Sunday, August 03, 2014

Marla accepted Christ as a child and began attending a Mission Arlington® Bible Study in her apartment community last year. The Bible Study leader saw her walking home, offered her a ride, and invited her to church.

Last spring, Marla started teaching the children at the apartment Bible Study. “They ask great questions. That’s my favorite part.” Marla says. What a joy helping them grow in their faith!

Recently, an apartment manager in Fort Worth called Mission Arlington®. The manager explained that the people in her complex desperately needed a weekly Bible Study. They had a vacant apartment to use as a meeting place. Marla and another worker, Lisa, started a new Bible Study at the Fort Worth location right away.

After a few weeks, when Lisa and Marla stopped by the leasing office of the new complex, they met a new member of the apartment management team. He was interested in hearing what Mission Arlington® does, so they explained sharing the love of Jesus each week with the residents. The new team member loved the idea and asked if Lisa and Marla could also teach at another community down the road.

Now, Marla and Lisa have divided and multiplied themselves. They still teach together on Sunday mornings at Marla’s complex, then, during the week, they take a set of teenager sisters with them and split between the two new properties in Fort Worth.

One Sunday morning Bible Study is now three Bible Studies, and the teenage sisters are learning to lead as they go. More people are being reached for Christ because Marla and the team was willing to answer the call.

There are even more apartment communities that currently need Bible Study teachers. If you would like more information, please contact Tillie Burgin at 817-277-6620.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Karen grew up attending a Mission Arlington® Bible Study at her apartment complex and now teaches other children about the love of Christ throughout the week.  At the end of the school year, her Wednesday night class had about sixty boys each week, but as summer began the boys stopped coming.

“One week we only had five,” Karen remembers. She says she would see her kids walking off into the neighborhood and wanted to follow them to discover where they were going and why they stopped coming.  It broke her heart to see them leave.

Instead of packing up and moving to a new neighborhood or “taking the summer off” or any number of other options, Karen felt God calling her to do more to encourage the children to come back – and a soccer team was born.

Karen has plenty going on in her life.  She has a job and a son.  When God called her to add on the role of “soccer coach,” she didn’t have extra time.  She didn’t even have a soccer ball.  But while God supplied her with energy, the other staff members at Mission Arlington were on the lookout for donated cleats, cones, and jerseys.

Now on Wednesday nights, the parents and children gather to worship in their small central Arlington church.  After breaking into their classes by age group, they teach the Bible, then Karen and another teacher stay extra late to practice and play soccer with dozens of excited children.  Many of the boys have come back.

The children are learning the Bible. They are learning that Karen loves them, and, most of all, they are learning that Jesus loves them.  Thanks to God that Karen chose to go the extra mile and not let these children slip away.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Summer Missionaries leave their homes to follow God’s call on their life. They are 16-27 years old, and they serve here at Mission Arlington® for part, or for all, of the summer.  These incredible young people volunteer their time, working 61/2 days each week, and 10-12 hour days while they are here.

Their love for the Lord inspires us, and they make such a difference here.  One of our student missionaries has been blogging about her experience. Here name is Summer.

Recently, Summer felt God calling her to be more mission minded and, through the advice of her pastor, pursued several mission options for summer break until only one door remained open.  She now finds herself serving at Mission Arlington®.

Daily she is working side-by-side with a full-time Mission Arlington® missionary, doing everything that missionary does. From leading Bible Studies to delivering food and even meeting with apartment managers to schedule activities, she will experience many sides of multi-housing ministry.

This one paragraph from Summer’s blog tells you what you need to know about this dedicated summer missionary, and about the heart of summer missions work here at Mission Arlington®.

We serve a magnificent God with a strong hand and incredible providence.  I cannot even begin to comprehend it or worship Him properly for it.  I can’t stop praising Him for sending me to Mission Arlington®.  

I can’t stop praising Him for the work that He is doing.  Not only in my life, but in the lives of people around me and in the world.  His will is perfectly orchestrated, and He is providing so much here in so many ways all for the praise of His name.  And His joy brings us strength.

We are pleased to share Summer’s blog which chronicles how God is working in her life during her time here. You can scroll through the several articles she has already published. Enjoy!

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Mississippi College BSM (Baptist Student Ministries) assigned Heather to work at Mission Arlington® the summer after her freshman year.  She spent that summer the way all our Summer Missionaries do: working at the office, helping sort donations, and teaching Bible Studies in the community.  When the summer was over, she went back home to finish her college career, telling all her friends how much she enjoyed the ministry.

