Love LINC LINC - Love INC of Otero County

Love LINC
P.O. Box 1551
Alamogordo, NM 88311-1551
A publication of Love INC of Otero County
A Message from the
Executive Director
PO BOX 1551
ALAMOGORDO NM 88311-1551
2011……... the year at a Glance
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Message from the Executive Director
Board Members
Fund Raiser Events
Appreciation Luncheon
Volunteer Christmas Party
New Location
Ribbon Cutting
“Love” Stories
Volunteer Testimonies
Designated Contributions
Financial Partner Advantages
GAP Ministries
Faithful 500
Stats for the Year
This is your
LINC
to find out what is
happening right here
in Otero County
It’s hard to believe that it is
almost Christmas and the year is coming to
an end. So many exciting things have
happened this year within the ministry and
I must first give glory to our Lord and
Savior for His provision.
We began the year with a focus of
getting more community involvement and
that is exactly what we did. We have been
blessed to receive the partnership of many
in town including banks, retail businesses
and civic organizations who believed in our
vision and just wanted to help.
We have also been blessed by our
church partners who have moved above
and beyond to assist us with many needs in
our community. Along those same lines we
have begun a new partnership with many
churches that have caught the vision and
want to be a part of what Love INC is
doing in Otero County.
In this issue you will find information about our GAP ministries, some
success stories and also stats on all the
individuals and families that have been
helped through the ministry this year. But
perhaps one of the most exciting things
that has happened this year is the
relocation of our offices to our new facility
at 2826 Indian Wells Road. No one could
have known that when Alamogordo Church
announced that they were closing their
doors that just a few short months later we
would be taking over their building and
carrying on their vision of outreach in the
community. We are so blessed by this
incredible opportunity and I encourage any
of you that have not yet seen the facility,
to stop by and see the tremendous growth
we have experienced since moving in.
Very rarely will you hear me refer
to only myself when talking about this
incredible ministry however this next
statement comes from my heart and I
would like to share it with you.
As the Director of Love INC I
have been blessed exceedingly, abundantly
beyond measure. My God has supplied all
of our families needs and I know that it is
only because of Him that this ministry has
been so successful. I could spend the rest of
my life thanking Him and it still would not
be enough. I am in awe of His power and
how he constantly reminds me that He is in
control. My pastor quite often will say “if
you lift up His name, He will draw them
in”. It is a simple statement that comes
right from His word but it is also very
powerful. What I want most is for people to
know that we are a Christ centered
ministry and that everything we think, say
and do is in His name. Prayer is also a powerful thing. So I would ask each of you to
please remember to pray for us as we continue to reach out to those in need
“In the Name of Christ”.
2 Years
Love INC of Otero County celebrated its two
year anniversary on December 7, 2011. We
are so excited about our growth in the community and we look forward to many more
years of working with our churches,
agencies, businesses and individuals. One of
the most important things you can do to
make a difference and support Love In the
Name of Christ is to help spread the word
about this unique ministry. The Love INC
movement is growing rapidly primarily
through word of mouth, as people share with
others how Love INC is providing help and
hope, and how we are showing God’s love to
neighbors in need.
Our Board of Directors
Executive Director
Susan Payne
Executive Board
Paul Chamberlain—President
Jay Lockwood—Vice President
Mary Lockwood—Treasurer
Laurie Blackmon—Secretary
Board Members
Jim Coble
Bart Montgomery
Kim Richards
Sammy Williamson
Kimi Sato
Bill Watson
Designated Contributions
Did you know Love INC is now
a United Way partner agency and
you can designate Love INC of
Otero County as a recipient of
your United Way Contribution.
This is a great way to contribute
to this ministry while still
fulfilling your commitment to
the United Way.
Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities “In the Name of Christ”.
“Check” this out …..
Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities “In the Name of Christ”.
You can help make a difference in the lives of people in need.
I want to help with a Faithful 500 monthly pledge of ___$5 ___$10 ___$20 ___$100 ___ Other
One time gift of $______
Please send me information about volunteering in the Love INC ministries.
Mail to:
Name ________________________________________________________
Love INC of
Otero County
Address ______________________________________________________
P.O. Box 1551
Alamogordo, NM 88311-1551
First National Bank Enchanted Fine Art Auction
In October First National Bank held their annual Enchanted Fine Art
Auction. This is an event held to benefit local non-profits. We were
excited to be one of two recipients for this year’s proceeds. Thank you to
First National Bank for your generosity and for partnering with us to help
those in need.
