Tomahawk Jul Aug 2014

TOMAHAWK July - August 2014

TomahawkTomahawk Potomac District Royal Rangers News and Information for Royal Ranger Leaders July - August 2014

The Ranger Man

Young Gang Member Finds Freedom

in the Gospel Message

Page 4

Faith & Family Night D.C. United Offers Discounted

Group Tickets

Page 6

TOMAHAWK July - August 2014 2

POTOMAC DISTRICT ROYAL RANGERS www.potomacrangers.org

tomahawk

Potomac District Commander

Rev. Bobby Basham

Publications/Outreach Coordinator

Newsletter Editor

Gary Wagner

The Tomahawk newsletter is published bi-

monthly as a means of communicating news and information to Royal Ranger leaders throughout the Potomac District. Sectional

staffs and outposts are invited to submit arti-cles and photographs that feature activities of Royal Ranger ministries on a local level, or to

share ideas and successes. Email material to [email protected]. Please submit photos as separate jpg image files.

The Tomahawk is distributed via email as an electronic publication. Email address correc-tions, or requests to be added to the distribu-

tion list, should be forwarded to Potomac

District executive secretary Denise Raduano at [email protected].

Royal Rangers Emblem © 1962 by the national Royal

Rangers Office, The General Council of the Assem-

blies of God; Springfield, Mo. 65802. The Royal

Rangers Emblem may not be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by

any means—electronically, mechanically, photocop-

ies, recording, or otherwise—without prior written

permission from the national Royal Rangers Office.

Royal Rangers is a principal ministry of the

Assemblies of God focused on discipling boys

for Jesus Christ. We provide Christ-like char-

acter formation and servant leadership devel-

opment for boys and young men in a highly

relational and fun environment. Our mission is

to evangelize, equip and empower the next

generation of Christ-like men and lifelong

servant leaders.

The Potomac District administrative region of

the General Council of the Assemblies of God

takes in Washington, D.C., Maryland, most of

Virginia and northern West Virginia. Over 100

churches throughout this region currently

provide Royal Ranger ministry to more than

2,500 boys and young men. We use many

tools to achieve that goal whether it be camp-

ing, merits or interactive skills, all designed to

help develop a boy into a man while having fun

and getting to know God.

We want to develop both men and boys in

mentoring relationships and leadership skills,

and guide them to Jesus Christ. We reach

boys, so they may reach another in their

world.

Potomac District Royal Rangers on Facebook www.facebook.com/PotomacRangers

Hillbilly heaven! Potomac District 2014 Pow Wow

August 14-17, 2014

Featuring:

Sectional Lawnmower Race

Hillbilly Bowling Bubba’s Bows & Arrows

Mudslide Hillbilly Hand Fishing

Shooting Arcade Redneck Rappelling Wall

Inner Tube Race … And More!

Outpost pre-registrations must be postmarked

by July 18 to guarantee each person registered will receive the Pow Wow patch, hat and T-shirt.

Complete Pow Wow packet with registration forms

is available on line at www.potomacrangers.org.

Y’all come! COVER PHOTO: Members of a Royal Ranger Pathfinder missions work team to Thai-land this summer are “ready to ‘commute’ to work— day 3,” posts Daniel Klepel, Assem-blies of God missionary. The Pathfinders worked on an expansion to a church in the city of Chiang Mai.



By Bob Blessing

District Commander

M en and boys of the Potomac District, welcome to summer! School’s out; time to enjoy God's creation with friends and family. For those of

us that have been out of school for a while it’s the vacation season and time to slow down from the pressures of work—if even for a few days—to take that much needed vacation.

If I could mention that this year’s Junior Training Academy, set for Aug. 10-13, will be held at a new location—Camp Spencer on the Broad Creek Boy Scout Reser-vation, next to Broad Creek’s Camp Saffran, the site of the 2014 Potomac District Pow Wow on Aug. 14-17. Please encourage your boys to take part in the Junior Training Camp. Attendance at the Jun-ior Training Camp helps mentor our young men into the leaders of tomorrow. Contact the District Junior Training Coordinator Cmdr. Craig Powis or the Ranger office for details.

The Pow Wow team has been working hard to make this year’s Potomac District Pow Wow an exciting time for the boys in your outpost. Please make plans to attend the District Pow Wow just before your boys have to get back to school. I hope to see you soon.

