Royal Rangers Year in Review

May 26, 2021

Royal Rangers 2020-2021 (COVID-19) Year in Review

The last year has brought not only a new way of life for most of the world but also some significant new developments in Royal Rangers. As the scope of this pandemic started to unfold in March 2020, we recognized that the next several months were going to look much different than what we had planned. With travel and events shutting down, the national team pivoted their attention on developing elements that would benefit the local leaders and ministries during the pandemic and beyond.

The first item the team focused on was Remote Rangers, which was a plan to allow leaders or parents to continue with Royal Rangers meetings at home during the shelter in place quarantine period. The team created nineteen weeks of introduction and devotion videos to be paired with Royal Rangers curriculum that was chosen based on themes across the age groups.

A weekly audio podcast entitled, The Royal Rangers Podcast, was launched for the purpose of providing information on mentoring boys and the Royal Rangers ministry. Every week this 20-minute podcast brings interviews, ideas, updates, and a variety of other information from the Royal Rangers national office that would interest local outpost leaders, ministers, or parents of boys in Rangers. The short 20-minute format makes this podcast ideal to listen to while driving to or from work, during the lunch hour, in the evening, or just about any time that works for you. You can find the podcast by searching for The Royal Rangers Podcast on most platforms, or you can find more information at www.royalrangers.com/podcast.

Ranger Basics was updated in content and format and now is Ranger Foundations. Along with new information, this training has gone digital. It is now an online training class. Rather than spending eight hours in a classroom setting, there are fifteen online sessions. Each session is approximately twenty minutes in length, which allows you to watch at your convenience. This updated format allows training to happen whenever there is a need rather than waiting for a class or particular date to be determined.

During this time, we also launched the Swordsman program, designed to encourage and foster a movement of men and boys who are regularly engaged in reading the Word of God. In the short time since it’s release, over 700 men and boys have signed up with more being added every week. At a recent training in North Carolina, a new leader shared with me that he had signed up three weeks earlier and has been reading his Bible every day since. With excitement, he told me how it has changed his outlook and was changing his life. Join the growing movement in Royal Rangers and other ministries and let the word transform you.

During this pandemic we had to postpone National Camporama, but it is now rescheduled for July 10–15, 2022, which also coincides with the 60^th anniversary of Royal Rangers. Registration will open this fall, and materials are being sent to each outpost in the next few weeks. Begin planning and saving now to attend this exciting, life-changing event. Check the event website at www.NationalCamporama.com as new information will be added regularly, starting this summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic changed many things in our world over the last year. In Royal Rangers, we continue to work at staying informed of the needs of our churches as well as our leaders. Continue to check your Rangers NOW newsletter, listen to the podcast, or visit the website to stay current on what is happening as we strive to reach more boys than ever, more effectively than ever.