ROYAL AMBASSADORS IS HUNDRED YEARS

2008 Marks the 100th anniversary of Royal Ambassadors work worldwide and 88 years of existence in Nigeria. According to the official web site of Royal ambassadors (www.royalambassadors.org), over the years through the organization:
. Millions of projects have been done to help others in Jesus' name.
. Millions of boys have learned about the work of missionaries and how they can be on mission, too.
. Tens of thousands of boys have accepted Christ during chapter meetings, state and associational camps, and other RA events.
. Thousands of missionaries first felt the tug to missionary service as a Royal Ambassador.

"The Royal Ambassadors organization grew out of a need for Southern Baptist boys to learn that they are commissioned as Christ's ambassadors to go into the world and tell the story of Jesus Christ. It is an organization that grew through enthusiasm for missions and the need of belonging to a group of other young Christian ambassadors. To date, 2.16 million boys have participated in Royal Ambassadors since its inception in 1908; and in the past 10 years alone, a quarter million young boys have learned to live out the RA pledge."

As early as 1883, a group of boys between 12 and 14 years of age began a missionary organization in Owensboro, Ky. They met regularly with their pastor to study missions and collected money to help support a young girl in Miss Lottie Moon's school in Tengchow, China. Groups of boys in other sections of the country also became interested in missions during the 1890s and into the early years of the twentieth century. But it was Miss Fannie Heck, an active member of the Woman's Missionary Union (WMU), who was particularly challenged by the possibility of boys united for the sake of missions. She began to make definite plans for the organization, and in October 1907, a "Committee On Mission Work for Boys" was appointed by the WMU with Miss Heck as chairman. In May 1908, WMU adopted the recommendations of the committee and began promoting a boy's missionary organization. It was known as The Order of Royal Ambassadors and included in its membership boys aged 9 through 16. The first chapter of Royal Ambassadors organized after the 1908 meeting in Goldsboro, N.C. (culled from www.royalambassadors.org.).

The work came to Nigeria in the year 1920. When it came, the Women's Missionary Union sponsored the organization from the beginning until 1954. This time, it was felt that it is the responsibility of the men in the Nigerian Baptist Convention to sponsor the work of the boys. In the year 1977, after the official establishment of the men's and boys work (now Men's Missionary Union) the Royal Ambassadors became part of the men's and boys work.

The Royal Ambassadors is a Bible-centered, church-based, Uniform Voluntary Organization for young boys in the Baptist faith. It is an international Organization. Anywhere there is a Baptist Church, the Royal Ambassadors should not be missing.

There are many aims/objectives of the organization such as:
-to bring young boys to Christ;
-to assist the boys in their Christian growth;
-to build the boys physically, mentally, socially and spiritually;
-to contributes to the development of the community;
-to render voluntary service to the society.
-RA assists the less privilege and aged in the church/society, however, the main objective of the organization is mission.

Mission is the primary purpose why the organization was formed, encouraged and supported. To teach the young boys how to live a life of Christ through mission work. This is a way of helping the boys to be involved in missions, discovering how they can find their place in mission work. This can be in form of:
a. self-voluntary for mission work,
b. giving financially for mission work,
c. praying for mission,
d. providing information that will enhance mission activities,
e. and taking mission work as a career.

The essence of Royal Ambassadors as a missionary organization is embedded in the organizational pledge and hymn. As the boys recite and sing these pledge and hymn respectively, they ought to know who they are, who they represent and what they are call to do. Therefore, the Royal Ambassadors of Nigeria is hereby urged to take the work of mission as their supreme task as they join millions of Royal Ambassadors in the world in celebrating 100 years of service. I wish all Royal Ambassadors worldwide a blissful happy birthday.

Pastor Nosa Omo-Ogbebor
Unit Head, RA, NBC.