The Hay Ride at Mission Arlington’s annual Fall Festival is so much fun.

It’s Fall, Y’all

and time once again for our annual Fall Festival – designed as great outdoor fun for families.

The Fall Festival

Our Fall Festival happens Saturday, October 30th, from Noon to 4:00, and it is open for the entire community. Bouncy houses, carnival games, free food, a giant hayride, and candy, are all part of the fun.  The entire event is free and open to the public.

A Great Place to Volunteer

If you and/or your team want to volunteer at this event, give us a call at 817-277-6620. We need people to help with bouncy houses, operate the carnival games, serve food, pick up trash, and so much more!

Candy Needed

We need individually-wrapped bags of candy for an expected crowd of about 2,500 children. If possible, could you drop off candy at Mission Arlington^® anytime before the Festival begins on August 30th.

Thank you so much for your constant support of the ministry here.

A beautiful, early morning at Mission Arlington in the Fall. Serving the Lord in our 36th year.

Thursday, September 23rd, was North Texas Giving Day, an annual North Texas tradition sponsored by the good folks at the Communities Foundation of Texas. For the past 12 years, they have raised millions of dollars for more than 3,200 North Texas nonprofits. On this special day, according to their website, “everyone has the opportunity to be a philanthropist,” and to help build a stronger, more vibrant community. We are grateful for everyone who worked so hard to make this day a special success.

Tillie Burgin, Executive Director, since August 1st, 1986.

Though Mission Arlington^® doesn’t do direct marketing or fund raising, and never will, we have been a participant in this special day since it began back in 2009.  We continue to be humbled and honored by the amazing, faithful generosity of our community to care for people in need. Yesterday, through official and unofficial channels, you provided more support than ever before. Though the final numbers from all sources haven’t yet been tallied, initial counts indicate that giving this year was ahead of last year’s totals by about 45 percent. Wow!

We are so truly grateful for you. You give when times are good, and when times are hard. Even when you don’t have much extra for your own family, you still give, so that others in need can find the help and hope they need.  For 35 years, you have been faithfully & generously supportive of the ministry here  We are proud to continue reporting that more than 98.5 cents of every dollar you give, ministers directly to people in need.  Our documented audits demonstrate that our administrative overhead continues to be a low 1.47 percent.

Tillie Burgin has been here since Mission Arlington^® began thirty-five (35) years ago. We are currently in our 36th year. The HOLIDAY season is directly ahead.  The Fall Festival, Thanksgiving Day deliveries, and Christmas Store are just around the corner.

We love serving the Lord with you in this beautiful community. Come join us, won’t you?

An Amazing Day of Generosity

North Texas’ Giving Day happens again, on Thursday, September 23rd, sponsored by the Communities Foundation of Texas. This region-wide effort is designed to provide extra support to more than 3,300 non-profits in the North Texas area.  Mission Arlington^® / Mission Metroplex^® is pleased to be a participant in this extraordinary act of generosity on the part of our community.

Providing Support To Mission Arlington^®

Between 6:00 a.m. and Midnight on Thursday, September 23rd, you can give to Mission Arlington^® through

1. the North Texas Giving Day Link. If you prefer, you can also give directly to Mission Arlington^® through
2. our WEBSITE  LINK. Either place will get your support to the people we serve.

Helpful Facts about our Work

1. Administrative Overhead is a documented low, 1.47 percent. This means that more than 98.5 cents of every dollar you give ministers directly to people in need;
2. Open & Accessible – We are open 364 days a year, closing only on Christmas Day. We have not closed our doors even one day, even through this difficult season when all of us have been impacted by the pandemic;
3. We do not sell or re-sell what you provide. When you donate items, we pass them along directly to people in need.  All services provided through Mission Arlington^® are free of charge;
4. Hundreds Receive Help Daily – over 200 families a day, six days each week, walk through our doors for a little help to get by.  This is about 700 to 750 people per day;
5. Multiple Avenues of Support – Emergency relief with food, clothes, household items, furniture, and emergency financial aid for rent & utilities is one part of what we do. We also provide health services with a very active medical and dental clinics, plus a counseling services;
6. Faith-Based Non-Profit – We host Bible studies and congregations in 360 locations across our community. These small, but vibrant communities of faith provide spiritual support to people in a variety of ways;
7. Stable & Consistent Leadership – Mission Arlington^® has been here for 35 years. Tillie Burgin has been our Director since the beginning. Many of the staff who currently serve at Mission Arlington have been here since the beginning, and others have been serving here for two decades or more.

