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Love, INC
by Joan Jones
Robert Odom: Restoring The Ministry Of Compassion To The Church It is a tragic fact that the 20th century church gave up most of her ministry of compassion to the civil government. The results have been devastating for both church and state. 1. What exactly is Love, INC? And how did it get started? Who's the founder? Love INC was founded in 1977 as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with the poor and to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action. Love INC's founder, Dr. Virgil Gulker, was a social worker and outreach director in Holland, Michigan, in the late 1970s. Deeply committed to helping people trapped in poverty, he was certain God had called others to the same mission. As he talked to church members and pastors, Dr. Gulker came to understand that Christians did indeed want to help the needy, but they had few ideas about how to do so. Many times people did not even recognize that they were gifted in ways that could have a positive impact on someone else's life. It was clear to Dr. Gulker that if churches were to better serve their communities, they needed leadership, organization, training, encouragement, and prayer. He developed the Love INC model to fill these critical roles. Love INC taught churches to assess their capabilities, and it unified local congregations so that, working together, they could more effectively help their neighbors. One man's idea for an integrated church ministry in Holland, Michigan, began to inspire Christians in many different regions. Others duplicated the Love INC model--with its successes--as they sought to meet the needs of hurting individuals and families in their own communities. By the late 1980s, there were 50 Love INC affiliates operating in 14 states. As the Love INC ministry grew, so did the need for national leadership and support. In 1988, Love INC became an operating department of World Vision U.S., an international Christian relief and development organization, where it remained for the next 15 years. Under World Vision, Love INC continued to grow throughout the 1990s, and in 2001 Robert Odom was appointed president of Love INC. In 2003, Love INC separated from World Vision and again became its own national nonprofit organization, headquartered in Minneapolis. Today Love INC has over 135 affiliates in 30 states, representing a network of nearly 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and more than 300,000 volunteers helping more than 1 million people in need each year. 2. What is the mission of LOVE, INC? Mission: Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ. Core Values: 1. We are Christian. Everything we think, say, and do is in the name of Christ. 2. Prayer is an integral part of who we are. 3. We follow Christ's example of valuing the poor and needy. 4. We value unity of the Body of Christ. 5. We value transformation in the lives of people and communities. 6. We value churches living out the two great commandments to love God and love their neighbors. 7. We value building Christ-like relationships. 8. We value the connectedness of the Love INC movement. 9. We model excellence. 10. We value continually maturing in our capacity to meet people's needs. 3. What exactly are you striving to provide to your clients? Does it go beyond basic physical help and needs? The Love INC model has three levels. Each level goes deeper in fulfilling Love INC's mission to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ. Level One: Clearinghouse Model. The Clearinghouse is the foundation of Love INC. Love INC screens requests for help for extent of need and legitimacy, and refers the request to a local church ministry, church volunteer, or community agency. Love INC follows up to ensure the need was met and to offer spiritual support. Level Two: Relational Ministry Model. Church members are trained and linked by Love INC with individuals and families in need on a long-term basis to provide mentoring, goal setting, and spiritual and emotional support, along with the full array of services and resources available in the Love INC network. Level Three: Comprehensive Community Development Model. Love INC goes even further to meet the needs of communities by addressing the deeper issues that contribute to poverty and hopelessness. 4.What's a typical day at the clearinghouse at LOVE, INC? a. Receive request for help. Requests are received either directly from a person in need, or a person in need is referred to the local Love INC office by a partner church or local agency. b. Assess the need. Specially trained Love INC volunteers or staff screen the request for extent of need and legitimacy, and discover any deeper issues fueling the crisis. The person is prayed with/for by the staff or volunteer. c. Provide help. The request is referred to the most appropriate Love INC partner church, agency or faith-based organization. Staff or volunteers swing into action, providing whatever resources or outreach programs are appropriate to address the need(s). d. Follow up. The Love INC office reviews the outcome. Was the immediate need 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 church if he or she so desires. 5. What's the profile of the typical person you minister to? The typical person who calls our clearinghouse is a mother, friend, neighbor, and brother. He may be an employee or out of work. He is a faithful Christian or an atheist. He has been in prison or lived a generous life. She is a mother or a recovering drug addict. He is homeless or has a healthy income. You can probably guess from my answer I am trying to communicate the most basic aspect of the person who calls us. They are in trouble. They come from many walks of life and have a long story that takes time and patience to listen to. We are confident that whatever the circumstances of the person on the other end of the phone they have called out to the ministry of the Body of Christ and we hope our representation of Him in their time of need is pleasing to Him. 6. How would a person get involved in the Love INC ministry?
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