Programs of Religious Activities with Youth
P.R.A.Y.
Religious Award Program

Overview

This is the national youth religious award program for Protestant and Independent Christian churches. It is a program of the church, and is recognized by Girl Scouts U.S.A., Scouts BSA, and other youth organizations as an official award.

     The following are the four age groupings for the P.R.A.Y. program:
   God and Me        -   Red   -   Grades 1-3
           God and Family   -   Yellow -   Grades 4-5
     God and Church   -   Blue   -   Grades 6-8
       God and Life       -   Green -   Grades 9-12
         Four Star Award   -   Awarded to youth who have completed all four age programs

Summary

The Christian Church seeks to provide opportunities for worship, for study, for outreach and service, for prayer, and for fellowship. The Programs of Activities with Youth, or P.R.A.Y, is one means of nurture and growth for the development of Christian faith and discipleship, recognized by congregations of the United Church of Christ. Its objectives are to help young people grow in their understanding of what Christians believe, to help young people see how other people have translated belief into action, and to provide young people with the opportunity for Christian service to others. A conscious effort has been made to develop each unit of the program without theological bias; yet each program is designed to permit the introduction of particular theological and denominational viewpoints on the material being studied. It is the responsibility of the counselor to provide this input. The P.R.A.Y. Series has been recognized by several national youth-serving agencies as the religious emblem program for Protestant and Independent Christian churches.

A young person voluntarily chooses to enroll in one of the four programs under the supervision of the minister. In committing oneself to this program, the young person chooses to go beyond the regular expectations of worship and Sunday school experiences to become involved in an intentional and personal study program. It is a program that requires a commitment of time and energy to study and to act out the faith, along with an expectation to seek to continue in growth.

For Protestants, it is also recognized as the official religious program of the Girl Scouts, Scouts BSA (formerly known as Boy Scouts of America), Campfire U.S.A., and American Heritage Girls organizations. Although, many Protestant and Independent scouts participate in this program for their scouting religious award, a youth does not need to be in a scouting organization to earn this award.

At the end of the program, youth receive a patch, a pin, and a certificate, as do their parent(s)/mentor(s) who help them with the program. Mentors can be parents, guardians, grandparents, or other appropriate adult.

Next Class

If you are interested in working towards earning one of the P.R.A.Y. awards, please contact the pastor or church office to let us know of your interest and to find out when the next series of classes will be offered.

This is a national award program of the church and not an award of any particular scouting or youth program. Although, scouts are the most common participants, to meet requirements for their scouting advancement, you do not need to be in a scouting or other youth program to participate, as many non-scouters have gone through our program.