The Trappers Brigade

The Trappers Brigade is a special auxiliary group within the Frontiersmen Camping Fellowship.

The purpose of the Trappers Brigade is to promote Christian service among the FCF members by encouraging their involvement and participation in service to their church and fellowman.

The Trappers Brigade encourages involvement of FCF members not only in their local church but also in their community (e.g., needs, projects, organizations), in this way extending their Christian influence and testimony.

To participate in the Trappers Brigade program an FCF member

Must be in good standing with his FCF chapter.

Must have paid his current and previous year's dues.

Must have participated in one-half of the district FCF activities in the current and previous year.

Must be actively involved in his local church and Royal Rangers outpost.

The FCF member need not have received his Buckskin or Wilderness status to qualify.

Service points are accumulated when an FCF member volunteers his time (with no consideration for wages) in church, in community projects, in special needs organizations, or in humanitarian acts. He will receive « point per hour of service done within the community where he resides. For volunteer work done outside of his local setting, he will accumulate 1 point per hour of service, not counting travel time. He continues to add his total points together even after he has attained the next step. Projects are determined by the FCF Trappers Brigade Authorization Committee.

Within the local church, service projects may include mowing the church lawn; visiting the sick; serving as an usher; teaching or helping in the Sunday school; participating in youth, bus, or music ministry; doing office work or printing; participating in a missions emphasis, fund-raising, clothing or food drives.

Within the local community, projects may include helping families that have lost their homes due to a disaster (such as fire, tornado, or flood); assisting needy people or children's groups; or working at a hospital, library, service center, voter registration drive, city recreational facilities, juvenile detention center, Big Brothers Organization, Boys Club. Outside the local setting the member may accumulate points (without considering travel time) for missionary trips with MAPS (Missions Abroad Placement Service), FCF Pathfinder missions projects (see the next chapter for details), AIM (Ambassadors in Mission), Care Corp, U.S.O. (United Service Organizations), disaster assistance, search-and-rescue missions.

The three basic steps of recognition, and the accumulated points needed to attain them, are:

Each additional 30 earned points will entitle the Free Trapper to receive a numeral to be placed on his Trapper Medal.  A District FCF Authorization Committee will review the points tabulated by the FCF members who qualify for recognition pins.

The FCF member completes an application and is interviewed by the committee. During the interview the FCF member shares the details of his service project.   Pictures, letters, artifacts, items of interest, and things learned, enjoyed, and experienced should all be shared when meeting with the committee.

Young Bucks must complete the service under the supervision of an adult leader. The leader may be a pastor, youth leader, commander, community leader, missionary, district official, proj- etc coordinator, coach, parent, or any adult who signs the application verifying what was done by the applicant.

Old-Timers may earn points in two ways: through service and through supervising Young Bucks during their Trappers Brigade service projects. The Old-Timer will earn 5 points for each step of recognition completed by a boy that he has supervised. The Old-Timer must sign the Young Buck's application as his supervisor and send appropriate comments with the application. He must also participate, organize, and motivate the Young Buck's participation in and completion of the service project, seeing that the project is completed while the Youhg Buck is under 18 years old.

Trappers Brigade Pins  (To be worn behind FCF Membership Pin)

Company Trapper	Bourgeois	Free Trapper	Free Trapper (3rd time)