Faith has been a part of Girl Scouting since Girl Scouts was founded in 1912. As part of the Girl Scout Promise, Girl Scouts pledge to serve God and to help people at all times. By partnering together, faith-based organizations and Girl Scouts build compassionate girl leaders with the values and skills to make our world a better place.
The United Methodist Church and Girl Scouts have been serving girls together since 1913, when the second Girl Scout troop was formed at Hyde Park Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida. Today, United Methodist churches across the country partner with Girl Scouts to reach out to communities and serve girls.
Girl Scouts has launched the Girl Scout Tree Promise, a new initiative that will help girls connect with the outdoors, provide tangible service to their communities, and engage with each other after a year online. Through the Girl Scout Tree Promise, girls will plant five million trees in five years to make our communities healthier and cleaner, address climate change, benefit wildlife, and foster environmental stewardship values.
United Methodist churches can partner with Girl Scouts on this initiative by providing places to plant trees, volunteering to help plant, or sponsoring a tree planting to honor your leaders or commemorate celebration dates. Girl Scouts is also proud to support connections to faith-based opportunities for further study related to the Girl Scouts Tree Promise, including the new “Great Trees” patch in PRAYPUB’s Bible Basics study series. From the opening of “Great Trees:”
“We sometimes take trees and our planet for granted. But the Bible uses great trees to teach us important lessons about being rooted in Scripture, responding to God through worship, and God’s transforming power!”
To learn more about the Girl Scout Tree Promise and how to partner with Girl Scouts in your area to build compassionate girl leaders, please reach out to your local Girl Scouts council for more information. Thank you!
Kara Ball
Director, Faith-Based Partnerships
Girl Scouts of the USA