Grateful for this Community

You will hear one constant theme if you are around the Mission Arlington^® family for any length of time – GRATITUDE.  Our job is simple and constant. We receive what you (so faithfully) provide, and we pass it along to people in need.

We can be where we are, because for 35 years, we have served the Lord in a such a wonderful, giving community.  Even when you don’t have it to give, you do it anyway.  Even when you don’t know personally the recipients of your gifts, you give anyway.

We are humbled and inspired by your loving, sacrificial generosity – every day.  We are truly blessed.  Our prayer is that the blessings of your faithfulness will return to you in great joy and peace.

Now as Much as Ever

The need is truly great in these days.  Thank you for considering an extra gift through this North Texas Giving Day to help people in need.

Mission Arlington^® began August 1st, 1986. This Sunday, we will turn thirty-five (35) years old.

How We Began

Tillie Burgin has been the director of Mission Arlington^® since the beginning. She and her family had spent ten (10) years as Baptist missionaries in South Korea. When they returned to Arlington in 1978, Tillie couldn’t get away from the question, “If we could do missions in Korea, why can’t we do missions at home?”  For seven (7) years, Tillie met weekly with groups of people across the community to pray, and the Lord answered those prayers when Tillie’s home church, First Baptist Church Arlington, under the leadership of their long-time pastor, Dr. Charles Wade, asked Tillie to lead their mission efforts. Tillie accepted the call and began on Friday, August 1st, 1986.

Taking Church to the People

On the first day, Tillie responded to a need in an Arlington apartment community. Subsequently, the family who received help opened their home on Sunday morning for Mission Arlington’s first Bible study. The thinking was, “If people can’t or won’t come to church, for whatever reason, let’s take the church to them.”  Seventeen people attended that first Bible study.  Thirty-five (35) years later, Mission Arlington^® sponsors Bible studies in 360⁺ locations, with thousands of people in attendance each week.

One Life at a Time

As these Bible studies flourished, community needs became more evident.  Attempts to “share God’s love” throughout the community was often met with resistance. Families were struggling with difficult issues, and Mission Arlington^®  began to respond. Today, we are able to provide food, clothes, household items, furniture, and emergency financial assistance through what we call our “front room.” More than 700 people a day walk through our doors for assistance, six days each week, and we are so honored to provide support.  We also have two health clinics (medical & dental), and a counseling center, plus an assortment of other services, leading to more than 400,000 ministry touches each year.

Your Support Matters

For thirty-five years, your support has made the difference here. We have had the privilege of serving in what we believe is one of the most generous communities anywhere.  Your faithful support – prayers, helping hands, giving, and so much more – has formed the foundation for our work.  We can give away, because you gave it first.  We are so honored and humbled to serve our Lord in this great community.

How you can help!

“What do you want for your birthday?” is a common question. We are blessed by so many people who want to make a difference here!  Here are a couple of thoughts:  1) First and foremost, we request prayer. You could give no greater gift than to pray for us, and for the work here.  We don’t want to miss one person, and we want to be in the center of our Lord’s plan for this place.  2) Come volunteer. Nothing could be better than giving the gift of yourself, your family, or your team to express your support in practical ways.  We are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 3) You can provide financial support. Our administrative overhead continues to be a low 1.47 percent. This means that more than 98 cents of every dollar you give ministers to someone in need.  You can make a donation by sending a check to Mission Arlington, 210 W. South St., 76010, or by contributing through this LINK.

Thank you so much for your support. We are looking forward to our next thirty-five years!

Crystal clear water on a hot summer day forms part of the fun at a Mission Arlington Summer Camp.

Mission Arlington^® summer camps are so much fun. Zip lines, climbing walls, hiking trails, slap dodgeball, swimming, great food, and stories of God’s love are all part of the fun.

Mission Arlington^® will sponsor 7 summer camps again this July: 1) 3 “kiddie” camps for K-3rd graders; 2) 2 children’s camps for 4th – 6th graders; and 1 giant youth camp.

These camps happen on Tuesdays and Saturdays in July, and they are so much fun.

Please keep these camps in your prayers as we move throughout July.

Thank you so much for your support!

