| RICHMOND, June 29 - General Assembly commissioners gathered amid uniformed Presbyterians Tuesday for a luncheon celebrating the 84-year-long partnership between the Presbyterian church and the Boy Scouts of America.
About 50 people who attended the event sponsored by the National Association of Presbyterian Scouters at Richmond's Second Presbyterian Church heard national and local scout officials and supporters call for renewed commitment to increase the number of troops based in Presbyterian congregations.
The association's mission is to develop scouting in Presbyterian churches to impart religious values to young people as a youth ministry of the denomination.
Tim Timberlake, a former radio broadcaster in Richmond and a longtime scouting enthusiast, cited a "general decline in morality" and "explosion of (harmful) media" as reasons for supporting scouting programs now.
"I think it's so important now - more than ever - that we do all we can, as former Scouts, as scouters, as church leaders, to make this singular, time-honored program available to as many young men and women as we possibly can," he said.
Timberlake added: "Sincerely, one of the highlights of my life's experiences was those summers at (Boy Scout) camp."
In fact, he said, it was a visit to the hometown of a fellow camp staff member who worked as a radio disc jockey that led him to consider a career in radio - a career that lasted more than three decades. |
