National WMU acquires Royal Racers
By Julie Walters
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. –National WMU acquired Royal Racerson May 1. Since 1984, Royal Racers has resourced Royal Ambassadors with high quality wooden craft kits.
“There’s something unforgettable about the excitement of a pinewood derby – the intense preparation and creativity, the anticipation, the cheers at the finish line …” said Sandy Wisdom-Martin, executive director/treasurer of national WMU.
“WMU is excited to acquire Royal Racers and begin selling RA derby car kits because we know that can be an entry point for children to learn about God’s mission. The race brings them in, but along the way they begin to understand they are a part of something much bigger.
“Watching SBC leaders race in recent years has shown us that this kind of fun sparks connection and camaraderie,” Wisdom-Martin continued, referencing an annual competition she initiated three years ago at the SBC annual meeting among SBC entity leaders. “These efforts become powerful tools for discipleship. Our desire is to ignite a lifelong passion for missions in the next generation.”
For more than a century, Royal Ambassadors has shaped generations of boys and men who understand what it means to live on mission for Christ.
“Men across the world fondly recount how they grew up learning valuable life lessons from godly men while building and racing their derby cars,” said Keith Gates, ministry consultant for RA and Challengers, national WMU.
“This acquisition is a huge win for every church investing in that journey. Derby cars are more than a product. They are a symbol of fellowship, competition, and commitment. We pray this acquisition will help churches and leaders disciple boys with excellence, purpose, and a focus on some of life’s most important lessons,” said Gates.
A Lifelong Passion
As a Tennessee-based company begun by Frank and May Dean Green, Royal Racers reflected Frank’s love of Royal Ambassadors, a passion that started at age 9 when he was an RA at Fredonia Baptist Church.
Over the decades that followed, Frank served as RA Camp counselor, camp manager, with the Baptist Brotherhood Commission, and as RA Trainer for the state of Tennessee. He also led RA groups in church. Though Frank passed away in 2019, his legacy influence through RA continues.
“Royal Racers and the Green family have been an integral part of Royal Ambassadors for more than 40 years,” said Heather Keller, children’s missions consultant for national WMU. “I am excited that the care and passion the Green family has shown for racers will continue through WMU so countless boys and RA leaders can continue to experience racing while they learn what God is doing around the world and how they can be a part.”
The Royal Racers product line available through WMU will initially feature the four top-selling style derby car kits, each containing a block of wood, four axles, four wheels, weights, a sticker, and an instruction sheet for assembly. A separate parts kit with an extra five axles, five wheels, five RA logo stickers, and stick-on weights will also be available.
The website royalracers.com now redirects to wmu.com/royalracers where these items will be available for purchase in June. Orders will be fulfilled from national WMU’s warehouse in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more at wmu.com/royalracers.
Alabama, Missouri Baptists donate toward missionary housing renovation
Alabama Baptists are joining South Carolina Baptists in donating $1 million to the International Mission Board to be used for renovation of missionary housing at the International Learning Center. The ILC is IMB’s campus in Rockville, Virginia, where new missionaries are trained and where missionaries return during stateside assignments.
The money is coming from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions’ capital improvement fund and was approved by SBOM trustees May 14 during their regularly scheduled quarterly meeting.
Rick Lance, SBOM executive director, said, “IMB’s work is at the heart of what we do. … We have 400-plus missionaries who claim Alabama as home … and $1 million should cover the cost of one full dormitory.”
The dorm covered by Alabama Baptists will be marked in memory of Alabama’s own Martha Myers, who was martyred in Yemen in 2002. “She was one of a kind,” Lance said.
“I happened to be on IMB’s board when the ILC was built, and it hasn’t been touched since it was built in 1985,” he added.
Other state conventions are assisting financially with the quad housing upgrades ($300,000). The IMB is seeking commitments from as many state conventions as possible. Read more from the recent IMB board meeting here.
From the Missouri Baptist Pathway:
RICHMOND, Va. – Because of the faithful giving of Missouri Baptist churches through the Cooperative Program, the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) was able to deliver a special $300,000 gift to the International Mission Board (IMB) last month.
The gift, which came out of the MBC’s 2025 underspend, will be used to help renovate missionary housing at the IMB’s International Learning Center in Virginia. The MBC’s gift will fund the renovation of one of 23 Quads, where new IMB missionaries live and are trained prior to being sent across the globe to make disciples.
“At our March meeting, the Executive Board of the MBC considered and approved this special opportunity from the IMB,” Missouri Baptist Convention Executive Director Wes Fowler told The Pathway. “Soon, a ‘Quad’ housing unit will be fully renovated on behalf of Missouri Baptists, and future missionaries will be reminded every day of our love and support.
“To present our gift,” Fowler added, “I personally visited the International Learning Center and experienced firsthand the joy and excitement of our missionaries preparing to be sent. I was both humbled and proud. Humbled by those willing to sacrifice so deeply for the sake of the Gospel, and proud to know they were being sent through the obedient support of Southern Baptists.
“Thank you, Missouri Baptists, for making this gift possible! Our missionaries deserve our very best, and I’m certain they will deeply appreciate your generosity and faithful support.”
IMB President Paul Chitwood also expressed his gratitude to Missouri Baptists for their support.
“I am incredibly grateful for the leadership of MBC executive director, Dr. Wes Fowler, members of the (MBC executive) board, and all Missouri Baptists for partnering with us to renovate missionary housing at the International Learning Center,” Chitwood told The Pathway. “Generations of Southern Baptist missionary families who reside in that housing will know that Missouri Baptists are holding the ropes for them as MBC has yet again proven their commitment to getting the Good News to the ends of the earth and doing so by ensuring that Southern Baptist missionaries are fully trained and well cared for as they take the Gospel on our behalf.”
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