Mission Arlington® hosts backyard Bible clubs through out the community, primarily during the spring and summer. These gatherings of children and youth involve age-appropriate Bible studies, crafts, singing, fun and games.  These 4-day (2 1/2 hour long) events are called Rainbow Express®, and they are a big part of what we do as we “take church to the people.”

From Spring Break through this week, we have held Rainbow Express in 163 locations. More than thirteen thousand (13,212) children and youth have attended these events so far, and it has been a beautiful experience.  This week, we started Rainbow Express again.  On average this week, 466 young people have come each day.

We received a note from the mother of a child who was attending Rainbow Express last week:

“I wanted to thank Mission Arlington/ Mission Metroplex “rainbow express” that came this week for sharing with my son and kids here at our apartment community. He had a great time and was sad today was the last day. I appreciate your effort and time. You can never under-estimate the impact you can make on a child and the seed you plant. Thank you for all you do! Just wanted to share that and let you know to keep up the great work thank you!”

For us, the “end of the Rainbow” isn’t a pot of gold, but the ability to share Christ, to teach God’s word, and to love without hesitation the children and youth in our community.  Rainbow Express® allows us the perfect opportunity to go where the people are, so that they can know God’s love.

We are grateful for the privilege we have of doing what we do, alongside of you.  Your generous giving, and your faithful praying make the difference here.  Thank you so much!

Dr. W. P. Mackay (1839-1885) left home at 17 with the Bible his mother gave to him, yet he ultimately turned from the faith. He sold the Bible to meet some of his needs.  Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Mackey became a successful medical doctor.  On one occasion an accident victim came under Dr. Mackay’s care who wouldn’t live long.  The patient asked for someone to send him “the Book” from home.

After his death, Dr. Mackay was interested in the book this patient desired so intensely, and it turned out to be the very Bible he had sold years before – with his mother’s inscription on the front flyleaf. Overwhelmed by this, Mackay gave his life to Christ and ultimately became a Presbyterian preacher, author, and songwriter.  One of his best known refrains from one of his hymns is “Hallelujah, Thine the glory.” “Revive us again.” (Read the full story here.)

It is the sentiment behind this well-known refrain which is on the hearts and minds of Mission Arlington® as we turn the corner into June.  Starting this weekend, our revival services begin again.  Our heart’s desire is that these won’t simply be a series of meetings, but a true intersection of God and his people. To that end, we ask you to pray with us.  Growing in number, the mission will host 15 different multi-day revivals in various locations around the city. Though some have been around long enough to still call these special events “tent revivals,” the huge outdoor tents (with an exception or two) are gone, and services are hosted inside.  Many people accept Christ each year at these events.  You can find a partial list of these services listed here.

Recently, Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, issued a call for Christians to pray for spiritual awakening nationwide.  We covet your prayers for the same work here in our own community.  Thank you for your constant, faithful support of our work here.

To God be the glory!

Mission Arlington Offices

In the news this week are four charities which the federal government has identified as shams. The Federal Trade Commission claims that four cancer charities, located in various locations across the US, “spent about 97% of donations they received either on private fundraisers or on themselves. Only 3% went to help cancer patients.”

The concept of “administrative overhead” is an important one for consumers, helping them understand how much of the hard-earned money they contribute actually makes it to people in need. Understandably, every non-profit has some level of administrative costs, because it takes people and processes to help the organization run effectively. Knowing this particular percentage helps consumers make wise investments with their money.

Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex is governed, under God’s direction, by a board of directors who meet monthly. Their names are published on our website. Our philosophy with respect to giving is available, along with the our approach to administration.   Our hope is to be transparent, and our desire is to be accountable to you.  To that end, we voluntarily associate with multiple accountability organizations who review our work annually. You can find those organizations listed and linked here.

At the monthly meeting of our Board of Directors last night, the directors received the audit report, prepared annually by PSK, giving the organization a clean bill of health. The auditors also reported that Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex spends 2.8 percent of its budget on supporting, or administrative, services.   This means that 97.2 percent of each dollar you give does directly in ministry to people in need.

We have been serving our Lord, walking alongside of this community for almost 29 years.  We take seriously our calling, and our privilege of attempting to meet people’s physical, spiritual, emotional, and social needs.  We are grateful to be doing this with you, and we look forward to being here for years to come.

Mission Arlington® is a special place. People come here from all walks of life. If you get a chance to come through every now and then, you will see the “hustle and bustle” of a busy community, filled with people who are called to serve, and others who are receiving authentic help.

The energy is so evident that some refer to us as a “city within a city,” and others say that we are as “active as ants at a summer picnic,” or as “active as a busy bee-hive.”  This makes us smile. Certainly we are a crossroads, a kind of intersection, where people in need meet people who care, all under God’s watchful provision.  It takes about 2,500 people each week, working with a small administrative staff,  to keep things moving.

Volunteers from Alcon loading and distributing water and food

Groups of all kinds come to lend a helping hand each week, along with individuals and families.  Scout troops, student groups of all ages (elementary to high school), other non-profits who work with children & youth, civic clubs, church groups, and businesses too come here to help.  The mission family is always so grateful for the support of this community. Together, and hand-in-hand, we can do so much more than we can on our own.  Mission Arlington® is the “proof in the pudding.”