Phone (575) 439-4812
Fax (575) 439-4815
City _________________________________________________________
State ________________
Home Phone (
) ___________________________________________
Work Phone (
) ___________________________________________
Stats for the year
Special Thanks to Vision Ford Lincoln Mercury
We began our year with a fundraiser sponsored by
Vision Ford Lincoln Mercury. Vision Ford donated
100.00 for every pre-owned vehicle sold in the first
two weeks of February. If you recall this was about
the same time that we were hit with that big freeze
and everything was shut down. Through all this
God’s hand was still at work. Vision Ford was still
able to present us with a check for $1,700.00 for our
first fundraiser of the year. Praise be to God for His
provision. Thank you Vision Ford for partnering
with us to help reach out to those in need In the
Name of Christ.
Calls to Clearinghouse as of December 15th- 1,418
Needs Met – 1,242 (not including back packs)
Unmet needs – 189
Food Bank Visits – 523
Household/furniture – 187
Clothing – 102
*Other - 430
The above numbers represent a total of 2,635 individuals helped by
this ministry in 2011.
*This number represents clients that were helped with things such
as financial assistance or practical things that were outside of our
normal GAP ministries (ie: repairs, gas vouchers, housing). Needs
met also include rent, utilities, and prescriptions.
We filled a total of 1,242 backpacks for school age children in
2011.
Otero County Fair
Once again we had a booth set up at the
Otero County Fair. This was a great way to get our name out and
let people know what we are doing in Otero County. Our board
members and volunteers enjoyed meeting many community
members and sharing about our ministry. Through the generous
donation of Western Auto/True Value we held a free drawing and
blessed one family with a Sony Blu Ray! Congratulations to our
winners!
Zip _________________________________
The needs met are per family or individual that has a request.
For every need that was met it had the potential to help on average 3—4 people.
But more than merely providing goods and services, Love INC
aims to meet people’s needs with the love of Jesus Christ. Through
Love INC, Christians are living out who they say they are by putting their faith in action . They are building caring relationships
with those who are struggling, and moving beyond the expressed
need to help address the underlying issues that contribute to their
situations.
The Faithful 500
Love INC of Otero County has an ongoing
campaign called the Faithful 500. We are
seeking 500 families and individuals who are
willing to commit to a donation of at least $5.00
a month to help us with our mission. This is a
wonderful and affordable opportunity to
partner with us as we provide assistance to
those less fortunate right here in our
community. The needs are great, but with your
help we can make a difference and even transform a life In the Name of Christ.
GAP Ministries
Thank You for your Support
Welcome to our GAP (God Answers Prayer) ministries!
These are the ministries that were established to fill in the “gaps” in services in our community!
PNM
In September of this year we began a new partnership with PNM when we signed on to
Christ Community Golf Tournament
Christ Community Men’s Ministry held their
annual golf tournament/fundraiser to benefit
Love INC. It was exciting to see all the
teams that came out to participate in this
wonderful Christian outreach. In total we
had 22 teams (88 players) come out to
support this event. It was clear that everyone
had such a great time and many have
indicated they are looking forward to next
year’s event.
be the administrator of their Good Neighbor Fund. The contributions to this fund are made by PNM
customers and matched by PNM stock holders to help those customers that need financial assistance
with their electric bill. We only process and approve applications for this fund so it is a great way to
provide a service to the community while not having to actually manage the financial part of this
program. This program also gives us the opportunity to speak one on one with clients and find out if
there are other needs that they may have.
Food Pantry
Our food pantry is an area where
we have seen growth in the past
year. We began the year supply
food to about 30 families a month.
We will end the year with an
average of 90 families a month. In
addition to food, we have recently
partnered with Eternity Baptist
Church to supply “health kits” to
those in need. These kits contain
household items such as Bath
tissue, laundry soap, dish soap,
etc… We are excited about this new
partnership and the opportunity to
utilize a church resource in a very
practical way.
Clothing
We also have a
clothing ministry that
we are in the process
of expanding. We
have many in our
community that are
looking for jobs or
may need clothes for their children. This
ministry will provide everything from career
wear to children’s clothing. We want to
provide business attire (suits, career dresses)
or clothing for those seeking laborer
positions that perhaps need steel toe boots.
