A proud moment

On Sunday afternoon Chris Vaillancourt received his Eagle Scout award in front of family, friends and a few dignitaries. Chris grew up in the church. His mom taught Sunday School and his day was a charter member of our softball team. He was coming to games and wandering around the church since he was just a little guy. He grew up in Montville and as a young boy got involved in scouting.

I got to hear more about Chris' scouting adventures during the ceremony and it proved what I already knew about him. He is a good kid and he learns his lessons well. As his Eagle Scout Project Chris built a trailhead map for Camp Oakdale. It involved remarking the trails and planning, organizing and supervising the construction of the map that defines all the trails within the boundaries of Camp Oakdale.

The Mayor joked that the town could use someone like Chris to help people navigate around the bridge projects in Montville. State Representative Kevin Ryan also alluded to how important projects like these were.

Scouting is a great program that combines a reverence for nature, the nurturing of individual skills and abilities, and a respect for God and country. I can see that it built upon the Christian foundation that Chris had in his home and in Sunday School. I was so proud to be there and be a part of the day.

As part of the Eagle Scout Ceremony, the parents are recognized and it was a moving moment. I watched as his dad, my friend, Marc received a Mentor pin from Chris. He had tears in his eyes. His mom received a special award too and you could see Jackie's smile from ear to ear as she beamed with pride over her son's accomplishment.

The truth is that sometimes we think of our ministry as being totally within the four walls of the church. Yet ministry really goes everywhere that we go. Chris is now a student at the University of New Haven. He will take a bit of us with him as he goes on to finish his college career and begin a life for himself. The experiences he had in our Sunday School and in our worship services as part of our community of faith are now part of the vast number of resources that he can draw on as he lives the life God is giving him. I praise God for that for it is true for every one of us.

Chris joins the rank of countless others who have attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award a young man can earn in Boy Scouts. In our congregation we have several of them including George Rezendes, Ken Kreger, Chris Weimer and Roland Widstrom. They serve as a reminder that you can do great things if you set your mind to it.

Here are a few photos from the Ceremony.

Cal