By Robert Barton

Scout Master Troop 487 and 3347

In preparation for the January District Winter Camporee, we held our usual Troop 487 Camping Planning Meeting at Lions Camp Merrick, in Nanjemoy,  Maryland, about 30 miles from our home Church, Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ft. Washington, Maryland.

Leaders met before Christmas and planned for the Camporee. I had a roster with all Scouts and Leaders’ names, addresses, phone numbers, medical records, and permission slips. We reviewed the Scout’s planned activities and our camping, cooking, communication, and weather requirements. The weather forecast did not call for snow.

We had 25 Scouts and three Scout Masters. All planning to spend Friday and Saturday nights. Our caravan arrived at the Camp around 7 PM on Friday. Two AST SMs, Rogers and Johnson, drove 2 of the church’s 12 passenger vans, loaded with scouts and camping gear. The driver dropped off the scouts and gear at the Camp, and the vans returned to the church for use on Saturday.

We scheduled the vans to pick up the scouts on Sunday. One parent dropped off two scouts whom he expected to recover on Sunday. ASM Lane and I had driven our SUVs with five scouts and gear. Brother Lane and I had the only Troop 487 vehicles available to us in Camp.

Around 10 AM Saturday, it began to snow. I called Brother Rogers and informed him that the Camp might shut down. He informed me that there was no snow in the Washington Area, but he would recover the keys to the vans before the church shut down at 2 PM. At 3 PM, the Camp Director called for a Leaders Meeting, and we decided to shut down the Camp. Snow continued to fall heavily. The weather forecast had changed to an expected five to six-inch accumulation at the Camp and one to two inches in the Washington area. The main concern was vehicles departing the Camp’s dirt road in six inches of snow.

I called him back after the 3 PM meeting and requested the vans. He and ASM Johnson picked up the vans and headed to the Camp. When the vans arrived at Camp, we loaded, policed the camp area, prayed, and headed home. We were the last group to leave the Camp. Coming up Indian Head Highway in Charles County, Maryland, about 20 min from Ebenezer AME Church, we called every parent on the roster but could only reach two. Traces of snow began falling as we approached Ft. Washington and fell more heavily as we arrived at the Scout Shed at the church.

Upon arrival, the vans were quickly unloaded, cleaned, and returned to their parking place, and the troop circled up, conducted a reflection, thanked God for the safe and wonderful experience, said a departing prayer, and headed home.  

The reflection revealed that this was a great learning experience for our scouts and the adults. In addition, it shed great light on the Scout Motto “Be Prepared.”

Bob Barton                                                                                                                                                 Scout Master  

To learn how to start a Girl Scout or Boy Scout Unit at your church, please contact Vivianne Frye-Perry at vfrye-perry@amescouts.org for Girl Scouts or contact Clarence Crayton at ccrayton@amescouts.org for Boy Scouts.

Go to the AME Christian Education Dept. website www.ameced.com. Also, please visit us on Facebook at AAMES Scouting Connection.