Year After Year

The FALL FESTIVAL has been a long-standing event at Mission Arlington^®, and it has been so much fun to host each year.  It started years ago as a way of providing family-friendly events during the Halloween season, and it just grew into what it has become today. This year, even during a year of a full scale pandemic, we still had 1,243 children (with families) attend this event.

Family Friendly Fun

Bouncy houses, carnival games, hay rides and freshly cooked food form the basis of the experience, but the heart of the event is for our community’s families to receive personal care while they build memories for themselves in a safe, fun, and memorable setting.  Year after year, this event seems to do just that.

Free of Charge

One thing we are especially proud of is that this event is “Free of Charge,” as everything is which Mission Arlington^® provides.  Tickets aren’t required to get in. There isn’t any charge for the food which we cook fresh on site that morning. The games and rides are free, and the kids receive big bags of great prizes with each carnival booth, and then also a bag of delicious candy before they leave.  We are so grateful also to provide free transportation from many locations across our community, so that they can experience this event.

Because of You

We are so grateful for the community support which makes all of this possible.  So many individuals, families, civic groups, schools, and business teams purchased, collected, and delivered candy to us, so that we could give it away.  We hope you know how much that simple act meant to the children and their parents.  Others took the candy and spent dedicated time from home placing the candy into bags.  Still others gave up their Saturday to volunteer, to unload boxes of food, to cook hotdogs, to stand at bouncy houses, pick up trash, help people feel welcome.  It was a beautiful site to see, and we can’t express our gratefulness enough. Thank you.

A Different Kind of Festival

This year’s festival was COVID-19 adjusted. We moved every part of the festival outside this year, creating wide open spaces between events.  Every adult and every child (except the very young ones) wore masks, and no one seemed to mind. We took temperatures of every participant before they got on a bus with us, and limited space on buses and every event at the festival (from bouncy houses to hay rides) so that everyone could properly socially distance.  Typically this event draws about 2,500 children, so we know that attendance was down this year, but we are still glad we were able to host it.  Families who needed to stay home this year could do so (and anticipate next year), and those who just needed/wanted to get out could do so safely.

We are so very grateful for the privilege we have of “sharing God’s love” with families across our community, day by day, year after year.  We love so much the privilege of doing it together.  Please come by when you can. Keep praying, and together we can make a difference – one life, one family at a time.

The Allan Saxe Dental Clinic is in full operation.

Dentists, hygienists, and so many other talented volunteers, have been dedicating their time and expertise to “lift the load,” even during these difficult days of 2020.   Because of these dedicated & talented volunteers, the clinic treated 1,600⁺ patients, (3,500 office visits), accomplishing more than $1.1 million worth of dental care in 2019.

We were able to provide a wide range of dental services for people in need, including patients from every age group (children, youth, adults).  One need long evident in our community has been the need for dentures.  This past month, on Saturday, September 26th, we had “denture day” at the Saxe Clinic, and what a great day it was!

Denture Day at the Saxe Clinic

So many people came together on “Denture day.” Three (3) Baylor Dental students were present, assisting our volunteer dentists. Four (4) pre-dental students from the University of Texas at Dallas joined-in to provide support. Several dental assistants were in the clinic on that day, after they had already spent a full week at work.

The dentist who was there to work on dentures has been serving with us once a month, every month since 2005.  Wow!  Because everyone came together like this, we were able to provide denture care for so many people on that day. What a blessing!

Need for Dentists, Hygienists, and other Volunteers

The need continues to be great.  Every dentist, hygienist, and/or other volunteers who help, make a huge difference in our ability to support our community.  If you are interested in serving, give Jean a call on her cell phone, or call Debbie at 817-704-6141.  You can be a blessing to someone in need, and find blessing in return.

Thanks to everyone for your constant support of our work here. We are grateful for you!

Shining their Light

This past April, right at the start of the global pandemic, Mission Arlington^® / Mission Metroplex^® received a gift of $2,500 from “Be the Light” Youth Association, located in the DFW community.  “Be the Light” is led by over 30 students from the North Texas area.

