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Newsletters>
May-June 2007
June 5, 2007
Message from the Executive Director
I had the privilege of attending the National Love INC
Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota last month. I was
joined by Aubrey, our Clearinghouse Coordinator, and the
President and Vice-President of our Board of Directors. We
had a wonderful time experiencing fellowship,
entertainment, worship, learning and dining together with
other Christians. The theme for the conference was, “The
Depth of the Call,” and a key scripture was Romans 15: 5-6,
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you
a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ
Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It was such a
great experience being together with Christians from Love
INC affiliates all across our county proclaiming in unity
ourLove for Christ Jesus.
During our week we learned that our primary focus at Love
INC is to build relationships. Relationships are the
foundation of a successful Love INC. In our Clearinghouse,
we are not about offering food, gas money, things, etc..
We are about beginning a relationship with a Christian
person or Christian church, and offering a relationship
with Jesus Christ. Our goal is to present love and hope to
someone who may not have a clue what that is. What a
responsibility and a privilege that is! Terry
Clearinghouse Coordinator’s Report
There is nothing like being in a hotel full of Christians
bonded together for the same mission and vision! That is
what I experienced during the Love INC National Conference.
In this report I want to touch on one of the main things I
learned from the training regarding the clearinghouse
process.
I have always felt so proud to work for a ministry that was
able to listen to people and then meet their needs quickly.
We are thankful and blessed that we have the support of
our churches and can meet needs quickly, however from what
we learned at the conference this may not be the “best
practice.”
At the moment we are a need-driven clearinghouse:
Our focus is on responding to the expressed need as quickly
as possible. We decide if we can or cannot help based upon
our ability to meet their expressed need. We feel we have
helped them if we meet the expressed need.
We would like to move to a Person-driven clearinghouse: Our
focus is on the person, with a desire to hear their
story, before we respond to the need. We look beyond the
expressed need, to the driving need, wanting to meet more
than the expressed need. We desire to enter into a
relationship with them, because we care more about them
than about quickly meeting their expressed need.
Our clearinghouse has the ability to move to the
Person-driven model very smoothly. We already have amazing
volunteers who are more than capable of moving to a more
detailed and thoughtful intake process. We lift this up to
the Lord!
Aubrey
Love INC Board of Directors
President: Lisa Maples
New Life Community Church
Vice-President: Gerry Roberts
Central Presbyterian Church
Treasurer: Sherlynne Warner
First Baptist Church
Secretary: Teman Johnson
Christian Life Center
Laura Warner
United Methodist Church of Merced
Love Stories
This month’s Love Stories highlight some of our wonderful
volunteers!
Dennis & Connie Northern
Holy Cross Lutheran, Atwater
Thank you for answering the call to service. This ministry
is blessed to know you, work with you, and grow with you.
Delivering diapers, wipes, furniture, gas, and food is a
simple task compared to the true task you accomplish:
delivering the love and compassion of the Lord. You have
this amazing ability to meet people ‘where they are’ and
show them ‘where the Lord wants them.’
Pete & Louise DeVries
First Baptist Church, Merced
Thank you for always showing God’s love in all you do.
There is not one call answered without a true sense of
compassion and a desire to serve God’s will. Thank you for
taking the time to volunteer in the clearinghouse:
providing rides to doctor appointments no matter how far
away they may be; delivering food & furniture to many
people in need. Our community is better for having you in
it.
Lowell Krumm
First Baptist Church, Merced
Thank you for continually going above and beyond the call
to service. We have only recently been blessed with you,
and what a blessing it has been. You have delivered over
20 pieces of furniture to families, helped cut up a tree
for a lady, and most importantly blessed each family you’ve
contacted with the love of Christ.
John Mauer
Evangelical Free Church, Merced
“Yes, Yes, Yes”…these are the words that seem to always
pass your lips when the Lord calls. You have blessed this
ministry and our whole community in such an amazing way,
with a willingness to answer the call no matter how large
or small. We are thankful for all that you do, all that
you say, and the example you have set for us all.
Lois Halstead
Gateway Community Church
Thank you so much Lois for keeping the Clearinghouse
running while we went to Conference. We are so thankful for
your commitment to Love INC.
Save the Date:
The 2008 Love INC
Annual Dinner Auction
March 1, 2008
St. Patrick’s Parrish Hall
Announcements
Volunteers are needed in the call center.
Shifts are from 9-12 or 1:30 M-F. Our call center
volunteers come from a number of different churches in
Merced and Atwater. This is a great way to meet people
from other churches as well as be a tool to help build
relationships with those in need in our community.
Special thanks go to First Baptist Church for hosting a
golf tournament to benefit Love INC and Alpha Pregnancy
Center. The proceeds help Love INC meet their monthly
financial obligations. Praise God for the wonderful
volunteers at First Baptist.
Also, special thanks to the United Methodist Church of
Merced for designating their special Easter Offering for
Love INC. The donations were directed to the Crisis Fund
and will help meet the unfunded needs that Love INC
sometimes helps with. One of the current needs is for
replacement California ID cards for the homeless or
recently paroled. Thank you to the United Methodists for
keeping Love INC close to their hearts.
We are still in need of beds of all sizes and dressers.
Those two items are the most frequently requested. Call
the Love INC office if you have any furniture or appliances
in good condition to donate.
Pastor’s Corner
Father Ron Parry, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Meeting Life’s Minimum Daily Requirements
It was not that long ago when most food products included
the Minimum Daily Requirements somewhere on their labels.
This provided the consumer with helpful information in our
quest to eat healthily in our fast-paced lifestyles.
That got me to pondering as to what some of my Minimum
Daily Requirements for life might be. In addition to food,
shelter and enough money to pay bills, my list includes:
quiet time to ponder, mid-day naps, playtime,
walks/exercise, pleasure reading, a hug or two from the
people I love, time to talk to God, and contact with my
grand kids.
Since everyone has certain Minimum Daily Requirements that
require the participation and cooperation of someone else,
how can we help meet those needs…especially the needs of
someone we don’t know? The ministry of Love Inc provides
a way for us to do that. We can volunteer to answer
phones, help with transportation, donate food or finances,
offer budget counseling, tutor children, help with home
maintenance…..the list goes on and on. We can also satisfy
some of the intangible needs of others through our friendly
smiles, caring hearts and words of encouragement. We also
discover that some of our Minimum Daily Requirements are
being met in the process.
As a pastor, I am grateful for the ministry of Love Inc and
for the opportunities Love Inc provides for the members of
my parish. My prayer is that each of us will take time to
reflect on Life’s Minimum Daily Requirements and resolve to
incorporate them into our lives and the lives of others.
Love in Christ,
Father Ron Parry
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