Aug 14, 2024
Matthew 25:23 NIV His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
When writing this, 86 families have contacted Love In the Name of Christ Heartland for assistance this year (2024). People are referred to us by friends, churches, county offices, and other agencies. Sometimes people find us online and will email, text, call, or submit requests for help through our website.
At Love INC Heartland we practice Redemptive Compassion®, which is a Biblical philosophy on how we can offer wholistic help to those we serve. The first of the Six Core Principles is, “Everyone has value.” Which implores us to contact and speak to everyone who reaches out to us. Even in situations where we know we will not be able to help them, we still listen to their story, refer them to another agency, and ask to pray with them. Often, staff and volunteers see the softness of people come through when saying a short prayer for them. Just as Jesus has called us to be relational with others (not only in spirit but in a personal way), our Connection Center takes time to see the person not just the need.
Similar to the parable of the Talents Jesus tells in Matthew 25, if there is just one thing we can do for one person, we will do it. We will not bury even the smallest opportunity to connect with someone. We will be Jesus to that person, striving to be good and faithful servants.
For those reaching out to us for assistance or, as we say at Love INC, a neighbor in need (a client), there is much work to do. It begins with an initial contact where basic information is gathered and a brief description of the neighbor’s situation is clarified and held with confidence. Verifications (specific documents) are requested from each neighbor. Around the same time, an intake is scheduled to build the relationship and to have a deeper, detailed conversation about their life story.
Along the way whether Love INC staff or caring volunteers, we have the opportunity (and duty) to use all six core principles of the Redemptive Compassion® philosophy:
- Everyone has value.
- We are called to invest relationally in each other.
- Everyone has capacity and potential.
- Mutual participation is important.
- We must use wisdom and discernment.
- How we help should offer opportunities for transformation.
Once initial contact, verifications, and phone intake have all been completed, the Connection Center works to connect our neighbors to our Church Partners leading Gap Ministries that can help support them through the challenges they are facing.
Our role as Love INC Heartland is to provide the scaffolding, or the latticework so that our Church Partners to know they are helping people that have gone through a verification process and genuinely desire to move forward in their lives. Volunteers of the churches who run the Gap Ministries get the opportunity to be Jesus to our Neighbors.
Lastly, but most importantly, a critical piece of the Connection Center is to lead people to participate in our transformational ministry called the Fresh Start Program. In Fresh Start, our neighbors have the opportunity for Christ-centered fellowship every week. They have the opportunity to engage in biblically based life-skill teaching and coaching. They engage with volunteers on staff who can pray, listen, and assist them on their journey. I firmly believe each neighbor who participates in Fresh Start has the opportunity to use the talents God has given them.
This is truly the call of the Connection Center to connect people to the Love of Jesus. To connect our Neighbors to people who desire to be Jesus to them.
Be Jesus today in a small way with huge impact by supporting Watertown Evangelical Free’s gas card gap ministry! Many of our neighbors are facing financial hardship and having enough funds for gas is difficult. When you support this gap ministry, $25 gas cards are given to neighbors actively participating in our Fresh Start Program. A $25 gas card may not seem like much but it makes a huge impact for our neighbors to have designated funds for gas. Will you support this gap ministry? Give a gift of $25 (1 family) $50 (2 families) or $100 (4 families) today.
Give A Gas Card
May 8, 2024
About a year ago, a Spanish-speaking family was in one of our Love In the Name of Christ Heartland offices. They needed help for themselves and their little ones–specifically diapers. The mother didn’t know English, but the father did. Through shared language, we were able to begin forming a relationship with them. When we welcome neighbors to Love INC Heartland, there can be uncertainty about where the relationship will go once completing the intake process. But our heavenly Father knows, and we need to remain faithful.
We took the time to make referrals and get the family assistance. One of the places we connected the family to was a local church partner who leads a gap ministry to provide diapers and other baby items for families. Quickly, the family became involved in our Fresh Start Program. Again, we faced the barrier of speaking different languages. We rewrote the curriculum in Spanish using the tools available to us. The mother even used Google Translate to listen to the videos.
