- Love INC
Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) is a American Christian charitable organization.
About Love INC
Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) brings Christian churches together, across denominational lines, to help the poor by meeting immediate needs such as food and clothing, to longer-term responses through relational ministries such as life skills training and transitional housing.
Over 135 Love INC affiliates in 30 states are helping more than 1 million people in need each year through nearly 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and more than 300,000 volunteers. Through Love INC, caring Christians are providing help, hope, and God’s love to neighbors in need.
Mission
The mission of Love INC is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ.
History
Love INC was founded in 1977 as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with the poor and to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action.
Love INC's founder, Dr. Virgil Gulker, was a social worker and outreach director in Holland, Michigan, in the late 1970s. Deeply committed to helping people trapped in poverty, he was certain God had called others to the same mission. As he talked to church members and pastors, Dr. Gulker came to understand that Christians did indeed want to help the needy, but they had few ideas about how to do so. Many times people did not even recognize that they were gifted in ways that could have a positive impact on someone else's life.
It was clear to Dr. Gulker that if churches were to better serve their communities, they needed leadership, organization, training, encouragement, and prayer. He developed the Love INC model to fill these critical roles. Love INC taught churches to assess their capabilities, and it unified local congregations so that, working together, they could more effectively help their neighbors.
One man's idea for an integrated church ministry in Holland, Michigan, began to inspire Christians in many different regions. Others duplicated the Love INC model--with its successes--as they sought to meet the needs of hurting individuals and families in their own communities. By the late 1980s, there were 50 Love INC affiliates operating in 14 states.
As the Love INC ministry grew, so did the need for national leadership and support. In 1988, Love INC became an operating department of World Vision U.S., an international Christian relief and development organization, where it remained for the next 15 years. Under World Vision, Love INC continued to grow throughout the 1990s, and in 2001 Robert Odom was appointed president of Love INC. In 2003, Love INC separated from World Vision and again became its own national nonprofit organization, headquartered in Minneapolis.
Today Love INC has over 135 affiliates in 30 states, representing a network of nearly 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and more than 300,000 volunteers helping more than 1 million people in need each year.
Affiliates
Local affiliates are the essence of Love INC. Every Love INC affiliate is individually incorporated and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with its own board of directors, executive director, staff, and volunteers.
An affiliate is a network of churches working together, across denominational lines, to serve people in need. A minimum of six churches from six different denominations is required to start a Love INC affiliate, although most affiliates grow to include anywhere from several dozen to hundreds of churches working together in its community.
Community agencies are also integral to the Love INC model. Agencies refer requests for assistance to Love INC and serve as a source of help to clients. The successful partnership of church and non-church entities fulfills Love INC's goal of creating a holistic, collaborative outreach to meeting needs.
National Headquarters
The Love INC National Headquarters, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves as the base of operations for the president of Love INC, Robert Odom, and the National Headquarters staff. The Love INC National Headquarters is governed by a national board of directors.
Love INC's National Headquarters carries out many essential functions, the most critical of which are providing affiliates with vision, direction, and shared understanding of ministry goals.
The National Headquarters also invests in affiliates by providing-free of charge-training, assessments, technical assistance, networking opportunities and marketing materials; coordinating national conferences and retreats; facilitating the sharing of best practices across the Love INC movement; responding to requests for information about Love INC; and assisting in the development of new affiliates.
Contact Information
Love In the Name of Christ, National Headquarters, 430 Oak Grove Street, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Our office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. central time.
Tel (800) 777-5277, Tel (612) 872-8008, Fax (612) 872-6006
External links
* [http://www.loveinc.org www.loveinc.org]
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