Missions Sunday at Calvary Assembly brought with it a heightened awareness of BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge) With balloons flying, Buddy Barrels and BGMC boxes on center stage, I was introduced by Pastor John and given opportunity to bring about and awareness of the importance of financially supporting BGMC.
BGMC stands for Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge and is the missions emphasis for children through the Assemblies of God
BGMC allows our missionaries to receive the supplies they need to in order to spread the gospel at home and overseas.
Missionaries can use BGMC funds for any ministry supplies that relate to evangelism or discipleship.
The majority of BGMC funds are undesignated funds so that it can get to the missionaries when they need it. There are missionaries on the field that are unable to ask for support because of the sensitive nature of their appointment. BGMC is able to help meet the needs of the missionary without revealing sensitive locations.
BGMC money has helped purchase:
• Puppets, music, and video tapes
• Tracts, Bibles, and literature
• Sound systems, computers, and copy machines
Some of the more unusual purchases have been
• kitchen appliances for a ministry that feeds hungry children
• Water wells and generators
• Bars on a church to prevent burglars from stealing materials
• And even a Yak
Since the beginning of BGMC, in 1949, kids have raised over $84,000,000 for missionaries.
Last year alone the giving total was over $6,000,000 and Potomac District gave over $220,000 toward that total
This money was raised primarily by kids, faithfully collecting coins all year long for in their buddy barrels and boxes.
Calvary Assembly has set a church goal of $5,000 and has asked the entire congregation to work together to meet this goal.
A project that we will be helping to fund are outdoor shelters in Togo Africa. Because of cost restraints, churches are often built without classroom space for kids therefore Sunday school is held outdoors under a tree. If the weather is bad they’re unable to conduct classes. Missionary Phil Malcolm set out to resolve this problem by building shelters for Sunday School. 
Each shelter costs $500 and holds 100 children. Once the church building can expand to include classroom space, these shelters can be recycled to another church in need. The cost of the shelter also comes with leader training and a years worth of curriculum for the church
Calvary’s church goal could help build 10 shelters, protecting 1000 children from the elements.
I challenged Calvary to show the kids the reality of what God can do when a church works together for a common need.
In just a little while the Bibles were going to be lovingly given to each of the kids. Kids that otherwise would never to be able to purchase their own Bible. For several weeks, Pastor Ruel and Pastor Oning had been teaching the kids the 66 books of the Bible as an introduction to God’s Holy Word. Without paper, handouts or a Bible to reference, the kids would go home with just what they had heard hoping to commit it to memory. As an added incentive the first child to learn the 66 books in order would win a 64 piece art set for their very own. What a wonderful prize for committing the books of the Bible to memory. Having a Bible of their own would make that goal more attainable for all the kids.
As the kids arrived and found their seats, they excitedly looked around hoping to get a glimpse of what had been planned for them that day. As the service got into full swing and the kids took part in the activities, the time had come to present each of the kids with a Bible. What excitement ensued. As they received their very own Bible you could see the joy in their faces. They were not only receiving a book that was in their language, but they were receiving the very Words of God. Words that would change their lives forever. iRock Ministries is humbled to be able to change kids lives in the Philippines through a partnership with Pastor Oning. This is certainly an extension of what God is doing through the ministry to reach the lost here in the United States as well as around the world.
“Hope for the Children” was conceived by Pastor Oning Diayon. Pastor Oning is a recognized Assemblies of God pastor and has been ministering to children for several years with a missionary in the Philippines. Economically, Pastor Oning is unable to minister full-time although God has a strong anointing on his life. He dreams about someday opening a school/home for at risk children. By supporting iRock Ministries you can help Pastor Oning see that dream come true. Visit the ‘iRock Philippines’ tab to learn more about Pastor Oning and his ministry.
A kids delight when it comes to meals. After they had their fill of the delicacy we started the service with a game, went into a time of worship and then into the message. I was there to share with the kids about missions and what they can do to make a difference in the lives of kids around the world. It was also a time to introduce them to sacrificial giving and Faith Promises. At the end of the service they were then challenged to give to BGMC. There were 15 kids in attendance and when they filled out their faith promise cards the total was $590. Pastor Mindy was excited and thrilled with the response from the kids. We talked about giving up something each month for others in need around the world and what it meant to sacrifice. I gave them examples like giving up a candy bar or happy meal each month. Or perhaps giving up a DVD each year and better yet, instead of purchasing that $60 xbox360 game, giving the money to BGMC. We asked them to pray and listen for God’s voice, what He wanted each of them to sacrifice. When they heard God’s voice they were asked to complete the Faith Promise Cards. The faith promise that caught my eye was the child that said God told him to sell some of his toys that he didn’t need. It caught my eye because we didn’t discuss that as an option, so I know he heard God’s voice, like so many of the others that evening.
the National Office for the Assembly of God. As part of the application process we had to supply 10 references, submit to a criminal background check and a financial history credit check. We also had to complete a psychological evaluation of over 600 questions. Needless to say, after we were done that evaluation we wondered how God could use us. (Just kidding) I found out things about myself that even I didn’t know. We were anxiously awaiting the selection committees decision but we knew that God would take care of the logistics if we remained faithful to His call and the process. God is good and has been giving us peace through it all. Now we move forward to the beginning of the rest of the journey. We would appreciate your prayers as we go into a week of interviews, orientation and training. As Christians we are ever learning and becoming the person that God has created us to be. This is our next step to becoming and being part of what God has for our lives.