BGMC HAS ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR

 

The Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC) has just announced that BGMC has reached its goal of giving six million dollars during its 60th anniversary. In fact, $6,042,216.64 was given. This represents a five percent increase over the 2008 giving.

 

Since 1949, $96,128,350 has now been given to missions through BGMC.

 

"Thank you for all that you do to support missions, to teach your kids about missions, and to sacrifice for the cause of missions," states David Boyd, the BGMC national director.

"Millions of lives have been touched and won to the kingdom of God because of you, your church and your kids! During Buddy's [Buddy Barrel] birthday year, we know a lot of you went above and beyond for BGMC and we want to say 'Thank you!'"

 

The breaking of the $6 million barrier also means Boyd will be doing a polar bear jump into Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, next week [February 4].

 

However, according to Boyd, it wasn't just the mega churches that led the way in giving to BGMC.

 

"You would be amazed at the amount of money given by our smaller churches," Boyd says. "So many people think that it's only the big churches that give to missions, but lots of small churches give huge amounts to BGMC. The size of the church doesn't matter. It's the size of your passion for missions and for creating that heart of compassion in the kids you minister to."

 

First Assembly of God in Fort Myers, Florida, led all churches in the nation, giving a record total of $72,634.30 to BGMC. In fact, four churches in Florida were in the top 10 highest giving churches in the nation.

 

The Peninsular Florida District was the top giving district in the nation, giving $506,214.69. The Peninsular Florida District is also the first district to ever break the half-million dollar mark in giving to BGMC.

 

Many districts had their all-time-high record giving years this year including all of the top four giving districts, which were Pen Florida, Arkansas, North Texas and South Texas.

 

"Interestingly," Boyd notes, "the top four districts in the nation per capita are North Dakota, West Florida, Arkansas and South Dakota. These four districts, who statistically have some of the smallest household incomes in the nation, are the districts whose children had the greatest sacrificial income."

 

In all, 26 districts had banner years increasing what they gave last year.

 

All of the 2009 giving reports will be posted on the BGMC Web site in the next few weeks, Boyd says, explaining the need to be sure of the accuracy in the reports.

 

"One of the reports we are currently working on is the top 100 churches in each division," Boyd says. "This is an amazing report to see what the different size churches have done for BGMC."

 

For more information on BGMC, see http://BGMC.ag.org.

 

--Mary Boyd