Going on Outings with Boys
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Introduction
Camping Wilderness Camping Backpacking Bicycling |
Why do Brigade leaders take boys on outings? So they can get to know each other in other settings, build group identity and have a great time. Outings also provide different perspective on God's world and appreciate all the Lord has given us. Also, outings provide leadership opportunities for teens. These kinds of adventures create a bridge between men and boys.
You can do many things with your boys in an afternoon or evening. Spend a day at an amusement park. Go to the circus or a zoo. Attend a sporting event or concert together. Take guided tour. Complete a service project for someone in your church or community. Have a picnic.
Take a day or weekend to go on a bike hike, nature hike or a trip to the beach where you can swim, water ski or hang glide. Use some skills you've learned in CSB during a campout.
More adventurous outings require more planning and give you more time to get to know your boys and more opportunities to help them appreciate the wonderful world God gave us.
CAMPING
Outdoor camping offers a unique context for ministry to boys. There's something special about living in the outdoors that's unlike anything else you'll experience.
In Brigade, men help boys grow in all aspects of their lives. The leaders desire to see boys enter a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in Christian maturity. One aspect of spiritual maturity is private and corporate worship of God. Worship is recognizing God as the Creator, Lord and Father and appreciating his works.
One tangible way to stimulate boys to worship the Lord is by exposing them to the world God created. They can see brilliance of God's handiwork in all of nature, from the constellations to swamps and wild animals to insects and seeds. They are fascinated by nature, and you can help them see details and implications they've never seen before.
You can inspire appreciation for what God has created as you talk with boys about what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Tell them how Scripture praises God for his awesome works. These moments become occasions for thoughtful consideration of God's majestic work in creation.
Worshipping God for his creation is more than an emotional experience. It is an intelligent act of the mind. Boys will learn about the world God made because the outdoors is a vast laboratory. Beyond interesting facts about nature, boys can discover the principles that God used to design his world (e.g., the food cycle, weather patterns, the importance of conservation). A knowledge of the wilderness and its ways can be applied in other areas of life.
The camp environment is especially suited to personal reflection and evaluation for both men and boys. The distractions of home life are absent. Opportunities abound for men to help boys ponder what they are doing with their lives.
A campfire often leads to honest discussions, grateful testimonies and taking up spiritual challenges. Many boys make important decisions (to accept Jesus as Saviour, forsake a sin, reconcile with another person or dedicate their lives to Christ) in a camp setting. These decisions are major breakthroughs in their development as believers.
A camping trip that involves some element of stress enhances this personal evaluation as boys talk through their feelings after a tough experience and consider what God has taught them.
Camping offers a special means of accomplishing some of the most important purposes of the CSB program. It combines ministry by men to boys with adventure and fun that is a powerful tool for the Lord to change lives.
WILDERNESS CAMPING
Wilderness camping magnifies the benefits of regular camping. In general, wilderness camping involves a break, both physical and psychological, from the busyness and distractions of our world today. Wilderness becomes a state of mind, not dependent on distance between your group and the nearest road.
Because of the stress involved and the stamina required, you should limit wilderness outings to young men in Battalion, unless you plan one with an extremely short distance and duration.
Here are some wilderness camping options to consider:
BACKPACKING
Backpacking is probably the easiest type of wilderness trip to put together. It can be very rewarding. The only special equipment needed is a backpack, a sleeping bag and a pair of boots. The rest of the contents of the pack can be gathered from around the house.
BICYCLING
Bicycling is a wilderness stress situation because each cyclist must struggle with himself mentally and physically to reach the daily goal.
Follow these guidelines when planning bicycle trips:
You can do many things with your boys in an afternoon or evening. Spend a day at an amusement park. Go to the circus or a zoo. Attend a sporting event or concert together. Take guided tour. Complete a service project for someone in your church or community. Have a picnic.
Take a day or weekend to go on a bike hike, nature hike or a trip to the beach where you can swim, water ski or hang glide. Use some skills you've learned in CSB during a campout.
More adventurous outings require more planning and give you more time to get to know your boys and more opportunities to help them appreciate the wonderful world God gave us.
CAMPING
Outdoor camping offers a unique context for ministry to boys. There's something special about living in the outdoors that's unlike anything else you'll experience.
