Nov 18, 2024
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, NIV)
Imagine gathering with thousands of people on a hillside, captivated by a man named Jesus. He speaks with authority, sharing a message unlike anything you’ve ever heard—a message of love, forgiveness, and relationship with God. This Jesus reveals a God who desires your heart rather than your sacrifice.
“You are the light of the world,” He says. (Matthew 5:14, NIV) This light isn’t meant to be hidden; it’s meant to shine brightly for others to see.
Did you know that Love In the Name of Christ Heartland embodies this light in your community? We serve families, seniors, and single parents facing financial challenges. Like Jesus, we aim to bring hope and transformation.
We connect local churches to community needs, working alongside those we serve. Our mission is to transform lives, not just meet immediate needs. We partner with churches to provide a hand-up, fostering relationships and guiding neighbors to resources that promote lasting change.
Will you help us make hope and transformation possible for those in need?
Give Hope
Love INC Heartland needs your support to continue investing in our community. In the beginning of 2023 we were serving 93 households and in 2024 it grew to 104. Now, as of September 2024, we serve over 110 households that live in Delano, Howard Lake, and several other surrounding communities.
We need your support to continue to serve our current and future families. Will you support our cause?
Consider giving a gift of $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, or more to help us shine brightly as a city on a hill, transforming lives In the Name of Christ (INC).
Our goal is to alleviate poverty without creating dependency. We walk alongside our neighbors, practicing developmental compassion. Jesus calls us to change our hearts, improving our relationships with Him and others. We are called to share this new light with the world.
Support Love INC
When we look into the eyes of our neighbors and tell them, “You are a creation of God. You have inherent value,” we ignite change in their hearts. Join us in being that city on the hill. Help us be the shining light of Jesus in our community. Consider making a financial gift or volunteering your time. Your support can make a significant difference.
P.S. Would you like to learn more about vision and partnering with Love INC Heartland? Contact Jim Holmlund, Executive Director, at 763-999-7630 or director@loveincheartland.org
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
