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Dear ,
On Friday, October 5, 2010, Love INC had our facebook launch. Since then we have been exploring the possibilities of facebook. This twenty-first century way of communication and connection has great potential. We are eager to utilize it to bring you up to date about the needs of our community and how Love INC volunteers meet them. Are you using this resource? If not, it is as simple as typing in Love INC-Anchorage on you search window on any of your facebook screens. When you get there, you will have a vast store of Love INC information at your fingertips: office hours, call center hours (and phone numbers), the mission statement, overview, and a list of partner churches. All that is there for you before you read a single post.
Take a look at our wall and you will see up-to-the-minute needs, people meeting those needs in real time, ways you can help and the amazing things God is doing in the Love INC community. There are praises, requests and questions posted daily. It's a facebook wall after all. And a facebook for Love INC would not be complete without love notes (facebook sized love stories). A post about the neighbor with a disabling condition in need of a winter coat received responses that same day. One friend not only donated a warm puffy grey coat, but also was able to deliver it personally. Love INC and Christmas spirit facebook style made for a warm and grateful neighbor.
There is more to do on our wall than find out what is happening in the Love INC world. For one thing, we would love for you to let us know what is happening in your world. Say you finish cleaning out your closets or garage at 11 p.m. You have a pile of linens, snow tires to that car you no longer have, a snow blower your neighbor gave you when they moved to California. Tomorrow is going to be crazy and you know that you are going to forget to call Love INC during office hours. Post what you have and ask if it's needed. When you get home from work, there is a note by your globe icon saying Love INC has responded to your post. With a click, you find out those tires and linens were prayer requests this very day. How often do you get to learn you are an answer to prayer?
Maybe you are a volunteer who just had the most amazing encounter with a neighbor in need. Here is your chance to share (with sensitivity to confidentiality) your wonderful experience. Post it and encourage those who are laboring with you and praying for Love INC volunteers. Perhaps you know of a ministry opportunity you think other volunteers may want to know about. Post it. Do you know of a need or one coming up that you want to share with Love INC? Post it. Love INC is all about being a network between the Church and the community in need. Facebook is all about being a network between you and your community. Seems like a natural fit. Let's use it for God's work and glory.
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 | Love INC's Spotlight On Partner Churches |
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We enjoy taking the opportunity to introduce you to the partner churches of Love INC in this part of the newsletter. Every month we highlight a different partner church and give you a glimpse into what its body of believers is like. We want you to see how God uses churches of all shapes, sizes and styles to reach out to Anchorage.
Trailside is a small church with a big heart. Led by Pastor Pete Ford, they seek to exemplify their purpose statement, "We exist to Glorify God by: Loving God, Growing Christ-Like, Serving Others, Multiplying Disciples." Not only is Trailside one of the founding partner churches with Love INC, where their membership provides a disproportionate percentage of volunteer hours in the Annex and Call Center, but they participate in Thanksgiving Blessing, parent training, missions work in Alaska and abroad, as well as counseling for women transitioning from prison to mainstream society.
Often we think, "What can our small church do about this big problem?" Trailside proves that when we each make the small effort He shows us, He moves mountains. Love INC is all about working together with other believers to show our neighbors in need the love of Christ, and Trailside's attitude is, "What else can we do?" showing that small numbers can have a large impact.
Trailside is involved with several gap ministries. They provide gas cards, a vital resource. CMC Carrie Bjonr-Roli says, "We are in the process of trying to determine how we might be able to assist Love INC in the bus pass gap ministry and its implementation. We also provide a food collection that is based on specific needs as indicated by Love INC. For example, one month we collected pasta." And did they ever collect pasta! That month Love INC was able to bless many neighbors in need with not only pasta, but sauce and Parmesan, as well.
Perhaps CMC Carrie Bjonr-Roli sums it up best when she says, "We believe that partnering with Love INC enables us to share our passion for Christ and invite others to share our lives and develop their own relationships with Christ."
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| Dreaming Big
12 Blessings of Christmas
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When God blesses His children with gifts, they come in many shapes and sizes. At Love INC we experience blessings in all sized packages every day. But at this Christmas season, we want to share with you the things that are on our Christmas list of big hopes and dreams.
- 1 Cargo trailer (14'x6' or thereabouts)
- 2 New gap ministries for People Mover day passes by churches on bus routes
- 3 Call center days (currently 2)
- 4 New clearinghouse volunteers (case workers, volunteer mobilizers, receptionist, etc.)
- 5 New pick up and delivery teams
- 6 New partner churches
- 7 New board members
- 8 New intake workers to staff new call center day
- 9 Applicants for the Clearinghouse Supervisor position
- 10 New gap ministries
- 11 New businesses partnering with us to meet neighborhood needs
- 12 Month lease for the annex for 2011 (a gift or grant of $15,000)
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For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
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