For the past four weeks, Liberty Mutual has sent between 8 and 10 employees each day – Monday through Friday – totaling over one hundred people, just because they want to make a difference in their community.  More than 100 from the Liberty family have come to serve.  Today, another 100 employees from Alcon corporation are here serving.  These hard working, energetic, and loving people from both companies give freely of their time and energy, and they have fun while they serve.  The laughter and the smiles are evident everywhere as they carry food to cars for deliveries and load couches and washers & dryers into trucks, and so much more.

From the beginning, Mission Arlington® has simply been a community crossroads.  You give, and we give it away.  We are the ones who are truly blessed.  We receive the gifts from you – who give with such joy, and then we get to turn around and give your gifts to people in need.  We wish that you could see the tears and the smiles of children and parents that we often get to see, because you sacrificed and made things ok. for someone else.

The same is true in other ways too. When you give financially, for example, 98.4 percent of every dollar you give goes directly to the people in need. Our auditors have confirmed this month that Mission Arlington’s administrative overhead remains at 1.6 percent.  This means that when you give, once again, we become a conduit for your gifts, so that people can receive the blessing of your faithfulness.

We are so honored to be a part of this great and generous community.  Thank you for all you do to make our work possible.

UTA’s Greek community sends about 100 students to help Mission Arlington this past Monday.

A college town can refer to a community that has a large number of University students. The University, in these towns, tends to be play a central role in the economic and social life of the city.

A college town can also mean a neighborhood within a University setting where college students and the community at large connect in multiple ways.  The University of Texas at Arlington says that its college town has “no formal application, no dues and no monthly meetings.” According to the University, this “college town” is an “‘open sign’ hanging in the entryway of your favorite place to go for conversation, entertainment and enrichment.”

DBU soccer student helps out at Mission Arlington.

On the other hand, it seems to us that Mission Arlington® is a kind of college town too. Students from every college and University in the Metroplex serve with us at some point every year – TCU, SMU, Dallas Baptist, Texas Wesleyan, and of course, UTA  and TCC too, along with many more.

Often these vibrant, energetic, hard-working students from multiple colleges intersect on the campus of Mission Arlington®.  For example, this past Monday,  approximately 150 students from UTA, TCC, and Dallas Baptist were all serving here at the same time.

Colleges and Universities understand the value of service, and see the difference it makes in the students when they give back to their communities. Consequently, these places of higher education both formally and informally encourage students to “give back” by investing themselves in the community.

Mission Arlington® is so blessed to be a place where students can give of themselves to help people in need.  We are better for it, and truly blessed.

We are grateful for each college & University community who send their students our way.  We value the energy and spirit of the students as they serve. We especially love watching the people who feel better and get real help for their lives, because these young people gave of themselves here.

We love being one part of such a vibrant, giving community. Thanks to each of you who give, pray, and help.  We love walking this journey with you.

Dentists at work in the Allan Saxe Dental Clinic

This evening, at 7:00 p.m., UTA students and other volunteers will be participating in a 5k run to support the Dr. Allan Saxe Dental Clinic’s denture program.  Dr. Allan Saxe is an Associate Professor of political Science at UTA whose gift twenty years ago provided the seed money which started the clinic.

This event tonight is hosted by the American Student Dental Association at UTA. The run is called the “Ignite Smiles 5k run.”

According to the association’s Vice President Diem Tran, they decided to help with the denture program at the Saxe Dental clinic when they learned that more than 250 people are on a waiting list to get their dentures through the clinic.

All of Mission Arlington®’s services are provided free of charge. In 2014, the Saxe clinic provided care to more than 1,400 (1,434) patients. Dentists treated these patients about 3.5 times each, meaning that people were sitting in the dental chairs at the clinic a little less than 5,000 times.

The Mission Arlington® family is so grateful for the constant support from UTA students, teachers, and administration for all they do to support people in need through Mission Arlington®.

You can read full coverage of this event in UTA’s student paper, “The Shorthorn. Click here to read the article.

This past Saturday, the alumni from the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority of UTA brought twenty-six youth to Mission Arlington®. This team of adults and youth worked hard for several hours sorting donated food. Because of their work, this food will soon go to people in need.  Not only did they get a lot of work done while they were here, they also had a great time doing it.  It was fun to watch the adults working alongside of the students, and providing encouragement to them at every opportunity.

According to the Arlington Alliance for youth, “87% of youth, ages 10-17, say it is important to have caring adults in their lives” and 45% of these same young people express a need to have more adults to talk with when they have problems. You can download their research summary here.

Week after week, caring adults bring students of all ages to serve at Mission Arlington®. Whether it is a scout troop, a school sports team, honor society, or a church youth group, we are so honored to see adults across our community who give their time and resources to make a difference in young people.

Over five weeks in the Spring, more than sixty (63) student groups brought 1,778 students (including sponsors) to serve for a week in our community.  The amazing thing to watch is that the students themselves discover the confidence, courage, and character to become the instruments of care and not just the recipients.   These student groups in the Spring touched the lives of more than 13,085 children when they were here.

