Mission Arlington®’s children’s basketball leagues begin tomorrow, and continue each Saturday in February from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 

In 2016, seventy (70) children played ball with us over four different Saturdays, adding up to a total attendance for the month of more than 400.

Bible study leaders drive mission vans out across our community to pick up children early on Saturday morning.  The Bible study groups form the teams, and through the years, they have enjoyed playing half court games against each other.

A couple of years ago, Jerry McCullough, former Superintendent of the Arlington ISD, and currently a Bible study teacher and team leader at one of our apartment congregations, took the lead.  The Lord led Dr. McCullough to enlist skilled volunteers from across the community, along with the Bible study teams, who would give their time and talent to coach the children.

When the leagues begin tomorrow, these volunteer coaches will lead a miniature basketball camp, teaching children the fundamentals of the game. These future basketball stars will learn how to dribble, pass, work on a team, all along getting great exercise and positive feedback from the coaches and their Bible study leaders.

Please pray with us as we gather the children through Saturdays in February. We are always thankful for your faithful support.

We live in a day where biblical literacy is on the decline.  In fact, some consider the rate of illiteracy so alarming, they refer to it as an epidemic. From working in apartment ministry through the years, we have seen too that many people who are new to faith, or close to beginning their faith journey, simply haven’t had much interaction with or awareness of the biblical message.

Bible Olympics has been a part of Mission Arlington’s repertoire for as far back as any of us can remember. It is our effort, as the book of Proverb contends, to “train up a child” in the way that they should go.  The Olympic efforts of Mission Arlington^® are designed to teach the children God’s word in creative and fun ways.

This annual event uses creative games, crafts, and loving mentors to educate children about biblical organization and content.  The point, however, isn’t Bible trivia, but introducing students to Christ, and to the transforming power of God’s word.

With free food and transportation, we are looking forward to a great day. We are grateful for your constant, faithful support. Thank you, and all glory to God.

As the new year begins, many new commitments are made. Among those new directions for many is a commitment to “time in the gym,” working out and taking care of our bodies.  The Mission Arlington^® family loves the new year.  Everything we enjoyed in the previous year comes around again.  One commitment we enjoy throughout each year is an event we call “Gym Night.”

Gym Nights happen on Friday evenings twice a month through much of the year. Children and youth, on separate nights, enjoy time in the gym – playing basketball, games of all kinds, and hearing a short Bible study designed specifically for them.

Last year hundreds of young people participated in these free events. They enjoy the night out, the physical activity, the time with their Bible study leaders, and they develop better relationships with their peers and also with the Lord.

We are so grateful for the privilege we have of sharing our lives with and investing in these energetic and strong young people.  While we know how much fun these kids have, the truth is that we who get to be with them on these Friday nights are immensely blessed by the privilege. There is a lot of teamwork, laughter, and love that happens on these nights.

Thank you so much for the privilege we have of serving alongside of you in this community. Your faithful, generous prayers, help, and financial support play such a big part in all we do.

If you are looking for us tonight, we’ll be in the gym.  That’s our commitment, and we’re sticking to it.

You are invited to help others on this special day of service dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  King reminded us that:  “Everybody can be great . . . because anybody can serve.” 

We certainly agree. Mission Arlington^® will be open on Monday, January 16th, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. We welcome walk ups and/or teams. Join others who will be here all day long – sorting clothes, food, household items and furniture.

If you are serving with the Arlington MLK Day of Service, arrive by 9:00 a.m. to the Mission Metroplex building at 400 W. South St.  We are honored to host this amazing group of people who will serve all over our community. Look for the friendly volunteers all around who will help you park and find the right spot. From there you will be divided up in multiple places to serve around the Metroplex, including Mission Arlington^®.

Toni Kincaid, long-time chair of the Arlington MLK service day says that the “best way to honor Dr. King is through service and volunteering.  We agree. You will work hard, but have fun, and feel rewarded when you end, because it is always more blessed to give than to receive.

Why not “make it a day on, and not a day off? It is going to be a great day.

We look forward to seeing you here!

Stephen Covey authored The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People which sold over 25 million copies. One of the principals Covey taught, is that successful people “keep the main thing the main thing.” Others have pointed out that what is true of people is also true of families, businesses, and more.

