Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “Follow-up” as something that “continues or completes a process or action.”  That meaning resonates for us at Mission Arlington^®, because follow-up is a critical component to every ministry we have.  We don’t believe that our work is finished until we have followed up with people after they have come through our doors.

As we turned the corner into this new year, teams of volunteers have already made their way across our community to follow-up with the parents who came through our Christmas Store.  We do report the numbers of people coming through our place as a way of quantifying or measuring our work, and we do this every year.  However, as our Director, Tillie Burgin, constantly reminds us, she “never saw a number walk through the front door.”

People deserve to know that someone cares about them, and that they are not just a “number being processed through a system.” The heart of this sentiment flows from the Lord who reminded his followers that whatever they did “for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine,” they did for Christ. We see in our front room volunteers this kind of heart.  They listen to people’s needs, then connect them with needed resources, pray with them, and often enough, shed a few tears. People matter to us, no matter where they’ve come from, or what they are going through.

After someone comes in to see us in our front room with a wide variety of emergency assistance needs, we follow-up. Volunteers within Mission Arlington’s 349 Bible studies scattered across town make personal visits to homes.  They “check up” on people to see” if they got everything they needed from the mission, and whether or not something else might be helpful to them. Invitations are extended to attend one of our Bible studies, so that people can have a “family of faith” surround them – not just for a moment in time, but into the future.

We are grateful for the privilege we have of serving our Lord in this wonderful community.  We are so thankful for the myriad of ways you constantly follow-up with us. When we have been the recipients of such great support, how could we not pass along the same level of care for those in a moment of need.

Thank you for walking this journey with us in these days.