event-district

By Jay M. Woodward
NNED Publications Coordinator
 

    The weekend of August 21-23, at the Pemi Valley Fish and Game Club in Holderness, New Hampshire, Northern New England District Royal Rangers held its Summer Pow Wow, this year known as the FCF High Adventure.  The event’s location was changed from Camp Marist at Lake Ossipee where it had been held for the previous four years, and the task of putting it all together was done by none other than the brothers of the King’s Pine Chapter of the Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship.  Led by FCF President Bruce “Moose Call” Paquette, they came together, planned the events and made all the arrangements necessary for a fun and enjoyable weekend for all those in attendance!   Nearly 100 boys and leaders came out for a fun weekend of camping, fellowship, competition, good food, and most importantly, to draw closer to Christ.

    The motto of the King’s Pine Chapter is ad dare servire- “To give and to serve.”  The brothers of FCF really lived up to their motto and showed real servant’s hearts throughout the weekend, making all of the necessary arrangements for the weekend to be a success. They had their Dutch Ovens always ready for anyone who wanted to sample a taste of FCF cuisine.   They gave boys and leaders a real “taste” of what FCF is all about!

By Jay M. Woodward
NNED Publications Coordinator

The evening of August 14 was a special one at First Assembly in Auburn, New Hampshire. Justin Paton of Outpost #11 was honored for earning the coveted Gold Medal of Achievement (GMA) Award, becoming the 40th young man in the Northern New England District, as well as the fourth in Outpost #11 to earn his GMA, following Ryley Paquette, Steven Kroh, and Nathan MacGilvary. Indeed, he is in select company, becoming the fourth member of OP #11’s “Fantastic Four!”

It was a lot of hard work and dedication that got Justin to his GMA. He began his involvement in Rangers at the age of nine at the church he and his family were attending in Easton, Pennsylvania. In 2004, his family moved to Derry, and he became involved in OP #11. Justin is also a member of Frontiersman Camping Fellowship (FCF) and earned the nickname “Twenty Pieces” for his ability to eat twenty (small) pieces of Dutch Oven pizza at an FCF event! Justin also participated in several junior leadership camps that allowed him to earn his Saber. These opportunities have enabled him to grow Mentally, Physically, Socially, and Spiritually. Indeed, his involvement in Rangers has made him, in a word, “READY”!

By Jay M. Woodward
NNED Publications Coordinator

The afternoon of June 19, 2010, was a special one for Nathan MacGilvary of Outpost #11 in Auburn, NH, as he was honored for becoming the 40th boy in NNED Royal Rangers, and only the third in the annals of OP#11, to earn the coveted Gold Medal of Achievement! Nathan’s road to the GMA began at the age of five as a Straight Arrow. From there, he learned skills and had leadership opportunities that enabled him to grow Mentally, Physically, Socially, and Spiritually. He has also earned some very distinguished honors along the way. In 2005 he was given the National Medal of Courage for saving a little girl from drowning, and in both 2007 and 2008 he was a Regional Ranger of the Year and earned the Junior Leadership Medal! In addition, he is also a member of the Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship, earning the name “Steel Knuckles” at his Frontier Adventure. His service to God is not limited to Rangers, however, as he volunteers at The Place, an outreach ministry in Manchester reaching out to troubled youth. In a word, Rangers has made Nathan “READY”!

By Jay M. Woodward , Pony Express Editor

June 4-6 marked the 2010 NNED Shooting Sport and Spirit Challenge Weekend, held at the Pemi Valley Fish and Game Club in Holderness, New Hampshire. This year’s event, saw fifteen boys and as many Commanders come out for a fun weekend of shooting various types of guns, camping, fellowship, and time to draw closer to Christ. It is also a time for real mentoring, as men get to spend quality time with boys by giving them hands-on instruction on how to safely use a firearm, and have fun in the process! Moreover, the smell of gunpowder has been proven to attract boys, especially the older ones in Adventure and Expedition Rangers, who were old enough and met the requirements to attend.

