SAMPLE SCOUT SERVICE IN THE ANGLICAN/EPISCOPAL TRADITION

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION:

We welcome all of you to this service. We welcome particularly the families and friends who come to support our young people today  Do join energetically in singing the hymns and in saying the parts in heavy type where appropriate.  Please stand as the clergy enter and remain standing while the standards are paraded and received by the Rector.

Opening Prayer:

We  come  together today to worship God, to hear what he has to say to us, and to offer him all that we have and are: so let us be quite and remember that we are in his presence.  Amen.

First HymN (All Stand)

The Confession (All Kneel)

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, We have sinned against you and against our fellow men, in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault.  We are truly sorry and regret of all our sins. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may serve you in newness of life, to the glory of your name. Amen.

The Absolution (All Stand):

O Lord, open our lips:

And our mouth will proclaim your praise.

O God, make speed to save us:

O Lord, make haste to help us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be forever. Amen.

Praise the Lord:

The Lord's name be praised.

The Reading (Remain Standing)

A Canticle (Remain Standing)

The Apostles' Creed (Remain Standing):

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.  I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended to the dead.  On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Renewal of the Cub Scout Promise, Boy Scout Oath or Explorer Code (Remain Standing)

Prayer (Remain Standing)

Lord, help us when we make our promise to mean what we say. It's a difficult Promise, Lord. It's hard to keep. But help us to understand that if everyone in the world tried to live their lives according to the Scout Promise, the world would be a much happier place and there would be no wars and injustice. Help us to want to keep it and help us to do our best to try.  Amen.

Second Hymn

The Sermon

The Peace  (All):

The Lord be with you:

And also with you.

Let us pray (All Kneel):

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Lord have mercy.

The Lords Prayer (All):

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.  Amen

Prayers of the People  (All):

Show us your mercy, O Lord;

and grant us your salvation.

O Lord, save the President;

and grant our government wisdom.

Let your ministers be clothed with righteousness;

and let your servants shout for joy.

O Lord, save your people;

and bless those whom you have chosen.

Give peace in our time, O Lord;

and let your glory be over all the earth.

O God, make clean our hearts within us;

and renew us by your Holy Spirit.

At Morning Prayer:

O Lord, our heavenly Father, almighty and ever-living God, we give you thanks for bringing us safely to this day.  Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger, and in all things guide us to know and do your will, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

At Evening Prayer:

Lighten our darkness, we beseech you, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all the perils of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

or

The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.  Amen.

Third Hymn

Occasional Prayers (All kneel)

Fourth Hymn (All stand.  During this hymn collection will be taken up.)

All kneel

The Dismissal and Blessing (All Kneel):

The Lord bless you in city and country, in home and street, in Church and cinema, in suburb and downtown, in school and leisure, in work and play, in conversation and prayer, The Lord bless your going out and coming in, now evermore. Amen.

or

Go  out  into  the  world in peace. Be brave; keep hold of that which is good; never pay back wrong for wrong; encourage the faint hearted; support the  weak and distressed; give due honor to everyone. Be always joyful; give thanks whatever happens; for this is what God in Christ wills for you.  Amen.

Final Hymn  (All Stand - Cross & Flags Lead Procession Out):

On my honor, I promise that I will do my best, to do my duty to God, and to my Country; to help other people and to keep the Scout Law.

______________

Occasional Prayers That May Be Used With This Service:

Thanksgiving

Thank you, O God, for the success which you have given us. Help us not to rest on our oars because we have achieved something but to work harder, to aim still higher and to do still better. Keep us from becoming conceited. Help us always to think, not what we have done, but of what we still must do, not of the few things in which we have succeeded, but of the many things in which we have failed. Help us to be happy in the joy of achievement but save us from boastful and foolish pride. This we ask for Jesus' sake.  Amen.

A Prayer for Founders Day.