Parents that need clothing for their children
can come and we will provide for them. This
is another way that we are reaching out to
those in our community.
Household and Furniture Ministry
Our household goods and furniture ministry
has been blessed with a donation of a
warehouse to store our furniture. Pick ups
and deliveries are made 5 days a week and
all furniture is supplied free of charge to
those in need. Donations of gently used
furniture are always accepted. Our current
greatest need right now is for twin and full
size beds. Please call our offices if you need
additional information.
Backpacks
Our backpack ministry has seen extreme growth
this year. When the program was launched in
2010 we had 3 schools on board. When we
kicked off the new school year we were
surprised to find that we had every school in
Alamogordo including the Alamogordo High
School, Academy Del Sol and the two middle
schools requesting back packs for their students.
In addition, we are also supplying back packs to
Tularosa Schools. With the overwhelming
community food donations and financial support
we have received, we are filling between 60 and
90 backpacks every week to help feed hungry
school age children within our community.
Title Sponsor
Fraternal Order of Eagles
Hole Sponsors
Back In Action Therapy
Desert Creek Construction
Otero Federal Credit Union
Double Eagle Restoration
Papson and Korzan Insurance
Jake and Carolyn Boles
Westminster Presbyterian
R.C. Wiltshire
ITS Qwest
ERA Simmons Real Estate
Bethel Baptist Church
Corinth Baptist Church
Paul Chamberlain, JR CPA
Greg and Norma Cavallaro
Jeffrey and Sheila Tanner
Plateau Espresso
Sign Sponsors
Michael Testerman
Tia Lupes
Christina Haynes
Warren Robinson
Burt Broadcasting
Edward Jones-Steven Bunt
Grace Baptist Church
Alamorosa Service Center
Dr. John Cason, DDS
Edward Jones - Bob Money
“Let us consider how to
stir up one another
to love and good works.”
Hebrews 10:24
This summer we were blessed to receive an
amazing donation of food from Holloman
Air Force Base. Through the generosity of
active and retired military personnel who
generously gave to the Feds Feed Families
program we received over 6,600lbs (3 tons)
of food to help feed the hungry in Otero
County. We serve an awesome God and he
showed through this event how He
continually supplies all our needs.
Christ Community Church is our newest financial partner so I
asked Gail McCutcheon, their church financial secretary, why
they made the decision to support us.
Westminster Presbyterian is currently
without a pastor since the retirement
of Pastor Steele earlier this year. I got
in contact with Bobbie Cover and
asked her if she could tell me why she
felt the church was such a strong
support of Love INC, this is what she
had to say…
Q. What appealed to you about our ministry?
A. We really liked the growth we have seen and your commitment
to helping those in the community particularly children. We felt
this was a good way for our members to get more involved with
outreach to the whole community.
Q. How do you feel that we have benefited you?
A. It makes us feel confident knowing that we can send someone
to you for help and you have the ability to make sure that the
information is accurate and that legitimate needs are being met.
Q. Why did the church initially decide to support Love INC?
A. Initially Pastor Steele who happened to be at a presentation that someone made about Love INC at the Ministerial Alliance Meeting went back
and told his deacons and elders that he felt this was something they
needed to support. (It is interesting to note that Pastor Steele was not a
regular attendee of the Alliance meeting but did happen to be there that
particular day.)
Q. What was the most appealing thing about Love INC?
A. The most appealing part is that it freed the deacons up to help those
within the church. It also gave them a confidence that they were meeting
legitimate needs outside of the church.
Q. Does the church feel that we have done all that they had hoped we
would in the community?
A. Absolutely, if not then I don’t think they would keep supporting there
efforts as much as they have.
Calling All Congregations ……
12 advantages of Love INC to your church
1. Helps generate untapped volunteer resources that already exist in local churches to meet needs
both within and outside the church.
2. Screens requests for help as to nature, extent, and legitimacy.
3. Helps prevent church duplication of existing services already available in the community.
4. Discovers if those requesting assistance are already receiving help from other churches or
agencies. The Love INC screening process ensures that legitimate needs are met.
5. Provides long-term, self-help solutions for those who are chronically in need or have multiple
needs.
6. Enables churches to assist those outside of their own congregation and be good stewards of
church resources.