By Jay M. Woodward Pony Express Editor

May 22, 2010 was a very special day for Outpost 11, as Steven Kroh was awarded the highest honor for a boy in Royal Rangers, the Gold Medal of Achievement. He is the 39th boy in Northern New England, and only the second in Outpost #11 history to have achieved this distinction.That alone puts Steven in some pretty elite company! Steven’s road to the GMA began in 1998 at the age of five as a Straight Arrow Brave. From there, he learned skills and leadership opportunities that enabled him to grow Mentally, Physically, Socially, and Spritually. In addition, Steven has also played trumpet for the Manchester Central High School band, and has built and programmed robots with his schools First Robotics Competition team called CHAOS! In a word, Rangers has made Steven “Ready!”

At Steven’s GMA ceremony, held at First Assembly in Auburn, NH, he was showered with words of praise from his Pastor, Garry Hamilton, Youth Pastor Matt Ellis (who was also a GMA recipient in 2001), and Commander Bruce Paquette, who was the Master of Ceremonies. Commander Mark Lacombe read several congratulatory letters from National Royal Rangers Director Doug Marsh, Governor John Lynch, Senators Judd Gregg and Jeanne Shaheen, and State Senator Dave Boutin. Even Sarah Palin sent Steven a letter to congratulate him on his achievement!

Pow Wow Work Day- The damp weather didn’t stop boys and leaders from coming out on May 1 to Camp Marist for Pow Wow Work Day. Several of NNED’s finest came out to prepare their campsites in advance for Pow Wow. The big project, however, was setting up the poles to the Gateway, which took lots of cement, water, machinery, and of course, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee to put each log pole into place on each side! The poles will support the Gateway banner, which will create a grand welcome to all who come to Camp Marist in August!

Check out all the photos

Rangers Make Dinner For Real Men- On May 21, at the NNED Men’s Retreat at Sunday River, Maine, Rangers came through again in creating a delectable feast at the Light for the Lost Banquet. District Director Jerry Love teamed up with Commanders Willy Gusha and Dale Montoya, bringing the Missions BBQ Trailer and became blue-ribbon chefs for the day, preparing steaks, chicken, and baked potatoes, enough food to feed the approximately 130 men who were in attendance at the Men’s Retreat. The chefs received complements from Men’s Ministry Director Ed Shearer and many of the men who gathered for the outdoor banquet! The theme of Men’s Retreat was “Real Men” and this was definitely a meal that lived up to the name!

By Jay M. Woodward

Pony Express Editor

Satur-day-Satur-day! May-day! May-day! It was the 2010 NNED 600 Pinewood Derby! Boys, dads, and Commanders from all over the District came to the annual event, with their hand-crafted, sleekly painted, fine-tuned racing machines, to have fun and hopefully bring home some shiny trophies! This year, Pinewood Derby was held at the New Life Church in Biddeford, Maine, which has a large gymnasium and facilities that made it an excellent venue to hold the event. Pinewood Derby Coordinator Kendall Sperrey commented, “I thought the facility was the best we’ve had. The accommodations met all our needs.” The name of the church was also fitting, as this year’s Derby was also open to Mpact (Girls Ministries) girls. There were several girls who made cars and they were eager to show that they could keep up to speed with the boys and bring some “new life” to the competition! (check out the photos!)

Start Your Engines!

Indeed, there was much excitement the morning of May 1st, with boys and girls playing games in the gymnasium before the race while the final preparations were being made for the track, including the NASCAR Simulator, a popular item at Pinewood Derby that was back again this year! The races opened with the playing of the National Anthem, and the emcee of the races, District Director Jerry Love, getting the crowd “revved up” as only he can do! Commander Jerry gave an opening prayer, and reminded everyone that God is to be honored in all we do, win or lose. Then, it was time to…..START YOUR ENGINES!!!

See http://rangers-nned.org/events for details and http://rangers-nned.org/downloads for paperwork.

Download the info here

Download the file here