American Heritage Girls (AHG) was founded by a group of parents wanting a faith-based, scout-type character development program for their daughters in 1995. The AHG Program is dedicated to the mission of building women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country. AHG girls across the nation and the globe participate in badge programs, service projects, leadership opportunities, and outdoor experiences, all with an emphasis on Christian values and family involvement.

Today there are Troops in every state and in 15 countries around the world through the Trailblazer Program. A variety of Christian denominations are also represented as Charter Organizations for Troops. There are thousands of volunteer members across the country helping girls to grow in their faith, cultivate a heart for service, enjoy the great outdoors, and have more fun than they can imagine!

---

Scout Troops

Pender Night on the Streets Interview, went March 30, 2022.

On Friday, March 4th, adventurous teens and adults from the Pender Youth and Scouting groups spent the night out on the church grounds to briefly experience homelessness.

Rev. Will White, Minister Howard Finley, Ken Ferris (Lay Leader), and our scoutmasters accompanied them, while surprise guests appearing periodically throughout the evening.

Pastor Will White interviewed two of these participants to find out what they learned, as well as a church member who was previously homeless herself.

---

Cub Scout Pack 1540 is for boys and girls, Ages 5-11. The Charter Organization is Pender United Methodist Church. Cub Scouts is a year-round family program.

Our Pack has exciting events with activities that are fun for the entire family. Our Scouts learn about important life skills, personal safety and environmental stewardship. They take part in fun outdoor activities, get involved in their community, and learn to be part of a team.

---

Pastor Will shared his testimony about his time with the Boy Scouts and how what he learned carries over to his life today as he welcomes Boy Scout Troop 1530 and Cub Scout Pack 1540 back to Pender after the pandemic.

Troop 1530 is part of the Powhatan District under the National Capital Area Council (NCAC) of the Boy Scouts of America. Our Scouts are from Fairfax, Herndon, Oakton, Oak Hill, and Reston, Virginia.

In Boy Scouts, you take the Scout Oath. In the Scout Oath you promise to do your duty to God, Country and Yourself. In Troop 1530, we teach young scouts how to become better adults by understanding and living by these values.

he Troop size averages about 40 scouts and 30 active adult scouters. We meet at Pender United Methodist Church in Fairfax and we are chartered by the Pender Men's Club. Troop meetings are held every Monday from 7:30 to 8:30 PM from September through June.

The Troop goes on weekend outings (typically Friday night through Sunday morning), once a month from September through June. These outings have consisted of camping, rappelling, caving, biking, skiing, hiking, rifle shooting, canoeing, tubing, and backpacking. We also participate in District Camporees.

During the summer months of July and August, we go to Camp Rodney, located on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, and some of the older scouts have also gone to High Adventure Camps at Goshen, Philmont, Florida Sea Base, and the Northern Tier High Adventure Base.

The Troop has one fundraiser per year in March. We sell and deliver Mulch to about 150 customers in our neighborhoods. Many of our customers are our current and past members of the Troop. With this single fundraiser we collect enough funds to maintain the Troop equipment and subsidize monthly campouts. It is expected that every family participate in delivering the Mulch so that we may complete the task in one day.

The Troop holds three Courts of Honor per year to acknowledge the accomplishments of our scouts. The rank advancement and merit badge patches are paid for by the Troop.

In addition to the campouts, the Troop also has a Friday Scout Spirit night once a month from September through June that includes Cosmic Bowling, Movie Night, Gym Night, Miniature Golf, and Rock Climbing among other activities the scouts choose.