A Short History Of The Royal Ambassador Program

In October 1907, Woman's Missionary Union appointed a
"Committee on Mission Work for Boys". Miss Fannie Heck,
president of WMU, was chairman of the committee. Miss Heck
and  another committee member, Miss Elizabeth Briggs
(later Mrs. T.C. Pittman), attended a young people's missionary
conference in Asheville, N.C. There they heard a song,
"The King's Business," that was about Christian "ambassadors."
Miss Briggs suggested the name "Ambassadors" as a good name
for a boys'  missions organization. Miss Heck added the "Royal."
                                      At the 20th annual meeting of Woman's Missionary Union in
                                      May 1908, WMU members voted to sponsor a missions
                                      organization for boys ages 9-17, and that the name be the
                                     "Order of Royal Ambassadors."

One messenger, Mrs. W.M. Petway, was so excited about the
new organization she hurried home to form the first Royal
Ambassador chapter in the Southern Baptist Convention-
the Carey Newton Chapter of First Baptist Church, Goldsboro,  N.C.
 
 
 

                                      By 1909, there were 45 RA chapters, involving several hundred
                                      boys, in the Southern Baptist Convention. By 1915, there were
                                      500 chapters with 4,500 members. Program materials for boys
                                      first appeared in Our Mission Fields, a WMU publication for
                                      women which included materials for several youth organizations.

In 1924, a ranking system was introduced, featuring the ranks of
Page, Squire, Knight, and Ambassador. Two higher ranks,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Ambassador Plenipotentiary,
were added in 1929 for boys 13 and older.
 

                                      Camping became a very important part of RA work, causing
                                      enthusiasm among boys. The first RA camp was held at Virginia
                                      Beach in 1917. By 1925, RA camps were being held in Virginia,
                                      South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky.

Royal Ambassadors celebrated their 25th anniversary in 1933.
There were 4,369 chapters with 41,864 members. In recognition
of the anniversary, M.E. Dodd, pastor of First Baptist Church of
Shreveport, La., arranged for a 45 minute, coast to coast
broadcast, one of the first major Southern Baptist broadcasts in
the history of the convention.  By 1943, RA work had grown to
the point that a full time convention wide Royal Ambassador
secretary was needed. WMU employed J. Ivyloy Bishop to fill
the position. Bishop had worked as RA secretary for Alabama,
Mississippi, and South Carolina, making him the logical choice
for the convention wide job. He served until Sept. 1, 1953.
 

                                      Today, Royal Ambassador groups can be found in Southern Baptist
                                      Churches throughout the nation. The governing body over the
                                      Royal Ambassadors is the North American Mission Board
                                      (NAMB) headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.
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