Georgia Baptist Children's Home

A Georgia RA & Challenger Autumn Missions Mobilization

PROPOSAL:
Each autumn, from August 1 until October 31 (3 full months), Georgia RA’s conducts “Fall Out for Missions,” a statewide missions effort that local RA Chapters are urged to participate in. This year, the missions recipient is the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes. Each Chapter is encouraged to start the year off right by participating with chapters across the state to impact Georgia for Christ.

INCENTIVES:
By the time of the Fall Congress and Missions Bowl, Chapters who have participated and who have completed a report (that is faxed in by November 1), may receive a nice certificate, suitable for hanging and display at their church. Boys in that Chapter may also receive a “FALL OUT FOR MISSIONS” activity strip (or chevron) to place under their Georgia Royal Ambassador Activities patch. Also, participating Chapters will be listed in a report to the Christian Index, and
published in an issue in November or December. Not to mention, the boys will have either earned another RA Mission Activity patch (or chevron) and have the satisfaction of having made a difference.
This participation helps with RA advancement!

THE GOAL:
Get the word out to every RA Chapter and encourage them to jump on this mission project. It has a specific beginning and a specific end. It doesn’t interfere with Lottie Moon or Annie
Armstrong offerings. Nor does it overlap with any existing statewide RA events. In fact, the Missions Bowl and Fall Congress can be a celebration for completion of the event, and an announcement (in the future) of the next year’s mission project. The idea is to have a project lined up one
year in advance, to aid in promotion and greater participation. Let’s see how many RA’s and also Men’s Ministries can participate in the “Fall Out for Missions” project each year. THAT will tell
Georgia how important RA’s are to Georgia Baptists! Actions speak louder than words!

THE PROJECT:
Beginning August 1 (or starting now, if you’d like), we will be ministering to the boys and girls who receive services through the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes campuses and programs.
There are campuses and “outposts” of the Children’s Home throughout the state. Two large campuses are in Baxley (South Georgia) and Palmetto (North Georgia). There are also houses and camps and centers throughout the state.

• STEP 1: Missions Education! Make the call to the Children’s Home. You can call the central office, but preferably the number of the closest facility to you, or to a facility you
  choose to work with. Request a speaker or representative of the Children’s Homes to come to your church to speak to your RA’s, Men’s Ministries, or better yet, your entire
  congregation. Do this first of all. When they are there, listen to what they have to say, ask plenty of questions, and think and pray about how your specific RA Chapter can feasibly be involved. Some can do a little, some can do a lot. Every little bit helps!
• STEP 2: Set your goal! Do the work! When your leadership has decided what you will be able to do to
  help, confirm it with the Children’s Home facility to see that it meets their goals. Once it does, set the
  date(s) for your work. Promote it throughout the church and to parents. Build excitement and try to
  get your men involved. If it involves making a trip to a campus to do a work project, secure vehicles
  and be sure to use your church’s permission slips and safety procedures. Always know and follow your church’s policies. The key is to pick a way your Chapter can help. Pick something all your boys can
  rally around. Ask them for suggestions. Set realistic goals. And remember to praise God for whoever
  does participate with you in this effort. “The fields are ripe with a harvest but the laborers are few.”
  Each year your Chapter participates, it will become a tradition.
• STEP 3: Celebrate your success! When the project has ended, be sure to use RA Chapter meeting time
  to process the event with the boys. Ask them to consider what it might be like living at a children’s
  home. Ask them to think about what they did to help and how it aids in spreading the Good News of
  Jesus Christ. Ask them to find Scripture passages that talk about what Jesus commands us to do, and
  how what your RA’s did obeys Jesus’ commands. Help them integrate what they read with what they
  do. Show them that they can be missionaries! They can live out the RA pledge! Reward them with a
  party or some other celebration.
• STEP 4: Share your story! Share your story with the rest of the church using testimonies, pictures,
  video, etc. NOTE: Due to confidentiality and security issues, cameras and recorders are not usually allowed at the Children’s Homes. ASK before you assume it is okay to take pictures or videotape. Tell your story to local media. Small town papers love this sort of stuff, and will often print a decent short
  article that you type — not to mention a picture! Talk about publicizing your church!
• STEP 5: Finish the Drill! Complete the State RA Chapter participation form and fax it or mail it to Mike Flowers no later than November 1. Write a thank you note (and have the boys help with some of their own) to the representatives of the Children’s Home that you dealt with. This is professional and goes a long way in showing Georgia Baptists how mission-minded and professional our RA’s really are. Be sure to send a “thank you” to the speaker who visited your church. Remember, it is not necessary that a “love offering” be given to the speaker, since you are seeking information on how you can help, but love offerings are always a nice gesture…and it typically goes to help the Children’s Homes anyway. Upon receiving your Chapter’s certificate (and activity chevrons, if available), be sure to display the certificate and award your RA’s with their patches. Add the completion of this project to
  the boys’ Personal Growth Plans or advancement records.

Finally, please make plans to come out to participate in the Fall Congress and Missions Bowl in November.