Here's a clip from today's AG-NEWS releases about Rangers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ** CHURCH CELEBRATES RANGERS' ACHIEVEMENT Pastor Sean Hinton of New Franklin Assembly of God in Chambersburg, Pa., is understandably proud. The church's Royal Ranger Outpost 115 has produced not one, not three, but four Gold Medal of Achievement recipients simultaneously. According to Royal Rangers District Commander Joe Finan, this is a unique accomplishment in the Pennsylvania-Delaware District. Royal Rangers is the Assemblies of God ministry to boys that offers a series of age-level groups involving extensive biblical content as well as life-skills training in a camping environment. Thousands of boys across the United States regularly participate in Rangers Outposts at Assemblies of God churches, attend local campouts and gather for annual district "pow-wows." The Rangers ministry has expanded overseas as well. Every 4 years, outposts from around the world gather for "Camporama" in Eagle Rock, Mo. The Gold Medal of Achievement includes all of the requirements for completing the successive age-level groups, such as Pioneers and Trailblazers, as well as a "Gold Track" that adds more than 25 additional merit requirements. Rangers can begin qualifying for their GMA at age 9. New Franklin's four recipients are Daniel Bogle (17), Matthew Stitely(16), George Stitely (18) and Michael Williams (16). Hinton explains that the boys' achievement reflects not only their personal commitment to Royal Rangers, but their parents' as well. "Matthew and George Stitely are the sons of George Stitely, our senior commander. Daniel Bogle is the son of Jay Bogle, our Buckaroos/Straight Arrows commander, and Michael Williams is the nephew of our sectional commander, Richard Paine. But these leaders aren't just staying in Rangers because of their boys, but because of the ministry. When our commanders come back from a campout, they don't tell me how much fun the boys had, but rather how many boys were saved or filled with the Holy Spirit." New Franklin has prioritized Royal Rangers (and Missionettes for girls) ministry through most of its history, and Hinton has continued the focus given to Rangers by his predecessor. "The church is 30 years old," he says, "and for about 25 years we've had an active Rangers outpost. I've been pastoring here for 8 years, and Pastor Jeffrey Knauer was here for the previous 11 years. It's been neat to follow these boys since early childhood. Most of them have been involved in Royal Rangers for half their lives or better." On January 9, New Franklin held a special Sunday evening service to commemorate the four GMA awards. Local, state and federal government officials were contacted. State Representative Patrick Fleagle, an Assemblies of God layman, attended the ceremony and presented a citation from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. "Everyone who was contacted sent some kind of response," Hinton says, "including the governor and the president. One of our state senators also gave each of the boys a Pennsylvania state flag that had flown over the capital." Outpost Commander George Stitely presented the awards and Western Division Commander Mike Garland presented the three younger boys with junior commander bars and George (18) with lieutenant commander bars. "They now have a commitment themselves to bringing up other boys through Royal Rangers," Hinton says. "Part of their pledge is to give more to Rangers than Rangers has given to them." Having benefited from years of personal investment in their lives by their commanders, the four young Rangers will now invest in a new generation. "I wish more people knew the kind of sacrifice the commanders make to reach boys for Christ," District Commander Finan says. "I've been in Royal Rangers now for 33 years. I've been district commander since 1981. I intend to die a Royal Ranger. I'm excited about where Royal Rangers is headed, and I believe the best is yet to come." The four medalists' commitment to Rangers is clear in their own statements. "To sum up everything that I have learned," Daniel Bogle says, "if you go through the whole program and you listen and learn, it will make a man heading straight to Jesus out of any boy." "Some people think that the campouts are strictly for fun," George Stitely points out. "But the real reason is for the services at night and through the day. The services are what helped me get closer to God." "I think Royal Rangers is one of the most important tools for reaching boys for Christ," Matthew Stitely says. Mike Williams has some simple advice for anyone considering Rangers. "When you want to learn something in Royal Rangers, don't just learn it for a day; learn it for a lifetime." _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC! http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