7. Helps prevent churches from building dependency in those they assist by discovering and
solving problems at the root level.
8. Helps the church to “own” its ministry to those in need, since Love INC is a Clearinghouse to
assist churches to reach out.
9. Helps provide specific, manageable opportunities for churches to reach out with God’s love to
people in need.
10. Lessens the burden of any one church by increasing the use of volunteers to meet legitimate
needs and rotating assistance among network churches. Love INC is very cost-effective.
11. Offers a unified witness of God’s love to the community as Christian churches work together in
the name of Christ.
12. Offers a proven, replicable model that can be easily translated in new communities. Love INC
has an established track record in cities of all sizes.
Testimonials from some of our
volunteers…
Shari Ward was our very first volunteer. As
a matter of fact Shari was waiting to volunteer before we ever had an office or an
Executive Director. Shari’s son-in-law was
involved with the development of our
affiliate and Shari anxiously awaited for the
time to come when a Director would be put
in place and an office would open. I recently asked Shari why she
wanted to volunteer with Love INC. This was her response:
Q. Why did you decide to volunteer at Love INC?
A. “I have always tried to make a habit of volunteering and when I
heard about this organization it sounded to me like it had a lot of
potential for positive impact on our community”.
Q. Why have you continued serving in this ministry?
A. I needed to find a way to serve God and this makes me feel like I
am doing the right thing.
Q. How do you feel about the ministry now?
A. Seeing the growth of this ministry the last two years is confirmation that I am using my gifts and I am doing God’s will.
Marge Bailey is our data entry
person. Her job is to make sure
that all our client files are up to
date and in our database. Marge
has been another long time volunteer and this is what she had to
say about volunteering at Love
INC…
Q. Why did you decide to volunteer for the ministry?
A. I was trying to get something similar started in my own
church and when I heard about this ministry I thought that it
was right in line with what we were trying to do and I wanted
to be a part of it.
Q. Has it been everything you expected it to be?
A. No…It’s been ten times more.
Q. What would you like to see going forward?
A.I would like to see us now begin to teach people to fish. Off
them practical life skill classes such as budgeting, economical
shopping, etc… I feel like we needed to get a good handle on
organizing services and now that we have we need to move in
to this new phase.
These are just a few testimonials from some of our volunteers who have found the value in volunteering their time to help those in need. If you would like to be a part of the work that we are
doing through this ministry, please contact our offices at (575) 439-4812.
Our Church
Financial Partners
Bethel Baptist Church
Calvary Chapel
Calvary Baptist Church
Christ Community Church
Cornerstone Church
Cottonwood Christian Fellowship
First Baptist Church
First Baptist Church - Tularosa
First Assembly Worship Center
Trinity Baptist Church-High Rolls
Trinity Lutheran Church
Westminster Presbyterian Church
January 2012
February 2012
April 2012
August 2012
August 2012
August 2012
Prime Time Business Expo at the Civic Center
Vision Ford Fundraiser
Friday Morning Fan Club
Christ Community Golf Tournament
Otero County Fair
Business After Hours
Love Stories
We would like to take this opportunity thank several
agencies and individuals who have contributed
resources to help our ministry this year.
Western Bank
New Beginnings Church
Noon Kiwanis Club
Breakfast Lions Club
Noon Lions Club
Eastern Star
Baja Broadband
Eternity Baptist Church
Cheryll Weisensel
Bill Scoggins
Lowes Home Improvement
HAFB Airman’s Attic
Harry and Suzie Lester
Dick Richey
Can’t Stop Smokin Barbeque
Otero County 4-H
We extend a
Earlier this year we assisted a client (we will call
very special
her Beth) with her utility bill through PNM.
thank you to
Because GNF only pays a certain amount, Love
Bob Flotte
INC assisted with an additional $75.00 for her
KUPR Radio
electricity so that she could get caught up. It
was clear that she just needed a little help and
that this would not be an ongoing situation. We
were excited to learn that Beth was back on her
feet and that she wanted to give back in some
way. She happened to be at the store about the same time one of our
volunteers was there to buy additional items for our Christmas food
baskets. Our volunteer was surprised to find that Beth insisted on
paying for all the pies that we were purchasing. How exciting this
This holiday season…
was not only for us, but for Beth as she was able to be a blessing to
On a typical day in our clearinghouse we hear stories of
12 families through this simple donation.
families facing eviction because a parent was laid off.
