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Dear ,
Karla is looking towards a new life. Six months ago, she was living in transitional housing with a roommate. Now she has her own place and is making plans for schooling and a career. There were many steps along the way and recently Love INC had the honor of being part of her journey. While she was still in treatment and getting set to move out, the program referred her to us. Her counselor told her we had helped people from the program in the past.
On February 10, Karla made her first connection with Love INC. In less than a week, help was on the way. Love INC mailed her a clothing voucher February 16 for New Hope on the Last Frontier. She could use it for clothes for herself and her 3 ½ year old daughter. On February 17th, a Baxter Road Bible Church volunteer came bearing gifts of food and curtains from the Annex.
There were others still to come: churches having the opportunity to share their gap ministries with this new neighbor. Love INC is nothing if not the Body of Christ working together. Karla's situation is an example of that. The beginning of this month, the pastor of Trailside Community Church brought her a gas card. That same day, yet another woman from Baxter Road Bible Church delivered a bathroom basket. Less than a week later, a moving team from Rabbit Creek Community Church came over, moved her couch around, and helped her get settled into to her new place.
"Everyone was super nice," Karla commented. It was clear to her that the volunteers at Love INC want to show Jesus to those whom they help. "Each one of them wanted to pray for me. It was all about God. They wanted to make sure that I had a church. It was pretty amazing to know God provides for His people."
Karla has a church family at Crossroads Assemblies of God. "I stay in the Word and stay with people who are healthy." Occasionally people from her past contact her and she encourages them to get help. Karla knows how important help is. She is a graduate from a two-year drug treatment program and has been drug-free for three years. Drugs were something she had been exposed to all her life. "I never knew any other way. It has been part of my family history," she explained. That is behind her now as she focuses on a future with a daughter for whom she has broken that chain.
Karla is working with DVR (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation) and plans on going to college for an Associates of Applied Science degree this summer in computer information systems. She wants to do tax preparation for her sister's business. Her experience in this field is essential, but she needs the degree to start her own business, which she hopes to hand over to her daughter when she grows up and is ready to enter the work force. Continue to pray for Karla as she faces these new challenges with her little girl. |
 | 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.
Crosspoint Community Church is located at at 1920 W.Dimond, Suite K, Anchorage, AK 99515 (www.crosspointcommunity.com) (907-868-5147) and is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Crosspoint has been partnered with Love INC since our inception. Their senior pastor, Dave Kuiper, was our first board president. Their associate pastor is Dave Van Berkel and Laura Kotelman is their CMC (church ministry coordinator).
With its mission statement, "a community in Christ, glorifying God by pursuing His purposes together", Crosspoint sees Love INC as an important part. "Our partnership with Love INC helps Crosspoint move toward fulfilling several of its vision elements; that of being a partnering community-joining others in doing good, and striving to be a missional community-demonstrating and declaring God's love," says Dave Van Berkel.
Crosspoint's gap ministry is furniture delivery to neighbors in need and picking up donated furniture once a month. This particular ministry is both vital and time-consuming and Love INC is blessed to have three other churches partner in this ministry. In addition to the gap ministry, congregants are involved with Love INC the fundraising team, doing intakes and first contacts.
But Love INC isn't the only way Crosspoint reaches out in love to others. Their community involvement includes the Thanksgiving Blessing, Downtown Soup Kitchen, Parachutes Teen Drop-in and Resource Center, Klatt Elementary School partnership and the Anchorage Coalition on Homelessness. They support global outreach through the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, a relief, development, and educational ministry of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. They also support the denomination's global missions agency, the Christian Reformed World Missions and their national missions agency, Christian Reformed Home Missions.
Crosspoint worship celebrations are Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.. Dave explains how they minister to their body as well. "We have nursery and Kidspoint (Sunday school) available for children during the service. Our junior high group "TOTAL" meets after the service on Sundays, while our senior high group meets Monday nights from 6-8pm for "The Table"--a dinner and discussion time about life, faith and community. We also have numerous small groups for men and women, as well as other ways to get connected!" |
| Current Needs |
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Your chance to help...
When neighbors contact the Love INC call center, volunteers assess their situation, verify the need and connect them with local agencies, ministries, and volunteers from partnering churches. Volunteer response has been great, however, there are needs we are still unable to meet.
More Moving Teams Needed!
We are grateful for the churches who have created moving teams as part of their ministry at Love INC. Currently, we have teams from Alliance Bible Church, Crosspoint Community Church, Baxter Road Bible and Rabbit Creek Community Church. We need more to meet the needs of our neighbors and facilitate the pick-up of generous donations from people like you. Please prayerfully consider joining with your Bible Study group or church and donating one day a month to help in this essential ministry.
Please contact the Love INC office @ 274-5683 to learn more about these opportunities.
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but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
John 4:14-19
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