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Newsletters>
April-May 2008
May 1, 2008
Page 1
Prayer! America’s Strength and Shield
The 57th Annual Observance
National Day of Prayer
“The Lord is my strength and shield;
my heart trusts in Him and I am helped.” Psalm 28:7
Thursday May 1, 2008
In the park at:
Bob Hart Square
510 W. Main St. in Merced
(in front of Fernando’s Bistro)
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Bring blankets or lawn chairs as seating is limited
For more information contact: Karen Thun at 261-2349
THANK YOU For a Successful
Annual Dinner Auction, March 1
Thanks to the efforts of so many individuals, businesses
and churches, Love INC raised over $24,000 through our
annual fundraiser.
Thank you so much to the following committee members who
began planning in the fall and saw this successful event
all the way through to the end:
Linda Lopez (Gateway)
Jennifer Jones (Gateway)
Deb Toland (Gateway)
Laura Warner (United Methodist Church of Merced)
Janelle York (Creekside Evangelical Free)
Debbie Nelson (Yosemite Church)
Frank Walterscheid (First Baptist Church)
Dennis Northern (Holy Cross Lutheran)
If you missed the dinner auction
would you consider making a cash donation help further the
ministry of Love INC? This Spring, expenses are up, needs
are great and donations are not keeping pace. Any extra
help will be greatly appreciated!
Page 2
FIRST CLASS GRADUATES FROM NEWLY REVISED
LOVE INC SMART MONEY BUDGET COUNSELING CLASSES
Five young people recently graduated from the newly
revised Love INC Smart Money Classes that were held on
Thursday nights from Feb. 28-April 3. Thanks to
instructors Al Adams, (Shepherd of the Valley
Lutheran), Jay Alterman (Yosemite Church) and
Aubrey Nelson (Gateway Church) we had a very successful
first class. Participants also met weekly with their
budget mentors assigned to them by Love INC.
The classes are for any low income person that is
interested in learning how to more effectively manage the
resources they have. The clients enrolling in the classes
will be taught basic principles of money management
including making and achieving financial goals, creating a
budget, savings and investments, stewardship, taxes,
insurance and freedom from debt, all from a Biblical
starting point. Each week participants will earn
incentives to help them achieve their financial goal for
the period they are enrolled in the classes.
Upcoming Classes
May 22-June 26, 2008
Thursday nights
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Creekside Evangelical Free
2876 N. G Street
Merced.
Sept. 25-Oct. 23, 2008
Thursday nights
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran
1455 Yosemite
Merced
Your Help is Needed!
Budget Mentors, Drivers, and Childcare Volunteers:
One element of the classes is the one-on-one budget mentor
that is assigned to each couple or individual that
participates. These mentors commit to meet with the
student from 7:30-8:00 p.m. after each class to work on
their individual budgets and goals for the week/month.
Love INC will provide all materials and training for the
budget mentors. Please contact Terry at 383-2439 if you are
interested in being a mentor.
We also need volunteers to transport clients to and from
the weekly classes and childcare during the classes.
Please call ASAP if you can help! Thank you.
Page 3
LOVE STORY
Testimony from Andrea
April 3rd, 2008 (Written upon graduation from Love INC’s
Newly revised Smart Money Budget Counseling Classes.)
For a very long time I’ve been financially unstable,
and on a constant month to month struggle. Being on a
fixed income is often a luxury and a burden. The luxury of
having an income when you can’t work or just in a situation
(I have no money for day-care.) And a burden of stressing
how am I going to stretch all I have over a month period so
I don’t have to go without and my kids won’t ever feel
hungry or cold. Love INC along with our savior Jesus
Christ has always been there for me when this burden came
up on me, whether it was food, blankets, or just a prayer.
My family and I are a testimony that prayer through Love
INC and our church friends works!
Now I’ve been coming to this budget class for several
weeks, I’ve learned that I have all power over my expenses
and my expenses have no power here. I’ve learned the
difference of need and want. But most of all I’ve learned
that even on a fixed income with faith, Prayer, and Budget
I can turn a grain of rice into a full meal for my family.
With a good shopping tactic I can buy toiletry or household
items and maybe that little something extra for my kids or
myself. I’ve learned to be disciplined and understand that
by sticking to a budget or plan now my months fixed income
rolls over and I’m not without and it feels good. I’m
prouder now of myself that I’ve been in a long time. My
children are happy and stable. I am blessed.
CLEARINGHOUSE COORDINATOR’S REPORT:
It has been a very blessed few months. The theme of our
dinner auction this year, “We can do together what we
cannot do apart,” describes the tone of how God is leading
us. The night of the auction was truly an inspired event
with the many churches being represented; individuals from
agencies we have been working more closely with; as well as
a wonderful client giving a very touching testimony about
how God has truly transformed her life. Thank you, Leslie,
for sharing such a powerful story with all of us!
The Clearinghouse continues to grow, Praise God! We
welcomed Edward Huddleston (Second Baptist) and Coralie
Bennett (Gateway Community Church) to our Clearinghouse.
Edward has a heart for all he does and has been blessing us
and our clients for two shifts a week. Thank you! Coralie
has a wonderful spirit and a heart for everyone. She has
been praying for the ministry of Love INC as well as each
client that is served. It’s an amazing blessing to know
everyone is being prayed over. Aubrey
LOVE INC BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Lisa Maples, President, New Life Community Church
Frank Walterscheid, Vice Pres., First Baptist Church
Deb Toland, Treasurer, Gateway Church
Laura Warner, Secretary, United Methodist Church, Merced
Renee Finister, Evergreen Christian Center
Debra Nelson, Yosemite Church
Lorraine Morris, United Methodist Church, Merced
Allan Schell, First Baptist Church
LOVE INC STAFF:
Terry Raley, Executive Director
Aubrey Nelson, Clearinghouse Coordinator
Mary Hathaway, Administrative Assistant
Page 4
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
The Love INC National Conference is coming up at the end of
April. We are blessed to be able to send our three-member
staff as well as our board president to Minneapolis for the
conference this year. My staff is busy preparing our
volunteers to take over the office while we are away.
While they may feel a little anxious about their new roles,
they are willing to serve! What a blessing that is. We
may not always feel equipped to do what the Lord is calling
us to do, but just being willing to say “yes,” when He asks
is a start. One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians
4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me.” In this passage to the Philippians, Paul reminds us
of three great promises of God. That God will give us
peace, peace which surpasses all understanding. Second,
that God will give us power by which we can do whatever He
wants us to do. And finally, that God will provide for us
and satisfy our every need. I thank God for His peace,
strengthand assurance daily. I thank Him that He is
providing us with the volunteers and the financial support
that we need to reach out and serve many needs in this
community. Also, I thank Him that He is preparing the
hearts of others to join us by volunteering to serve or by
becoming financial partners to help reach even more. Are
you one of the ones that God is preparing? Give us a call
or return the response form on page three.
Blessings! Terry
NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION THANKS:
Many thanks to the United Methodist Church of Merced for
donating the use of their copier to Love INC to print the
newsletters and to Gateway Community Church for donating
the use of their fabulous paper folding machine to finish
the job! Also, thank you to the many volunteers who label,
sticker and count each letter. It is a labor of Love !
Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives
and
communities In the Name of Christ.
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