SCOBA Agency Participates in the 16th BSA National Jamboree

Press Release
                            September 13, 2005

SCOBA Agency Participates in the 16th BSA National Jamboree


The Boy Scouts of America held it's 16th National Jamboree at Fort A. P. Hill, Virginia with 34,000 Scouts participating from every state in the union and 26 countries.  The BSA National Jamboree is held every four years, since 1937, in various locations throughout the United States.  Six thousand volunteers arrived two weeks before to make the entire camp ready, while program directors and chair people began work two years before to make sure that the ten-day Jamboree was an experience of a lifetime for the participating Scouts.

For the fourth time, the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting [EOCS] had a display and information booth in the National Boy Scout Relationships tent.  A large number of Orthodox Christian Scouts of various jurisdictions and nationalities visited the booth to discuss the EOCS Religious Scout Awards, the Eagle Scout Scholarship program, and to work on the Jamboree Religious Patch program.  In addition, a number of Eastern Orthodox adults who were on staff visited the booth.  EOCS Outreach Coordinators Larry Sherman, of Scranton, PA and Edward Korolenko, of Pensacola, FL along with National EOCS Chairman, George N. Boulukos of Freeport, NY, staffed the booth.

The Eastern Orthodox Scouts were treated to a special visitor, His Grace Bishop Dimitrios of Xanthos, the General Secretary of SCOBA.  The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting, which was established in 1960, is an agency of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas.  His Grace toured the campgrounds for two days, walking about the various campsites and talking to Scouts about their interests and the Jamboree.

On Sunday, Bishop Dimitrios Celebrated the Divine Liturgy, with the assistance of Fr. Theodore Chelpon of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, and Fr. Paul Martin of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.  Father Theodore was involved with the EOCS at it's inception and Father Paul was a member of the Chaplains staff at the Jamboree.  Over 150 Orthodox Scouts participated.  Most of the Scouts fasted and received Holy Communion from the Bishop.  Many of the Scouts walked two miles to attend the service.  In addition to the American Scouts, there was a patrol of eight Scouts from Russia and one Scout from Romania at the service.

Bishop Dimitrios told EOCS Chairman Boulukos that he truly enjoyed his visit to the Jamboree and was grateful that religion continues to play a fundamental role in the programs of the Boy Scouts of America.  

Contact:
George Boulukos
862 Guy Lombardo Avenue
Tel: 516-868-4050  Fax: 516-868-4052
Email: geobou03@aol.com