Pow Wow, Junior Training Academy to Close Out Summer

Supporting Churches,

Businesses & Individuals

Special thanks to our Supporting Churches, Sec-tions, Businesses and Individuals. Your generosity enables further enhancements to this ministry. Any-one wishing to join our group of supporters may request an application from the Potomac District Royal Ranger office, email [email protected].

SILVER MEMBERS

Rev. Bobby Basham Cross Junction, Va.

GOLD MEMBERS

Projects Unlimited - Gary Groves Eldersburg, Md. Walt Eger Service Center Severn, Md.

SUPPORTING CHURCHES

Outpost 2 Trinity Assembly of God Lanham, Md.

Outpost 6 Pasadena Assembly of God Pasadena, Md.

Outpost 9 Calvary Assembly of God Frederick, Md.

Outpost 18 Eastern Assembly of God Baltimore, Md.

Outpost 27 Glad Tidings Church Norfolk, Va.

Outpost 46 Bethel Assembly of God Savage,Md.

Outpost 47 Trinity Assembly of God Lutherville,Md.

Outpost 49 Centerpointe Church at Fair Oaks Fairfax, Va.

Outpost 60 Chapel Springs Church Bristow, Va.

Outpost 64 Five Rivers Church Elkton, Md.

Outpost 81 Trinity Assembly of God Fairmont, W.Va.

Outpost 89 Bethel Assembly of God Martinsburg, W.Va.

Outpost 100 Hancock Assembly of God Hancock, Md.

Outpost 124 Julilee Christian Center Fairfax, Va.

Outpost 160 Churchland Assembly of God Portsmouth, Va.

Outpost 186 Hazel River Assembly of God Rixeyville, Va.

Outpost 215 River of Life Assembly of God Spotsylvania, Va.

Outpost 240 Living Word Community Church Mechanicsville, Md.

Outpost 277 Ocean City Worship Center Berlin, Md.

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Homer Kitchen Gerrardstown, W.Va. Gary & Faye Groves Eldersburg, Md. Phil Vieth Yorktown, Va.

DISTRICT COMMANDER’S MEMO


The gangs are all over it in here, too. You got to stay out of the way, or you can get pretty messed up by some of these guys. Even though I know most of them, I have to watch out for the ones who still think they’ve got something to prove. It seems harder to stay out of trouble, be-cause in here, trouble comes to you. So, I stay out of the way, stay straight. All this good behavior got me some privileges, and I was al-lowed to attend a meeting they call Royal Rangers. The guys said we’d play some games, and they’d give out candy at the end. So, I went. At first, it was pretty cool. I got to hit some of the guys with a soccer ball, and nobody got on me. That was fun. But then they told us to put our chairs in a circle, and the Ranger man started to talk about Jesus. I didn’t want to hear no religious sermon, so I decided to get out of there. I asked one of the Security Guards to let me go back to my cell. He said, “No, you stay here.” So, I thought I‘d use my secret weapon, and gave myself a nosebleed. But the Security Guard had caught onto me by this time, and knew what I was doing. He got me some tissues, and said, ”Have a seat.” I sat as far as I could from the Ranger man.

T he Ranger man saw my nosebleed, and I think that made him start talk-

ing about blood. He was saying that Jesus shed His blood so that we could be forgiven for our sins, all the crimes we had committed. Jesus gave His blood so that we could be given a fresh start. This was starting to sound good to me, so I listened close. The Ranger man said that Jesus allowed some soldiers to use nails to hang him on a cross,

my pocket. Sometimes we spilled somebody’s blood, but not too of-ten. And as far as I know, we never killed anybody. We did mess some guys up, though. Some guys in the gang were really crazy; they’d mess up some guy because they thought he was disrespecting them. Sometimes the fight would be about a girl, or maybe money, but most of the time it was about respect. Respect is something you owe a brother, and not giving it is cause for trouble. The guys in the gang are ready to do just about anything to be sure they get the respect they deserve. Not long ago, we were mixing it up with another gang because they were trying to do deals in our turf. That is really disrespecting us. We couldn’t let that happen, so we got on a group of them. It was a big hassle, and somebody called the cops early, so a lot of us were still there when the cops arrived. I can run pretty fast, but I know I can’t outrun a bullet, so I got ar-rested. I got tossed into juvie with bunch of the guys.

