BGMC Fundraiser Boosts Community
In addition to raising money to support missions, the second annual event strengthened relationships with local vendors, many of whom come from outside the church.
“We made some cool connections with vendors who never come to church and wouldn’t otherwise show up on our property,” says the church’s kids pastor, S.J. Shirley, who designed the market as a way of generating funds for Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge (BGMC). “It’s a great way for us to minister to people outside our church and pass on our passion for BGMC.”
Held on the first Saturday in April, the market was timed to precede the farmers’ markets that are popular in south Georgia.
A former special education teacher who joined the North Highland staff two years ago, Shirley got the idea because of past visits to area markets. She thought of the large field on North Highland’s property and how they could host a similar event, with proceeds going to missions.
“I brought the idea to my supervisor and the church supported it,” says Shirley, who spearheaded the inaugural market in the spring of 2024.
This year’s market raised $2,500, a 25 percent increase over last year. Vendors paid a $40 fee to participate, with some also donating a portion of their proceeds to the missions organization, says Associate Pastor Stacy L. Lacy, 44.
Such an event was especially meaningful to Stacy and husband Brad (lead pastor), since they served as AG U.S. missionaries with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries before coming to North Highland in 2012.
“Any time you have the community and the church working together in cooperation, it’s authentic relationships being built,” Lacy says. “This winter some vendors from last year were asking, ‘Are you going to do the market again?’ It was cool to watch relationships form and more people signing up this year.”
Because vendors set up their own exhibits in a 12-by-12-foot area, the market doesn’t take a lot of volunteers, but many church members participated. One opened a food truck and others had craft booths, while many came to shop, Shirley says.
Approximately 200 people attended the event, with the proceeds going to a new church plant in the Philippines. North Highland’s donation will be earmarked for kids’ ministry resources, such as Bibles, curriculum, and sound equipment.
District KidMin Director Russell I. Smith, 52, says North Highland’s market is just one example of Georgia’s AG churches reaching out to their community this spring to support BGMC.
Another is “Jump for Jesus,” hosted in late March by The Assembly at Augusta in Martinez.
The six-hour-long event featured inflatables, children’s activities, and food. The jump had a $10 admission fee; in addition to BGMC, Smith says part of the proceeds went to help with area relief efforts after Hurricane Helene last fall.
The KidMin director says the district regularly encourages children’s pastors, leaders, and churches to come up with creative ways to both raise funds for BGMC and build relationships.
“I know North Highland was doing that with the market,” Smith says, “and getting different vendors to come. People are always looking for that kind of thing to do, so to be a community event while raising money for missions is a great combination.”
For Shirley, one highlight of the day came from a conversation she had with a visitor. That led to a member of the pastor’s team later talking with the woman and praying with her.
“I got an email from the woman later saying how much she appreciated that,” Shirley says. “She said it was the most connected to Christians she had been in a long time.”
The continuing relationships with vendors who have exhibited both years also warms the pastor’s heart. She says it is encouraging to have ongoing contact with them via email, texts, and other means.
“Another thing is our staff shares a lot about BGMC with the children,” Shirley says. “As they watch us and see things like the market, they see our passion and they, too, develop a passion for missions. They can see it’s not just something we talk about on Sunday.”
Lacy sees a multi-pronged benefit from the spring market. She says it was a blessing for North Highland because it enabled the church to serve as a gathering place for the community.
It also blessed the church because it raised money for BGMC, which the children are always excited about, the associate pastor says. She says the kids were also delighted to see people from the community caring about the missions organization.
The market has helped ignite a passion in the more than 125 children who come to Sunday services for giving and generosity, and raised awareness among them of needs—not only in the community, but around the world, Lacy adds.
“Kids now need that,” says the mother of a 10-year-old son. “They need to be aware that most of the world doesn’t live like them. BGMC really helps them think outside themselves, which I think is huge.
“I can’t say enough good things about having a program to get behind to help them understand there are people around the world who don’t live like them on a day-to-day basis.”
