2008 South Central Regional Conference

Online Registration Form Now Available

The 2008 conference will be held at the Omni Hotel in San Antonio, TX on January 25-26, 2008. Our regional Ranger of the Year evaluations will also be held at the conference on Friday, with the awards ceremony Friday evening.

NOTE: The hotel has extended the reservation deadline through Monday, January 14. Get your hotel room booked by then, or the rates will increase!

Guest Speaker

Our guest speaker Friday evening will be Rev. Alfred Vargas, the secretary/treasurer for the Gulf Latin American District. Rev. Vargas grew up in Royal Rangers and earned his Gold Medal of Achievement as a boy. He knows Royal Rangers and is a strong supporter of Royal Rangers within his district.

Other Guests

We will have several guests with us from the national Royal Rangers office and other national-level Royal Rangers ministries, including:

• Perry Siddle, national training coordinator
• Ryan Beaty, national programs coordinator
• Matt Kling, director of operations for Royal Rangers International
• Mike King, national Pathfinder Missions coordinator
• Fred Deaver, national FCF president emeritus
• Ronnie Franklin, national RRA president

Each of these leaders will be teaching one or more classes during our conference and/or they will be available for you to talk with one-on-one about their areas of responsibility in the Royal Rangers ministry.

Fred Deaver will again be with us with his western and wild life art. Fred's paintings and bronze sculptures are beautiful additions to any home, and your purchase of his art help keep him working in the Royal Rangers ministry. Many of us remember Fred from his service as senior guide at various national Royal Rangers training camps, and in his role as an anointed Pow Wow speaker.

Commander Deaver has again donated a beautiful painting to the region for us to auction off. This painting will be auctioned off Saturday during the general session. Fred will also be speaking to us during the general session a word that God has laid on his heart.

Vendors

We are working on lining up a good list of quality vendors. We already have commitments from Tandy Leather Factory, and Texas Parks and Wildlife.

You will also be able to pick up FCF-related items from some of our other vendors, or order ROTY name tags, commanders' name tags, trophies, etc. from On The Cutting Edge, a vendor who comes to our conference every year to provide this needed service to outposts across the region. Flat Pan Jack will be back again with the full line of books and stories that will excite your boys. Be sure to spend some time visiting our various vendors.

If you desire booth space and/or would like to advertise in our conference notebook, contact our conference vendor coordinator, Rick Beebe. He will be happy to assist you.

Schedule

Friday
Registration (Hotel lobby)	7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Training Sessions (Hotel and various locations)	8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Ranger of the Year (First A/G)	9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Evening Service (Hotel ballroom)	7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Registration (Hotel lobby)	7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
General Session (Hotel ballroom)	8:00 a.m.  - 9:15 a.m.
Ladies Get-Together (Colonnade Ballroom)	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Training Sessions (Hotel)	9:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday
Morning Service (optional service for those remaining in San Antonio; Fred Deaver will be speaking)	9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Training Sessions

We will be offering one new LTA modules this year -- Ranger Orientation This module will be officially released at National Council in March, but we will be able to pilot test it at our conference. The author of the module, Perry Siddle, will be teaching this pilot.

LTA modules to be offered at the conference include:

• Spanish Ranger Basics. This Royal Rangers course will be taught in Spanish and will provide the new commander with the fundamental knowledge of the program. This is the starting module for approximately 40 hours of training that leads to the Leadership Medal of Achievement (LMA). This course is essential to new commanders and will give him or her a broad understanding about Royal Rangers. All new commanders as well as youth pastors, outpost councilmen or others who need a basic understanding of Rangers should take this course.
• Ranger Orientation. This LTA module is intended for churches, pastors, parents, or anyone interested in understanding what Royal Rangers is and how it is the premier Christian ministry for boys. This class will provide a greater understanding of the need for a Christian based boy’s program and how Royal Rangers meets that need.
• Senior Commander. So you’ve been appointed senior commander? Congratulations! You’ve accepted what may be the most important position in your ministry to the church. In Royal Rangers, the senior commander is the focal point for parents and church leadership, the voice and face of Royal Rangers in the local church, and he is the team leader that helps make this ministry successful. The senior commander holds the top leadership position in the Royal Rangers outpost at the local church. This LTA module will assist in your understanding of this role and how it shapes the local outpost.
• Discovery/Adventure Rangers Activities. You will learn about the types of activities boys in Discovery Rangers and Adventure Rangers (DR/AR) can do beyond the outpost meeting and how to plan them. Boys love activities. Whether it’s a camp-out, a hike, a bike trip through the neighborhood, or a backpacking trip in the mountains, boys love getting out of the house and doing something. To be attractive to boys, activities need to be big, challenging, unusual, and successful. The mission of Royal Rangers is to reach, teach, and keep boys for Christ. But we won’t achieve our mission if boys don’t come to the meetings. What better way to attract and keep boys than through exciting activities that they will want to come back to each week. This is a LTA module.
• Ranger Kids Activities. The mission of Royal Rangers is to reach, teach, and keep boys for Christ, but we won’t achieve our mission if boys don’t come to the meetings. What better way to attract and keep boys in your program than through a regular series of activities that interest and excite them. The outdoor setting of many of our activities tends to help boys open their hearts’ doors to the Word, which is the main reason to hold activities. This LTA module is designed to give commanders an idea of the types of activities that are suitable for Ranger Kids beyond the outpost meeting.
• Ranger Kids Day Camps. Creating a fun day camp for Ranger Kids can seem overwhelming due to the amount of work involved. This LTA module will help you break down and plan each piece and step required to hold a day camp on the local, sectional or district level. All Ranger Kids commanders and all sectional and district staff members should plan on including this module in their training program.
• FCF Frontier Adventure. This class is designed to train and certify those FCF members who are involved in conducting the FCF Frontier Adventure. This class is open to FCF members only.
• Instructor Trainer Seminar (you need your district commander's approval to attend this module). This seminar is offered to maintain certification for those commanders designated by the district commander to be Instructor Trainers in their district. This class is by invitation ONLY and a prior application with both the DC's and pastor's signature is required.
• Boys in Leadership. Using the LTA Patrol Method module as a basis this class expands beyond that to help you catch the vision for developing your boys into leaders within your outpost. We will explore how to use leadership positions within the outpost to develop boys into successful leaders in a mentoring program and on-the-job training all wrapped into one! You, the commander, will be their mentor, someone the boys look to for guidance and example. The patrol and leadership roles will be their training ground, allowing them the opportunity to develop leadership skills that they will use the rest of their lives. You will learn training techniques, how to identify opportunities for the boys, how to expand roles and responsibilities, and how to channel a boy’s natural skills.

 Other class sessions to be offered include:

• Using Navigator. This hands-on course will assist you in your understanding of Navigator and how it can benefit you, your outpost,a nd your boys. The software is available and distributed (free of charge) to any outpost currently chartered through the national Royal Rangers office. Royal Rangers Navigator was created by the Navigator design team to help bolster ROTY participation. Navigator allows your outpost to track everything that is needed to complete the Royal Rangers ROTY application. When everything is filled in, you can print out a copy of application completely filled out. You may also want to print out the ROTY applications several times during the year to show your boys the progress they are making. For this class to be most effective, bring your laptop computer with Navigator installed. You may also want to bring a power cord.
• Texas Parks and Wildlife (TP&W) will host two different sessions this year:
  • Overview. Tim Spice from TP&W will be providing a broad understanding of the extensive programs and resources available through the Texas Parks & Wildlife department. Even if you are not from Texas, this course will be beneficial as it will expose you to the types of programs that state agencies can provide to Royal Rangers.
  • TP&W Outdoors Activities Class. The Outdoors Activities Skills class is designed for leaders with little or no experience in the following subjects: BB guns, archery, cooking and Project Wild with emphasis on safety. Texas Parks and Wildlife is providing instructors to provide hands-on instruction in each of these areas. This day-long class will be held at a local park in San Antonio on Friday. An extra fee of $10 will be charged for this class which includes lunch.
• Outreach to the Public Schools. Our schools are fertile ground for the gospel. But reaching into our schools with the good news of Jesus can be challenging. The instructors will discuss this crucial area of ministry and how you can become a light in your local schools.
• Involving Boys in Missions. This class will provide an update of resources available for providing missions awareness and missions giving opportunities for the local outpost. We will also address the needs of missionary care for missionaries serving specifically with Royal Rangers International and generally for those serving within US Missions and Assemblies of God World Missions. There are an increasing number of nations using the Royal Rangers program as an evangelism and discipleship tool around the world. There are also an increasing number of requests made to Royal Rangers International for ways to help these nations. We will look at the process (good and bad) for helping specific nations, and the proper mode of communication in this process. This class will be full of information and you shouldn’t miss it.
• Royal Rangers and Youth/Children's Ministries. This is a class for all senior commanders, children’s and youth workers, pastors, and anyone else who ever has to walk to tight rope between Rangers and other church ministries. Students will identify many of the tensions that exist between Royal Rangers and other ministries, discuss their origins, and dialogue about different ways these tensions can be relieved. Options will be discussed concerning ways Royal Rangers can become an even more valuable ministry to youth and children’s pastors, and show themselves invaluable to senior pastors and the rest of the church.
• Royal Rangers Alumni. This class will provide the RRA members time to ask questions or potential RRA members to familiarize themselves with the Royal Rangers Alumni organization and the benefits of fellowship and continued participation in RR that it provides for those who may be retired or wish to stay involved with RR part time.
• Laws Commanders Need to Know. Students will learn: 1) About the applicable differences of criminal law and civil law; 2) How to identify a restraining or protective order and strategies when confronted with either; 4) Strategies when confronted with possible child abuse / neglect situations; 5) About the unique roles the police, sheriff and constables have regarding these issues; 6) Suggestions regarding church policy when confronted with child custody issues. NOTE: None of the content of this class should be considered legal advice, but rather ideas and strategies for dealing with these difficult situations. Legal council should be sought regarding your rights, priviledges, and obligations under the law. Laws may vary from state to state.
• Internet Influences. The Internet has never had more influence than it has today. Much of today’s communication between adolescents occurs on the net, and parents and church leaders need to be aware of what is going on during those interactions. This is a class for parents, youth and children’s workers, all Ranger leaders, and anyone else who may be interested in protecting adolescents from online dangers. When students leave this class they will be able to identify web pages most often visited by youth, the dangers that await adolescents online, and how to talk to youth about online activities.
• Introduction to Drill and Ceremony (1-hour introduction). This course will provide an overview of techniques by which you can train your boys in the presentation of colors. As your boys participate in color guard they will learn how to present themselves well in public, learn self confidence, and provide a source of pride to your outpost and church as these boys bring honor to our country and to our churches during special events, holiday celebrations, and public events such as parades.
• Drill and Ceremony (4-hour hands-on class). This course will provide hands on teaching techniques by which you can train your boys in the presentation of colors. As your boys participate in color guard they will learn how to present themselves well in public, learn self confidence, and provide a source of pride to your outpost and church as these boys bring honor to our country and to our churches during special events, holiday celebrations, and public events such as parades.
• Water Safety. The instructor will be providing practical and needed safety procedures for dealing with water sports within your outpost. Be wise, be smart, be safe when it comes to water sports.
• FCF Pathfinders. Pathfinder Missions is a missions outreach of the Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship that sends construction teams into areas that many other construction teams would not enter. Mike King, the national Pathfinder president, will be sharing about this great ministry and how you can become involved in the various Pathfinder events coming up in 2008 and beyond.
• FCF Q&A. This class will provide for you the opportunity to get updates regarding FCF and to participate in a Q&A session hosted by Ted Schmidt and Bill Stuckey.
• Boy's Camps Update. This class is designed for any leader who has questions about junior leadership training. This session will utilize a Q&A format allowing attendees to “stump” the national training coordinator with in-depth training questions concerning junior training camps.
• Increasing LMAs in your Section and District. The focus of this class is on instructors but any leader may attend. This class will provide instructors and leaders alike with a plan to increase the number of leaders earning their Leaders Medal of Achievement.
• Adult Training Update. This class is designed for any leader who has questions about adult training. This session will utilize a Q&A format allowing attendees to “stump” the national training coordinator with in-depth questions concerning national training camps.
• Outpost Promotions. Are you struggling with outpost finances, poor image, and a lack of quality leaders? Learn the 7 secrets to promotions that can transform your outpost! You are the steward of the outpost God has entrusted to you. When the King returns, will you have just preserved what was given you, or will you have doubled or tripled it??? Don’t just survive- THRIVE!! Get ideas for fundraising, promoting your outpost, and creating an image for your outposts that draws in talent, finances, and leaders.
• History of Royal Rangers. The class will review and detail the very early years of Royal Rangers in the South Central Region, with emphasis on 1962 to 1972. This review will include early courses of the Leadership Training Course, sectional and district camps, the establishment of the FCF in the region, and early leadership.
• Tandy Leather (hands-on class on using leatherwork in your outpost). Jim Linnell from Tandy Leather encourages everyone to come and participate in this FREE hands-on WORKSHOP where everyone will make a unique leather project. Participants will learn the use of several leatherworking tools and assembly techniques in the construction of their project. But more importantly, and the real goal of this workshop, is that they will learn many techniques that will help them lead youngsters to a successful experience with leathercraft.
• Centershot Ministries Basic Archery Instructor Course. If you love archery and want to share your passion for this exceptional sport with your boys, this course will teach you how to teach the 11 Steps to Archery Success. These 11 steps will make it easier for students to not only execute the proper shot but also to evaluate each shot step by step. At the end of this course, you will be certified as an instructor capable of teaching boys and girls how to safely participate and be successful in the sport of archery. There is an extra fee of $40 for this course; lunch included. This course will be held at First Assembly of God in San Antonio.

