ABOUT LOVE INC OF SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

OUR mission…

To mobilize local Christian churches to transform lives and communities through relationships, In the Name of Christ.

OUR WHY & WHAT…

Build hope in Sheboygan County through relationships rooted in Christ

Building Hope ~ Meeting Needs ~ Transforming Lives

OUR MINISTRIES…

Connection Center: call center as initial point of contact with neighbors where relationship begins

Gap Ministry: products and services coordinated by partner churches to meet an immediate need and to build trust with neighbor by modeling Christ-centered relationships

Transformational Ministry: life-skills classes, community education events, and mentor programs that surround neighbor with support structure and long-term relationship that focuses on neighbor’s goals and dreams that allows each neighbor to pursue their own path to success

Creating an inviting and loving atmosphere of community that walks alongside each neighbor and showcases the love of Christ

OUR VISION...

We are members of Christian churches, united in purpose and living out our faith through loving service to the people in our communities.  Opening our hearts to give and receive love, truth, and compassion as we are joined together in Christ. 

This spirit of “working together” is evident in our communities through:

· Churches in partnership.

· Service Organizations learning and succeeding in realizing their missions.

· Everyone making progress toward the fullness of Life

OUR CORE VALUES...

· Prayer is an integral part of who we are.

· We follow Christ’s example of valuing all people.

· We value transformation in the lives of people and communities.

· We value building Christ-like relationships, recognizing these represent the “fullness of Life.”

· We are Christian, what we think, say, and do is “In the Name of Christ.”

· We respect unity in the Body of Christ.

· We join and support churches in living out the two great commandments to “love God” and “love our neighbors.”

· We honor the connectedness of the Love INC movement.

· We model excellence in our operation, including our commitment to stewardship of all resources.

· We continually mature in our capacity to recognize and meet the needs of all people – especially, those requesting services and our volunteers.

Love INC of Sheboygan County formed to mobilize local Christian churches to transform lives and communities through relationship In the Name of Christ—now with 38 partner churches from 15 denominations. Becoming an official affiliate in 2015, we operate a call center—Connection Center—to respond to neighbors facing need situations by connecting them with resources from local church ministries and the community. 

Love In the Name of Christ (INC) is a proven model that starts by building relationships. Love INC is a national organization with affiliates operating across the country offering those in need situations a hand-up through Christ-centered relationships while partnering with our community resource network who provide services and products that meet the immediate needs. Love INC offers an opportunity for neighbors to break the cycle of hopelessness – connecting them with caring individuals who will model our Christian beliefs through all interactions. 

Through our partner churches and volunteers, Love INC embodies the true Body of Christ and demonstrates love for all our neighbors!

THE DEFINING DIFFERENCE: HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

A Connection Center volunteer responds to a phone calls from people in our community and listens to their story.
We attempt to understand each person who contacts us so that we can encourage and affirm individual potential and gifts while also addressing the immediate need. By collecting basic contact information and references, we clarify each situation by talking with a church, a caseworker, an employer, or whoever best understands the issue - creating a profile of each individual. Additional touchpoints occur throughout our process so that we express love and compassion as we learn more about each person’s hopes and dreams.

We utilize our community network to determine which social services apply and what church resources are available.
We maintain a database of existing social services and other non-profit organizations in the county to avoid duplication of services and to provide access to the people who contact us. Many times we are privileged to refer the caller to a Love INC Gap Ministry program at one of our partner churches. Our Gap Ministry programs provide products and services that meet an immediate need with the intention of strengthening the relationship that begins in our Connection Center.

We reach out to out partner churches for volunteers who are willing to extend help and walk with our neighbors.
These servants from the churches are following Christ's example and showcasing the love of Jesus so that each person realizes their own potential and God-given talents that will lead to an abundant life that is self-reliant and thriving.

Service "gaps" are clearly identified as churches and volunteers work together to lift-up those in need.
Information regarding the needs met through our existing community and church network (along with those not easily responded to) is utilized. We also collect data on services that are not currently being provided so that we can discuss with our partner churches ways to step into these “gaps” and connect with people in ways that builds trust, hope, and resilience.

HISTORY OF LOVE INC OF SHEBOYGAN COUNTY

In the summer of 2010 a parishioner at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheboygan Falls initiated a conversation with leadership about how churches might do social ministry better.  In the end, the Associate Pastor agreed to work with the parishioner on this issue – researching various models and concepts. In the fall of 2010, the pastor mentioned the issue at a Sheboygan Falls Ministerial Association meeting, and it was suggested they look into Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC). This model focuses on mobilizing Christian churches to transform lives and communities through relationship with Jesus Christ. This was exactly what the group was seeking – a way of providing a “hand-up” because the thousands of dollars provided as “hand-outs” through their church ministries had only perpetuated the cycle of poverty and hopelessness.

