The Annandale Rotary Club is the new sponsor of Boy Scout Troop 150

The Annandale United Methodist Church (AUMC) has chartered Boy Scout Troop 150 since 1928, but when that relationship had to end earlier this year, the Annandale Rotary Club agreed to sponsor the troop.

The change comes as a result of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) filing for bankruptcy in February 2022 due to the lawsuits by men who alleged they were sexually abused by scout leaders.

The national United Methodist Church organization, concerned about liability exposure, said individual Methodist churches can no longer serve as chartering organizations for scout troops. Instead, churches can now form affiliate relationships with troops.

The Annandale Rotary Club agreed to take responsibility for Troop 150 because “they do great work. They make a difference in the community,” said club President Joe Do. He pointed to the Scouting for Food program where Troop 150 members collected thousands of pounds of food for the Annandale Christian Community for Action food pantry.

The Rotary Club will participate in community service projects with the troop. All members of the Annandale Rotary Club’s board are former Boy Scouts, Do noted. [Learn more about the club at the Taste of Annandale.]

The troop will still meet at AUMC, said Troop 150 Scoutmaster Todd Bolick, the field director for the BSA National Capital Area Council. He will still plan meetings and activities, including a trip to the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia in July.

Bolick, a former member of Troop 150 and an Eagle Scout, said AUMC didn’t want to give up the troop charter but followed the national guidance.

He said the troop reached out to a lot of organizations, and the Annandale Rotary Club said yes right away. The Rotary Club is also sponsoring Cub Scout Pack 150.

Troop 150 will celebrate its 95th anniversary in May. The troop is planning to invite elected leaders and troop alumni to a court of honor recognizing scouts’ achievements, Bolick said. The troop is also considering putting together a presentation on life in Annandale in 1928

“We still have an important relationship with AUMC,” he said. He encourages boys age 11-17 to consider joining the troop.

Under the old arrangement with the BSA, churches were considered the owners of the troops they chartered, UM News explains.

The national United Methodist Church organization approved a new affiliate relationship with the BSA in June 2022. Individual churches can still provide meeting and storage space for troops, but BSA councils and other organizations have supervisory responsibility – including approval of adult leadership.

As part of the settlement of the sex abuse lawsuits, the United Methodist Church agreed in December to pay $30 million into a $2.6 billion fund for survivors of scouting-related abuse with the assurance that local churches would be released from liability.