O God, be with us here today as we remember the birthday of our Founder, Robert Baden-Powell. Accept our humble thanks for his life and work. Help us to be worthy of his inspiration and to carry out all that he hoped for in our Guiding and Scouting. Give us the joy of keeping the promises and Laws he gave us, and accept our prayer that, by dedicating ourselves to our Founder's Plan and by serving others, we may serve you , and bring glory to Your great name.  Amen.

The Prayer of Ignatius Loyola.

Teach us, good Lord,

to serve Thee as Thou deservest;

to give and not to count the cost;

to fight and not to heed the wound:

to toil and not to seek for rest;

to labor and to ask for any reward,

save that of knowing that we do Thy will.

Morning Prayer for hikes and expeditions.

Lord, we shall be very busy today. Even if we forget all about you, please don't forget about us.  Amen

A Morning Prayer.

Thank  you,  Lord, for keeping us safe through the past night; be with us also

through today. Help us to be kind to one  another;  to  be patient  with  one

another's mistakes; to work hard and to enjoy our fun. Help us to have a happy

day together, remembering that we are all your children. Amen.

An Evening Prayer.

Lord,  bless all who sleep in this camp tonight, and bless all whom we love at

home. Help us to feel that because we are close to you we are  also  close  to

them.  Amen.

A Prayer about Camp.

Lord,  thank  you  for all the camps we've enjoyed together. Thank you for all the wonderful memories we have of them. Thank you for the  many friends  that we've made in camp and for the freedom and happiness we found there. Thank you for the sunshine. Thank you for the wind in the trees and the rain dripping on the  tent.  Thank  you  for the trees that we climbed and the bridges that we built. Thank you for the food that we cooked, the fires that we made and  the songs  that  we sang.  Thank you, Lord, that in camp we became like brothers. Thank you, Lord, that in camp you seemed so close to us all. Amen.

A Prayer for the Troop.

Lord,  thank  you for bringing us together in the Brotherhood of Scouts. Bless our Troop and all its members. Help us to be loyal to  our  Promise,  to each other  and  to ourselves, and in everything we do help us to put other people first.  Amen

Closing Prayers - Daily.

Lord,  don't give me tasks equal to my strength - give me strength equal to my

tasks.  Amen.

When  we go tramping over hills that look towards the starlit sea, under a sea of windy clouds, Christ of Emmaus, walk with us.

Closing Prayer - Evening.

Heavenly  Father, we come to the end of another day; a day full of interesting and exciting things; a day when we have been so busy that we have had no  time to  think  of you. But now, in the quiet of the evening, we turn to you again, remembering that you have not forgotten us. Thank you for being with us today. Keep  us  safe  through  the coming night and help us to wake up refreshed and ready for all the new adventures of tomorrow. Amen.

A Prayer for Christmas.

May  the 'Glow' of Christmas last throughout the year, to warm our hearts with kindness and fill our days with cheer. Amen.

or

In mist and snow, in sunshine and gusty winds and under all sorts of cloud, when the first cuckoo calls and through the long summer  days and when  dusk comes early and the leaves fall, on dark nights or when the moon is full, among our friends or alone, when we're working for examin-ations - or our living, or scoring tries - or centuries, or dreaming of the future or remembering the past, when we're Scouts in uniform and when we're Scouts out of uniform, when we remember our Promise and when we forget it, when we're on top of the world or down in the dumps, sleeping or waking, our Lord Jesus, whose birthday once again we celebrate, bless us and give us the wisdom and perseverance of the wise men and the humility and understanding  of  the shepherds.

A Prayer for Peace (all link hands).

Oh God, we join with Scouts and Guides throughout the world to pray for Peace. Grant that through Scouting and Guiding we may come to understand  each  other better and learn to live together in harmony. Amen.

or

Almighty  God,  help  us  to understand  the  troubles  in so many areas of the world. Bless especially all the children who are in the midst of these terrible happenings, so that when they grow up they can learn to forgive and forget these troubles and live peacefully together.

Fathers and Sons in Camp

Lord,  thank  you for this opportunity of sharing the joys of outdoor life. As we work and play together draw us closer to one another and to you. Help us to understand one  another better, respect one another more and love one another fully.