The Church leadership recognized that they had become part of the problem in their attempts to provide resources as other avenues were no longer funded or available. As they reached out to the National Love INC, they realized it was in the midst of a major reorganization, delaying the possibility of an affiliate in Sheboygan County. A local Vision Team was formed in the summer of 2011 and contact with Love INC National was re-established. Individuals that together were able to see the possibility of walking with Christ in a different way. They included:

Vision Team – 2011 [Tim Allman, Gay Borgenhagen, Jerry Doyle, Chris Tempas & Pastor Mark Janzen]

To move the formation process for the Sheboygan County Love INC affiliate, a group of pastors nominated a Development Team in 2012 to address the 501(c)3 status, draft the marketing plan, and select the members of the Founding Board of Directors. The group of pastors from a wide range of denominations and geographic locations within the county included:

Nomination Team – 2012 [Pastor Keith Hunholz, Rev. Father Karl Schaffenburg, Pastor Todd Smith, Pastor Brian Taylor, Pastor David Van Dixhorn & Pastor Brad Veenendaal]

The group that carved the pathway for the affiliate to be born and donated hundreds of hours of time for that purpose – the Development Team – 2012-13 led by Katy Prange, and under the legal consultation of Bill Te Winkle, also included: Dorothy Block, Bill Horsch, Sue Kieffer, Julie Steinert, Ryan TenPas, Pastor Mark Janzen, and Chris Tempas]

The Founding Board of Directors was recruited in 2013 and included: Chair-Pastor Mark Janzen, Vice-Chair Linda Cates, Treasurer Ryan TenPas, Secretary Dorothy Block, Jesse Brotz, David Kostichka, Jane Marotz, Pastor Ric Olson and Chris Tempas.

The Board developed a strategic plan in the spring of 2014 with plans to fund the operations for the first year to allow for hiring of an Executive Director and establishing an office.

The Brotz Family Foundation and an anonymous donor provided the necessary financial support to accomplish those tasks. In addition, our first major community partner was identified in Thrivent Financial services – having a compatible mission with Love INC. Thrivent has brought their financial support, along with other resources to our special events and has a representative on our Board of Directors.

We reached out to other organizations with missions to assist neighbors facing need through the churches including St. Vincent DePaul Society, the Salvation Army and the Sheboygan County Interfaith Organization (SCIO) realizing our mission is unique – to ensure no duplication of focus or services.

The first Executive Director (ED) Katie Popp was hired and established an office by late 2014 in downtown Sheboygan. The office address had not been published since the heart of the Love INC operation was a Clearinghouse (now called the Connection Center) involving telephone contact only with a Clearinghouse Coordinator hired at the time the office was secured. Now, our operations include multiple ministries, and our office moved to Sheboygan Falls in 2018 to allow for warehouse space and additional offices.

Since that time, over 800 volunteers have been recruited with close to 250 active volunteers, and 38 Christian churches have officially partnered with Love INC through the outreach efforts of the ED with support from the Board members.

By the second quarter of 2015, the Clearinghouse operation pilot (initiated at the end of 2014) was completed. The Connection Center continues to accept referrals, working with churches, community service organizations, and other volunteers to walk together with our neighbors in need – holding the values of truth, accountability, and compassion as our guiding light.

At the end of April 2015, 20 leaders of Love INC – board, staff and other key volunteers met for the second strategic planning retreat led by Linda Cates. The retreat involved much celebration for the blessings bestowed, prayers for wisdom and direction, and identification of the next critical steps in formation. The focus of the plan was the evaluation and refinement of the processes initiated over the last year; development of the mentoring ministry while refining the gap ministry procedure unfolding; and, the engagement of church leadership and volunteers in a more strategic manner – appropriate for the early development stage of Love INC.

ABOUT LOVE INC NATIONAL

Love INC National was founded in 1977 as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with people with needs in their communities. It was designed to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith into 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 who found themselves in need and lacking resources or a support network, he was certain God has called Christian churches to the same mission. 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. It also unified local congregations so that, working together, they could more effectively help their neighbors.

One man’s idea for an integrated church ministry in his community inspired Christians in other regions. Other communities duplicated the Love INC model with successes as they sought to meet the needs of hurting individuals and families in their own areas. By the late 1980’s, 50 affiliates were operating in 14 states. As the 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 until 2001 establishing an independent not-for-profit organization.

In early 2011, Love INC began a strategic restructuring of its operations, the goals of which were to significantly reduce its operating costs, become more self-sustaining and provide services to existing and developing affiliates more efficiently and effectively. Currently, there are 114 Love INC affiliates in 29 states and Kenya, mobilizing churches to transform lives and communities.