Profile: Allen Avery
Allen Avery helps to build strong generations of Godly men through scouting.
"Scouting as a whole teaches the morals and values that create strong men."
According to Allen Avery, “God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.”
Avery feels he is a real example of God doing exactly that—of God taking a normal person and empowering him to make something special happen in the lives of others. For more than 20years, he, his wife, and two children have been members of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.
 In the mid-1990’s, something happened at that church that would change the direction of Avery’s life. He took a DISCIPLE Bible study class, along with 17 other men.
“At the end of DISCIPLE I, you’re asked what is going to be your commitment to ministry, to the community, to kingdom building. And at St. Luke, we did not have a scouting ministry, and I saw that as an opportunity.”
He worked to successfully begin a scouting ministry at St Luke. The four boys they started with are now all Eagle Scouts and are in college. But it didn’t stop there; he became so involved, so committed, that he began working with the scouting program in United Methodist churches all across the region.
“I started out as a scout leader back in the late ‘90s and worked with troop 914, and eventually became the North Texas scouting coordinator.”
Scouting has a long history of established programs to draw upon. Avery discovered the resources of scouting gave him opportunities to be in a ministry that makes a big difference in the development of young men.
“Scouting as a whole teaches the morals and the values that create strong men. And these young men that I was experiencing, or was coming in contact, most of them were in single-parent homes, being raised by women. And so I saw that as an opportunity to really get involved and start to bond with some of these young men and teach them what it really means to be a man, and specifically a man of God.”
The church encourages a faith that is not only personal, but is also one of community. Avery found that scouting gives him a way to emulate Christ by caring for others and helping those in need. He has the opportunity to show boys and young men the importance of doing good for others. The scouts of St. Luke Community United Methodist Church have been involved in community-wide cleanups, have led parades, and held flag ceremonies. And that’s not all.
“I saw an opportunity to really get involved and start to bond with some of these young men and teach them what it really means to be a man, and specifically a man of God.” “Most of them do community projects. For example, their eagle projects—we had one young man that actually refurbished a bathroom in a homeless shelter. So it’s a great opportunity for them to give service back to the community.”
Although Avery has worked tirelessly with the Boy Scouts over many years, he feels his service is not so much about him, but is a way of responding to all God has done for him. He is grateful that God has given him an appropriate and useful way to respond by being in service.
“God has called me to be a leader of young men, and I feel very comfortable that I’m doing the right thing. It’s not necessarily for any particular person’s glory, but it’s for the glory of God. And I think that’s where we all need to find ourselves, where we can glorify God in how we live out our faith.”
More than eight thousand United Methodist Churches in the United States serve as hosts to Boy Scout packs or troops. That means there are many thousands of United Methodist men assisting in programs like the ones at St. Luke. For Avery, this means that all over the country, “God is using ordinary people to do extraordinary things.”
 “This is all about God, it’s all about how we as men at St Luke Community UMC, the North Texas Conference, and throughout this nation witness in the community, in this nation. So I encourage men to step up and just let God us them and they don’t have to worry about whether or not they have the skill or the ability, just let God use them and He’ll take care of the rest.”
In the scouting program, a lot of that witnessing—a lot of that special time—happens when leaders like Avery get together with young men in church halls, while doing community projects and while camping in the woods.
“You have that time to talk about what it means to be a man, what it means to grow up and take care of family, take care of community, to take care of your church, to be a man of God. You have that opportunity to share with them, and hopefully they grow up to use that to become strong men in the community.”
For Allen Avery, scouting is a significant part of his walk with God. His hope is that young men will hear his invitation to walk alongside him, and will grow up to become good and strong men in their communities who will show that same path to other little boys in other church halls and around other campfires.
The following people contributed to this Profile:
Print and audio story by Mike Hickcox; videography by Bil Arscott, Abernethy Media Professionals.
UMC.org Profiles are produced by Pam Price, 615-742-5405.
Allen's Spiritual Gifts
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Leadership
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Compassion
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Apostleship
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Administration
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Sheperding
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Servanthood
Learn more about your spiritual gifts
Allen's Recommended Resources
Disciple Bible Study
Boy Scouts of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters
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