
Cornerstone UMC decided to try something different.
They offered it in Sunday school. In the fall of 2013, they
incorporated God and Me and God and Family into the
Sunday school curriculum for children in grades 1-3 and
grades 4-5. Scouts from the community who wanted to
earn their religious emblem were invited to attend Sunday
school. Dr. Meadows was pleased to report the program
was a great success! Two families formally joined their
church, and there are other families who are attending
and might yet join.
Cornerstone UMC
 Over the years, there might have been a family or two that
joined the church because they got to know Dr. Meadows
through the P.R.A.Y. classes, but this year was different.
The P.R.A.Y. award wasn't presented as a separate
Scouting activity, but as part of the church. Scouts who
earned their P.R.A.Y. award were participating in Sunday
school, and their families got to know people in the
church. Dr. Meadows reports that the program was so
successful they have plans to implement it every other
year as part of their Sunday school curriculum
 Use MPMF to reach out to Girl Scouts in the
community
 Use the PRAY Award to bring families into
the life of your congregation
The PRAY Program
 Bible-based curriculum
 Appropriate for Sunday school programs, confirmation
classes, and small group opportunities.
 Family ministry: Parents may choose to participate in
the Adult Mentor Program
 The Adult Mentor Program is an intentional program
for parents to share their faith with their children.
The P.R.A.Y. Program





Eligibility requirements:
Boys and girls
May be earned by scouts and
non-scouts
Families do not need to have
official membership in a
congregation to be eligible
Congregations that promote the
P.R.A.Y. classes through the
Scouting community are
reaching out to scouting families
that do not have church homes.
Program Summaries
 God and Me, grades 1-3
 God and Family, grades 4-5
 God and Church, grades 6-8
 God and Life, grades 9-12
The P.R.A.Y. Program
 God and Me, gr. 1-3
 Theme: “Best Friends with Jesus”
 Read Bible stories and make
games
 Keep your games in a GAMEBox
 Do 4 lessons and 4 family projects
 Memorize the Lord’s Prayer
 Present your work to your pastor
THE P.R.A.Y. PROGRAM
 God and Family (grades 4-5)
 Theme: “Growing in God’s Love”
 Meet Bible families
 Learn how a pizza is like a family
 Make a pizza
 Do 6 lessons and 6 family projects
 Memorize the Ten
Commandments
 Present your work to your pastor.
The P.R.A.Y. Program
 God and Church (grades 6-8)
 Theme: “My Journey with Christ”
 Meet Jesus, the head of the
Church
 Learn about your congregation
 Record your “journey” on a video
or in a
photo album
 Do 7 lessons and 3 service
projects
 Read the Bible daily for at least
30 days
 Memorize a creed
 Present your work to your pastor
THE P.R.A.Y. PROGRAM
 God and Life (grades 9-12)
 Theme: “Called by Christ to Serve”
 Get to know the Apostle Paul
 Study the examples of other men and
women in the Bible
 Find out how your faith impacts your
daily living
 Do 5 lessons and 5 service projects
 Read the Bible every day for 3 months
 Write a Statement of Commitment
 Present your work to your pastor
Four-Star
Recipients
 Four-star recipients are
those individuals who have
earned all four levels of the
P.R.A.Y. series.
 Four-star recipients will
receive a certificate and
letter of congratulations from
P.R.A.Y. A special pin is
available at additional cost.
Adult Recognitions
 By nomination only
 Require a minimum number of years of service
 Require the completed nomination form, resume of
candidate’s activities, and letters of
recommendation from the Girl Scout Council and
the religious institution
 Congregations are encouraged to use these adult
recognitions to support their adult volunteers.
 These recognitions can revitalize volunteers in their
service through Girl Scouting.
Religious Recognitions
 Questions?
 Larry Coppock
 lcoppock@gcumm.org
 Gladys Padró-Soler
 GPadro-Soler@girlscouts.org
 Deb Hazlewood
 debh@praypub.org
Faith-Based Programs
 Girls are encouraged to earn both the MPMF
pin and the PRAY Award.
 Use these awards to bring Girl Scout families
into your church
 Visit the P.R.A.Y. website for resources on
Faith-Based Programs:
www.praypub.org/partner_gsusa.htm
Thank you for promoting faith-based
programs for Girl Scouts!
www.praypub.org/partner_gsusa.htm