This creative and energetic team of young people teach speech and debate classes to 4th-9th graders in the community, and then donate 100% of the proceeds to nonprofits that support disadvantaged families and children in the region. Mission Arlington^® / Mission Metroplex^® was honored to be a recipient of this gift.

Seeing Increased Need

Because of the pandemic and its affect on families, Mission Arlington / Mission Metroplex has provided food to more than 48 thousand families (171,822 people) in the first six months of this year. This represents a 364 percent increase over this time last year, and there are no signs that the need is slowing down.

Making a Difference

Our administrative overhead continues to be a very low 1.7 percent. This means that more than 98 cents of every dollar donated here provides direct care to people in need.  The gift of $2,500 from “Be the Light” made an authentic difference in the lives of real people in need. Wow!

We are thankful for the heart of this beautiful team, and for everyone who makes a difference here.

Abby first came to Mission Arlington with her Kansas youth group twice when she was younger. She had been working in small ministries back home. After a missionary talked at her church, she was sure God was calling her to go and do more for him.

About the time Abby was trying to figure out where to go, “memories” started popping up on her social media of her time in Arlington while friends were also posting pictures of Arlington. So she said “Ok, God. I’ll look into it.”

Summer of 2020 became the moment that doors opened for Abby to spend a few months here.  She helped in our food pantry and at two Bible Study locations, in Arlington and Grand Prairie.  Abby valued the connection she made with people, and she loved sharing her faith.

Abby returned home in August to finish her high school senior year. Her original plan was to be a park ranger and work in the mountains, but now she feels like she will be “on mission” for life.

Abby says, “Everybody is different but they all have that same need of Christ. It’s really cool to be a part of that.”  We thank the Lord for sending Abby. She made a difference here, and we look forward to seeing how she will serve the Lord in the days, months, and years ahead.

Shining their Light

This past April, right at the start of the global pandemic, Mission Arlington^® / Mission Metroplex^® received a gift of $2,500 from “Be the Light” Youth Association, located in the DFW community.  “Be the Light” is led by over 30 students from the North Texas area.

This creative and energetic team of young people teach speech and debate classes to 4th-9th graders in the community, and then donate 100% of the proceeds to nonprofits that support disadvantaged families and children in the region. Mission Arlington^® / Mission Metroplex^® was honored to be a recipient of this gift.

Seeing Increased Need

Because of the pandemic and its affect on families, Mission Arlington / Mission Metroplex has provided food to more than 48 thousand families (171,822 people) in the first six months of this year. This represents a 364 percent increase over this time last year, and there are no signs that the need is slowing down.

Making a Difference

Our administrative overhead continues to be a very low 1.7 percent. This means that more than 98 cents of every dollar donated here provides direct care to people in need.  The gift of $2,500 from “Be the Light” made an authentic difference in the lives of real people in need. Wow!

We are thankful for the heart of this beautiful team, and for everyone who makes a difference here.

From left to right: Joseph Arze, head barista; Tillie Burgin; Cassie Ivey, Coffeehouse manager, and Dr. Jeremy Dutschke, assistant vice president for administrative affairs at DBU.

The administration, educators, and students at Dallas Baptist University have been strong partners with Mission Arlington through the years.  Various student groups over time have served here, and truly made a difference.

On January 17th, 2018, the University opened a new coffeehouse on the Dallas campus to great success. Managed by DBU alumna Cassie Kelemen and staffed by DBU students, the shop features classic coffee options, but also a positive and fun atmosphere which attracts, students, faculty, and staff alike.  The coffee house is augmented by two study rooms, and a corner stage with studio-quality sound and lighting for live music, itself as distinctive a feature as the coffee itself.

One feature of this special place is the desire to make a difference through the shop. For the past two & a half years, students paid a modest fee to hang a personal mug on a hook at the coffeehouse’ mug wall. This week, the proceeds from the wall – $1,750 – were donated to Mission Arlington^®. The Baptist Standard covered the story.

The Mission Arlington^® family is so grateful for gifts like this, because it makes a real difference in the lives of people in need. Plus, with each gift, we are able to share God’s great love, with the people who come through our front doors for help every day.

