Happy Birthday, Mission Arlington

Mission Arlington^® began 37-years-ago today.  Launched by God through First Baptist Church Arlington, and led by Tillie Burgin from the beginning, Mission Arlington^® began on Friday, August 1st, 1986. Tillie and her family had served for over a decade in South Korea.  When they returned home in 1978, the persistent question in her heart was, “If you can do missions in Korea, why can’t we do it in Arlington?  For seven years, Tillie, and a small, but strong group of laypeople prayed in homes all across the city, asking the Lord to show them what to do. In August of 1986, God launched.

Out of one family’s need to have a bill paid, the first apartment ministry began. On the first Sunday morning, at 11:00 a.m., seventeen (17) people gathered to study God’s word in an apartment.  Soon, one outreach Bible study turned to six, and hundreds of people were attending.  Today, Mission Arlington hosts Bible studies and congregations in more than 360 locations each week.  We love “taking church to the people.”

In those days, we discovered anew that people were struggling with a variety of needs.  The Lord began to allow us to meet those needs “one life at a time.”  Food, clothes, household items, furniture, and emergency financial assistance became part of what the Lord provided every day.  Health clinics (medical, dental, and counseling) grew to meet the physical and emotional needs too.  Today, over 600 people a day come through our front doors for help.  Every life matters to God, and also to us.

Through the years, we have grown to be supported by a vast array of congregations in our community and across denominational lines.  We have been so blessed by individuals, families, and so many teams of people in our community who also “put their shoulder to the wheel” to make a difference in the lives of people in need. We are extraordinarily grateful too for all this support.

We want to express our gratitude to each of you for your support through all these years.  Thank you so much.