This next story is about a woman who’s hus- We may hear of an individual with an illness who
band was severely injured in an accident (we cannot afford a prescription. We may get a call from a
victim of domestic violence who has had to leave her
will call her Grace). Grace was raising 4
home with her children, a few clothes and nothing else.
children and spending much time traveling
back and forth to visit her husband who was in
a hospital in another town. She was trying to
do all this while holding down a full time job.
The expenses were overwhelming and she
really needed someone to just listen and care
about her. Love INC has helped her with very practical things such
as food and clothing. In addition we directed her to the Good
Neighbor Fund where we helped her with a portion of her electric
bill. These are all very simple things but what a
difference it can
make to someone who is struggling. Through all of this we were
able to share Christ with Grace and let her know that Jesus cares for
her and He knows her situation. Grace can see very clearly that our
Lord never lets us down.
No matter the situation, we want everyone to know that
we care. As we approach the busyness of the season,
please take a moment to pray for this ministry as well as
all the ministries and agencies that are reaching out to
those in the community that are in need.
From all of us here at Love INC of Otero County we
want to wish you a blessed Christmas and a
prosperous New Year!
This last story is about a couple that came to us
through hospice. One of the social workers
called to see if we could help a woman who was
caring for her husband who was on hospice. All
she needed was a good yard clean up of leaves
and other debris. We enlisted the help of a group
of 4-H kids that were looking for some
community service. With a box of trash bags and
two pick-up trucks they hauled off over 30 bags
of trash to help this family who already had so
much to deal with. This was another example of
a very practical kind of help that showed this couple that Jesus loves
and cares for them. He knows their needs and supplies for them all.
Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities “In the Name of Christ”.
In October 2011 we celebrated Pastor
Appreciation Month by hosting a
luncheon for our area Pastors. This is
just a small way of saying thank you
to all our Pastors for the work that
they do.
This month we hosted our annual
volunteer appreciation/Christmas dinner to
recognize all of our volunteers for their
dedication to this ministry and the less
fortunate in our community. We also
recognized three very special board
members for their service to this ministry.
Pastor Vaden Gilloth was our board
president and has ended his term as of our
December board meeting. He will be
greatly missed by all of us and we thank
him for his service. Sam Williamson, our
vice
president, has also retired from the
board as his term was completed in
December as well. Sam has been (and continues to be) a huge supporter of this
ministry and we thank him for his service.
Finally Mr. Jim Coble has completed his 3
year term but has agreed to stay with us
just a little bit longer. We are so thankful
that he will continue to share his experience with us and offer his gifts for this
ministry.
He is Faithful…..
…..We have a new Home!
2826 Indian Wells Road
1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, who has called you into
fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Our first ribbon cutting at La Placita on December 7,
2009! A special thank you to Aaron Rance and all the folks
at Good Samaritan Society/Betty Dare for all your support
the last two years. Your partnership enabled us to get this
ministry off to such a great start in our community. We have
been blessed!
Who could have ever imagined that just two short years later that we would be celebrating another grand opening with this ribbon
cutting on December 6, 2011.
Gary Skiff, Asst. Manager of Western Auto (left)
and winner Pauletta Ferrar (right)
Our Move
What a difference a year makes. When we began the year we could have never
imagined all the exciting things that would take place by end of year. We
were saddened to hear of the closing of one of our church financial partners.
Alamogordo Church announced earlier this year that they would be closing
their doors as of the end of August. Needless to say this was certainly a
surprise but as Sam Williamson (a member of the leadership of Alamogordo
Church) put it, we are ready to go out on a happy note while things are good
and we can “retire”. Even with this news our God showed us that He is still in
control. Where one door closes another door opens and that’s just what
happened. After several weeks of prayer and a little negotiation we were able
to secure the building located at 2826 Indian Wells Road, formerly known as
Alamogordo Church. From day one we have felt the presence of God in the
most powerful way. We have seen the power of prayer in action and we
believe that this is exactly where God wants us. Our growth jus t since October
1 has been tremendous. We have no doubt that it is only because we try to
honor Him in everything we do that He has faithfully honored us in the same
way.
Our mission is to mobilize the Church to transform lives and communities “In the Name of Christ”.