As Told To Glenn Sorrentino

W hen I was five or six years old, my mom’s boyfriend punched

me in the face and broke my nose. I guess it never healed right, so now I can get a nosebleed some-times just by sneezing. I can re-member being sent to the health office in school just because I sneezed. I sometimes would get a nose-bleed without trying, and that could be scary, or sometimes just a hassle, but most of the time I can control it. Anytime I wanted to get out of gym, all I had to do was just gave myself a nosebleed. It’s like I have a secret weapon. Most people freak out when they see blood, some people even get sick. Growing up on the streets was rough, but it did have its fun side. You could have just about any-thing you could want, all you had to do was deliver some stuff, or boost a car, and you could make real money. The gang I ran with was real good at it, too. I never had a job, but I always had money in

Young Gang Member Finds Freedom in the Gospel Message


I’ve attended every Royal Ranger meeting since that day, and have learned a lot about God and Jesus, and even the Holy Spirit, too. I’m supposed to be getting out soon, and I know now how I can tell people about Jesus, and His love for everybody. I also know what I want to be when I grow up; a Ranger Man!

Author Glenn Sorrentino is the Ad-venture Rangers commander with Outpost 158 at Harvest Assembly of God in Chesapeake, Va.

back any more. I started to cry, as quiet as I could, but I knew there were tears, and I knew the other guys saw them. Then we prayed, and I could feel Jesus coming into my heart. It was like the first day of summer vacation, and Christmas morning, and my birthday, all at once. The Ranger man said to tell others about what we have done. I thought he meant the crimes I had done, but he said, “Tell them you belong to Jesus now.”

nailed him up by his hands and feet. He said they jammed thorns into his head, and a spear into his side. He said Jesus could have stopped them any time he wanted, but he let them, because he was paying the price for our sins. The Ranger man said Jesus did it be-cause he loves me. He did all this so that I could be forgiven. This was hard to believe, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed true. Jesus bled and died so I could be forgiven. And He would have done it, the Ranger man said, if I was the only one who needed it.

I never had anybody love me like that. I wanted to cry, but I knew I couldn’t do it with

everybody watching. So, when the Ranger man asked us to stand if we wanted Jesus, I stood up. He said go talk to this other Ranger man. So, I did, and he started to explain how to accept Jesus into your heart. I just couldn’t hold


DEADLINE FOR ORDERING YOUR GROUP TICKETS IS JULY 11TH


National Rangers

Ministry Camp

National Rangers Ministry Camp (NRMC) is scheduled for Sept. 5-7, 2014 at the Broadcreek Boy Scout Reservation in White-ford, Md. NRMC provides instruction in leading exciting outpost activities. Each man will be introduced to the following activities: archery, art, air rifle, contemporary camping, com-puters, drama, music, team build-ing initiatives, trades and Ranger Derby. Additionally, participants learn how to be a boy-lead, adult-facilitated outpost, using the team/patrol system. Most importantly, participants are challenged spiritually to live a life of godly manhood and servant leadership. Every leader will be able to answer the question, “Do I have what it takes to be a godly man?” Registration for this camp is due to the National Royal Ranger office by July 21. Go to www.royal rangers.com for registration details and applications.

DISTRICT NEWS & INFORMATION DISTRICT NEWS & INFORMATION

TOURNAMENT BENEFITS ROYAL RANGERS. Proceeds donated to Royal Rangers from Projects Unlim-

ited’s 20th anniversary golf tournament on May 17 amounted to $4,068. In the left photo, tournament chairman Gary Groves (c.) and co-chairman Dan Harlan (l.) present the donation to Bobby Basham, director of men’s ministries and exec-utive director for Royal Rangers for Potomac District. The right photo pictures the first-place team in the tournament: (left to right) Kane MacGruder, Chris Mitchell, Bill Weiman and Doug McCrey.

