Honoring Eagle Scouts at scout troop #15
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2026 Blog #27
August 3, 2026
Honoring Eagle Scouts at scout troop #15
A week ago, I had the opportunity to deliver the invocation at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor for troop number 15, which our church sponsors. Three scouts were receiving the rank of Eagle Scout at this event, and I was asked to be part of this ceremony.
Creating closer ties with this troop has been one of my tasks here in Glen Rock. Since COVID, there has been little contact between troop and congregation and the congregation wished to strengthen these ties.
I’ve gotten to know a number of troop members through flower sales and service projects. I respect the members of Troop 15. They are well mannered young people who have done a number of service projects for the church and the community. I am always pleased to be around these scouts.
I was pleased that our congregation recently revived a tradition that it once had, Boy Scout Sunday. Traditionally, this is held on the first Sunday of February. When the boys attended our service, I was impressed to hear the scout law once again. I heard it during my short stint as a boy scout more than fifty years ago.
A scout promises to be: Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent.
Members of the troop are expected to live up to this law. I wish that everyone in the world would live to obey this law. Can you imagine how much better our world would be?
The three young men who earned the rank of Eagle did a great amount of work to earn this rank. In addition to earning twenty-one merit badges, these scouts must do an “Eagle Project.” These projects are major endeavors that benefit the broader community. In planning and implementing these projects, these scouts learn leadership skills as well as project management techniques. I wish that more young people would join scout troops to learn these skills.
I knew one of the Eagle Scouts better than the others. Andrew Tarrant was an Eagle recipient whose mother is the director of the co-op school that our church houses. He also spoke at our Boy Scout Sunday worship and, for his Eagle project, organized a blood drive that used our physical plant. It ran smoothly because of the good planning and implementation by Andrew Tarrant.
Soon Andrew will be moving out of Glen Rock and will be starting his college career. I won’t get to see him much but perhaps I’ll get to see him on college breaks. I am grateful for having met him, and the other member of troop 15. I pray for the success of all the new Eagle Scouts but especially for Andrew, whom I got to know a bit better.
I wonder how many future Eagle Scout Courts of Honor I will be a part of. Recently our congregation has begun conversations to sponsor a cub scout pack. This cub scout pack did not survive the COVID plague that destroyed many churches, organizations, and clubs. Perhaps we can bring this pack back and begin nurturing younger scouts. I hope that I can have a positive influence on these young scouts and help them to be “reverent” as the scout laws requires.
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