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Newsletters>
February 2008
February 1, 2008
Page 1
“We can do together what we cannot do apart.”
Love In the Name of Christ
of Greater Merced’s
Annual DINNER AUCTION
Fundraiser
March 1, 2008
5:30 P.M.
St. Patrick’s Parish Reception Hall
673 E Yosemite Avenue, Merced
Tickets $15.00 each
Tickets Available at the Hoffmeister Center
1920 Canal Street, Christian Connection,
or by contacting Terry Raley at 383-2439.
Page 2
Love In the Name of Christ of Greater Merced
2007 Annual Report
To request a copy of our Annual Report, call the Love INC
office.
The Ministry:
Love In the Name of Christ of Greater Merced
The Mission:
To mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities
in the Name of Christ.
The Members:
48 Partner Churches in the Greater Merced Area
The Missionaries:
Over 1,200 Christian Volunteers
The Method:
Love INC operates as a central Clearinghouse, receiving
needs of all kinds and verifying their legitimacy. Love
INC empowers Christian volunteers to meet needs and
accomplish ministry in specific manageable ways. Love INC
coordinates emergency food pantries, used furniture and
transportation ministries, budget counseling classes and
baby ministries. Love INC provides follow up to make sure
the immediate need was met. Is there a core issue that
requires longer-term attention? The follow up also
provides an opportunity for the recipient to become
connected to a local church if he or she so desires.
The Response:
Over 6,274 people
who’s needs were met in 2007!
More than 635 households received food
251 households received furniture items
90 people received rides to appointments
136 baby needs were met
216 families received holiday assistance. . . . .
Love In the Name of Christ—a program that
effectively unites churches, you, and people in need.
Page 3
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dinner Auction Saturday, March 1st at St. Patrick’s Hall
Your Help is Needed:
1.Donations for live & silent auction.
2. Desserts for the dessert auction.
3. People to buy (and sell) tickets.
We are only half way to our ticket goal and only three
weeks to go! Call Love INC if you can help!
Volunteers are needed in the call center.
Shifts are Monday through Friday, from 9:00 am-12:00 pm
or 1:00 pm-3:30 pm. 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.
BEDS, BEDS, BEDS, are urgently needed for the furniture
ministry. Don’t forget to call Love INC if you are getting
new furniture or APPLIANCES!
The temporary Homeless Shelter at Sierra Presbyterian
Church still needs some meals prepared for the weekends. If
you can help, call the Love INC office for more
information. This is a true church and community-wide
effort.
A Message from the Executive Director:
Thank you so much for your support of Love INC this past
year. I hope to see you at the upcoming dinner auction on
March 1st. We have a very special night planned for you .
The auction raises about one third of our budget for the
year, so it is very important for everyone to show their
support. It is such a privilege to serve in this role and
I am looking forward to all God will do through the
ministry of Love INC in 2008. Blessings, Terry
Holiday Blessings:
Thank you so much to all the churches and community members
who blessed so many families this holiday season. Here are
the amazing totals:
64 Families received Thanksgiving Food Baskets!
9 Families received Christmas Trees!!
75 Families received Christmas Food Baskets!!!
77 Children received Christmas Gifts!!!
May we remember these families in our prayers throughout
the year. Aubrey
Messages received in the Love INC office:
“Thank you so much for the Christmas gifts, my girls were
so blessed! How can we help Love INC?” R
“Thank you for helping my niece get her heater fixed and
home weatherized. God bless you all.” WJ
“Both families that we adopted through Love INC were truly
blessed these past couple of months. We are so thankful
that God has blessed us to bless them. Three of the
children and three of their neighbors’ children joined us
for Christmas Eve service at our church. Praise God!”
Newly Revised Love INC Smart Money Budget Counseling
Classes Begin on February 28!
We are very excited to announce that beginning Thursday,
February 28 at 6:30 p.m., and continuing for the next five
weeks, the first in a series of revised Smart Money Budget
Counseling Classes will be held for low income Love INC
clients that are 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 students will
earn incentives to help them achieve their financial goal
for the period they are enrolled in the classes.
Page 4
Budget Mentors and Drivers are still needed:
One element of the new classes is the one-on-one budget
mentor that will be assigned to each couple or individual
that participates. These mentors will commit to meet with
the student from 7:30-8:00 p.m. after each class (2/28,
3/6, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/3) 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. Please call ASAP if you can help!
Thank you.
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