One Movement United

One

Movement

UNITED

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, ⁶so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5,6 NIV

Love INC was founded in 1977 as a way to encourage churches to become more engaged with the poor and to inspire a greater number of Christians to put their faith in action.

Love INC's founder, Dr. Virgil Gulker, was a social worker and outreach director in Holland, Michigan, in the late 1970s. Deeply committed to helping people trapped in poverty, he was certain God had called others to the same mission. As he talked to church members and pastors, Dr. Gulker came to understand that Christians did indeed want to help the needy, but they had few ideas about how to do so. Many times people did not even recognize that they were gifted in ways that could have a positive impact on someone else's life.

It was clear to Dr. Gulker that if churches were to better serve their communities, they needed leadership, organization, training, encouragement, and prayer. He developed the Love INC model to fill these critical roles. Love INC taught churches to assess their capabilities, and it unified local congregations so that, working together, they could more effectively help their neighbors.

One man's idea for an integrated church ministry in Holland, Michigan, began to inspire Christians in many different regions. Others duplicated the Love INC model--with its successes--as they sought to meet the needs of hurting individuals and families in their own communities. By the late 1980s, there were 50 Love INC affiliates operating in 14 states.

There are more than 135 Love INC affiliates across the country, representing a network of nearly 9,000 churches, 6,000 community agencies, and more than 300,000 volunteers. Every affiliate is a local network of Christian churches, representing different denominations, working cooperatively with community-based organizations to met needs in the community.

Every affiliate is individually incorporated and is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with its own board of directors, executive director, staff and volunteers. Together these affiliates represent a national movement of churches and community organizations working cooperatively on behalf of people in need.