Badge of readiness

Daniel May, a 12-year-old boy, can probably cook you under the table. Eggs, bacon and biscuits? Easy. Spaghetti and steak? He's cooked them over a fire and did all the shopping and meal preparation.

The brown-haired, polite teen learned such life skills to earn a merit for Royal Rangers, a sort of Christian version of the Boy Scouts.

"Anything that you can cook at home, we can cook on the fire," said Mike Wells, senior commader of Royal Rangers at First Assembly of God in Muscle Shoals. "Pizza, cakes, pies, cobbler."

To earn the merit, May prepared three meals a day for three days for six people. He priced items, he planned and cooked.

"It teaches them things about their future how to learn to trade and deal - grocery stuff," said Wells, a bearded, energetic straight shooter.

First Assembly has about 22 in its Royal Rangers program. Mentors, usually men or older boys with advanced merits, sponsor newcomers to Royal Rangers, teaching them life and artisan skills. The idea is to learn skills e and pass them on, with the goal of ministering leadership and spiritual values to the boys.

"A lot of these kids don't have dads or parental influence," said Jeremiah Boozer, who sponsored May. "We're doing that for them. We're just spending time wth them and showing them how to do outdoor stuff."

This is May's third year in Royal Rangers. He was involved in the program at another church, but "we didn't really do anything," he said. "We just did arts and crafts and went downstairs to play ..." He respects how serious First Assembly takes Royal Rangers. "I liked the authority since I've been there," he said.

"I didn't know you was going to be here, and you bragged on me," Wells said, teasing May. "That's pretty good."

In June, May won best adventure ranger in the state at the Alabama District Pow Wow in Springville, where Royal Rangers participate in a modern showcase of skill.

To participate in Frontier Days, a stricly historical event, Royal Rangers must meet eight merits and don buckskins, war paint or three-cornered hats. They compete in skills such as shooting.

First Assembly's group adopts a French and Indian War theme. This is no field day, and wearing tennis shoes to a Frontier Day is laughable.

"We take authenticity very seriously," Wells said.

So seriously that a cannon fires. "They are super loud," Wells said. "They set off burglar alarms (in cars) in a parking lot 300 yards away."

Beyond the cannons and competition, mentors try to instill a respect for their surroundings and their maker.

"(God) created that stuff for us to enjoy," Boozer said. "And we teach young people how to conserve that and to make sure when we're out there that we're not making a negative impact on the environment, and we're leaving it better than we found it."

"It allows us to get the boys to slow down and get away from the Internet and TV," Wells said. "It teaches us and the boys to be confident, self-reliant."

The downside to being a mentor, Boozer said, is when a child wants to take part in Royal Rangers, but their parent won't take them to the church or when a boy moves away.

"There's been times when I've gotten frusterated, you know, just until you've worked in it a while you just would never know what it's like to get (a boy) to teach and then all the sudden something will take them out," Boozer said. He added that boys like May inspire him.

The boys, known as "young bucks," are younger than 18, and take a name given to them by their mentors, usually "old timers."

May is "Pathseeeker," a name he's content with, but others are not so fortunate.

"A lot of times people get some goofy names ... and you're stuck with it," Wells said. Boozer is "Thomas Three Toes" a nod to his love of turkey hunting, and Wells is "Howling Wolf." "Bumping Gums" has no shortage of words.

After boys make their buckskins and demonstrate biblical knowledge, their names are registered and reserved in the Royal Rangers Alabama district office.

Johnny Bolt's son, Michael, loved being outside before joining Royal Rangers, but developed further knowledge with his merits.

"He was outdoorsy, but he didn't know a lot of things about the outdoors before this," Bolt said.

He learned a few things about cooking a meal, too.

Jennifer Crossley can be reached at 740-5743 or jennifer.crossley@timesdaily.com.