This past weekend we celebrated the 4th of July with our Mission Arlington family at the annual Downtown Arlington 4th of July parade!  Each year, we are given front row seats to the parade as it passes right through the streets of the Mission.  We started our morning off with breakfast together and then watched all of the floats, cars and marching bands parade through the streets of Downtown Arlington.  With COVID-19 canceling the parade last year, we were so excited to see it resume this year.

As one school year has ended, a new one will be here before we know it.  With a new school year comes an urgent need–school supplies.  Mission Arlington has the opportunity to provide school supplies for students in our local community for the upcoming year.  We anticipate serving over 10,000 students across Arlington ISD this year as many are still recovering from the effects of COVID-19 and there are multiple ways you can be involved.

1. Purchase and donate supplies using our supply list.
   • Supplies can be dropped off at our offices (210 W. South Street Arlington, TX, 76010) between 7am-7pm, Monday through Saturday.
2. Give a monetary donation.
   • You can donate through our website by selecting the “School Supplies” tab on the drop down menu labeled “Fund.”
   • You can donate by check, writing “School Supplies” on the memo line.
   • You can also bring cash to our offices (210 W. South Street) anytime, just let us know you would like it to be used to purchase school supplies.
3. Volunteer with us as we gather, organize and distribute the supplies to students.
   • We will publish the dates of service as the school year draws near.

We are so thankful for your support as we serve the students in our community.  Thank you!

After much prayer and preparation, Rainbow Express^® has returned for the summer and we couldn’t be more excited!  Rainbow Express^® is our version of a backyard Bible club filled with games, snacks, songs, crafts and stories from the Bible.  Each event lasts around two hours over the course of four days at each location.  Due to COVID-19, we weren’t able to host Rainbow Express as we normally do in 2020, so our volunteers and kids are eager to get back to it this year.  It is our goal for the Gospel and love of God to be shared with every kid who attends.

As we are entering our second week of the summer, we have already had hundreds of kids join us and we hope to see thousands more among the 55 different locations we will send volunteer groups to throughout the summer.  Without our volunteers, this would not be possible.  We are so thankful for every person who comes from all over the state and nation to make Rainbow Express^® a possibility.

Please join what God is doing here through prayer for the children and youth in our community as well as all of our volunteer teams.  Pray for each person to experience God’s love and grow deeper in their faith through Rainbow Express^®.  If you are interested in serving or in bringing a team to serve, call 817-277-6620 and ask to speak to Heather, our groups coordinator.

We are so thankful for your support and prayers and look forward to sharing with you all that God does this summer through Rainbow Express^®.

Starting this Saturday, May 1st, the Mission Arlington^® family will host “Fun Days,” designed especially for our community’s children & youth. We will do this each Saturday through May 22nd., from 9:00 a.m. – Noon, and it is going to be so much fun!

Bible study leaders will gather early on Saturday morning to pick up vans & buses, to then make the rounds picking up and transporting the children to this fun-filled, outdoor event.

Once there, the kids will get to play baseball (on a beautiful field built just for them), soccer cages, kick ball, whiffle ball, slap dodgeball, and an amazing playground for the younger children too.

For all of you who constantly pray for and provide support to Mission Arlington^®, would you keep this event in your prayers?   If you are interested in learning more, or perhaps you know a family or young person who might want to participate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information.

Saturdays in May are going to be so much fun!  Thank you so much for your constant support.

This past Sunday,  Fielder Church  did something extraordinary. They closed their doors. That makes quite the headline, doesn’t it?  At a glance, the provocative tagline makes it seem like something with the church went horribly wrong.

Instead, the true story is exactly the opposite, because while the church figuratively closed the doors of its church building, the church itself – God’s people – spread out all across our community to “make a difference.”

Instead of gathering for Bible study & worship at one of their three campuses, one thousand (1,000) people from the Fielder family “served the city,” blessing so many people along their way.

In partnership with Mission Arlington’s Bible study teams, the Fielder family dispersed to over fifty (50) different locations across four cities (Arlington, Grand Prairie, Dallas, Fort Worth).

These teams held “kids clubs,” served lunches, trimmed trees, passed out flyers, played fun games with children & youth, and did so much more, all to share God’s love, while simultaneously blessing/encouraging the volunteer Bible study leaders and teams who serve in these places every week.

We are so grateful for the partnerships we share with churches across the DFW Metroplex, but especially this week for our friends at Fielder church, their support all year long, and the amazing & special efforts from last Sunday.