Fighting the Good Fight

Nearly 100 people—including 78 campers and 21 visitors—participated in Central Section’s 2014 Pow Wow on May 15-18, held for the third year at Camp Red Arrow in Stevensburg. This year’s theme was “Fight the Good Fight,” and campers’ mettle was tested as they endured a torrential rainfall Thursday night that flooded some campsites. Evening council fire services were inspired through the mes-sages brought by guest speaker Jordan Crews, director of Teen Challenge’s men’s home in Fredericksburg. Thankfully, fair skies and warm weather prevailed the remain-der of the weekend enabled all Pow Wow activities to proceed, which included an outpost “chariot race” lashing competition pic-tured above.


Jerry Sinden - Northeast Section

1805 Milstream Dr. Frederick, MD 21702

[email protected] (301) 620-0034

Northwest Section

Jerry Sinden (Acting)

Greg Barr - North Central Section

Box 384, Fort Ashby, WV 26719


Western Section

Greg Barr (Acting)

Phil Vieth - Tidewater North Section

200 Treis Trail Yorktown, VA 23693


Roger Riendeau - Tidewater South Section

7719 Doris Dr. Norfolk, VA 23505


Ken Black - Eastern Section

P. O. Box 58 Manchester, MD 21102


Robert “Buzz” Gregory - Eastern Shore Section

9260 Hickory Mill Rd. Salisbury, MD 21801


Nate Hawthorne - Junior Aide de Camp

3005 Lochary Rd. Bel Air, MD 21015


Tommy Horton - Junior Aide de Camp

5719 Amelia Springs Circle Haymarket, VA 20169

[email protected]

Cliff Jewell - Staff Advisor

9150 James Madison Hwy. Warrenton, VA 20186


Sam Linn - Staff Advisor

1687 McCoys Ford Rd. Front Royal, VA 22630


Tracy Groves - Staff Advisor

2340 Liberty Rd. Eldersburg, MD 21784


Dick Aldridge - Staff Advisor

46 Tadcaster Circle Waldorf, MD 20602


Brandon Campbell - FCF Scribe

116 Ellis Martinsburg, WV 25404


David Jimerson - District EMT

4812 Amberjack Ct. Virginia Beach, VA 23464


SECTIONAL COMMANDERS

Mark Craft - Capital Virginia Section

4518 Eastlawn Ave., Woodbridge, VA 22193


Mark Craft - Capital Maryland Section

4518 Eastlawn Ave., Woodbridge, VA 22193


Ken O’Maley - Central Section

11042 Settletown Place Rixeyville, VA 22737


Marvin Boswell - Southern Section

P. O. Box 35 Rockville, VA 23146


Gary Wagner - Publications/Outreach Coordinator

3905 Swanson Ct. Fredericksburg, VA 22408


Mike Cocolin - Missions Coordinator

8413 Elvaton Rd. Millersville, MD 21108


Gary Groves - RR Alumni President

2326 Liberty Rd. Eldersburg, MD 21784


Linda Cocolin - Health Officer

8413 Elvaton Rd. Millersville, MD 21108


Seth Van de Ven - Special Aide de Camp

3202 Amberley Lane Fairfax, VA 22031


Tyler Mazer - GMA Coordinator

99 Shenandoah View Harpers Ferry, WV 25425


Isaac Brannon - Special Aide de Camp

P. O. Box 390 Owings, MD 20736


Dale Eger - Special Aide de Camp

8213 W B & A Rd. Severn, MD 21144


EXECUTIVE STAFF

Rev. Bobby Basham - Executive Director

166 Serviceberry Ct. Stephens City, VA 22655


Bob Blessing - District Commander

304 Lincoln Ave., St. Michaels, MD 21663


Homer Kitchen - Deputy District Commander

8614 Apple Harvest Dr. Gerrardstown, WV 25420


Mark Brannon - FCF Chapter President

2815 Angus Chase Lane, Huntingtown, MD 20639


Harry Hawthorne - Pow Wow Coordinator

3005 Lochary Rd. Bel Air, MD 21015


Phil Georg - Training Coordinator

111 East H St. Brunswick, MD 21716


Craig Powis - Junior Training Coordinator

100 Kingbrook Rd. Linthicum, MD 21090

[email protected]

Chris Basham - Media/Productions

166 Serviceberry Ct. Stephens City, VA 22655


Potomac District Royal Rangers on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/PotomacRangers

POTOMAC DISTRICT ROYAL RANGERS STAFF

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Tomahawk Jul Aug 2014