Nonprofit Spotlight

Making Connections, Changing Lives

Love INC of Greater Holmes County

Vicki Conn and the nondenominational ministry she leads are on a big mission—to transform lives and communities in the name of Christ.

Love INC empowers those in need through a network of volunteers, churches, and community resources.

Here, it's a cooperative effort between numerous /churches, working together as the body of Christ to combine resources and serve their neighbors.

Hummel recently learned more about one of the more than 110  affiliated organizations to the national Love INC, during a conversation with Conn, who is executive director of the Love INC in Greater Holmes County. Here, it's a cooperative effort between numerous /churches, working together as the body of Christ to combine resources and serve their neighbors. The help they give to others often starts with a phone call, and the person on the other line requesting help with getting food, paying their bills, or being transported to a medical appointment.

Conn described the organization as an extension of the church office. If someone calls their church asking for advice or help, Love INC can be suggested as a trusted partner, extending the work of the secretaries and pastors who have limited capacity to meet every individual's needs. Then Love INC goes through a verification process to understand the person's or family's true needs and how the organization can best meet them. For instance, someone struggling to maintain their landscape may get assistance from church volunteers willing to do yard work. A person asking for financial assistance may be best served by learning how to manage their finances through one of Love INC's weekly classes.

Love INC operates with holistic, long-term thinking. For example, if a family is getting evicted and needs help paying their rent, Love INC's response is not to coordinate bill payment but instead to think though resources that will help the family build stability over time.

"... How do we help people? How do we walk with people in ways that are not going to keep them where they're at but move them forward?"

The Power of Community

Conn brought the concept to the area based on her time as a phone volunteer at a local Love INC in Northwest Pennsylvania. When she moved to Ohio in 2012, she took note of a similar need here. "I had the sense that Love Inc can be really good for families who are struggling but also really good for churches too. How do we help people? How do we walk with people in ways that are not going to keep them where they're at but move them forward?"

The need became even more clear after her husband, Jay, the lead pastor at Martins Creek Mennonite Church, was discussing with other pastors about ways they could collaboratively help their congregations. With the support of a Holmes County Ministerial Association grant and the national Love INC, the new organization began.

Love INC's work involves putting different pieces together, (metaphorically and sometimes literally!), including volunteers and ministries, to fill a gap in a person's life.

Love INC's work involves putting different pieces together, (metaphorically and sometimes literally!), including volunteers and ministries, to fill a gap in a person's life. For instance, a furniture ministry can tap a stock of donated furniture while Wheels of Love drivers can take people to their medical appointments. Gap ministries are created when a need with an unclear solution comes up. For instance, a kitchen starter kit can be compiled in anticipation of someone needing it during a relocation.

The largest needs in the area include transportation and affordable housing, along with individual attention. "As much as Holmes County is also a very strong, family -oriented community, there are people who are extremely lonely and who have no church support or family support," Conn says.

Conn gave the example of a woman on hospice who needed food. Love INC worked with the Love Center Food Pantry to acquire food supplies. When the volunteer arrived to deliver the food, she noticed expired food containers and a clear lack of family support system. The volunteer asked if it was OK to pray together, and they did. Then the volunteer asked if the woman would accept a hug. "She gave her a hug and the lady was like, 'I don't remember when the last time anybody hugged me,'" Conn said, recounting the story.

Appreciation for what Love INC does can take time. After 12 weeks of taking the organization's "Faith and Finances" course, a participant shared that had been suffering from addiction and needed a community that would hold him accountable. He ended up joining the church of the pastor who had been facilitating the class and also took a "Reboot Recovery" class about overcoming past traumas. "Having a healthy community is making a huge difference in his life," Conn says.

After 12 weeks of taking the organization's "Faith and Finances" course, a participant shared that had been suffering from addiction and needed a community that would hold him accountable.

How to Help

Vicki Conn says Love INC largely relies on the time and interest of volunteers, and they are most in need of Wheels of Love volunteers. Conn says volunteers need to be open to walking with people who fall outside their circle and to be respectful, not judgmental. "Your brokenness might be here. My brokenness is here. We all have something we need to grow in, so a challenge for me in my heart as a director is to make sure that everybody feels validated," she says. "Whether you are the family calling in or whether you're the volunteer serving, everybody has that equal purpose and value in life”.  If you are interested in volunteering or donating to this worthwhile organization, go to www.loveincofghc.org.  And if you are interested in learning more about how to start a local Love Inc. chapter in your area, you can reach out to Vicki Conn directly, via the website.

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