Love, INC of Nacogdoches, Texas

What is Love INC?

Click on the links below to learn more about Love INC.
Love INC is a Vision
Love INC Is Working Together
Love INC is a Clearinghouse
Love INC is People Making a Difference in Our Community

Love INC Is a Vision
Love INC is vision of how people in a community can work together to help and love others. In 1995, some Nacogdoches visionaries began discussing how our community could do more to help local people who are in need. They were concerned for all the people that local organizations could not help. They wanted a way for more people to be able to get involved in helping. These visionaries came together to search for the best way to help people in need.

After a vigorous search, the group decided that the ideal program for Nacogdoches had been developed by Love INC. The Love INC program was designed in 1976 by Virgil Gulker. He had begun extensive program changes in his organization after observing that there was a lack of coordination between local agencies that were helping the poor. An even bigger problem was that local residents knew little about the lives of people in need within their own community.

Gulker recruited people to volunteer to come in to answer telephone calls from people throughout the community. The volunteers, in turn, made referrals to church volunteers who directly provided necessary items and services that were requested. The changes had a dramatic impact on his community, and soon other communities followed.

Impressed by the Love INC program, a steering committee of Nacogdoches people contacted Love INC, organized a new organization, and filed for tax-exempt status by November, 1998. The newly-formed board was trained about Clearinghouse operations, and they hired a director on February 1, 1999. Love INC of Nacogdoches, Texas opened for service April 1, 1999-- the end of one vision and beginning of another. The vision continues. See what's happening right now in Love INC.

Love INC Is Working Together
While America is a land of prosperity and opportunity for some, many people live in poverty. A quarter of the people in our own county have incomes that are below the federal poverty line. Their needs vary. Some are homeless… others are very near it. Some have physical impairments. Some are unemployed, while many others are working, but do not earn enough to cover their rent, utilities, food, and medical bills. These people need a helping hand, and God has given enough resources to our community to help them—through churches and local community organizations.

As communities learn to work together better, we have learned that boundaries are not as important as we thought they were. But even with so many willing to work together, there is still a need for coordination. In many communities, we depend more on relationships and frequent communication than clearly defined and structured services.

It is important for a community to have a Clearinghouse where all needs that people have can be considered and referrals made for help. The Clearinghouse coordinates the interaction of public and private resources, formal and informal help, organizations and individuals, community service and faith ministry. Get involved in our Clearinghouse.

Love INC is a Clearinghouse
The Clearinghouse of Love in the Name of Christ receives calls from neighbors in need. Day after day, people call Love INC who have very real needs, but find help nowhere else. Each caller, called a “Neighbor”, is interviewed carefully by telephone, and information is gathered that will be useful both to understand the need and to find the help required. Staff and volunteers work together at the Clearinghouse, making considerable effort to learn the legitimacy, extent, and nature of the need, as well as the overall situation of the family. Only after information has been collected and checked does the process begin of evaluating and determining the best use of local resources.

Over time, we have learned that many people can be served by local organizations. Some organizations provide traditional, well-known services; other organizations have changed their services or added new services; still others are new and have begun providing needed services. Taken together, many needs can be met by local organizations. But many needs are not met by our organizations. Something more is needed.

The unique feature of the Clearinghouse is that it is specially designed to help provide ministry and service opportunities to local volunteers and church members. These people, called “Hometown Missionaries”, receive specific referrals from Love INC. These referrals are their opportunities to get directly involved in helping someone in our community, using their own time, money, and/or skills. The network of Love INC consists of “Hometown Missionary Coordinators” in partner churches who receive calls from the Clearinghouse of Love INC. During the call, all necessary information is given to the Hometown Missionary Coordinator, who then calls another member of his/her church to discuss the opportunity together. The Hometown Missionary can then accept or decline the request based on their circumstances at the time. View Network Concept here.

Love INC is People Making a Difference in Our Community
Love In the Name of Christ provides two primary services to the community. First, many volunteers have many opportunities to get involved in sharing the load of caring for people in need. They can be directly involved with people in need, and make an immediate impact through their lives, their resources and their love. Volunteer as a Hometown Missionary.

The other main function of the Clearinghouse is to provide coordination and communication between organizations and churches and the services each provides. Rather than providing services to people with particular needs, the Clearinghouse helps other organizations by making appropriate referrals for each organization's services. It also receives referrals of clients who require other or additional services from each organization. View our list of member churches and organizations.

By providing such connectivity, the Clearinghouse helps assure that clients and organizations will be properly linked for services. It also examines each person's need to discern which services are already being utilized, and helps eliminate abuse of local resources through duplication of funds and services.

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