At Mission Arlington^®, through 2016, we have attempted to do just that. Many people were touched by the ministry here last year:

1. Through the Holidays:
   1. 3,000 Children attended the Fall Festival;
   2. 6,083 families and 25,869 people received Thanksgiving food, and
   3. 30,010 children (7,282 families) received Christmas gifts. 4,000 children received bikes, and 11,67 people made spiritual decisions, including 303 who accepted Christ;
   4. Easter activities ministered to 5,875 people.
2. Nearly 40,000 families received personal & spiritual care through emergency assistance (food, clothes, household items, furniture, and financial assistance with rent and utilities).  In other words, nearly 150,000 people received care through our front room.
3. Health Care: 1) Dental Clinic: 3,176 people treated, $968,192 of free care; 2) Nearly 9,000 office visits(8,976) received $1,182,340 worth of free medical care;
4. Bible Studies in 349 locations with thousands in attendance each week;
5. Children and Youth: 28,668 attended Rainbow Express in 401 locations over the Spring and Summer.  420 youth attended two rallies designed specifically for them at Easter and for a back to school event. Baseball, Basketball, and Wrestling form the three Sport’s leagues we sponsor with a total attendance of more than 2,000 this past year.

In the midst of all the ministry, we remember the difference between helping someone in a moment of need, and sharing with them the Love of God which changes a heart for a lifetime.  We also remember every single day that we have been supported by a strong and faithful community of people who give, pray, and help so that others less fortunate can find comfort and practical help.  We are grateful for you.

Thank you for walking with us through the transition from the 30th to our 31st year. To God be the glory.

Mission Arlington^® turned thirty years old on August 1st of this year.   This has been another strong year for the ministry, primarily because the community which surrounds us continues to pray, to help, and to give as they have for three decades. We are grateful.

We are also grateful for our friends at the City of Arlington who put together this video about us a while back.  It is 2:08 seconds long.  In this video, Tillie Burgin, our Executive Director, takes a rare moment to look back at how far the Lord has brought this ministry over the last thirty years.

If you haven’t seen this before, we hope you enjoy it. If you’ve already watched it, then we hope it blesses you again as you hear Tillie’s heart for the Lord and for this city.

Please take a moment to read the beautiful article published on the City’s website about our work here. We are grateful every day for your support, and we are excited about the coming new year.

When you google “CHRISTMAS WARMTH,” you receive a list of websites around the country reporting temperatures which are too warm for the season.  The warmth we’ve experienced at Mission Arlington^®, however, has nothing to do with the weather. Rather, it refers to the way the people’s hearts have been impacted here.

Volunteers were touched: Hundreds of energetic and caring volunteers were here every day through the Christmas season. Teams of people worked diligently to get gifts in place for the opening day of our Christmas Store. From opening to close, volunteers served in the Store helping shoppers find gifts for their children. One dad returned in tears to speak with a staff member. His question: “Why is it that I feel I am more blessed than the people needing help?”  His heart had been touched by the experience.

You gave compassionately: It takes thousands and thousands of toys to provide for a community like this, and you made it happen. You dug deep, giving sacrificially, filling up the toy store again and again, yet you made it look effortless. Only warm and kind-hearted people have this kind of spirit.

The joy of giving back: This year, many of our donors stopped to tell us that they had been recipients of gifts from the store many years before, and now they were here to give back.  More than once, their eyes moistened with tears when they shared that news.  One man had two tragedies in his family over a three year period many years ago. The Mission had stepped in to help his family “back then,” but now he was here – for the second year in a row – helping others to be ok.  You could hear the emotion in his voice as he explained why he wouldn’t “give anywhere else.”

A passion for people:  When people don’t care, we often describe them as “cold-hearted.”  It is easy enough to care for family and friends, but not for people we don’t know. Yet, this community shows up in force to care for people in need, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because, as one mother said: “it warms my children’s hearts” when they serve.

The radiant face of a child: On Christmas morning, the reports of warm glows on the faces of children is a direct reflection of a community’s passion to care. It’s a smile which adults recall even years later.

The Love of the Father:  We pray that all of this reflects the passion of our heavenly Father who loved the world so much that he gave His only son – so that all who believe in Him can have eternal life.  This passion also flows from a Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who left his heavenly throne to be born in a manger and ultimately pay the debt of our sin on the cross.  May His passion for people always be ours.

Merry Christmas from the Mission Arlington^® Family

Christmas mornings mean so much to families. Traditions vary around the world, and in every home. Gathering with family, the giving of gifts, and for children, a special sense of love, laughter, and fun. In seasons of life where a job has been lost, or a health crisis knocks us off our feet, or when the unexpected (or unthinkable) happens, Christmas struggles become real.

