A trained worker will answer the phone by saying “Love in the Name of Christ, may we help you?”
The worker will ask some questions to understand the nature of your call.
Honest answers to our questions are important. They will help us to assist you in solving the current problem.
There are many agencies and programs available in the area to assist people through difficult times. It is our job to know about these different programs. If we ask you to contact an agency, you can be assured that we have asked the agency first if this request is something that they may be able to help you with. Although, this is not a guarantee of help, it would be the most logical place for you to go.
Call us back and let us know what happened. This is the time that we will verify “what happened and why” with the referral agency.
If there is not response available through any area agency, we then turn to the churches. Churches want to help, so we will ask you if you have a home church. If you do, then we will contact that church for you and ask for the appropriate assistance.
No one is ever denied assistance because they are not a Christian or belong to a church. If you have no church affiliation, we will contact a participating Love INC church in the area in which you live or one we know that may have the appropriate resource.
No, Love INC does not have money for assistance. Love INC participating churches sometimes are able to help with financial problems. Before we ask a church for assistance we will need to be certain that the need is legitimate, specific, manageable, and verified.
For financial requests, we ask you to fill out a budget form (we mail this to you with a stamped return envelope). We will then ask a ‘Volunteer Budget Helper’ to meet with you to go over your budget to see if this may be a problem in the future. The Budget Helper will then contact Love INC and suggest the best possible source of help. We will try to help you over the rough spots while you are saving the necessary funds. Sometimes, this answer seems long and difficult, but the Church wants to help in the best possible way.
Some people have said that when they have called Love INC, you have said, “No, we cannot help.”
Some calls that come to us are not manageable, or are not legitimate.
Sometimes we require the caller to meet self-help conditions.
We will call you back, after you have been connected with the appropriate church or agency, and your need was met. The purpose of our call is to be sure that your need was addressed.
The other question we will ask is, “Would you like a visit from a pastor or church person in your area?” If you would, we would let the church know. If you would prefer not to have a call at this time just let us know, and we will be there if you need assistance again.
