Fix or Fix Not?



Sometimes what we do doesn't seem to work like it should or the results aren't like they should be. We've tried to do all we can and nothing works. What else is there?

Here are some topics that might help you get over that "Proverbial" hump. If these ideas don't help or you've tried them, meet with your church staff to help you, contact your local association office, or find another local church in your area to go and visit to see how they do their R.A. program. What ever you do, don't be an island to yourself. It is important to get involved with other R.A. programs and finding out what is going on.
If you have any ideas and/or solutions that maybe of any help, send an e-mail to: the webmaster.
(Don't forget to include it in the e-mail. We will not open any files attached to e-mails. )






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Click on a topic.
Not enough time to prepare.
Having problems starting the chapter meeting?
The R.A. meeting goes "Bonkers" .
Periodicals and materials ordered are late coming.

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Not enough time to prepare.


There will be times where preparing for R.A.'s next week will be impossible. Getting started is half of the battle and finishing the preparation is fifth of the battle. The other fourty-five is not so hard because it is average or in the middle. It is always going to be a challenge to plan ahead because there is a "Spiritual War" going on. Our enemy [the devil] tries his hardest to make the church weak and what we are doing is building the future church for the boys to make it strong when it's their turn. Don't forget that!

So, there is a problem starting and/or completing the plans for R.A.'s for next week. This is what you try:

1. Just after the R.A. meeting is over, get with your leaders for about 5 minutes and briefly go over the plans for next week while they are still there. Then, make sure to emphasis setting one goal for the leaders to put in their plans (for them) in the next meeting. Doing this, will make it easier for them to plan their chapter meeting. Setting goals within what is being planned and planning towards them makes preparations easier.

Remember, keep the goal very simple and easy to reach. Don't be a simpleton and say " My one goal for next week is to teach boys missions." (NOT)... Instead, say, "I want to make sure the boys know it doesn't matter what occupation the person has on the mission field as long as they do what the Lord wants them to do; that's what matters. I will do that by using the article in the magazine to show the boys what occupation the missionary uses while doing his or her missionary work."

*or*


2. Take ten(10) minutes out of each day and think about you want to do during certain times of the R.A. meeting according to the plans in the "Leaders Quartley" issue. By the time the night for R.A.'s comes you will have completed your preparation for the R.A. meeting. (Make sure you know what the mission emphasis is for that week before you get started.)

Sure, it would be great to be in a "cushy" home during the week and plan for the meeting, but that won't always happen. Let's face it, if we had extra time in the "cushy" home, would we use it to plan for that R.A. meeting for next week? (This is a self-examination question.)

The thing we have to look at and ask ourselves is:

  • a. Am I doing this according to the Lord's desire?
  • b. Do I have the Lord's desire to do R.A.'s?
  • c. Do I love what I'm doing in my church?


    There are other questions that can be asked to find how strong your comittment is to the Lord, but the evidence(s) that really show is the sincerity that is in your heart and the longivity of it.

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    Having problems starting the chapter meeting?


    Sometimes, it's hard to start R.A.'s on time because of one reason or another. But, if it's hard to start R.A.'s most of the time then something needs to be fixed. Here are some areas to look at:

    Are the majority of the boys getting there on time?
  • Remind them how important it is to be somewhere on time.
  • Send out a flyer to the parents telling what the time R.A.'s start and have it announced from the pulpit.

    Is starting late a habit with the boys since the first week of R.A.'s?
  • To elminate this problem with the boys of having a habit of being late, you have to start on time when R.A.'s start a new year. If you and your leaders expect the boys to be on time, you and your leaders have to be early to set the example.

    When the boy(s) show up for R.A.'s late deliberately , what do you do?
  • Don't let them in the R.A.'s. If the parent(s) come and ask why their boy can't come into R.A.'s, you explain to them that their son is being late all the time. It will surprise you what will happen after the parents find out. If the parents take issue with you about not letting their son in R.A.'s, tell them that the other boys are on time and it wouldn't be fair to make an exception.
    Don't back down.

    If a leader is late all the time, what do you do?
  • Remind the leader of his responsibility of being on time and let him know that he is eating up valuable time in R.A.'s. If this problem is continious and it can't be helped, then that leader maybe better off assisting in the work and not be the center focus of leadership.

