DUNCANVILLE—Two laymen at First Baptist Church in Duncanville collectively have invested more than seven decades in Royal Ambassadors. And they show no signs of slowing down.
Gary Shouse started his journey with the missions program for boys in 1985 and never left. His son was involved, but the other RAs quickly became part of the Shouse family, as well.
Jim Densmore began work as a leader in 1974 but had participated in RAs as a boy. It seemed only natural to serve in the ministry once he became a father.
Award-winning duo
Both men have received the Legion of Honor award in Royal Ambassadors, the highest recognition the program grants.
For 107 years, RAs have emphasized missions education for young men—and the program has needed male leaders to point boys in the right direction.
“I’m excited to see God at work in the lives of fathers and teaching young men to be godly,” said Keith Mack, state RA director. “It doesn’t exist without committed leaders, and we’re seeing more and more men step up.”
Through decades of RA leadership, Shouse and Densmore have aimed to get the boys they mentor involved in serving alongside them. They love watching growth—seeing boys go from knowing nothing about God to praying for each other.
“It’s such a blessing to be involved with these boys, to see them grow and change,” Shouse said. “I was raised in this neighborhood—this is where I came from. I know where these boys are coming from. We relate to them, and they respond.”
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Impact on young lives
More than anything, though, RA leaders realize the impact they make on the lives of their students. They work to maintain the standard of care for each individual while continuing to emphasize missions.
“We build them up—let them know that we love them and that they matter,” Densmore said about the boys. “We ask them to pray for each other, and not to just pray for their dogs, but for real things.”
In the many years Shouse and Densmore have led RAs, they have seen a few changes to the curriculum but more changes in the boys they have mentored.
“We do a lot to just teach the boys how to get along and teach them that they’re important,” Shouse said. “We have boys whose families don’t come to church, but they come to RAs.”
Many of these boys lack father figures in their lives, he added. Boys who used to be sent to church now attend on their own initiative.
Shouse and Densmore mentored Evan Henson, youth minister at First Baptist Church in Duncanville. Henson, a recent Truett Theological Seminary graduate, fondly remembers the events he participated in as an RA. But especially, he thanks God for godly leaders who pointed him to Christ.
Neither Shouse nor Densmore plan to resign from their RA leadership posts anytime soon.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I look to do it for however long God calls me to do it,” Densmore said.
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