A few of the summer missionaries from 2016 gathered together on the front lawn of Mission Arlington.

We are excited to share that our first Summer Missionaries arrive here this Sunday evening.  “Summer Missionaries” are high school and college-aged young people who work at Mission Arlington^® for part, or for all, of the summer. Instead of taking summer jobs to get ahead financially, these students serve with us as full-time volunteers. Just under thirty are scheduled to live and work here through the summer.

These talented and energetic students are committed to Christ above all else. For this reason, they leave the comforts of home to spend their summer here – working with the Mission family to serve the children and youth in our community.

While they are here, these students will listen to and pray with people in our front room, organize and distribute food from the pantry, knock on doors out in the community inviting people to various events, lead summer programs with children and youth, and serve on teams within the various Bible studies and congregations of Mission Arlington^® – – and a lot more.

These missionaries come from within the Bible studies of Mission Arlington^®, from many cities across Texas, and from multiple states across North America.  In addition, five of the students who serve here this summer call South Korea home.  In partnership with Go Now Missions, and Korean Baptist churches, these International students will serve here for the summer.

At the end of this season as these dedicated young people have come and gone, they leave behind a field of spiritual influence in the lives of our community’s children and youth.  Simply put, we are all better because they have come to give their lives here. The Mission Arlington^®  family is better because they have come, and we pray for them as they go. Their lives will be different too. (Read the testimonies of a few here, here, and here!)

As the Lord prompts your own heart, would you join us in prayer as these students arrive? Pray for them, and for their influence in and through the months ahead.

Keller Williams and Nielsen family members work together moving school supplies in place. so our community’s children & youth will have what they need to start school this Fall.

In geography, confluence stands for the “meeting of two or more bodies of water.” In one sense, it means the point where a tributary joins a larger stream. In another sense it refers to the place where two or more streams come together to become the source of a new river altogether.  The Ohio river, for example is created out of three smaller rivers flowing into it.

Mother & Child work together to help others.

Mission Arlington^® is one of many places across our city where the principles behind confluence seem so apparent. In a very real sense, we are the ones who stand in the middle. As we say so often, the strength of what the Lord is doing here represents the energy, care, and generosity of a beautiful community. You give through us to others. We receive your gifts, and then we give them away to people in need. We are truly “twice-blessed.” Add to this that our ministry runs primarily by volunteer support, and you realize that not only does our community give the gifts, but you also participate in the organizing and donations of those gifts to people in need.  To use a scriptural analogy from Ecclesiastes 4:12, “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

Through the past few days, we have seen the confluence of so many different strands of our community intersect here – often on the same day – to make a difference in the lives of others.  This past week, on a single day, volunteers from Nielsen, Mutual Liberty, Keller Williams, and Alcon/Novartis joined hands – no longer from separate companies, and no longer “Mission Arlington” or “the community,” but all one, a mighty force for good in the center of our city.  It was extraordinary to watch, and a joy to be a part of.  Add to that a multitude of students from Arlington Collegiate High School on a single day, and hundreds from Ousley Junior High each day this week, and the picture comes together.

In just a few days, we will be joined by young people from across our country, and a few who are coming here from around the world – summer missionaries who will spend the summer here, investing their lives for a season. Beyond that, student groups from every corner of our country will arrive in our city, joining forces to share God’s love in every part of our own city.  An incredible stream of God’s love will flow through our city all summer long.

Day after day, we are honored to be here, to walk this journey with you, and to represent you as we love the people for whom you have sacrificed to receive help.  Even deeper still, we want faithfully to honor our Lord, whose love was proven on a cross so long ago. The drops of mercy which flowed from Calvary have formed a mighty river of unstoppable love for all who will receive it. All glory to God.

For the 11th year in a row, Charity Navigator – the “largest and most-utilized independent evaluator of charities” nationwide – awarded Mission Arlington /Mission Metroplex^® it’s 11th annual 4-STAR award.