In Brigade, men help boys grow in all aspects of their lives. The leaders desire to see boys enter a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and grow in Christian maturity. One aspect of spiritual maturity is private and corporate worship of God. Worship is recognizing God as the Creator, Lord and Father and appreciating his works.
One tangible way to stimulate boys to worship the Lord is by exposing them to the world God created. They can see brilliance of God's handiwork in all of nature, from the constellations to swamps and wild animals to insects and seeds. They are fascinated by nature, and you can help them see details and implications they've never seen before.
You can inspire appreciation for what God has created as you talk with boys about what they see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Tell them how Scripture praises God for his awesome works. These moments become occasions for thoughtful consideration of God's majestic work in creation.
Worshipping God for his creation is more than an emotional experience. It is an intelligent act of the mind. Boys will learn about the world God made because the outdoors is a vast laboratory. Beyond interesting facts about nature, boys can discover the principles that God used to design his world (e.g., the food cycle, weather patterns, the importance of conservation). A knowledge of the wilderness and its ways can be applied in other areas of life.
The camp environment is especially suited to personal reflection and evaluation for both men and boys. The distractions of home life are absent. Opportunities abound for men to help boys ponder what they are doing with their lives.
A campfire often leads to honest discussions, grateful testimonies and taking up spiritual challenges. Many boys make important decisions (to accept Jesus as Saviour, forsake a sin, reconcile with another person or dedicate their lives to Christ) in a camp setting. These decisions are major breakthroughs in their development as believers.
A camping trip that involves some element of stress enhances this personal evaluation as boys talk through their feelings after a tough experience and consider what God has taught them.
Camping offers a special means of accomplishing some of the most important purposes of the CSB program. It combines ministry by men to boys with adventure and fun that is a powerful tool for the Lord to change lives.
WILDERNESS CAMPING
Wilderness camping magnifies the benefits of regular camping. In general, wilderness camping involves a break, both physical and psychological, from the busyness and distractions of our world today. Wilderness becomes a state of mind, not dependent on distance between your group and the nearest road.
Because of the stress involved and the stamina required, you should limit wilderness outings to young men in Battalion, unless you plan one with an extremely short distance and duration.
Here are some wilderness camping options to consider:
BACKPACKING
Backpacking is probably the easiest type of wilderness trip to put together. It can be very rewarding. The only special equipment needed is a backpack, a sleeping bag and a pair of boots. The rest of the contents of the pack can be gathered from around the house.
- Determine the length of the trip by the age and experience of your group. A trip that is too hard or too easy doesn't satisfy anyone. The time of year is very important to a trip like this. What will the temperatures be? What precipitation is likely? Be sure that your boys are prepared for expected conditions plus changes in the weather.
- At least one member of the party should know how to use a compass and read a topographical map. Bring a topographical map quadrangle(s) for the area in which you intend to travel. What permits and reservations will you need? Many designated wilderness and primitive areas require advance reservations and a permit. Sometimes group size is limited as well. Check it out thoroughly.
- Does your trail complete a loop? Are you entering and returning by the same trail? Or do you need to arrange for a vehicle shuttle between trailhead and road-head?
- What is the terrain like? Very rough terrain will be harder to traverse, so shorten the trip's length accordingly. Five miles of rough terrain traveling per day is enough for all but the hardiest of Battalion boys.
- Don't forget to figure in the time it takes to travel from home to the trailhead and back. Add 20-30 minutes for each gas stop if you allow the boys to get out of the cars.
- In snow country, backpacking at the wrong time of year can be deadly. Travel with your eyes open, and don't be afraid to turn back if the weather gets too nasty.
- Food for the trip must provide adequate nutrition, but be lightweight. Choose accordingly. Consider whether you will cook on backpack stoves (more environmentally conservative) or on a fire (aesthetically pleasing and less expensive, but slower and messier) when you plan your menu.
BICYCLING
Bicycling is a wilderness stress situation because each cyclist must struggle with himself mentally and physically to reach the daily goal.
Follow these guidelines when planning bicycle trips:
- Plan distances according to terrain you'll encounter.
- Require conditioning rides for both boys and leaders before attempting a long trip.
- Decide how to carry food and gear. Either each cyclist can take his own or use a vehicle to carry gear, food, spare parts and worn-out cyclists.