By Jim Burgin, staff writer.

There is an old (1993) hymn, written and performed by gospel singer Andrae Crouch titled “My Tribute.” The first, and most often recalled, verse begins with a question: “How can I say thanks for the things you’ve done for me?” Crouch is expressing the sentiment of Christians worldwide who want to express their love to God for all he has done.  The lyrics to this tune adequately and effectively expresses the heartfelt sentiment within the Mission Arlington^® family this morning.

We know, and we believe,  that it is the Lord who sustains each of us in this place, and who provides for Mission Arlington^® day by day. We know that his ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9), so it has been important to us to look to Him for our support and provision, and not to the plans of men.  Generally, over the past 29 years, we have depended on prayer and not fund raisers or marketing strategies to do what we do here every day. You can read more about these core commitments here.

Yet, when a day comes along, as it did yesterday with the North Texas Day of Giving, put together by good people wanting to support the important work of more than 2,000 non-profits across North Texas, we have been blessed to join in as a participant.  We are especially eager for each of you who prayed, helped, and gave to know how much your support means.  The word for encouragement in the Bible actually means one who has been “called along side” another to provide support.  In the truest sense of the word then, each of you has encouraged us this week.  The words we find bouncing around in our own hearts, to the tune of “My Tribute,” is “How can we say thanks?

We want you to know that because of your support, prayers, and gifts, 171 people provided financial support through the North Texas Day of Giving yesterday, providing more money from this offering than we have ever received before.  We are giving praise to our Lord this morning, but we are also especially thankful for you.  In a day when gratitude seems to be on the wane, we want you to hear loud and clear our expressed thanks.

With our audited administrative overhead at 2.8 percent, more than 97 percent of those funds will go directly in ministry to people in need. This feels good to us, and to a lot of people.  This means that ordinary people in a moment of need will continue to receive the help that they need to be ok., and that they will also hear of God’s love for them, communicated in personal and careful ways.

Of course, our journey is not over, and there are many more days to come in this year. We value and appreciate so much your support here not just on a special day of giving, but all year long. Thank you, and “to God be the glory for the great things He has done.”