The 4-STAR designation is the highest honor the respected charity watchdog bestows, placing us in the top 1 percent of charities they rate nationwide.

We are humbled to receive this honor once again, and we appreciate so much the faithful, sacrificial support of this community. You can view their annual report about our work here.

In a May 1st letter, Michael Thatcher, the President and CEO of Charity Navigator, says that this honor indicates to the public that we adhere to “best practices,” and that we “execute our mission” in a “financially efficient way.”

According to Thatcher, Mission Arlington /Mission Metroplex^® “exceed industry standards,” outperforming “most other charities in America.” We are humbled and honored by this designation.

We can be here, now in our 31st year, because of the way you constantly give your time, prayers, and financial support day after day.  When you give, we are able to give it away.

We believe that the honor we have received through this designation is a credit to the heart of a great community who cares about people in need.

We are grateful for the privilege we have of walking this journey with you.

 Transparent  – Each year about this time we pass along to you the same report our Board of Directors receives from the auditors.  This local & respected team of men and women review the books here each spring, then submit their findings.  Today, we are passing along this news to you.

 In Good Standing  – We are pleased to let you know that we have been given a clean bill of health – in accounting terms “a clean opinion.”  We recognize the value of your trust, so we work hard to do things well and right. This has been our heart for over 30 years.

 Low Administrative Overhead  – We also know that your hard-earned dollars are given sacrificially for the purpose of providing help for people in need.  We never take your generosity for granted. We pray over our expenditures here, and under the leadership of our Director, Tillie Burgin, we continue to watch the pennies we spend.

Our administrative overhead for 2016 (the latest reporting period) was 2.79 percent.  This means that more than 97 cents out of every dollar goes directly in ministry to people in need.

 Accountability  – In addition, we are pleased to work with a number of charity watchdogs who evaluate our work. You can find the links to their reports at the bottom of each page of this website.

 Effective Ministry Results  – Finally, we provide a ministry report every year which details the results from each of our ministries over a specific year.  Usually, this report is published in January of each year. You can find the report for 2016 published here. You can find reports through the past 12 years or so listed here.

 Our Gratitude  – We are grateful for the way you give you time and resources here. Thank you.

These days have been special at Mission Arlington^®.  We love so much the opportunities we have to serve this community alongside of you. We especially love the privilege we have of serving children, youth, and their families.  The Easter season here provides us ample opportunities to do just that.

Since you were the ones who gave the plastic eggs filled with candy, and since you were the ones who came here to put them together for the kids, and since so many of you who couldn’t give or come prayed with and for us all the way through, we wanted to provide this Easter report for you.

1.  Easter Store – 1,012 people attended; 
2.  Maundy Thursday Youth Service – 182 youth attended; 
3.  Easter Egg Hunt – 4,702 people attended. 

In our Bible studies and congregations this past Sunday, thousands gathered to worship a risen Lord. Thank you so much for your faithful generosity. You are making a difference here.

A Bible study family from central Arlington came to the Easter Egg Hunt together. In the background you can see a Dipert bus donated to help carry children to and from the Egg Hunt. We are grateful for so many who support this ministry with children.

For Christians, every Sunday is a reminder of Christ’s resurrection, but there is something very special – holy – about the annual celebration of Christ’s victory over death, and its implications for our faith (1 Corinthians 15:4). As Easter draws near, Christians around the world join hands to worship. The Mission Arlington^® family looks toward Easter too with great anticipation and joy.

Because we have been loved so much, our hope and our heart is to share God’s love as far and wide as we possibly can.  Every day we are providing food and emergency financial assistance to families who find themselves in a moment of crisis. Every day we volunteer dentists and doctors are providing medical assistance to people struggling with their health.

