Scouts and Guides worldwide have celebrated Founder’s Day on February 8th. It is a day for celebrating the founding of a movement. A unique movement that youth embraced and invited their elders to join.
Baden Powell wrote a short book called Aids to Scouting for NCOs and Men in 1899. He was still serving in the military. The book was designed to teach as a non-typical training manual. Powell filled it with personal stories of intrigue and even games. The design was to build skills interestingly. It was a book of stories and games with a purpose.
But this book, designed for young recruits, captured the imagination of youth. How could they learn to track? Or camp? Or be a good Scout? Youth embraced the book as a guide to building their own path to skills and camaraderie. Then, on his return to England, BP, as he would become to be known, would be cheered and invited to lead these eager youth.
He would embrace the call and spend the following years in service and collaboration, leading to an experiment in 1907 – the first Scout Camp at Brownsea Island. From there he published the man-sized scouting skills into a youth-sized opportunity: Scouting for Boys.
And so, it began. A movement of youth seeking skills, friendship, and purpose. It is still that today. When you see the patches, uniform, or think of flag ceremonies, stop to reflect on what the founder of scouting said.
“Let us, therefore, in training our Scouts, keep the higher aims in the forefront, not let ourselves become too absorbed in the steps. Don’t let the technical outweigh the moral. (Things like) field efficiency, backwoodsmanship, camping, hiking, good turns, jamboree comradeship are all means, not the end. The end is character with a purpose. And that purpose (is) that the next generation may be sane in an insane world, and develop the higher realisation of service, active service of Love, and Duty to God and neighbour.”
Let’s gather in the church to celebrate the courage to learn character in a driven, tossed-about world. We celebrate that God calls us to a life in holiness and service. These principles are the heart of the scouting movement.
The Scout Sunday Bulletin is available for download. Use it as you will to share this special celebration with your Scouts.
Methodist Scout and Guide Sunday Patch 2026
Scouting Ministries 