The program — Trail Life USA — the organizers said in a statement, teaches young men adventure, character and leadership through a program centering on outdoor experiences that builds life skills and allows them to grow on a personal level and as a role model and leader for their peers.

“Living the trail life is a journey established on timeless values derived from the Bible,” they said in the joint statement. “The mission of Trail Life USA is to guide generations of courageous young men to honor God, lead with integrity, serve others and experience outdoor adventure. The program’s motto will be 'Walk Worthy.' As Christians, we believe we are called to service to let the world know about Jesus and God’s teachings.

“We are all sinners and we are not perfect, but we are saved through the grace of God by our faith in Jesus. With that being said, we can’t and don’t judge anyone, however, we are not ashamed to say we are Christians and are striving to do the best we can for the Lord. We believe God calls us to lives of purity, service, stewardship and integrity.”

Purity, service, stewardship and integrity

On purity, the organizers said, “God calls us to lives of holiness, being pure of heart, mind, word and deed. We are to reserve sexual activity for the sanctity of marriage, a lifelong commitment before God between a man and a woman.”

On service, they said, “God calls us to become responsible members of our community and the world through selfless acts that contribute to the welfare of others.”

Stewardship, they said, comes from their belief that, “God calls us to use our God-given time, talents, and money wisely.”

Integrity is a call to live moral lives that demonstrate an inward motivation to do what is Biblically right regardless of the cost.

Membership

Membership in the program has both youth and adult elements.

Youth membership in the program is open to all who meet the membership requirements, and is currently designed for biologically male children under the age of 18.

(A Boston butt and barbecue plate sale will be held November 27. Orders should be placed by November 22 at 5 p.m. Boston butts are $30 and plates are $8. Call Joyner at 252-536-9280 or Long at 252-586-7471 to order or for more information on Trail Life USA)

The adult applicant must also be at least 18 years of age and subscribe to and abide by the statement of Christian faith and the oath and creed of the program. “While the program is undergirded by Biblical values and unapologetically reflects a Christian worldview, there is also a clearly defined inclusion policy for youth. Accordingly, all boys are welcome irrespective of religion, race, national origin or socio-economic status. Our goal is for parents and families of every faith to be able to place their boys in a youth program that endeavors to provide moral consistency and ethical integrity in its adult leaders.”

Charter partners own and operate local groups, selecting leaders and admitting members as they deem beneficial to their group and within the parameters of the national policy.

Program basis

The basis for the program’s ethical and moral standards are found in the Bible. “In terms of sexual identification and behavior, we affirm that any sexual activity outside the context of the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman is sinful before God and therefore inconsistent with the values and principles of the program.

“Within these limits, we grant membership to adults and youth who do not engage in or promote sexual immorality of any kind, or engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the program. We welcome boys whose parents are seeking a faith-based outdoor adventure program that places an emphasis on character development, leadership, and moral purity, and who aspire to live in accordance with the values expressed in the program’s oath and creed.”

Starting from scratch

This local unit for Trail Life USA is sponsored by the Christian non-profit organization, Friends of Moratock Scouters.

Joyner, Long, and Maddrey are starting the program from scratch. “We have no money, no equipment, and no meeting location; however, we will have all of this in place by the time we start, January 6, 2014.”

All donations are tax-deductible and stay in the community. “This is something that has plagued us in the past, but will not be the case any longer. We feel like people would like to know that when they give their hard earned money, it is helping the local youth they intended for it to help and not providing salaries for people that live all over the country.”

Alignment with American Heritage Girls

As an additional opportunity, Trail Life USA has aligned itself with the American Heritage Girls.

“The American Heritage Girls is already the premier national character development youth organization for young women that embraces Christian values and encourages family involvement,” the organizers said.

The organizers say the program is intended to be an additional opportunity for positive influences on young people and is not intended to replace any other existing programs. “Youth can be members of multiple programs that are available in our community including Trail Life USA and American Heritage Girls. Our goal is to make this a family program where everyone can work and learn together and not to require anyone to make a choice between this program or some other. We have a lot of respect for the many volunteers that are already giving their time to help youth here in the Roanoke Valley and we feel blessed that we are able to continue to add to that long list of people.”

Volunteer leaders are also being recruited and will have to sign a statement of faith and have extensive background checks done prior to approval.

The programs can be explored online at www.traillifeusa.com and at www.ahgonline.org