Frequently Asked Questions By Mike McCormick, Scoutmaster
Q: Did my child need to have been a Cub Scout to be in Scouts? Are they too old to join?
A : While many Scouts were Cub Scouts, Troop 48 has a long tradition of Scouts joining for the adventure who were never involved in the Cub Scout program, and Cub Scout experience is not necessary to be a Scout. We have had scouts join the program for the first time as old as 16 years old. The program is for boys aged 11 (or 10 years old in 5th Grade after March 1st) to the day before their 18th birthday.
Q: What does Troop 48 do?
A : We are one of the most active Troops in Garden State Council, with a special emphasis on our outdoor camping program. Each month from September to July our scouts get a chance to have some fun and adventure by going on at least one weekend trip, such as canoeing on the Wading River, hiking in Wharton State Forest, learning wilderness survival skills, backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, whitewater rafting the Lehigh River, biking the C&O Canal, sleeping on the beaches at Assateague Island, among many other adventures. We also have a week-long, high adventure trip each summer with adventures for everyone from the brand new Scout to our 17 year olds.
In addition to our camping, we have many day events, which vary from year to year, but include service projects (see below) and can include fun events such as a Swim Day/Troop BBQ, Rock Climbing Night, historical trips to Philadelphia, and more!
The Scouts plan the meeting activities for each month that focus around a Scout skill theme or preparation for an upcoming event. Some popular themes over the years have been First Aid (capped by first aid scenarios where Scouts put their skills to the test), survival and shelter building, knots and lashing, and fire building.
Scouting is about fun, but Scouting is also about helping others. In 2025, we completed over 650 service hours. We have annual commitments to run a rest stop on the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) 150 City-to-Shore Charity Bike Ride, collecting food for the church food drive, and placing flags at Berlin Cemetery for Memorial Day along with participating in various other service opportunities each year.
Q: Do you have programs for the older scouts?
A: Troop 48 has plenty for older scouts, both in the way of leadership and advanced outdoors programs. We have an active backpacking program that in recent years has done a a 50 mile backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail through Maryland (2025) and on the Batona Trail in New Jersey (2023), with another 50 planned for 2026. In past years, we have had some very active groups of Scouts that have planned and carried several “big trips” for older Scouts that took multiple years of planning and fundraising, including a trip backpacking in the Olympic Mountains of Washington State (2016), backpacking in the Teton Mountains of Wyoming (2012), and a 10 day trip to Philmont National Scout Ranch in New Mexico (2005).
Q: When and where does Troop 48 meet?
A : We meet each Wednesday night, 7:00 pm until about 8:30 pm, year round, at the shed to the right of the Holy Communion Lutheran Church (442 South Route 73 in Berlin, NJ, directly across from the Wawa gas station).
Q: Who is in charge of the Troop?
A: Troop 48 has a firm commitment to being of the Scouts, by the Scouts, and for the Scouts. The Scouts elect their own leaders, pick and plan our camping trips, plan each of our weekly meetings, and take care of their own food and meal planning. This fosters personal growth in all Scouts, such as responsibility for others, budgeting, planning ahead, and a spirit of democracy.
Q: Does Troop 48 have a summer program?
A : Troop 48 differs from many other Scout troops in our summer program. Going back to our very first summer as an organization in 1965, the troop decided to skip the usual week at a Scout camp. Instead, Scoutmaster Joe Derr took the boys to Lake George for a week to go camping and water skiing.
We’ve continued that tradition to this day, as Troop 48 has headed out each summer on a weeklong high-adventure excursion, which Scouts of all skill levels and ages attend and participate in. Past adventures have included Lake Champlain in Vermont (2025, 2021, 2009, 2003, and 2002), Acadia National Park in Maine (2024, 2018, 2010), Ohiopyle in the Alleghany Mountains of Pennsylvania (2023, 2011, 2005, and 2002), Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio (2022), Shenandoah National Park (2019, 2013, 2008, and 1993), the Catskills of New York (2017, 2012, and 2001), the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts (2014), New River Valley of West Virginia (2007 and 1999), Lake George in New York (2014, most summers in the 1960s to 1980s), and many more. This has been considered by generation after generation of Troop 48 Scouts to be the highlight of the year. Get any two former Scouts together, and the thousands of “Remember the summer we…” will start up very quickly.
Where will adventure take us in 2025? Ohiopyle State Park in Western Pennsylvania.
We also have weekly meetings in the summer where Scouts can work on merit badges, rank advancements, or Scout skills.
Q: What is your advancement program like?
A: Troop 48’s advancement program mirrors our dedication to a scout-led troop. Scouts working on Scout, Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and 1st Class requirements work on requirements solely with Scouts 1st Class and above, who test the lower ranked Scouts on their skills and sign off their books (other than requirements that specify that an adult must be worked with). For merit badges, we have about a dozen merit badge counselors offering nearly 50 merit badges. In addition, there are dozens of other Merit Badge Counselors located across South Jersey that are not affiliated with the unit. Scouts who want to work on a badge talk to the Scoutmaster, who will give them contact information that they can use to reach out to a counselor for that badge. We also occasionally attend community-run merit badge programs, such as ones run at the Academy of Natural Sciences and other places.
Q: What is the religious affiliation of Troop 48?
A: Troop 48 has been proudly chartered by Holy Communion Lutheran Church of Berlin, NJ since 1964. However, the troop itself has no specific religious affiliation (and indeed, has very few Lutheran members), and welcomes boys of all faiths. Our members have come from a wide variety of religious backgrounds, including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Christian Scientist, unspecified, and other faiths.
Q: Do I have to be from Berlin to join this troop?
A: Definitely not! Troop 48 pulls from the greater Berlin area, and over the years has included scouts from Berlin Borough, Berlin Township, Voorhees, Gibbsboro, Pine Hill, Atco, Waterford, Winslow, Laurel Springs, and Marlton with Scouts in the past coming from as far away as Mullica Hill, NJ and Newark, Delaware (seriously).
Q: Can moms go camping with us/become leaders?
A: Absolutely. We have moms who camp with us each year, including moms who camp, moms who hike, and moms who whitewater raft. In the past, we’ve even had moms that would backpack and moms who would do multi-day bike trips. Of course, we have moms that work on background jobs too that don’t involve climbing mountains or heading down rivers. We welcome all adults who are willing to take a leadership role in the troop, we can always use the help! We have had large numbers of female leaders on our Troop Committee over the years, and all who are interested in working more directly with the scouts are welcome to talk to the Scoutmaster about becoming Assistant Scoutmasters.
Q: What is the purpose of Troop 48?
A : Troop 48, Berlin, NJ, Boy Scouts of America exists to provide each Scout that comes through our organization with a quality scouting experience. This Troop provides opportunities for adventure that a young person might not find elsewhere through our extensive monthly outdoor program that includes: camping, canoeing, hiking, backpacking, biking, kayaking, wilderness survival, and similar activities. Through this outdoor program, regular service projects that benefit the larger community, and weekly meetings, Troop 48 teaches young people skills in the areas of camping, first aid, and environmental awareness. In addition, this organization strives to impart our Scouts with certain worthwhile qualities: leadership, teamwork, self-reliance, responsibility, and good citizenship. Each part of the program of Troop 48 is necessary for a quality scouting experience and to move young men toward the organization’s ultimate goal: to forge better men for our future while giving them memories for a lifetime.
Have a question not answered here? E-mail Scoutmaster Mike McCormick at [email protected].