Royal Ambassadors and Girls in Action - then and now

By Sharon Mager, BCM/D Correspondent

COLUMBIA, Md.—Freddy Parker, BCM/D missionary for men’s ministries, remembers growing up and going to Royal Ambassador (RA) chapter meetings to learn about missionaries, memorize scripture and do projects together. In fact, he still considers himself an RA.

“A lot of people say once you’re an RA you’re always an RA. You don’t drop that tag,” Parker said.

Now as a man, Parker not only appreciates the fond memories and solid missions education, but also the men who volunteered to run the programs.

 “We had very willing and patient men to mentor us kids. That’s still something very much needed and alive in Royal Ambassadors,” Parker said.

Recently, many of those BCM/D willing and patient men looked pretty harried on the second of the two-day annual RA conference at Middle River late in March. But it wasn’t a bad harried, it was the kind of droopy eyed, ruffled hair, clothing askew, slightly leaning harried that comes from a really fun, uplifting event like VBS, camps or overnight RA conferences.

The boys gathered for Bible lessons, crafts, scavenger hunts, games and food all with a missions theme. This was the RA’s 100th anniversary and the boys cheered and clapped when Parker announced the birthday and handed out commemorative mugs.

Looking back at RA’s years ago and today, Parker said the biggest difference is that today boys can contact missionaries from many countries around the world electronically, immediately on their own. At meetings, leaders can bring in computers with cameras and boys see and talk with missionaries and with missionary kids, right then and there.

“We would read about missionaries in magazines like “Lad” or “Crusader.” If you wanted to correspond you pulled your pencil and paper out, wrote down the address, wrote your letter with your questions, mailed it and in a month or so it would get to where you wanted it to go. If the missionary sat down that very day to respond it would be another six weeks to two months before you got it. As a boy, I almost forgot the question I asked in the first place,” he said.

Gayla Parker, BCM/D WMU executive director, said Girls in Action (GA’s) are seeing the same thing. The biggest change is the immediate contact with the missionaries.

“Girls can learn about missionaries then go home and email them,” she said. GA’s will celebrate their 100th anniversary next year.

Both boys and girls are also able to participate in hands-on missions through local, national and international mission trips. It’s a brave new world for kids in missions today.

Another aspect both RA’s and GA’s appreciate today is contact with missionary kids. That adds a whole new dimension, Gayla said. Freddy said boys enjoy asking the missionary kids ordinary questions like what sports they like and what games they play.

Even the materials have changed dramatically. Sylvia Deloach remembers looking at black and white thin booklets. Now they’re colorful and expanded and if girls want more they can go on the Internet and read and download to their heart’s content.

Times were different when Deloach was a young girl. There wasn’t so much to compete with for time. Going to GA’s was a big part of her week and it’s where she met her friends. Nowadays, she said, girls are going from one activity to another. It’s a continual effort to keep material and meetings relative to meet the needs of the girls.

Gayla said they must keep the message the same, but continue to present it in fresh new ways.

Freddy and Gayla also see the benefits of mission education organizations from a missionary perspective. The Parkers served for over 10 years as missionaries in the Philippines. How wonderful it is, Gayla said, to receive letters, prayers and support from men, women and children from home.

“And if your child becomes a missionary, you will be a big supporter of WMU and missions education,” she said with a smile.

Mission education also builds a foundation for a mission lifestyle that continues to support missions through the years, Gayla said. Other mission organizations have to use a large part of their time raising their own funds. Southern Baptist missionaries don’t have to do that and can concentrate all of their efforts on ministering.

Interest in RA and GA programs is growing as churches are beginning to see the importance of mission education.

“The strongest unifying factor in a church is emphasizing the role of missions, not just coming and sitting and being fed all the time. It’s taking spiritual food and turning it into energy and putting it to work,” Freddy said.

“If we just consume and consume and never expend that energy, we turn into spiritual couch potatoes.

“The last thing Jesus told us was to be his witnesses all around the world in our homes, neighborhoods, to the ends of the earth. He could have told us to go to Bible study, go to seminary, become a great theologian. Instead He said be my witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.”