Religious Awards in FSP-GS

All Girl Scouts promise "to serve God." One way for girls to keep that promise is to earn the religious award for their faith and to proudly wear that award on their uniform.

WHAT ARE RELIGIOUS AWARDS

The religious awards are created by the national religious organizations, not by the Girl Scouts. When a girl participates in a religious awards program, she uses the curriculum created by her own faith community and receives instruction from her parents and religious leaders, not from her Girl Scout leader. But since Girl Scouting encourages girls to become stronger members of their faith community, the religious awards may be worn on the Girl Scout uniform.

Click here for more information at the PRAY (Programs for Religious Activities with Youth) website

HOW IS IT EARNED

A girl who wants to earn a religious award should start by finding out what awards are offered for her denomination and how to obtain the curriculum (requirements, usually in a booklet).

Click here to view information on all the religious awards

You can also get printed copies of this brochure at the GS Council office. The front of this brochure is a full-color display of all the medals; the back is a chart listing the contact information for the various religious committees.

After a girl finds her denomination, she and her parent(s) should go to their website or call the phone number for info on how to order the booklets. When they have the curriculum, the next step is to go see their priest, rabbi, or minister to discuss how to go about earning the award. They will need a clergy member's signature at the end to authorize purchasing of the award; some clergy may allow the girl & parent(s) to work on it independently & come back at the end for a signature, other clergy may want others involved in teaching. If there are several girls of the same denomination they could all work on it together.

When they finish & the priest/ rabbi/ minister has signed off, the parent(s) order the award pin. The presentation ceremony is held at the church/ temple/ house of worship on a suitable date, which could be Girl Scout Sunday/Sabbath, which is the Sunday/Sabbath before & after March 12 (in 2008, it will be March 9 & 15). Also inform the current consultant in the FSP service team know which girls earn religious awards so that they can be recognized by our Service Unit also.

Following are the suggested websites for the most common denominations in Fanwood & Scotch Plains:

Catholic Faith: Girls age 7-9 can earn "Family of God"; age 9-11 earn "I Live My Faith"; there are 2 more for older girls.

Jewish Faith: Brownies can earn the Lehavah Award; Juniors can earn the Bat Or Award; there are 2 more for older girls.

Most Protestant denominations:  Grades 1-3 earn "God and Me"; Grades 4-5 earn "God and Family"; there are 2 more for older girls.

TIP: The Protestant denominations use the same curricula for Boy Scouts & Girl Scouts. Booklets can be bought from the Boy Scout store on Route 22 West in Mountainside in the Verrex Building.

For questions, contact Julie Murphy (FSP Contact Consultant)