    If it is a problem with the majority of leaders and boys, what do I do?
  • The time and/or the day may need to be changed. Those two elements are the tell-tales of a conflict.
  • Sure, it would be nice to stay with tradition and have it on Wednesday after church supper, but sometimes tradition stands in the way. There are R.A. programs all over the world that have it on different days and different times during the week--- And doing it more than once a week!



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    The R.A. meeting goes "Bonkers" .


    Do you find your room going "Bonkers" and at the end of the time not much has been accomplished. There are many reasons why things go out of control. It may have been that it was a "Bad Hair-Day" all the way around.(That happens.) If having a "Bad Hair-Day" is very frequent, then is something that needs to be fixed .

    Here are some areas that are common problems:
  • Not enough planning
  • Not enough help to cover the boys in the meeting
  • Need to encourage and help the boys in the Advancement and Missions Projects
  • There is one boy that needs more attention than the others.

    Not enough planning is the biggest reason of discipline problems in any meeting place with boys. If the boys see that there is a short-sidedness of planning, then they will take advantage of the moment. That is enough to wreck the rest of the chapter meeting.

    You have got to have more than enough planned for a chapter meeting than you will do. This means that if it takes 3 games planned for 5 minutes each, then you have 5 games planned 5 minutes each.

    You're not going to play those games one at a time, you will have those games planned to break up the long 15 minutes of mission activities and/or advancement. Make sure you have the learning time long enough for the boys to get something out before you go to the games. You will began to see a resslessness among the boys. (ie. poking at each other, excessive laughing, ect.)

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    There is not enough help to cover the boys in the meeting. This is a "Bitter-Sweet" problem that can't last very long or you will loose control after third time you meet with the boys.

    When this happens, dividing up into grades and having at least on adult leader to per age group.

    Not having enough help is an "Age-Old" problem that has been around the church ever since there has been children in them. To get an appreciation for this, we have got to remember that the Lord said, "... the laborers are few." That is no explaination to give, but it is reality. If you run into this problem and can't get any help, the last resource is the boys.

    You can't use the boys in all areas of the program function, but they can help during the meeting time. For example: When you have planned any kind of reading, that is the best time for them to pitch in and help; Having them help when working on crafts, leather work, campcraft, knots, ect.; Doing odd jobs like getting pencils out of the closet, or going down to the kitchen and getting tooth picks for a project; Have them do the role and marking the steps on the advancement chart they have finished

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    Need to encourage and help the boys in the Advancement and Missions Projects . These two areas of advancement is the core of R.A.'s and they need to have their importance gaurded to the highest. At times the boys won't want to work in these two areas because it takes work. Let's face it; Everyone would like to have a good time instead of working. Ask any red-blooded American, they'll tell you they would like to celebrate and have fun.

    To keep these boys in these books, personal attention is the "Biggy" . Never bargain with the boys when it comes to learning. That is a no-no!!! (For example: The boys don't want to read in the magazines. You say," If you read this article, we'll go outside and play ball."; Instead talk them into read the article in the magazine. For example: Tommy doesn't want to read the article in the magazine to finish a section in the advancement. You say, "Tommy, did you see where this missionary got to work one of the Indianapolis Racers during the Indianapolis 500?")

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    There is one boy that needs more attention than the others . He is the ring leader the other boys pay attention to when he wants to do something else. What you can do is have him help you with the boy with their work after he finishes with his work. This boy is a "High Achiever" . You have got keep them busy doing something that has to do with with working with their hands and figuring things out. Don't make the mistake of punishing them for getting into something because don't have something to do or because they are board because what they did was simple.

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    Periodicals and materials ordered are late coming.


    Periodicals and materials ordered are late coming and I don't know what to do. The last thing you want to do is to give in to "THE LACK THEREOF".

    This a problem that comes when things that are calendared denomination-wide or state-wide and everyone needs the same thing for the same event at the same time. (Naming: Periodicals and supplies needed for the beginning of the R.A. year.) The remedy: Order way in advance.

    If you are caught with a back order of periodicals, you can order out-of-date R.A. magazines that is free and the only expense is the shipping and handling that you have to pay. Make sure to get magazines dated at least four years old so the boys won't recognise the out-dated issues. Those issues will come rather quickly because they will have left overs for keep sake. This will give you study material to prepare with and the boys to read until the order comes in. Also, you may want to keep some copies for future emergencies.

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