Posted on 08/30/2021 10:51:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The United Methodist Church, a denomination that sponsors thousands of Boy Scout troops, recently told congregations to consider ending or altering their current agreements with the Boy Scouts of America as the embattled scouting organization settles a major sex abuse lawsuit.
The UMC’s Office of Public Information released a statement last week explaining that the mainline Protestant denomination had a long history with the BSA, dating back for more than a century.
Church leadership cited the recent BSA lawsuit filed by thousands of victims of sexual abuse. Earlier this year, BSA reached a settlement with a proposed payout of over $850 million to thousands of victims of sexual abuse. UMC fears that the BSA's bankruptcy and financial hit might eventually negatively impact UMC congregations that sponsor Boy Scout troops.
“Questions remain about how that agreement might affect chartered organizations, including thousands of United Methodist congregations that have sponsored scouting programs,” explained the UMC.
“The interests of those congregations are represented by an ad hoc committee established to represent United Methodist interests, which is actively engaged in the bankruptcy process and related negotiations.”
The UMC noted that the BSA “did not include its sponsoring organizations, charter groups, in the agreement with the claimants,” thus leaving “as many as 5,000 United Methodist U.S. congregations — or more than 15 percent of U.S. congregations — exposed to potential lawsuits by the survivor claimants.”
As a result, the UMC ad hoc committee recommended that congregations with scout troops “agree to extend an expiring charter through December 31, rather than renew that charter,” “replace an expiring charter with a facilities use agreement that expires on December 31,” or “terminate an existing charter and replace it with a facilities use agreement that expires on December 31.”
“All of those options allow more time to see how the bankruptcy will impact United Methodist congregations,” stated the UMC office, adding that the denomination “grieve[s] for those who experienced harm.”
Over 80,000 claims were made from 1940 through 2018 by the court-established deadline. According to the UMC statement, some of those claims are potentially connected to scouting units sponsored by UMC churches. The BSA has seen fewer sexual abuse cases since implementing its current program aimed at ensuring the safety of children. UMC maintains that the percentage of claims related to UMC-sponsored scouting units is "proportionately lower than that of other chartered units."
“This tragedy is a reminder for all of us to be vigilant, update Safe Sanctuary policies and continue to review those policies to ensure congregations are following the policies and keeping all young people safe from harm," Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey said in the statement.
In July, the BSA reached a settlement agreement with approximately 60,000 victims of sexual abuse that some experts believed might involve compensation well above $1 billion.
"It is important that people see this dollar amount, and know this is not the end; this is just the beginning," said Jordan Merson, an attorney helping to represent the victims, in an interview with USA Today. "There are billions of dollars in insurance money, and the fight to get that money is continuing."
At the end of 2019, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, previously the religious group that sponsored the largest number of BSA troops, cut its ties with the scouting organization.
In a joint statement with the BSA in 2018, the denomination said that the decision to halt the relationship was related to a decision by LDS Church leadership to “create and implement a uniform youth leadership and development program that serves its members globally.”
Boy Scouts are dead to me. So sad. So many great memories. Three Eagle Scouts.
The big religious divide in this century is between sodomy and non-sodomy.
Let’s see, we have to end unjust discrimination against gay scout masters who, after all, are just the same as the rest of us, only different.
Then, once we have failed to notice that pederasty is the mainstay of the gay subculture and we have allowed our young people to become tender prey of
I’m your wicked Uncle Earnie,
I’m glad you won’t hear or see me as I
fiddle all about, fiddle all about,
fiddle about.
You won’t shout as I fiddle about
fiddle all about, fiddle all about,
fiddle about.
PC, Diversity, LGBT killed the Boy scouts, all predictable.
The left set this whole thing up with their “gays in the Boy Scouts” push. That push was for gay, pedophile scout leaders.
Wow. I never made it to Eagle but did learn a lot and it’s surely a loss to society. Ironically the Methodist church sponsored my scout troop and years later I ended up quitting because the local minister couldn’t keep his hands off the help and they had to fork over a big sex harrassment settlement. Liberal churches are the worst.
Crying shame. Scouts BSA is ded, dead.
Am I being paranoid to think the real push was to get rid of the Boy Scouts altogether?
I applaud their stance on the BSA, but doesn’t the church support abortions?
Goodbye, Boy Scouts of America.
In rural areas, the UMC churches are not as affected, but still not unheard of. John Wesley is spinning in this grave.
sew the wind and reap the whirlwind.
it was churches, parents and scouts who accepted the “great divorce” of the Scouts from God.
The LDS church dropped the scouts as the official "program" for the young men. That was a huge gutting of the BSA organization. It appears more orgs are doing that. As parents, we just have to find a replacement for the skills and experiences that the BSA once offered.
My first experience with Scouting was when I brought my son to join Cub Scouts after a move to Florida. I became Assistant Cubmaster that night, and the Cubmaster announced this was his last year. I took the pack from 22 to 85 cubs in 2 years. Had a Blast, and so did all the parents.
The cleaning lady at our Church had a grandson, she cared for him because both parents were in prison for drugs and murder. Our Pack 'adopted' him. He became an Eagle, and went on to attend the University of Florida.
One of so many great experiences with Scouting before they abandoned God and Country.
The first United fag church to which I once belonged doesn’t want to be associated with fags on trial.
I’m still keeping the three sharpshooter medals I won with a .22 in scout camp decades ago.
You are absolutely correct.
When I moved to Oklahoma, one of our Cub Scouts moved on to Boy Scouts. The first time he fired a gun was at Boy Scout camp
"At 14 years old, Jon Michael won the NSSA Junior World Skeet Championship with a score of 397 out of 400 targets as a sub-junior. He has remained active with Boy Scouts and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2009. He credits his competition travel for the knowledge he gained about the USA."
https://www.usashooting.org/12-the-team/usashootingteam/nationalteam/nationalshotgunteam/jonmichaelmcgrath
A great story
While attending his first Boy Scout summer camp at 11 years old, Jon Michael approached the shotgun range to ask if he could shoot clay targets with a shotgun. The Range Master helped him with his first shots and then recommended that Jon Michael pursue the shooting sports. An introduction to Skeeter Radke at Tulsa Gun Club led to improved scores and strengthened Jon Michael’s desire to compete. In 2010, at World Shooting Championships in Munich, Germany, he became the first American to win the World Championship Gold Medal in Men’s Junior Skeet. In 2008, Jon Michael became the youngest person at 16 years old, to win the USA Shooting National Championship for Men’s Skeet.
This is why I loved Scouting, and am so sad to see it gone.
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