“We’d like to express appreciation to you, and your kind donors, for the Thanksgiving meal you provided us. It really was very generous of you; you kept us fed for a week!”

This lovely email was in our inbox after the Thanksgiving holiday. On the Wednesday prior, 50 servants from 6 partner churches delivered boxed meals from Jewel to 57 of our neighbors in need.

Paul & Anne* went on to share: “I’m not much of a photographer, but we thought you’d like to see our cat feigning indifference towards the turkey dinner, as well as the turkey and gravy pie we made with the leftovers.” Notice the Bible in the picture with the cat? That was a gift that our Starter Kit delivery volunteers shared with them!

Love INC’s mission is to mobilize local churches… and Paul & Anne’s journey is a prime example! From the time they connected with us, they’ve been served by:

• a servant from Mt. Zion Inst. Baptist Church who scheduled their intake
• Dave from Bethel Lutheran who listened to their story during the intake and shared community resources to assist their situation
• a servant from Joy! Lutheran who scheduled their Starter Kit delivery
• servants from Memorial UMC, Most Blessed Trinity, and Christ Lutheran who lovingly packed their household items
• servants from New Song Ministries and Village Church of Gurnee who delivered the Starter Kit to their home, praying with them and offering hope
• teams at the Winter Coat distribution at First Presbyterian of Waukegan, who helped them select warm winter gear
• a pair of delivery volunteers from Immanuel Church who brought their Thanksgiving meal to them
• servants from Gurnee Community, Trinity Community, and The Chapel who repaired and cleaned furniture for their home
• delivery teams from Willow SouthLake and Christ Church Lake Forest who carried the gift of this furniture into their home
• a volunteer from Village Church of Gurnee who reached out, inviting them to the next session of our New Hope Ministry life skills classes

During their intake, Anne shared that she is not practicing the faith she was raised in and that she is searching for truth. Most certainly, the love that all of these volunteers and churches are wrapping around her are representing Christ well. Thank you to all the churches and volunteers who showed love to this couple in their time of need. To God be the glory!

*Names changed to protect privacy