Praise God! Thanks to a generous donor and willing volunteers, an elderly refugee couple that had absolutely nothing, now have chairs to sit on, a table to eat at and kitchen items to cook with! Peoples lives were touched and God was glorified! God provides!

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Note from Sara, PSR Specialist and Targeted Service Coordinator:

“I  just  wanted  to  let  you  know  how  much  I  appreciate  your  ongoing  support  of  my  clients. I just recently received a bus pass for one of my clients, and wanted to say thank you for sending this!! Your help and support provides the small things that make a HUGE difference  in  each  of  their  lives. THANK  YOU!!”

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The Clearinghouse has been working with a mother and her three year old daughter. After carefully clarifying and verifying the family’s need, we issued the family a clothing voucher to be redeemed at our “Kid’s Korner” Gap Ministry. Loving volunteers learned that the child was a huge Disney Princess fan. They we able to outfit the child with a week’s supply of clothing AND find a Disney bag for her, too. She was elated! This story and others like it gives us such a smile at Love INC Boise.  God provides!

Helping families in need in the name of Christ is our purpose. Recently we were able to help a family who had lost everything in a fire. Helping them with everyday necessities such as diapers and  “soap  ‘n  suds,” connecting her  to  a  job  fair  and the Idaho  Department  of Labor for job search classes and, of course, praying with her, were just some of the ways we were able to uplift this family. We were blessed to be able to help them in this very troubled time.

Love INC received a request from a lady who asked for assistance for her disabled, elderly relative. The relative is blind, deaf, and suffering from dementia; however, the other relatives wanted him to remain in their home and did not want assistance. In the process of working with this family, we  spoke with a sister,and learned that her husband had recently died of cancer, the other relative was having surgery. She expressed how very thankful she is for the services Love INC Boise provides for the community. We were not able to meet the initial requested need, but we provided a service by making referrals, speaking lovingly to family members in the midst of several trials and most importantly, spending time listening to them and praying with them over the phone!  This just shows how far Love INC can reach with “God’s Referrals.”

During a follow-up call with a single 22 year old mom with two children (one 3 years old and the other 22 months old)  she expressed deep appreciation for the coats she and her children received from our Coat Gap Ministry. Although employed, her work was cut to ten hours per week. She is looking for a better paying job and we are helping with diapers and other services. Although it isn’t necessary, it gives us a boost that our clients are very thankful for the help we provide through our network of 22 partner churches!

The church mobilized is a powerful force!

Lil' Tex Traegar BBQ Grill!

CHF Home Furnishings donated a Traeger Grill. This grill has 418 sq. inches of cooking surface. Just like the bigger BBQ075, the Lil’ Tex features a high-tech auger-fed burner, electronic autostart ignition, Solid state control system, and EZ-drain grease system. All the most popular Traeger features in a size and at a price for the masses. Now everyone can join in on the fun! Valued at $700, bidding starts at just $350!

Use your new grilling utensils from Pampered Chef, donated by Creekside Arbour Townhomes!

5 pc patio set from RC WILLEY

Enjoy your BBQ dinner on a fabulous 5 piece four season patio set donated by RC Willey.

Fred Meyer Stores donated Garden supplies. Just in time for summer!

D & B Supplies donated Two Solar Lamp Post & Planters. Nice!

Several craftsman have donated hand-crafted must-haves: Garden bench, Potting shelves, and a coffee table: Exquisite workmanship!

Tools, tools & more tools from: 

Auto Services from:

Personal Services from:

Food Services from:

Pampered Chef Gift Basket From:

AND SO MUCH MORE ….

That’s all it took! Just thirty minutes for several people to respond to our request to help a client acquire new tires. Within two hours a very generous donor swung by our office with the funding to help us meet this critical need, and a tire company offered to donate the installation!

For seven months, Love INC Boise has been working with The Family Self Sufficiency Program to help a single mother get back on her feet. We have helped this client with prayer and vouchers to our various Gap Ministries. This client has been working very hard to become self-sufficient, but the tires on her car were so bald that it has become dangerous for her to drive the car. Now she will be able to drive the miles necessary for her to move into full-time work!

The number one emphasis In Love INC Boise’s Strategic plan for 2012 is to Pray Big!

“And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).

Time and time again, God has answered our prayers and provided the resources to effectively help people in need! God raises up volunteers, and generous souls just when we need them!

The mobilized church is a glorious sight!

Dancing in the rain!

Last year, while meandering through the booths at Art In The Park, I found a wall plaque that I just had to have. It read, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, It is about learning to dance in the rain.” I loved the sentiment, dancing in the rain! Thoughts of Apostle Paul rejoicing in prison, visions of Gene Kelly’s famous dance routine in “Singing in the Rain” and Vettriano’s oil painting, “Singing Butler” came to mind … And who doesn’t have fond childhood memories of playing in a soft, warm summer’s rain, collecting worms, playing in the mud and splashing in puddles!

Ah, but not everyone in Vettriano’s picture is care-free, dancing, or even singing for that matter. Some are blocking the wind and holding the umbrellas, and they are not even smiling, let alone singing or dancing.

Having spent half of my days living in the mid-west, I have experienced many hours hunkered down under stairwells in basements while waiting for the storms to pass … torrential, horizontally driven rains; shingles ripped from the roof; water leaking through the ceiling and penetrating through window seals, siding pelted with hail, and trees flying through the air. Honestly, I don’t ever recall singing or dancing under the stairwells while waiting for the storms to pass. However, I vividly recall emerging from the cellar to sunny skies and stunning, breathtaking rainbows … God’s covenant in the clearing sky, glistening and full of promise!

