Three Fire Council honors 100th anniversary of BSA's relationship with Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Members of the Three Fires Council will gather to celebrate the 100-year relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) by watching an original production about the history and values of Scouting called “A Century of Honor.”
The production will take place at the church's 21,000-seat Conference Center in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Oct. 29. The event will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. CST to thousands of Church meetinghouses across the United States and streamed live at www.Scouts100.lds.org,where it will also be available for later viewing.
Locally, Scouting members will gather at three location options: Naperville Stake Center (MAIN LOCATION) 1320 Ridgeland Ave., Naperville (7 p.m. displays and gathering activities), Prestbury Center, 100 Hankes Road, Sugar Grove (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.), and Camp Big Timber, 37W955 Big Timber Road, Elgin (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.). From 8 to 9:25 p.m., there will be a special viewing of "A Century of Honor" broadcast live from Salt Lake City.
Our council's local watch event is open to Scouts from all denominations and chartered organizations, as well as all community members. The 85-minute program will feature hundreds of Scouts in choirs, historical vignettes, and videos highlighting important events, service, and achievements from the past century.
On May 21, 1913, the church became the first nationally chartered organization to affiliate with the Boy Scouts of America, based on a mutual interest in helping boys and young men understand and live their duty to God. Over the past 100 years, countless young men have participated in Boy Scouts through Church-sponsored troops.
"Our Scouting community is pleased to be celebrating this 100th anniversary with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” said Matthew Ackerman, Scout Executive for the Three Fires Council. “In 1913 the Boy Scouts began a long and successful affiliation with the Church. Today, it remains dedicated to the Scouting movement, and we are thankful for all they do to serve young people and the impact they have on our community.”
The church's Young Men general president, Brother David L. Beck, said Scouting has helped instill Mormon young men with a sense of duty to serve in their families, congregations, and
communities. “Scouting enables our young men to learn to look outside themselves and to join with people of other faiths and organizations in service,” he said.
As part of the celebration, the BSA will hold its national and regional board and committee meetings in Salt Lake City this week in commemoration of the relationship's centennial year.
About Three Fires Council: The Three Fires Council serves youth throughout Kane, DuPage, Kendall, DeKalb, and parts of Will and Cook counties. Our mission is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. For more information, please visit www.threefirescouncil.org or to find a Scout unit close to you, visit www.BeAScout.org!