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Time senstive update on Boy Scouts of America

Posted: November 19 2021 at 03:20 PM
Boyscout

Local churches are receiving legal documents about the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) bankruptcy mailed from Omni Agent Solutions. Local churches that currently charter BSA troops and even churches that had BSA troops in the past are receiving these packets. Handling of these documents is very important for the denomination and potentially for the local church.

Three steps to take should your church receive a packet. 

  1. DO NOT SIGN AND RETURN THE PACKET. One document in the packet, if signed and returned, would release the Boy Scouts of any liability and move the local church in position for any potential lawsuits. Only a decision of the whole church can increase liability in such a manner. This is not a casual affirmation.
  2. All who received a packet should attend a Webinar on November 29 at 7 PM, where we will discuss how to complete the forms and where to send them. You can register for the Zoom meeting here. 
  3. Finally, you should notify your district office if you received a packet. Some packets include a ballot, and those churches receiving a ballot need to hold a special charge conference on December 5. 


If you are a church that chartered a BSA troop or ever chartered a BSA troop and you did not receive a packet, please contact the BSA Restructuring Hotline at (866) 907-2721 or restructuring@scouting.org and report that you did not receive a packet. You should also sign-up for the webinar. If your local church never chartered a Boy Scouts troop and didn’t receive a packet, there is nothing for you to do, and you can disregard the multiple communications about this matter. 

These concerns have started to take on some urgency. Be sure the district office is aware of a contact email so we can update you as the situation changes. If you have any questions, please contact Lonnie Chafin at lchafin@umcnic.org.

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