We are thankful for our partnership with DBU, but also for the gift of partnering with each of you who are here making a difference every day.  We are truly blessed!

“We don’t need anybody who just sits on the pew like Andrea, so be thinking about what missions opportunities you’d like to be involved in.”

Andrea was 19 when she went along with a friend to a new-member class about missions that long-time family friend, Tillie Burgin, was leading. She still remembers hearing the phrase above, and she knew it was true. She could do more, so she started teaching Bible Study at a north Arlington apartment complex the next week and continued throughout college, nursing school, and graduate school.

It took time for Andrea to take the step to volunteer at the Mission Arlington^® Medical Clinic, but when she finally did, she knew it was the place she needed to be.

For a time, she had a job as a nurse practitioner and was volunteering at the Mission Arlington^® Medical Clinic three days and one night per week. Then, as God allowed, she was able to come to Mission Arlington^® full time. Now the clinic is opened five days and one night per week. Andrea is there every minute coordinating patient care. She gently guides the volunteer medical students and assist the doctors in finding the most efficient plan of care for each patient using resources across the Metroplex. The clinic has about 10,500 visits yearly, completely free of charge for the patient.

Andrea loves working with the population that comes to the clinic. It reminds her of her first job at Parkland in Dallas. She explains, “You have to meet basic needs before people will be receptive about God.” While receiving care, people are very opened to the Gospel.

Andrea also helps by breaking down barriers to get people to a Bible Study near them. If someone doesn’t have a car, they likely have a Bible Study close by. Also, when patients realize that Andrea personally knows the Bible Study leader in their community, they feel so much more comfortable with their medical care. They know they can trust her and the clinic staff.

Andrea explains, “It’s my dream job. If there was ever a job made for me, it was this one.” The medical clinic has stayed fully open during these days of the COVID-19 pandemic, treating people from all walks of life, and making a difference.

The clinic is always in need of clerical and medical volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please call the Mission Arlington office at 817-277-6620.

Originally Published February 12, 2017

We have always said, and we will say it again, that our community is one of the most generous and caring communities anywhere. We are so incredibly grateful for each of you who give your time, your resources, and your prayers to make a difference here – all the time – but especially in these days. When people in our community know of a need, they respond with energy, passion, and thoughtful support. There is a humble purity about these gifts too, because the people who provide them never seem to want any recognition for their gift. They want to make a difference, and not to call attention to themselves. It has always been this way.

Here’s how our community has responded over the last several days

Many have donated to us online, so that Mission Arlington^® could purchase the needed food or supplies. Some order food and/or supplies from somewhere else, so that it can be shipped here by mail. Others in our community simply drive up, check in hand, to make sure people are cared for, often even when they don’t have that much extra for themselves. Most don’t get out of their cars, but their warmth and words of appreciation mean more than we can express.

Some families and are making sandwiches at home, then dropping them off here. Many of our community’s businesses are contributing finances or in-kind donation – from food to medical supplies, and more. Churches and church groups are stepping up to pray, to give, and to help. Multiple local restaurants are making extra food and dropping off, even when they are having to find creative ways for their own businesses to survive or thrive in these days.

Neighborhoods are getting into the act as well. Concerned people within various neighborhoods share the need, and people respond with food, hygiene items, and other needed resources. Then someone from the neighborhood drops by the Mission with a truck-load full of multiple items which people need. Knowing the need for volunteers, several are stepping up, taking food to senior citizens, and to others who, for various reasons, aren’t able to make it to our place, along with many other tasks.

One local non-profit got volunteers together in multiple locations and built hundreds of nutritious snack packs (pictured above), so that we could get that food to families with students across our community. When these teams dropped off the food, their smiles told the story. There is such joy in working together to help others.

We watch in amazement at all this, so honored and humbled by the sincere and passionate generosity of this community. Sometimes, tears of gratitude come, and at other times, we quietly express out thanks to God for the expressions of love we see here every day. We are grateful for the privilege of being here to represent God’s love and yours in these days. With the old hymn, it seems that “we have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

Thank you so much.

