More than 14,000 youths participated in annual worldwide initiativein which young people read aloud passages from religious texts
Oliver Kold understands the commitment to “duty to God” as an essential part of the Scout Oath.
Simply put, “it shows you follow God and you respect His creation in the world,” said the 15-year-old Life Scout with troop 72 in St. Charles and a member of Sts. Joachim and Ann Parish.
Oliver represented the Catholic faith at an interfaith event held on May 7 at Salem United Methodist Church in Ladue. At the gathering, he read Psalm 104, a hymn praising God’s care for creation. He described the passage as a reflection on stewardship and the interconnectedness of God providing for all of our needs.
It was a reminder of the many conservation-related service hours that he’s completed as a scout, including pulling invasive plants, picking up trash, planting trees and installing bird houses.
Oliver was among more than 14,000 youths from 27 countries who participated in Scouts Read Sacred Texts, an annual worldwide initiative that encourages young people and their families to set aside time for reflective reading in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, which takes place on the first Thursday of May (observed May 7 this year).
Developed by Scouting America’s National Religious Relationships Committee, the program invites scouts to read a sacred or foundational text from their own faith tradition at any time on or around the National Day of Prayer. The initiative supports Scouting’s long‑standing emphasis on character development, literacy and the Scout Oath commitment to “duty to God,” while respecting the personal beliefs and traditions of each scout and family.
National committee chair Jim Marchbank started the effort three years ago after learning from a fellow committee member about a similar initiative to read the entire Bible aloud in 24 hours. During a discussion with the committee, “we were brainstorming, how could we support the duty to God?” said Marchbank, who also chairs the Greater Saint Louis Area Council Religious Relations Committee. “They can read whatever (sacred text) they want, whenever they want — at home, with their troop or with their church.”
Marchbank organized the interfaith event last year at Salem United Methodist, where he is a member. At this year’s event, more than a dozen youths from faith traditions representing Buddhism, Islam, Bahai, Sikh, Missionary Baptist, Judaism, Christian Science and others were represented.
Last year, more than 5,800 youth collectively logged more than 2,300 hours of reading. Scouts from across the United States and countries/territories, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Germany, Guam, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, Okinawa, Palestine, Puerto Rico and Uganda took part in the initiative.
While it started as a Scouting program, participation expanded in its second year to any youth. The National Religious Relationships Committee extended invitations to other faith and youth‑serving organizations, including American Heritage Girls, Girl Scouts and 4-H, to encourage families, faith communities and youth groups to participate together.
Alex Kesselring has participated twice with troop 284 at All Souls Church in Overland. This year, he chose to read Psalm 70, in which David pleads for God to rescue him from his enemies. The prayer is an encouragement to those who feel overwhelmed, and a call to seek God and trust in Him during times of adversity, said the 14-year-old, who attends Ascension Parish in Chesterfield.
“It feels nice to share my faith in this way,” said Alex, who was confirmed this spring and chose St. George, patron of scouts, as his confirmation saint. “It’s also nice to be able to talk in front of a crowd and to be able to share something of your own religion and what you love about your faith.”
The troop at All Souls includes scouts from a variety of faith backgrounds, Scoutmaster Kevin Faron said. Scouts gather in the school chapel and bring their favorite passage to read aloud.
“It’s really been uplifting for me. It helps bring in the ‘scout is reverent’ portion of (Scout Law),” Faron said. “It’s seeing the younger scouts hesitant to begin with, but once they get into it, it helps them to express their faith once they become more comfortable.”
