ABOUT US | EOCS

Eastern
Orthodox
Committee on
Scouting

Our Mission

Support and conduct the mission of our Lord and His church via the scouting program.
Recognize the individual youth member as our most important member.
Provide support, programs, and recognition to the scouts and scouters of Eastern Orthodox faith whether in units in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, or registered in units sponsored by other institutions, via the religious youth recognitions, adult recognitions for volunteer scouters and clergy, retreats, camp-o-rees, associated events and activities.
Provide support, guidance, programs, and consultation to the Eastern Orthodox Churches that sponsor Scouting and are partners in the scouting program.
Create, expand, enhance and project a presence of Eastern Orthodox Scouting in the Scouting America, Girl Scouts USA, and Camp Fire Boys and Girls.
The E.O.C.S. exists to complement and supplement the youth’s program and the unit’s program. The E.O.C.S. does not exist to direct or replace a unit’s program.
Encourage the use of the Scouting America, Girl Scouts USA, and Camp Fire Boys and Girls programs as part of the youth ministry program of the Church and community.
Develop and extend our Scouting network with our ministry partners.
The E.O.C.S. is the officially recognized Eastern Orthodox religious committee for the Scouting America, Girl Scouts USA, Trail Life USA, American Heritage Girls and Camp Fire USA programs.

DESMOS

The International Link of Orthodox Christian Scouts (DESMOS) was established in June 1997 at the Penteli Monastery in Athens, Greece. Its aim is to contribute to the spiritual development of Orthodox Christian Scouts by helping them sense the importance of Duty to God and understand the essentials of Robert Baden-Powell's original spiritual vision. The vision of DESMOS is to become a basis of mutual understanding for all Scout Associations that include Orthodox Scouts. DESMOS strongly encourages inter-religious dialogue and contact through tolerance, understanding and cooperation. The objectives of DESMOS are to:

Develop and promote the spirit of brotherhood and understanding among Scouts of the Orthodox Christian faith.
Promote warm relations and co-operation between Scouting and the official Orthodox churches.
Develop an educational curriculum that should enhance the spiritual dimension in the personalities of young Orthodox Scouts in accordance with the purposes, principles and method of the Scout Movement.
Introduce Scouting in such states and areas where the Orthodox Church is established.
Coordinate the activities of DESMOS with non-Scout organisations having the same objectives.
Motivate co-operation among DESMOS members.
Motivate and promote Scouting to Orthodox boys and girls on a global basis.

The EOCS is a founding member of DESMOS. George Boulukos was a founding member and served as an official liaison between the EOCS & DESMOS for year.

Our Background

In 1955, Archbishop Michael, of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, Metropolitan Anthony Bashir, of the Antiochoian Orthodox Archdiocese, Bishop Orestes Chormock, of American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Diocese, and Metropolitan Leonty, of the Orthodox Church in America met with Joseph A. Brunton, Jr., the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. The prelates came attired in their robes of office to bestow their blessing of the Boy Scouts and to make known to their constituents that they wanted Scouting to become a part of the youth programs of the local churches. This was one of the first cross-jurisdictional enterprises of the Orthodox Churches in North America. Later they included the Girl Scouts USA. As a result of this historical meeting, the Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting [EOCS] was created in 1960 by the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, whose purpose is to conduct the mission of our Lord and His Church via the Boy Scouts of America and the Girl Scouts USA programs on a national level.

In 2009 SCOBA became The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North & Central America. The Assembly understands itself to be the successor of SCOBA, and as such, it has assumed all of its agencies, dialogues, and other ministries.

The bishops of the USA, Canada and Central America were originally together in one Assembly, called the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America; in April 2014 it was announced that, in order to best respond to the cultural diversity and pastoral needs in the region, the Canadian and US bishops would form separate assemblies and the Central American bishops would join the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of Latin America.

In 2021 after the re-organization of the Assembly of Bishops. it was announced that the EOCS would no longer be an endorsed agency of the Assembly and that the EOCS would continue its mission without its endorsement.

As of March 15, 2024, The Eastern Orthodox Committee on Scouting is working in collaboration with Orthodox Youth and Young Adult Ministries (OYM) in accordance with the express wish of the Assembly of Bishops. As a ministry of OYM, EOCS will continue its mission to strengthen youth ministries in Orthodox churches and broaden the scope of Orthodox scouting.