We have always said, and we will say it again, that our community is one of the most generous and caring communities anywhere. We are so incredibly grateful for each of you who give your time, your resources, and your prayers to make a difference here – all the time – but especially in these days. When people in our community know of a need, they respond with energy, passion, and thoughtful support. There is a humble purity about these gifts too, because the people who provide them never seem to want any recognition for their gift. They want to make a difference, and not to call attention to themselves. It has always been this way.

Here’s how our community has responded over the last several days

Many have donated to us online, so that Mission Arlington^® could purchase the needed food or supplies. Some order food and/or supplies from somewhere else, so that it can be shipped here by mail. Others in our community simply drive up, check in hand, to make sure people are cared for, often even when they don’t have that much extra for themselves. Most don’t get out of their cars, but their warmth and words of appreciation mean more than we can express.

Some families and are making sandwiches at home, then dropping them off here. Many of our community’s businesses are contributing finances or in-kind donation – from food to medical supplies, and more. Churches and church groups are stepping up to pray, to give, and to help. Multiple local restaurants are making extra food and dropping off, even when they are having to find creative ways for their own businesses to survive or thrive in these days.

Neighborhoods are getting into the act as well. Concerned people within various neighborhoods share the need, and people respond with food, hygiene items, and other needed resources. Then someone from the neighborhood drops by the Mission with a truck-load full of multiple items which people need. Knowing the need for volunteers, several are stepping up, taking food to senior citizens, and to others who, for various reasons, aren’t able to make it to our place, along with many other tasks.

One local non-profit got volunteers together in multiple locations and built hundreds of nutritious snack packs (pictured above), so that we could get that food to families with students across our community. When these teams dropped off the food, their smiles told the story. There is such joy in working together to help others.

We watch in amazement at all this, so honored and humbled by the sincere and passionate generosity of this community. Sometimes, tears of gratitude come, and at other times, we quietly express out thanks to God for the expressions of love we see here every day. We are grateful for the privilege of being here to represent God’s love and yours in these days. With the old hymn, it seems that “we have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

Thank you so much.

We have always said, and we will say it again, that our community is one of the most generous and caring communities anywhere.  We are so incredibly grateful for each of you who give your time, your resources, and your prayers to make a difference here – all the time – but especially in these days. When people in our community know of a need, they respond with energy, passion, and thoughtful support.  There is a humble purity about these gifts too, because the people who provide them never seem to want any recognition for their gift. They want to make a difference, and not to call attention to themselves. It has always been this way.

Here’s how our community has responded over the last several days:

Many have donated to us online, so that Mission Arlington^® could purchase the needed food or supplies. Some order food and/or supplies from somewhere else, so that it can be shipped here by mail.  Others in our community simply drive up, check in hand, to make sure people are cared for, often even when they don’t have that much extra for themselves.  Most don’t get out of their cars, but their warmth and words of appreciation mean more than we can express.

Some families and are making sandwiches at home, then dropping them off here.  Many of our community’s businesses are contributing finances or in-kind donation – from food to medical supplies, and more. Churches and church groups are stepping up to pray, to give, and to help.  Multiple local restaurants are making extra food and dropping off, even when they are having to find creative ways for their own businesses to survive or thrive in these days.

Neighborhoods are getting into the act as well. Concerned people within various neighborhoods share the need, and people respond with food, hygiene items, and other needed resources. Then someone from the neighborhood drops by the Mission with a truck-load full of multiple items which people need. Knowing the need for volunteers, several are stepping up, taking food to senior citizens, and to others who, for various reasons, aren’t able to make it to our place, along with many other tasks.

One local non-profit got volunteers together in multiple locations and built hundreds of nutritious snack packs (pictured above), so that we could get that food to families with students across our community. When these teams dropped off the food, their smiles told the story. There is such joy in working together to help others.

We watch in amazement at all this, so honored and humbled by the sincere and passionate generosity of this community. Sometimes, tears of gratitude come, and at other times, we quietly express out thanks to God for the expressions of love we see here every day. We are grateful for the privilege of being here to represent God’s love and yours in these days.  With the old hymn, it seems that “we have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”

Thank you so much.