Storms are metaphors for the trials in our lives. We are called to hunker down with each other through times of need and distress, and we hold the umbrellas for those who can not hold their own. In the midst of the storm we often cry out in prayer something like the song:

When I think I’m going under, part the waters, Lord

When I feel the waves around me, calm the sea

When I cry for help, oh, hear me, Lord and hold out Your hand

Touch my life

Still the raging storm in me.

At Love INC Boise, we pray, and we serve God by helping others in the midst of the storm in their lives even while enduring the storms in our own lives. We care, we listen, we hold the umbrellas, if only for a short time, and we sing God’s praises through it all.

Maybe this is the dance!

Serving with you In the Name of Christ,

Kathy Drabek

Amazing Delights!

SERIOUSLY SCRUMPTIOUS  HORS D’OEUVRES & DESSERTS!

This year’s delights will be catered Brown Shuga Soul Food, Cooking with Heart & Soul! You’ll  be treated to fresh & crisp Crudités with specialty dips, Sweet and Sour meatballs, Fresh fruit and of course our signature desserts … elegant chocolate dipping fountains, a delightful variety of mini cupcakes, and delicious scrumptious bar cookies.

UNIQUE ITEMS TO BID ON!

Each year our auction just keeps getting bigger and better! Check back to see our auction items … sponsors are donating amazing “must-haves” every day!

FUN WITH FRIENDS!

Where else can you fellowship with community minded, caring, compassionate folks like you who want not just to make a difference, but to be the difference!

MINISTRY!  You’ll be inspired as we present the impact that Love INC Boise has had on people in need in the Boise Community!

 Thursday,  May 17,  at 5:00 PM.

Can you spare a few hours a week to help us enter data?

Would you love to mentor a family  with budgeting problems?

Do you have an listening ear and the heart to work with people over the phone?

Are you a prayer warrior?

Come to our next orientation to see how you can not only make a difference, but you can be the difference!

Call us today at 377-3502 ext 2 for our address and directions!

“I love volunteering at Love INC because I feel I am serving God by serving those who are in need. In everything we do at Love, INC we try to reflect God’s love to everyone we come in contact with. I feel that I am making a difference in someone’s life, and I am thankful for that.”  Barb

Desserts & Delights 3rd Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser is just around the corner! If you attended last year, you know just how much fun this event was. This year’s event will be twice as big and twice as much fun!

This annual event is our only fundraiser and also a necessary component that is essential to Love INC Boise’s financial security.

Thanks to faithful supporters, Love INC Boise issued over 2000 vouchers last year to families in need.  These families redeemed their vouchers at our Gap Ministries (which are located in our partner churches) for various goods such as diapers, clothing, household supplies, school supplies and transportation.  Volunteers from 24 churches gave well over 4,400 hours of their time to help people in need. In addition, Love INC Boise generated and donated an estimated $164,000 worth of goods and ministry services.

Your support will help us to continue meeting needs and develop relational ministries. Relational ministries are designed to offer families encouragement and choices to attend incentive-driven budgeting and life-skills programs.

Take just two minutes to view the video on your right!  Then click on the link above to find out how you can help sponsor the event. Simply print out the form and mail it to our office, Love INC Boise  PO Box 4295 Boise, ID 83711.

Volunteers delivering wheelchair & blankets to a family in need!

Love Inc Boise had a very busy first quarter. Below are a few service statistics:

•      # Of partner churches: 23
•      # Of local churches we interacted with in some way: 76
•      # Of agencies that we worked with: 23
•      # Of calls for help that we received: 367
•      # Of referrals we made back to church ministries: 36
•      # Of referrals we made to local agencies: 45
•      # Of families that we helped: 172
•      # Of needs Love INC Boise met: 323
•      # Of needs we were not able to meet: 65
•      # Of Love INC Boise volunteers: 51
•      # Of hours volunteers worked: 996.5

Love INC Boise currently partners with 22 local churches.

Simply put, Love In the Name of Christ is a movement of Christian churches working together to show God’s love to those in need in our community.

Love INC is not Love Inc. or Love Incorporated.

Love INC is Love In the Name of Christ.

For more than 30 years, Love INC has been mobilizing the Church to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ. Currently there are more than 150 affiliates in 30 states, representing a network of more than 9,000 churches from 60 different denominations, 7,000 community-based organizations, and 300,000 volunteers meeting more than one million needs each year.

Love INC was conceived as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with those in need and inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action.

Love INC Boise first opened in 2009 and for two and half years has been meeting the needs of the needy in our community.

Our Mission: The mission of Love INC is to mobilize the church to transform lives and community in the Name of Christ.

Bridge: Love INC acts as a bridge between people who have needs in the community and church volunteer ministries and agencies that can help meet those needs.

Simple: It is very simple and yet profound. It simply helps churches live out who they say they are.

How we operate: Love INC is set up so that those who find themselves in difficult situations can call our office. We listen to their needs, verify their needs and then call on our church volunteers to meet those needs.

“It’s a blessing to be able to partner with other churches in our area. One church can’t do it all, but together we can make a big difference for the kingdom of God.”

“Love INC helps us meet the practical needs of people that one congregation can’t meet alone, but that the Body of Christ can meet together.”

“Love INC gives churches a vehicle to minister to people in need in meaningful ways as it calls church members to offer themselves, their resources and talents, in service to others. Church members have found themselves doing things that they might never have done before, and it has resulted in spiritual growth.”

“Working with Love INC is an enriching experience for our church members. As they have volunteered through Love INC, they have become sensitized to the needs of the poor. Love INC has also provided church members with opportunities to get to know Christians from other churches in the community.”