Madelyn remembers the day in 2023 when volunteers from Love INC arrived at her apartment. She had been struggling to keep things together for her three children when their beds broke—one more stress in a season already filled with uncertainty. Someone told her about Love INC of Lake County, a place that might be able to help with furniture. She made the call, unsure of what to expect.

Not long after, a church delivery team from Love INC arrived at her home, bringing beds for her little ones and so much more.

Before they assembled a single bed or carried anything inside, they paused and prayed with her. “Nobody knows just how much I really needed that prayer that day,” Madelyn says. Then they got to work—putting together her children’s beds and bringing everything her family needed for their apartment. In that moment, care went far beyond furniture. Madelyn experienced something deeper: she was seen, she was supported, and she was not alone.

This is how Love INC works—not as a standalone organization, but as a connector. It brings the Church together so neighbors in crisis experience the love of Christ through real people, real relationships, and real help.

A Second Crisis—and a Familiar Lifeline

Two years later, Madelyn found herself in crisis again.

What she thought would be a short-term housing transition turned into more than a year of instability. Eventually, she and her children were living in a hotel room—three kids, two small beds, and a mini fridge. The stress was overwhelming, and the future felt impossible.

But this time, Madelyn didn’t start from scratch.

Through Journey Church-Beach Park, she was reconnected to Love INC—this time through a church relationship. A volunteer named Susan* encouraged her to take a step she was hesitant to take: enroll in the Faith & Finances class offered through New Hope Ministry, one of Love INC’s collaborative church ministries.

“I didn’t really want to go,” Madelyn admits. “I was embarrassed. I thought, ‘What could they tell me about my finances that I don’t already know?’”

But she went anyway–and the first night changed everything.

For Susan*, moments like this are exactly why the Church steps forward to serve. “I feel honored that God would use me to be part of someone’s solution and help make their life better,” she says. “But I’m just a vessel. I feel honored to be in a position where God would choose me to help someone else.”

When the Church Walks Alongside

The Faith & Finances class wasn’t just about numbers. It was about hope.

Madelyn learned simple, practical tools—how to track spending, how to save, how to prioritize giving and budgeting—but what surprised her most was how personal it felt.

“I started to feel like the class was specifically just for me,” she says. “Every word felt like it was meeting me right where I was.”

Les Dlabay from Village Church of Gurnee, who taught the class, has been walking alongside Love INC families for more than 20 years. He believes transformation happens not when people are lectured, but when they are respected.

“You can only really learn from people who are different from you,” Les says. “They bring experiences into the room that matter—and our role is to meet people where they are, not where we think they should be.”

At the time, Madelyn and her kids were still living in a hotel room. But as she applied what she was learning, things began to shift. She stopped eating out. She cooked meals on an electric skillet and in a crockpot. Within months, she not only had a savings account, but more saved than she ever dreamed possible.

“For the first time,” she says, “I realized—I can make this work.”

Les wasn’t surprised. He’s seen it before. “When people stay with the class,” he explains, “it’s incredibly encouraging—because their lives are already demanding, already heavy. The fact that they keep showing up tells you something powerful is happening.”

All along the way, the Church continued to surround Madelyn. Members of Journey Church Beach Park prayed with her, checked in on her mental health, and made sure her children were cared for. Love INC staff walked with her through next steps, and her circle of support kept growing.

“It felt like God put this church there just for me,” Madelyn says. “And through Love INC, that community just kept expanding.”

Susan says this kind of ministry reflects the heart of the Church. “We have the opportunity to be His hands and feet,” she explains. “We all have the common cause of extending hope. Sometimes you’re in proximity with someone you don’t know—but God does. He already knows their story.”