At this year's National Scout Jamboree, held at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, the Rev. G. Edward (Ted) Corcelius, of Christ United Methodist Church in Hughesville, was awarded the Silver Torch Award.
The award recognizes adults who have given faithful service to the United Methodist Church at the regional, national and international level, according the the Boy Scouts of America's website.
"The National Boy Scout Jamboree typically meets every four years, but this year it was five since the last jamboree, due to this being the 100th anniversary of Scouting in the United States," Corcelius said.
This year was Corcelius' first time as an adult leader at the event.
Members of his church nominated Corcelius for the award.
The church then received a letter from a national denomination office, which encouraged them to participate in recognizing him at the jamboree.
"I applied to be part of the United Methodist Contingent of Chaplains for the Jamboree. There were 18 chosen to participate from the United Methodist Church and we became part of 150 chaplains from many different faith groups that served the jamboree," Corcelius said. "My position was a sub-camp chaplain for sub-camp five."
A sub-camp has 40 to 50 troops, which could be a population of around 2,000 Scouts and leaders.
According to Corcelius, the average number of chaplains per sub-camp is four, but this year there were only three in his sub-camp, which put a load on the chaplains.
"I have been involved in Boy Scouts much of my life. Locally, I have been involved for about seven years as a member of the Scout committee with Troop 26 of Hughesville, and helped out with Troop 70 of Picture Rocks."
Corcelius said he became an Eagle Scout and earned his God and Country award during his younger Scouting days.
Corcelius has been involved actively through the years as a leader for his sons, and continues as a leader and a coach to the other Scouts.
More than 2.9 million youth are members of the Boy Scouts of America.
Since 1937, the National Scout Jamboree has provided unforgettable experiences for more than 650,000 Scouts and adult leaders.
For more information on the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, visit www.bsajamboree.org.
