Boy Scout Troop 399
To join Boy Scouts a child must be 11 years old, have completed the fifth grade, or earned the Arrow of Light Award and be at least 10 years old, and not yet be 18 years old. While Troop 399 serves the units of the community around Soapstone United Methodist Church, the troop also acquires boys transferring from other troops, Packs, districts and councils.
There is no requirement to have previous scouting experience, and anyone who meets the eligibility requirements can come to a Troop 399 meeting for more information and to join. For those who are Cub Scouts, representatives from Troop 399 will attend Webelos bridging ceremonies for those Dens who give advance notice of boys intending to join Troop 399. We strive to be a boy-led troop. At times this can be challenging, but the purpose of scouting is to prepare our young men for the highly competitive world that awaits them as they enter adulthood. Our adult leaders understand this, and we’ve all been trained by the BSA in various courses to foster this environment.
Our role is to coach scouts into making the right decisions. Sometimes we have to bite our tongue, sit back, and watch a scout fail. Only then when they’ve had that experience can we step in, ask the proper critical questions, and help the scout to understand why they failed so they can learn from that experience. Safety is always a paramount concern and so we weigh each situation carefully.
We camp once a month through the traditional school year as well as many other outreach events in our community. We welcome everyone, so stop by sometime for a meeting. We meet almost every Monday evening at 6:30 pm at the Soapstone United Methodist Chapel, 10301 Old Creedmoor Road, Raleigh.