As you can see from that list of sessions, there will be sessions for everyone.

Registration Form

The online registration form is available here. You will be able to register for the conference online at this site for $45. Online registration will be available until midnight, January 21.If you mail in your registration (PDF version available here), the postmark deadline is January 17. The fee to register through the mail is $50. Registration after the deadlines can be done at the conference. On-site registration will be $55.

This fee pays for your conference notebook, resource CD, patch, tie tack, LTA modules and other classes, expenses for our special guests, and other general conference expenses.

Host Hotel

The host hotel is the Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade. This is a very nice conference hotel that will be a nice venue for the regional conference. Rooms are available for $89 per night for 1 to 4 people. This is a significant savings from the regular rates for rooms at this hotel. This special rate will be honored for several days before and after the conference in case you wish to spend some extra time in San Antonio.

To reserve your room you may contact the hotel at (210) 691-8888. Mention "South Central Royal Rangers" to get the special room rate. Alternatively, you can make your reservation online here.

This special rate on rooms is only guaranteed through January 11 extended until Monday, January 14. So make your reservation early! Room rates will go up after the deadline.

Ladies Activities

For ladies who are coming to San Antonio yet who are not attending the conference we have reserved a room on Saturday morning for a get-together time of fellowship and a devotion. This will be in the Colonnade Ballroom on the 20th floor, and will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Following that some transportation will be provided for ladies that would like to visit the Riverwalk and Alamo areas of San Antonio. The hotel shuttle is also available for transportation to the North Star Mall and the La Cantera Mall -- the two largest malls that are close to the hotel. Everyone is welcome to attend the services Friday night and Sunday morning.

Map

Map to Omni Hotel in San Antonio

 Additional instructions and alternative maps to the church are available here.