The view from the Summit
GLEN JEAN, W.VA. — Since I was 6 years old,…
‘A Scout is Reverent’
Amid 10 days of adventure, Members of the Churches of Christ for Scouting provide a place for worship and spiritual growth at the National Jamboree.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
GLEN JEAN, W.VA. — Just steps away from a climbing wall at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, 179 Scouts and Scouters gathered on Sunday morning for a change of pace from the adventure surrounding them — worship.
As 8:30 a.m. approached, a sea of tan uniforms adorned with baby-blue neckerchiefs filled the pavilion known as Boulder Cove. Scouts and Scouters — terms for youth and adult participants — prepared to gather around the Lord’s table, passing out communion cups and songbooks titled “A Scout is Reverent.”
Related: The view from the Summit
The hourlong service included a cappella singing, Scripture reading, prayer and a message from Josh Platt, who serves on the Members of Churches of Christ for Scouting board of trustees. The sermon centered on finding one’s “true north” — a reminder to Scouts to stay grounded in their faith as they navigate life’s challenges.
“The service tied back into Scouting, which I thought was really cool,” said Cooper Mayfield, a 17-year-old Scout from the Middle Tennessee Council who attended the service.
Josh Platt preaches a sermon to the congregation of 179 people.
The MCCS service was one of several worship opportunities available during the National Jamboree, an event held every three to four years that brings together more than 12,000 Scouts and Scouters for 10 days of adventure and fellowship.
Since the founding of Scouting America — formerly known as the Boy Scouts — in 1910, the Scout Oath has called on members to “do my duty to God.” At the National Jamboree, that promise takes shape through worship services, chaplains and volunteers from across the country like those of MCCS.
“We are here, first and foremost, simply to be a spiritual presence in the lives of our Scouts, our leaders and our staff,” said Alan Morrison, deputy chief of chaplains at the National Jamboree.
‘Planting seeds’
While many Scouts soared down the 3,000-foot zipline, the “Big Zip,” MCCS volunteers devoted their week to introducing Scouts to Churches of Christ.
Throughout the 10-day event, Scouts wandered through rows of white tents in the Duty to God area, stopping at booths representing more than a dozen different faith groups, reminiscent of a career fair.
For Candy Davis, chair of the MCCS board of trustees, conversations with both youth and adults have motivated the organization to keep returning to the National Jamboree since 1985.
Current and former MCCS chairs Candy Davis and Steve Leddy (right), pose with Scouting America National Religious Relations Committee chair Bob Wedig (left) and program relations lead Doug Zimmerer.
“It wouldn’t matter if there were 50 here or 5,000 or 50,000,” Davis said. “Any time you can talk about Jesus Christ and plant a seed, it’s worth it.”
The 34-year Scouting veteran estimated that 150 to 165 attendees visit the booth each day. Some stop by to learn more about Churches of Christ, while others ask about the organization’s religious emblem programs, which are available to members of Scouting America, Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA.
To draw people in, the booth features LEGO artwork created at past Jamborees. Each year, visitors are invited to build their own creations, with selected pieces being preserved for future events.
For volunteers, including former MCCS chairman and Camp Echo chaplain lead Nathan Williams, the booth’s purpose goes beyond promotion.
A frame of MCCS patches and medals sits on display alongside LEGO creations inside the Duty to God booth.
“You’re not here to convert somebody,” Williams said. “But you still plant seeds. You do things that build relationships.”
Tyler Fraenes, a 15-year-old Scout from New Mexico, stopped by while exploring the Duty to God area.
“I’m not that religious, so I’d like to get more into it,” Fraenes said after visiting the booth.
‘Meeting people where they are’
The ministry at the National Jamboree extends far beyond the Duty to God area and into the network of camps spread across the reserve’s 14,000 acres.
Across Summit’s five base camps — Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo — 44 chaplains from a variety of faith traditions serve Scouts and leaders, offering counseling and a listening ear throughout the event. Among them are four chaplains who serve with MCCS.
“The young people and the adults that are coming from our tradition, they need to see that they’re represented, and they also need to see that they have support here.”
“The young people and the adults that are coming from our tradition, they need to see that they’re represented, and they also need to see that they have support here,” Williams said.
Rather than waiting for Scouts to seek them out, chaplains spend time walking through campsites, embracing a philosophy discussed during daily chaplain meetings, “meeting people where they are.”
Before dispersing back into camps in the morning, the chaplains gather for what they jokingly call “Ecumenical Slushie Time.” Named for its proximity to the trading post, the meeting offers an opportunity to discuss experiences in camp and how to better serve participants.
Scout Makayla Holliston prays during the MCCS worship service.
Although the chaplains represent a wide range of beliefs, the morning gathering is rarely spent talking about theology. Wearing purple-and-white neckerchiefs with patches bearing a shepherd’s staff, many of the chaplains share stories from across the camp and laugh together as they coordinate how best to care for the thousands on site.
“None of us are here to change each other’s minds,” Morrison told The Christian Chronicle. “The world is our competition.”
Morrison said the chaplains respect one another’s theological differences while ensuring everyone at the National Jamboree has a source of encouragement and prayer.
Scouts lock arms at the National Jamboree.
That support can take many different forms, such as helping Scouts combat homesickness, said Richard Mays, a Camp Delta chaplain and member of Hardin Valley Church of Christ in Knoxville, Tenn.
“We go to church to learn the fundamentals, to learn the principles,” he said. “Scouting really gives you a safe place to learn how to apply what you learn in church.”
At an event centered on the theme “Elevate,” which encourages Scouts to reach new heights of leadership, the chaplains’ ministry often begins on the ground, meeting people in campsites and along trails — one conversation at a time.
‘Doing God’s work’
While chaplains spend the week meeting Scouts around camp and volunteers build relationships at the Duty to God booth, MCCS’ work ultimately supports Scouting’s mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lives.
For Isak Rohrbaugh, a 17-year-old member of the Hawley Church of Christ in Texas, that mission has begun to bear fruit.
The Eagle Scout earned all four of MCCS’ religious emblems, becoming what the organization calls a “four-hearter.” The distinction takes its name from the four red hearts joined together to form a cross on each medal.
Isak Rohrbaugh volunteers with MCCS at his first National Jamboree.
At his first National Jamboree in 2026, Rohrbaugh volunteered with MCCS, sharing the same ministry that helped shape his own faith.
“It’s just doing God’s work,” he said. “We’ve got to pass the knowledge on to the next person. That’s how our program stays alive.”
“It’s just doing God’s work. We’ve got to pass the knowledge on to the next person. That’s how our program stays alive.”
Throughout the 10-day jamboree, Rohrbaugh welcomed a steady stream of Scouts, cubmasters and troop leaders to the MCCS booth. Many had never heard of the organization before, but he said several left wanting to explore its ministry and religious emblem programs.
A journey full of Scouting campouts and merit badges came full circle on Sunday morning when Rohrbaugh joined fellow four-hearter Nate Longfellow in leading worship.
Scouts sing a cappella hymns at the National Jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va.
It was a fitting picture of MCCS’ mission: Scouts who had once been encouraged in their spiritual walk now lead others on the same path.
In the end, those moments reflect the final point of the Scout Law:
A Scout is reverent.
EPHRAIM RODENBACH, a sports journalism major at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn., was a 2026 Christian Chronicle intern.
