If you attend the Chapel’s service in person or online this coming Sunday, you may notice some funny handshakes. Why are they shaking with their left hand you might ask? February 4 is Scout Sunday; during the service the younger members of the Chapel will be involved in the service, and scouts will take an active role in reading, greeting, and delivering the children’s message while celebrating the fact that religion, spirituality, and worship of God is an integral part of scouting.  

You may not be aware, but about six years ago Robert and some friends started a Cub Scout pack at the Chapel to instill scouting values in the four initial pack members. The pack grew quickly, and years later those first boys transitioned from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts of Troop 201 in Aspen.

Scouting’s left-handed handshake is the formal way scouts of both genders greet one another. The handshake is made with the hand closest to the heart and is offered as a sign of friendship. Though seemingly strange to those unfamiliar with the practice, the symbolism reflects much of what both scouting and the Chapel are about.

Different sources offer three widely accepted explanations for the origin of the handshake 1) to being an ancient sign of respect and bravery, 2) to the founder of scouting’s post-battle experience with warriors, or 3) to the works of Ernest Thompson Seton. Lord Baden-Powell, the father of scouting, was said to have encountered African fighters who offered their left hand. In one account, Colonel Baden-Powell saluted the Ashanti warriors with his right hand, but an Ashanti chief offered his left hand and said, “In our land only the bravest of the brave shake hands with the left hand.” These warriors used their left hands to hold shields, so to lower their shield and shake the left hand of another showed they trusted each other.

As in many churches, at the start of the service we greet one another as a sign of peace and love. Whether you embrace, shake hands, offer a smile, or speak friendly words, these expressions of love flow from God and come from the heart. At the Chapel, we talk about love being what it is all about. Love God – Love people is often heard. Reaching out to others to show we care about them is one way God works through us. As the scouts shake hands this Sunday, let us all be reminded of the treasure of friendship and of the importance of conveying God’s love to those around us.

Written by Star Scout Peter de Wetter’s mom, Regina