A few years later, with school behind her, Heather considered where she might want to work. Knowing she wanted to serve God and serve people, a friend reminded her how Heather had raved about Mission Arlington® a few years before.  God was tugging Heather’s heart back to Arlington.

A short time later, Heather returned to Texas and picked up where she had left off.  She now coordinates several Bible Studies on the north side of Arlington.  She says, “I am so blessed to have a job where I get to share Jesus with kids like this. It is such a privilege to lead families to the knowledge and love that God has for them.”

Appropriately, Heather is also one of the primary contacts for the new Summer Missionaries that come each year.  She helps them feel at home and prepares them to minister during their time here. Most importantly, she prays daily for them to be effective ministers.

This year, 28 missionaries are serving at Mission Arlington® from 11 different states.  Please join us in praying for them as God guides their summer.

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Cesar began attending a Bible Study in his apartment complex when he was 4 years old.  The Mission Arlington pastors would always knock on his door to invite his family and to bring bread.  Cesar says he thinks his mom trusted the church leaders because of the bread, so she sent her kids to the services.

Even though the church met in a tiny apartment for many years, that’s the place that the people learned to pray, to love one another, to read and use a Bible, and to live in peace.  Cesar says “All my favorite childhood memories are at Heritage Church.”

Cesar accepted Christ at age 8 when his Bible Study took a trip to a Billy Graham Crusade.  He was baptized and really chose to follow Christ day-to-day two years ago. About that time, he came to work at Mission Arlington® full time and began leading Heritage Church as the previous leaders moved away.  He teaches all different ages throughout the week to pray and love just the way he was taught..

When he’s not at the church, you will find Cesar collecting and sorting your donations behind Mission Arlington®.  He and the others in this area work outside in all kinds of weather.  But even in the heat or rain, Cesar wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.  He uses his day to do so much more than collect donations.  Hundreds of people volunteer each week, and Cesar loves to hear their life stories.

While these volunteers might not be visiting the mission for a physical need, just by chatting for an afternoon, Cesar has found many people in the midst of a crisis.  He says, “My biggest hope and prayer is that somehow I can be a light for those who are living in darkness.”

We are thankful for the day God brought Cesar to us and for the opportunities to share Jesus’ love each day.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Several years ago, Rick and Linda were living in east Arlington, both professed Christians, but not attending a church, not serving God, and not growing in him.

After their son was invited to a church near his school, he came back saying, “Mom, you’ve got to go to this church.” So Linda attended, and came back saying, “Rick, you’ve got to visit this church.”  Since then, they have attended Grace Street Fellowship, a Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex congregation, and have found ways to serve people and grow in Christ.

Linda says she saw her relationship with Jesus become “a flowing river rather than pond scum.”

Rick has a job outside of the church, but at least two days per week, he cleans the community center.  They both work in the church clothing room and run the coffee bar on Sundays to help everyone feel welcome.  Linda spends the week making hospital visits and checking on people who have called in with needs, like prayer and food.  Linda explains, “It’s just that opportunity we have to be there for people.”

These roles are particularly unusual for Linda who was so severely shy in college, it was literally considered a disability.  But when you have a story to tell like the Gospel, it’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone. Rick and Linda both want people to know about the love God showed them, and that God has a place for everyone.

But don’t try to thank them for their service.  Rick and Linda will turn it back to God.  Rick says, “It’s nothing to boast about. We do it for God.”

Thursday, March 27, 2014

In God’s perfect timing, he led Chris and Diandra to minister at Mission Arlington®.

In Chris’ last years in the military, the couple lived in El Paso enjoying their work with a Mission-Church.  When the military term ended they felt called to Diandra’s hometown, Arlington.

Initially, they attended a large church that was a blessing, but different than their experience in El Paso. They prayed that God would show them when to change. For three years, he told them to stay.

Then, one Sunday, they passed a church sign that included “Mission Arlington/Mission Metroplex.”
Diandra remembers, “We saw ‘Mission’ on the sign.”  That prompted them to attend that congregation for one year until God prompted them to do more.  They tried several times to attend the “Tillie Tour,” a Sunday morning tour of the Bible Studies, but a family illness delayed the tour for Chris and Diandra for a time.

Chris says, “I think God was in that, too.”

Diandra agrees, “God’s perfect timing.”