Every week, we are assisting students with their homework, so that they can be successful with their education now and in life later on. Every week, we are loving young people through sports in multiple venues – including wrestling, baseball, basketball, and now volleyball. Every week we have the privilege of teaching God’s word in accessible Bible studies & congregations spread out in nearly 350 places across our community. We are so incredibly blessed by your support and for the privilege we have to serve our Lord in this community day by day.
As Easter draws near, we have many opportunities ahead of us to share God’s love in a few special ways:

• Our Easter Store is designed to help families have a few of the extra things they may need at Easter. The store opens April 12th and 13th from 10 to 6 each day;
• On Maundy Thursday, at 6:30 p.m., we host an annual service designed specifically for 7th – 12th graders who attend our Bible studies & congregations each week; 
• Our giant Easter Egg Hunt, affectionately called the “world’s largest,” happens on Saturday, April 15th, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This event is open to the public. Easter eggs and candy are still needed for this event; 
• On Easter Sunday morning, our congregations will gather all over the city to worship a risen Lord. Contact us if you have an interest in joining a Bible study near you.

Everything that happens in and through Mission Arlington^® can happen because of your faithful and generous support of this ministry. We want you to know every day how grateful we are for you. May our Lord bless each of you in and through this Easter season.

Psalms 105: 3b “. . . .so that your youth is renewed like the eagles.” Children serving at Mission Arlington

Spring Cleaning really is a “thing” in our community, but it isn’t only a local phenomenon.  Spring Cleaning occurs in many cultures around the world. It refers to a kind of “deep cleaning” people do each spring.  You may not know this, but advice about Spring cleaning is abundant – from tips, checklists, and guides to simple shortcuts.  You can find the information almost anywhere and everywhere. If you haven’t started your spring cleaning yet, you might be just a little behind.

At Mission Arlington^®, we know that the cleaning season is underway in our community, and that it has been for some time.  As you clean out closets in your home, or your business, you have been donating items to people who could use something special for their home.  Around this time every year, our donation bins stay full, and the line of cars coming through never quite empties.  We love it, because generosity is in the air, and the way you give continues to bless us. When you come by to “drop off,” you are always such an encouragement to us. Thank you.

Spring Cleaning  can also refer to a person or organization who is “getting their affairs in order” before a big event or a new season in life. For Christians, Easter is a time that many revive or rededicate themselves to faith. 40 days before Easter, Lent begins. This is a time when many will set aside something of value to them to focus on Christ and his journey to the cross. Easter can truly be a way for some people to begin their journey of faith, and also for many to renew their commitment to Christ.

Easter is an important time for the Mission Arlington^® family too. In this season, we host an Easter Store, designed to bless families with specific needs for this season. On Thursday of holy week, we gather youth from our Bible studies for a Maundy Thursday service, one designed specifically for them. On the Saturday before Easter, we host what we affectionately call the “World’s Largest” Easter egg hunt.  And on Easter Sunday morning, our congregations gather with faithful believers here at home and all across the world to commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.  This is a season, we pray, when many can come clean before the Lord and to have a fresh new start.

We are so grateful for each and everyone of you who give, volunteer, and pray for us – not just in this season, but all year long.

A Rainbow Express during Spring Break last week.  Student groups from across the country came to share God’s love with thousands of children across our community. We are so grateful for each team and every person who came to serve.

 More than 7,000 children attended Rainbow Express over Spring Break, an average of 1,764 every day. 212 children and youth accepted Christ, including a few who came with their team.  

The phrase “boots on the ground” is attributed to General Volney F. Warner who gave the phrase new meaning around 1980 in reference to the Iranian Hostage Crisis. The phrase indicates ground forces who are actually fighting in a war or conflict as opposed to other military action created from a distance, such as the Pentagon “think tanks” or air force strikes from the sky.

Through these weeks of Spring Break and on into the summer, teams of people from across Texas and around our country are landing in this community to share the good news of Christ. As we’ve watched a sea of buses/vans arrive in our city this past week (over 1,600 students), “boots on the ground” is one image that seemed relevant.  Instead of a battle, however, this large team of people had landed here to share God’s love

One of Mission Arlington^®’s twin values is “taking church to the people.” Instead of waiting, or hoping, that people will come from their homes into our church buildings, we’ve believed from the beginning the believers should leave their places of comfort and take the Lord’s love into each and every home across our city. That’s what has happened here this week.

