Chartered by the Montclair Tabernacle Church of God, Troop 189 has existed for over 45 years. First and foremost, this is a boy-led Troop. We hold Troop elections twice a year. We conduct Troop Leader Training for all elected and appointed positions. The Patrol Leader Council, which we call the Greenbar Council in honor of Greenbar Bill Harcourt, holds an Annual Planning Conference. The Senior Patrol Leader and Scoutmaster take the resultant calendar to the Troop Committee for their approval, which, once obtained, results in a yearly calendar of activities. That calendar is given to all Scouts and their parents at the Annual Family Picnic & Program Launch, normally held the Sunday before Labor Day weekend. Troop 189 starts its calendar of activities the Tuesday after Labor Day and ends with the Annual Picnic. Summer is reserved for Summer Camp and special events, There are usually no Troop meetings after school is dismissed.

Troop 189's philosophy includes:

1. All boys are welcome to join the Troop and to stay as long as they are not disruptive and don't create an unsafe condition/environment.
2. All Scouts are welcome in the Troop even if they don't choose to advance in rank.
3. All Scouts can remain in the Troop even if they don't possess or conform to the exact Boy Scout uniform regulations.
4. Only Scouts who conform to the Troop and Boy Scout regulations will advance.
5. This is a Scout-run Troop and the Scouts should be allowed to make decisions, manage, direct, and learn from their efforts.
6. Scouts are encouraged to study their Scout Handbook and manage their own advancement.
7. As a Scout advances, he will be given leadership opportunities and challenging responsibilities.
8. All Scouts are part of the team and, whether they advance or not, they belong.
9. Scouting should be fun and safe, and provide a learning environment.
10. Weekly meetings will focus on teaching Boy Scout values and personal responsibility.
11. The Troop will develop merit badge classes that provide education and life skills.
12. The goal of Scouting in this Troop is that all Scouts are encouraged to advance; however, not every Scout will become an Eagle Scout and not all should advance to Eagle [adults assist and mentor, they do not "drag" a Scout to Eagle.]
13. The adult leadership will mentor Scouts to plan a Troop activity each month which interests the Scouts, challenges them and provides a constructive learning experience.
14. Parents are encouraged to support ALL Scouts with their efforts to advance and learn in the Scouting movement. Parents may participate in or attend any event or meeting.
15. All adult leaders shall attend the BSA and Troop training program. Any parents who wish to attend should be encouraged to do so.

Scouting is FUN! We try to keep it that way.

Meetings

We meet every Tuesday, throughout the year at the Montclair Tabernacle Church of God from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

At the month's first Tuesday meeting, we conduct a uniform inspection. A complete Service "Class A" Scout uniform consists of Troop hat, Troop neckerchief, BSA-approved neckerchief slide, BSA khaki Scout shirt with all patches in the correct position, BSA belt, BSA shorts/pants and BSA socks. The uniform for all other Tuesday meetings is the Class A minus the neckerchief and slide. We wear the Class A when going on all trips out of the local area where we will be "in the public eye." For all other activities we wear the utility uniform which is a BSA-approved T-shirt [preferably our Troop T-shirt] and shorts/pants, socks and shoes. At no time will offensive clothing be permitted at a Troop meeting/activity. Event agendas will designate which uniform is to be worn. Adults are encouraged to wear a comparable uniform.

Boards of Review are held monthly at the fourth Tuesday meeting for those Scouts who successfully passed their Scout Master's Conference the preceding Tuesday. These must be scheduled with the Board of Review Committee representative.

The Greenbar Council meets monthly and is composed of all Patrol Leaders or their Assistant(s), Troop Order of the Arrow Representative(s), Troop Guide(s), and Scribe. At this meeting the specifics of each meeting and activity for the upcoming month is planned in detail.
Scoutmaster Conferences are conducted at the third Tuesday meeting of each month for those who requested a SMC. All Eagle SMCs are conducted on a separate night and are conducted solely by the Scoutmaster.

The PLC and the committee meet at a time and place determined by the Senior Patrol Leader/Scoutmaster and the Committee Chair.
We try to hold one outdoor event a month; hiking, biking, camping, etc.

There is also a budding Venture group. They plan on 6 high adventure trips throughout the year. They also plan on numerous fund raising activities to offset costs for these trips.

Fundraising

We conduct two fund-raising events a year: Spring and Fall Mulch Sales. We spend one Saturday for each handing out flyers and one Saturday for each delivering mulch. We need everyone's assistance at these events. It is our sole source of funding outside rechartering fees.

If you have any questions at all about how or why Troop 189 does things they way we do, please feel free to call or email:

Andy Tainter, Troop Committee Chairman
703-590-2667
activcs@gmail.com