Eventually, they took the tour and God guided them to Remynse Fellowship in east Arlington.  Now Chris teaches men twice a week and Diandra makes visits, teaches at the afterschool program, and does whatever needs to be done to keep the church functioning. They feel fulfilled by how God is using them, like they found their place.

They know there are so many needs in the community, but Chris says, “It’s different when you see a need and you feel like God is calling you to meet that need.”

Chris rejoices to see the moments of spiritual growth in the men he teaches.  Diandra has noticed, when visiting, that God puts her in the right homes at the right times.  She often hears people say, “I was just praying that someone would come.”

Thank you, God, for these two lives, faithful to your call year by year and minute by minute.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Written by Rebecca Strickland (Bible study leader at a North Arlington apartment community).

I’ve  known Ricardo since he was three years old.  I’ve watched him grow and had the opportunity to teach him the Bible over the past fifteen years.  He accepted Christ one summer at Rainbow Express and I have since had the privilege to disciple him and to continue teaching him.

Ricardo and I met Fernando when his family moved to Arlington about five years ago.  Little by little, Fernando started hanging out with us at our afterschool program and then began attending church with us on Sundays.  Friendships formed, including a friendship between Fernando and Ricardo.

At a time when Fernando was really struggling in his life, Ricardo offered wise, godly advice that led to questions about salvation.  The three of us met over lunch that following Sunday after church.  The seed had been sown, the ground was ready and new life resulted . . . Fernando prayed to receive Christ!  What a joy to watch these two young men grow together in their faith and encourage each other!

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers.“  Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV)

Monday, March 03, 2014

Though Jim and Rick Burgin were born two and 1/2 years apart, (Rick says Jim looks “much older”) and even though they believe that they don’t look anything alike, people often confuse one of them for the other.

Jim and Rick grew up in the home of Bob and Tillie Burgin.  The family served as missionaries to south Korea beginning in August of 1966, when Jim turned six (6) and Rick was three (3). They spent the better part of their early lives growing up overseas, learning South Korean customs and missionary ways.

Both brothers graduated from Baylor and from Southwestern Seminary and earned degrees in higher education – Jim in philosophy and ethics from Southwestern Seminary and Rick in Leadership from Dallas Baptist University.

Both men were active and involved when their mom, Mission Arlington®’s Executive Director Tillie Burgin, helped to get the ministry underway. Between them they have thirty six (36) years of service on the staff at Mission Arlington® – Jim (14 years) and Rick (22 years).  They have served at Mission Arlington® together since 2000.

While both men are ordained ministers, their areas of service are different. Jim pastors one of Mission Arlington®’s congregations, Grace Street Fellowship, and he gives support to the communication ministry of Mission Arlington®. Rick directs the Mission’s counseling services, leads one of the weekly Bible studies, and serves as a voluntary chaplain with the Arlington Police Department. Both men love their work in and through this vibrant ministry.

When you come down to the mission offices sometime, you may see these brothers working side by side.  They work hard, love to laugh, enjoy teasing each other, but most of all, love their Lord.  Jim and Rick truly enjoy the opportunity they have been given to work and serve on the same team.

Just make sure you call them by the right name!

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Earl and Martha have touched literally thousands of lives since they began with Mission Arlington in 1988.  They saw the food and benevolent ministries begin and taught Bible Study in three different locations.

Martha remembers, “We’ve always been interested in the salvation of folks.”

First, they taught with a friend at an apartment complex in central Arlington.  When a community across the street asked for a Bible Study, Earl and Martha started teaching there.  No one came for the first two Sundays, so they spent their hour praying for the people.  On the third Sunday, their congregation began to form.

Meanwhile, Martha recruited volunteers to help in Mission Arlington’s beginning benevolent ministry.  And when Mission Arlington began day camps in the summer, Earl cooked hundreds of hamburgers for hungry campers.

They remember the early days of Mission Arlington when the food pantry – which is now a large warehouse – was only a few shelves with donations from individuals and the surplus bread that Earl picked up during the week.  He filled up his pick up so high that some concerned businessmen built rails for the sides of his truck to keep the bread secure.

Throughout the years, the Bible Study teaching has been their greatest joy.   Adults attend, but they also don’t want to miss opportunities to teach the children and teens.

Earl says, “If we don’t get to those kids now, they’ll be lost for another generation.”

After 24 years serving the same central Arlington community, forces beyond their control caused them to leave that complex. Rather than ‘retire’ from the ministry, they found a new community on the east side of town and just kept on teaching with some from the old complex driving to worship with them.

We thank God for Earl and Martha’s faithfulness!