Of course, these teams are following the marching orders given to all Christians,  from the Lord himself – to go into all the world making disciples (Matthew 28: 18-20). These student groups come to lead Rainbow Express^®, our version of a backyard Bible club. Children have fun, enjoying snacks, crafts, active games, music (including some silly songs), snacks, and a Bible story.

Each Rainbow Express^® lasts for a couple of hours over four days. We are so grateful for each and every volunteer who leaves their comfort zone to move throughout this community to share God’s love. In a very real sense, you are the “boots on the ground,” in God’s army, to spread His love and peace in this community – one life at a time.  We love the privilege we have of serving alongside you each and every day. Many more weeks ahead.

 It’s Spring Break at Mission Arlington^®

 Spring at Mission Arlington®  means the start of Rainbow Express^®. If you haven’t heard of Rainbow Express^® before, it is our name for a “backyard Bible club. ” Student groups come from around the nation to help, and it is always so much fun.
  1,600 students  will arrive
here to lead these events in  93 different locations . Several groups are already here this week – serving here each morningand leading Rainbow Express^® every afternoon.

What is Rainbow Express?

Each event lasts around two hours, and happens over a four-day span of time in each location. Fun songs, outdoor activities, crafts, and Bible stories make up the experience. Plus, there is a lot
of individual love and attention given to each child.

Sharing Jesus

Where do these student groups stay?

Some of the teams coming into town stay in local hotels, of course, but many of the 65 different groups who come need a place to stay.  In order to make it easier for churches to bring their students, we will house them in as many of our facilities as we possibly can. Staying in a Mission Arlington^®  location basically means that each student will have a clean and safe place to stay where everyone sleeps on the floor. They will have access to restrooms, showers, and a small kitchen.  We provide these facilities free of charge, and they are spartan.

How you can help

The best and most important service you can offer us through this week, Spring Break, and the weeks to come is to pray. Please pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit, for the right connections to be made between church youth groups and individual children & youth in the community. Pray for safety in travel, and above all, please pray that there will be no distractions from the message of the gospel of Christ.  We are praying specifically for people to be saved. May our Lord be glorified through it all.

We are grateful for you!

If you have followed us for very long at all, you will know that we express appreciation often for those who give and volunteer, and also for those of you who pray for us.

We publish “prayer circles” each week, a kind of guide for collective prayers, and we have asked that people “pray without ceasing” on the one hand, but also that those of us who pray could metaphorically join hands each morning at 10:00.

We have a beautiful sense of the covering provided for this place, because people pray. We are truly grateful.

On the last Thursday of each month, the Mission Arlington^® family gathers to pray. Last night, we watched taped testimony from a worshipper at Brooklyn Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York who had reached the heights of success in the world of fashion, but lost it all through an addiction to drugs.  It was the power of prayer in this man’s life which saved his life, and connected him to Christ. It was a direct reminder of prayer’s power, and that we should never give up on any one. No one is beyond the reach of God’s love.

Tillie Burgin, our Director, spoke to the team last night, reminding us that most Christians believe in prayer. However, she wondered  “how many know intuitively and practically prayer’s power?” ?   Our prayer time together was significant and strong.  We prayed for the Bible studies we lead throughout our city. We prayed for each other personally, and we prayed for revival to come to our city, beginning with us.

In the Old Testament, after Job suffered so much, he demanded an audience with God multiple times (Job 10:2; 13:3; 13:22-24; 19:7), God shows up and answers Job.   When the Lord finishes, Job says “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. (42:5).

We are writing today specifically to say “Thank you for your faithful prayers on our behalf,” and to request that you continue.  Our heart’s desire is that God find us faithful and in tune with His will for our lives personally and for the Mission collectively.  May God move in and through each of us to make a difference in our homes, our neighborhoods, our city, our country, and our world.

We are grateful for your support.