Boys and Girlds Missionary Crusade, BGMC, is a missions education program for the children of the Assemblies of God church. It provides educational and monitary resources to help teach children about missions as well as supporting Assemblies of God missionaries in America and around the world. BGMC's goal is to reach children around the world while creating a heart of compassion in our own children.
History
BGMC was started in the 1940's by the Assemblies of God as a way to get boys and girls involved in missions. In October 1949, the BGMC program was launched. The money raised was used in the translation and production of gospel literature for the foreign field. The first BGMC offering was in the amount of $9.35. It was used immediately to send literature to Honduras and Jamaica. That first year, a total of $1,290.39 was given to BGMC.
At that time, goods sent to foreign countries were packaged in sturdy wooden barrels giving rise to the BGMC mascot, Barrel Buddy. The idea was that the barrel was taken home to be filled with pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters and brought back on the designated Sunday to be donated. Since those first offerings in 1949, the use of BGMC funds has expanded. Royal Rangers, Missionettes, and Christian Schools have adopted BGMC into their programs. Now missionaries can use funds for anything they need to help spread the Gospel. BGMC is the only program that gives missionaries the freedom to buy things such as puppets, costumes, Bibles, tracts, Sunday School literature, computers, video tapes, and more. The only restriction is that the items have to do with "Evangelism" or "Discipleship". Many missionaries would be at a loss without BGMC.
BGMC not only helps individual missionaries, but it also helps fund various missions organizations, such as International Media Ministries, Global University (formerly International Correspondence Institute), The Christian Training Network, Generation XXI, Resource and Development Ministries (RDM), STAR Radio Avance, Center for Muslim Ministries, Healthcare Ministries, and Teen Challenge International. BGMC also provides supplies to our Home Missionaries and missions organizations that we have here in America. BGMC helps Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, Institutional/Occupational Chaplaincy, Intercultural Ministries, the Military Chaplaincy, Teen Challenge, and Church Planting. A percentage of BGMC funds is also given back to the districts to use for home missions projects in their own districts. As you can see, BGMC is greatly used and greatly needed by our missionaries.
If you would like more information about the BGMC outreach or if you are interested in starting BGMC at your church, you can visit the BGMC website www.bgmc.ag.org or contact them by e-mail at bgmc@ag.org. Please contact us if you would like more information about Ozark Mountains Coffee Co.'s support of BGMC.
