"Wow, All Night on the Creek"

Missions

“As a Royal Ambassador I will do my best:

to become a well informed responsible follower of Christ;

to have a Christlike concern for all people;

to learn how the message of Christ is carried around the world;

to work with others in sharing Christ;

and to keep myself clean in mind and body.”

I learned these words as a Royal Ambassador at the Union Springs Baptist Church in Randolph, Alabama.  Brother Bill Langston was our RA leader.  He taught Sunday School and was a deacon. 

One of the joys of being an RA was doing some great things.  The church did not budget money for the RA Chapter so one of the things we did to make money was wear out our family push-mowers cutting the grass around the church and for widows in the community.  The church paid us and the widows would fix us cookies and kool-aid.  There were no weed-eaters, just boys on their knees pulling grass around graves and buildings hoping for all night fishing trips.

All night fishing trips on Six-mile or Mahan Creek were great rewards for missions.  Brother Bill would load us onto a hay truck and head out for a night of memories.  This was before the day of lawsuits and release forms.  This pre-dated church vans and buses. There were no safety concerns.

After a night of sure fun, Bro. Bill would cook bacon and eggs in a skillet and brew coffee in a tin can on an open fire for breakfast.  We were hungry after a night of running wild, building huge fires, checking poles, catching catfish and eels, and eating fish.  Brother Bill always had a time of prayer and gave an invitation to follow Jesus.  He was doing Wild Game Suppers and Intentional Evangelism in the 1960’s.

One Christmas we got together and refurbished some old bicycles for some kids who were not receiving any gifts.  On another occasion we took our money and bought the church a film strip projector to show the film strips about missions.  That was the DVD of the 1960’s.

Did you know that another word for Southern Baptists is Missions?  In RA’s we studied missions not realizing that our money from cutting the grass was taking the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the world.  The RA pledge comes from First Corinthians 5:20a. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ . . . (KJV).  Brother Bill taught us that we were God’s ambassadors.

Our RA magazines featured some great Christian missionaries.  I cried when we watched the movie about Bill Wallace of China.  Some in my very conservative church thought we were doing evil by showing a movie in church, but our church got more involved in missions after watching it.

Our pastor thought the church should tithe and the church did more than the tithe.

Churches involved in missions grow.  The church that does not evangelize dies.  Pray for your Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and be involved in missions.  The last words of Jesus were about missions.  If your church is not tithing to missions, let me encourage you lead the church to commit to tithe.  If you are not tithing, remember that tithes and offerings are part of worship. 

May we be good stewards of that which the Lord has richly blessed us.  Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.  Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come (I Corinthians 16:1-2 KJV).  A good ambassador is a good steward because he/she represents the Father.