Twenty-three years ago, Marne agreed to substitute for a friend’s Mission Arlington Bible study while the friend was out of town. It only took one week for Marne to fall in love with the people and the ministry.

Since then, Marne has worked in many facets of Mission Arlington: child care, community service, transportation, and in many apartment complexes. She now works with a team of volunteers, many of whom she met and taught in Bible Studies over the years, leading many small churches around Arlington: several in East Arlington and two in retirement communities.

Their team is small but makes a big impact. In places where only one person is available to lead a Bible Study, it would be easy to say there is not enough help and stop going. Instead, they find a teenager or another adult within that community to be an assistant. Marne says, “we don’t want to give up anything.”

At one of the retirement centers, there is one 84-year-old woman, Darlene, who Marne calls “our head deacon.” Upon moving to the center four years ago, she came to the Mission Arlington church service and cried every Sunday. The woman later explained she had not been in church or sung in 50 years, and the words “would not come out.” To be home in the Lord’s presence again made her overwhelmed. Marne says it’s been a joy to see her come back, grow, and love the Lord. Now Darlene leads the morning prayer on Sundays and visits with other residents to pray during the week.

One of the greatest joys in the retirement centers is seeing people come back to God. Marne says Mission Arlington being in the community gives the people another opportunity “to reconnect with the Father and have a renewal of their spiritual life, and it’s amazing.”

Marne and her team feel blessed to be allowed to share God’s love with this special group of people.