The family continued to need diapers. So, again, we connected them with more diapers. The family visited the church partner, and the church continued to build a relationship with them. Were our words about faith in Jesus sinking in? Did they understand that they are loved and valued by God? Again, we remained faithful to God that He would speak.
Recently, our Executive Director, Jim Holmlund, visited the same church partner to support the congregation and continue to build a stronger partnership with them. The people of the church also had been gathering food, which he was picking up to share with our neighbors involved in the Fresh Start Program. Little did he know how blessed he would be on that morning. During their worship service, there was an announcement that there would be a baptism. The pastor shared that the family sitting on the right side of the congregation would be bringing their youngest son forward for baptism. Jim was moved to see that the family baptizing their son was the same Spanish-speaking family that Love INC Heartland had been building a relationship with.
At first, they were a family needing diapers for their little ones. They were a family who needed someone to walk through the language barrier. They needed someone to take time and be with them. Love INC Heartland did that, and the church engaged them with the same attitude. Now, months later, their child was getting baptized into Christ Jesus and had a church to call home. The story of this family is one example of how God uses His people to make connections. It is also a model of what church partnership with Love In the Name of Christ is meant to be and is a real example of the Redemptive Compassion philosophy in action.
We believe that churches are called to see the image of God in others. Called to care about their neighbors. Called to share resources. Called to walk with those who are hurting. Called in invest in relationships. Called to transform lives and communities. We need your support to continue this ministry. We need people who will love them where they are and remind them how God sees them, regardless of the barriers. We invite you, your church, and even other groups you’re involved in to be part of this ministry!
Church Partner
Volunteer
Give A Gift
Nov 13, 2023
Where Will A Need For Furniture Lead?
Tamara called our Connection Center, looking for help with furniture.
As I talked with her more, I could tell she was a gentle soul with a creative spirit that needed more than a couch or a chair. Tamara was looking to connect to a faith-based community with a welcoming atmosphere to help encourage her as she faced health challenges while living in a quieter, rural area.
We connected her to local agencies for resources to support her, like a local senior center and public transportation options. Then, I shared information about our Fresh Start Program, along with the blessings that could come from participating in it, like earning vouchers to purchase items in our thrift stores or Gap Ministries available through our church partners. Tamara chose to participate, and by attending the free classes, she has built relationships with our staff, other community members, and volunteers.
Then Tamara faced another challenge: her vehicle needed repair.
She wasn’t sure where to go or how she would be able to afford the repairs. So once again, Tamara reached out to us, and we were there for her. She asked us if we could help with this need. We said yes and helped connect her to the car repair Gap Ministry through St. Maximilian Kolbe, one of our church partners. We walked alongside her, the church, and the car repair shop throughout the process. Tamara was able to save up funds to pay for her half of the repairs. Being involved in our community allowed us to support and love her best through this challenge.
So, what about the furniture?
Since attending the Fresh Start Program, Tamara saved up her furniture vouchers. She was looking for something to put her feet up on. Something to sit and snuggle with her grandchildren, watch TV, or read a book on. One day, a family graciously donated a sectional couch to our thrift store in Howard Lake. Tamara knew it was what she was looking for and purchased it. It has been an incredible blessing to her family and has been a gift that keeps on giving.
As we have walked with Tamara through the years, she has made new relationships, has become active at a local senior center, and, through a referral from us, has found employment. She even has dedicated time at to give back to the community that she has been helped by.
We will continue to encourage Tamara as she travels down the road that God is leading her towards.
Where will God lead you today? Will he lead you to donate items to our thrift stores? Will he lead you to give back by volunteering with your time? Will he call you to help support those in your community with a financial gift? We pray that Tamara’s Love Story inspires you to take that next step in your life’s journey and be open to God leading you to love others In the Name of Christ.