Notes, phone calls, and personal inquiries about Christmas come in every day, and the situations are both genuine and heart-wrenching. Adults aren’t concerned about themselves, but for their children, and the tears are evident and real.  While we know we cannot meet every need, we are grateful for the privilege we have every day of saying “Yes, we can help!”

We can do that because you make it possible. To date, you have provided gifts to 11,795 children through our Christmas Store. What we see – as parents listen to the Christmas Story, as they pick gifts for their children (all at no charge), as their gifts are wrapped, and as they carry their gifts to the car – is true JOY.  The smiles and the laughter do tell the tale, and we are so blessed.

Thank you for all you do to make this possible. All glory to God.

As the weather turns colder in North Texas, and now with the Thanksgiving season behind us, the Mission Arlington^® family turns its heart toward the Christmas season.  This coming Saturday, December 10th, our free Christmas Store will open again to the public, and it will stay open every day (excluding Sundays) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through December 23rd.

Volunteers have been working all year long to get the store ready to go for this Saturday. Our community has been giving toys and bikes since December 26th of last year, and currently gifts are coming in every single day.  What joy there will be for children under the Christmas tree this year.

Today, something extraordinarily beautiful happened. A local company donated 150 artificial trees out back.  At the same time, more than 100 Christmas live Christmas trees arrived out front.  What was so wonderful is that, within moments, most of those trees were on their way to people’s homes. God had supplied the need at just the right time.  Groups have been coming through all day long. We finished late Monday evening with a local girl scout troop who had collected and dropped off a huge load of Christmas gifts.

One amazing part of the store involves the re-telling of the Christmas Story from Luke 2.  Last year, in response to that story, 368 adults began a journey with Christ, and another 743 people requested for someone to follow up with them about what they had heard.

Please pray with us about opening day – not just that we will have enough toys and bikes for the children, and that no child will have to wake up on Christmas morning without toys under the tree, but that all would know of our Lord’s great love.

One lady came into the Mission this afternoon, in tears, because of difficult, very tough, circumstances in her own life.  As we responded – not just with financial support, food, clothes, and more, but with personal care, the exclaimed “Thank you, Jesus!” on her way out.  We agree.

 Last year, more than 30 thousand (30,514) children received gifts, including 4,000 brand new bikes. Altogether, more than 7 thousand (7,351) families received gifts. 

 What was the end result? More than 6,000 volunteers delivered Thanksgiving food to 6,083 families representing 25,869 people. 

One year ago, the Mission Arlington^® team began getting ready for Thanksgiving day. As food donations came in throughout the year, we identified and separated out Thanksgiving food and set it aside.

As summer turned into Fall, Thanksgiving donations from the community began to trickle in – turkeys and Thanksgiving food. We never cease to be amazed at the generosity and the support of this community. When our Fall Festival finished at the end of October, our thoughts and efforts turned in earnest toward Thanksgiving Day.  Individuals, families, and teams of all kinds collected food, then brought it to us. Those same teams, along with many others helped us to sort the food and build more than 5,000 boxes for delivery.

On Thanksgiving morning the day was cool and clear. Early in the day, our team arrived early to move the trucks into place for the day. By 5:00 a.m., the rest of the staff arrived to finish the preparations. By 7:30, when volunteers began arriving, we were ready.

More than 6,000 volunteers drove into downtown Arlington on a crisp, beautiful Thanksgiving morning. The energy and enthusiasm of the people – young and old, newcomers, and some who had been doing this for years – was palpable.  Laughter was in the air.  Tillie spoke to the group, then led those close enough to hear in a prayer of Thanksgiving for the day.

What was the end result? More than 6,000 volunteers delivered Thanksgiving food to 6,083 families representing 25,869 people.

As many of you left for the day, you called out “Thanks for the blessing,” hardly recognizing your own role in the efforts to bless others. Again and again, you affirmed the truth that we are more blessed when we give than when we receive.

As we closed the doors on the day and headed out to our own Thanksgiving meals, the image was strong –  of families all across our community sitting around their kitchen tables, enjoying Thanksgiving with their own family, and giving thanks to God.  All the glory belongs to Him.

We are thankful for the privilege of serving this community alongside each of you. We hope your own Thanksgiving was truly blessed.