Mississippi Church's GlowKids Respond Creatively for BGMC

When children’s pastor Haley Davis asked the Amory First Assembly of God children’s church kids to make a faith promise for raising money for Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC) in January, she did so with one qualification: they had to do something “out of the ordinary” to raise the funds.

Davis explains that she didn’t want parents or grandparents giving money to the kids for doing something they should already be doing, such as making their bed or doing normal household chores.

“I wanted them to think about doing something for the community, baking, or making something,” Davis says. “Something that could reach people beyond the church doors.”

Left to their own imaginations — and some parental input — a number of the kids not only came up with some unique ideas, but have already individually raises hundreds of dollars for BGMC and the thousands of missionaries it supports.

“Our kids program is called GlowKids,” Davis says. “Recently we held a GlowMarket, which is kind of like a flea market, where the kids sold things they made.”

Sixteen kids participated in the GlowMarket, which received coverage by a local Mississippi television station. The market offered a variety of homemade crafts, beverages, and snacks such as cotton candy, hot dogs, teas, and baked goods along with bracelets, bookmarks, painted rock creatures, flowers, the ever-popular pickle-sicles, and other handcrafted items.

At the GlowMarket alone, the kids raised $2,100.

One young girl has been particularly successful in her efforts to raise funds.

“Eden Minga, who turned 7 this year, and her mom came up with the idea of doing singing grams that she calls EdenGrams,” Davis says. “For a $5 donation, Eden will sing a personalized song for someone’s birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion and her mom videos her and posts the video on Facebook. At the end of each song, Eden also says a prayer for the person. So far, she’s raised over $1,500 for BGMC this year!”

According to Davis, other first-through-fifth-grade kids have also been very successful in raising funds, including Macmac and Asher Pickle who have raised over $1,000 making banana bread, Canaan Kyle who has raised over $750 selling crafts, Koda and Miley Dabbs who make and sell loaded teas and have raised over $400, and Ada Minga (Eden’s older sister) who has raised more than $300 by writing and sharing a monthly devotional video that people subscribe to.

“And once a month we do a ‘change raid’ in the sanctuary where people can place their spare change in the kids’ Buddy Barrel (banks),” Davis says. “So far this year we have raised a total of more than $12,000.”

MORE THAN MONEY

Although it’s exciting to see kids get passionate about raising money for missionaries, what has captured Davis’ attention is how BGMC has impacted the lives of kids.

“We use the BGMC materials, including the True Missionary Story illustrated videos that share the true and often miraculous stories of missionaries who benefit from BGMC,” Davis says. “In addition, I also try to connect with a missionary in the country we’re going to learn about that month to send us a five-minute video about how they use the funds the kids raise for BGMC.”

Through this type of exposure to missions and having the opportunity to hear about and see real missionaries, Davis says the GlowKids have really begun to understand the importance of what they’re doing and who they’re helping.

“I’ve had four kids tell me this year that they feel they’re called into the mission field,” Davis says. “And I’ve seen a lot more ‘charity’ within our kids — sharing the gospel with others and even offering to pray for people who are not feeling well.”

Davis tells of one GlowKids child who, known as a disrupter at his school, has done a complete 180 since starting to attend GlowKids. Now, instead of causing problems, he often goes to kids who are sad or not feeling well in his class at school, lays hands on them, and prays for them.

“The other days he was upset because a teacher wouldn’t allow him to go pray for a student,” Davis says, “but he told his mom that it was ok; he just prayed for him from his desk.”

Davis also shares that through BGMC kids who haven’t normally participated in a lot are now getting involved.

“You can tell the kids who struggle to fit in, no matter what you do or say,” Davis says. “But now, many of those kids have found something — giving to missions (BGMC) — they can really take ownership of, contribute to in a tangible way, and form friendships they struggled to make in the past.”

For Davis, seeing compassion blossoming in the hearts and lives of the kids she leads, where giving of money for missionaries far away to tell kids about Jesus has grown to where GlowKids are now personally taking the initiative to care about their peers and share the gospel, has been highly rewarding.

But one “the-confidence-of-a-child” moment — that continues to be a source of inspiration and encouragement to Davis — took place when a Convoy of Hope truck visited the church. Pointing out the Speed the Light logo on the truck, Davis explained to a young girl she was standing with that the youth in the church gave money to Speed the Light so Convoy of Hope could have that truck.

“Then I said to her, ‘all that stuff inside the truck, guess who helped with that — BGMC!’”

Davis, with a smile in her voice, recalls the little girl’s incredulous response: “My dollars go to help that?” And then the girl paused, before stating matter-of-factly. “I’m going to have to raise a lot more money then!”

Dan Van Veen

Dan Van Veen is news editor of AG News. Prior to transitioning to AG News in 2001, Van Veen served as managing editor of AG U.S. Missions American Horizon magazine for five years. He attends Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri, where he and his wife, Lori, teach preschool Sunday School and 4- and 5-year-old Rainbows boys and girls on Wednesdays.