Mission Arlington®, of course, has many ministries to youth happening all year long.  Whether this happens through one of our sports leagues (basketball, soccer, wrestling – and baseball soon), our free summer camps, after-school programs, or one-on-one mentoring, youth are an important part of what we do.  We love working with young people.

We are also so pleased and proud to work with adults across our community, like the amazing leaders of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority here last week, as they spent their day with students.  Mission Arlington® serves as a kind of training ground for young people, and a platform for caring adults to invest in the young people they love.

We are so grateful that we have the honor and the privilege of serving alongside such an amazing community.  Together, we are making a difference.  Thank you.

An outdoor baptism at Mission Arlington.

Mission Arlington® hosts Bible studies, congregations, Backyard Bible clubs, and a host of other ministries, such as after-school and summer feeding programs in 349 locations across our community.  Thousands of children, youth, and adults attend these accessible Bible studies each week.

These Bible studies/congregations meet in neighborhood homes, apartment community club houses, mobile home parks, and anywhere else that we can meet to share God’s Word and His love.

Because our congregations don’t meet in traditional church buildings with baptisteries built in, we have had to be creative over time when people accept Christ and want to follow their Lord in believer’s baptism.  Years ago, someone donated a mobile baptistery.  We have been able to load this mobile unit onto a truck and trailer, and carry it around our city, whenever someone is ready to be baptized.  These outdoor baptisms have become something of a tradition for us, and they are truly beautiful to watch.

This past Sunday, one of our congregations in central Arlington baptized two people.  The baptistery was filled with water at the mission, then carried to the location where the baptism happened.  You can see Matt Hart, one of Mission Arlington®’s pastors,  in the picture performing the baptism.  What you can’t see in the picture is all the people from the congregation surrounding and supporting them as the baptism happened.

We are so grateful for your constant prayers, and faithful support as we work to share God’s love throughout our community.

Nearly 5,000 children (4,932) – with their families – came to Mission Arlington’s egg hunt this past Saturday, April 4th.  Affectionately dubbed the “World’s Largest” egg hunt, we weren’t disappointed with the attendance.  Volunteer groups had worked for weeks in advance inserting candy into plastic eggs, then scotch taping each individual egg shut, for maximum effect.  It took more than 110,000 eggs to make the egg hunt work.  Every child left the hunt that day with plenty of eggs.

Arlington’s firefighters brought a fire truck and patiently allowed children to look through it all day long. Mission Arlington’s medical team was there taking blood pressures and checking oxygen levels, and giving advice about health to people of all ages.

Bouncy houses filled a gym, and the smell of free hot dogs and other tasty food items filled the air.  Eight lanes of (not so) hidden Easter eggs made a colorful picture on the lawn outside.

Children were laughing, playing, and having great fun on this beautiful day.  Families enjoyed this free event together.  Mission Arlington® children and youth came with their Bible study leaders from all across the community, driven to the event by incredibly kind and patient volunteer bus drivers.  Young people from one of the Bible study groups even stayed behind at the end to help the Mission staff clean up for the evening.

The most important news from the day is that everyone who attended this fun event had the privilege of listening to the Easter story, the good news that Christ had risen from the dead.

Thanks to each of you who gave Easter eggs and candy to make this day such a success. Thanks to everyone who volunteered (hundreds of you) to cook the hot dogs, drive the buses, man the egg hunts, watch the bouncy houses, etc.  You made the day so special.  Also, a big thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy this family friendly event.  It was a great time together.

We are so grateful for the privilege we have of serving this community along side of you.  We are already looking forward to next year!

Working with children and youth is a big part of what Mission Arlington® does all year long.  We have a special love for teenagers. We know that in these “in-between years,” they are becoming the person they are going to be for the rest of their lives.

In the Scriptures, Paul encouraged Timothy not to let anyone look down on him, because he was young.” In his youth, Paul challenged young Timothy to set an example “in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (I Timothy 4:12).

The Mission Arlington® family understands that teenagers go through so much as they grow up in our day. We are so proud of the young people who attend our Bible studies and congregations.  We love watching them grow in their own faith, so we do what we can – whenever we can – to be a support to them as they try to follow Christ and to live in this world.

On Thursday of Holy week every year, Mission Arlington® hosts a youth-oriented, Maundy Thursday service designed to bring youth together from across the city.  This past Thursday night, 289 young people came with their Bible study leaders to a joint worship service held in central Arlington. They watched a video about the suffering, the death, and resurrection of the Lord, then took the Lord’s supper together.  Afterwards, they received pizza, then spent time in small groups with their Bible study leaders discussing what they had experienced.

What we observe, again and again, is that there are some very special teenagers all across our community who love the Lord, serve Him faithfully, and who are growing in their faith every day.  We believe that our future is in great hands.  We are so humbled to have the privilege of walking side by side with these young people in our day.

Thank you so much for the way you walk with Mission Arlington through each part of our year.  We are grateful for your support, your help, and your prayers each and every day.