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Compassion Coalition has become an affiliate of Love INC.
We have joined the network of over 120 communities across the US providing
services In the Name of Christ. As we searched for how to mobilize
our churches to serve more effectively, we found the Love INC model
reflects our view of
the vital role of the church in our lives
and our communities. It is an amazing match. The Love INC network encourages and supports
us with their 27 years of successfully offering communities a successful
church clearinghouse model. The Love INC mission statement is to
mobilize local churches, in collaboration with area service providers, to
meet the unmet needs of individuals. We have heard from many of the
Knoxville churches and believe this too is your prayer for our community.
Overview: Love INC
Knoxville is a branch of Compassion Coalition serving as a clearinghouse
linking caring Christians, across denominational lines, to accomplish more
together than any one individual church can accomplish on its own.
It is, at its most fundamental level, Christians coming together to serve
the needs of individuals and families in Knoxville, to transform lives and the
community In the Name of Christ.
The Love INC clearinghouse is unique in that it:
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Is not an agency; it provides no direct services.
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Does not duplicate existing helping services.
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Screens needs and organizes churches to work with agencies to meet
individual and family needs.
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Works cooperatively with area service agencies in developing a need
analysis procedure, an inventory of community resources, and a client
referral policy.
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Adopts policies and procedures that are designed to teach self-help skills
to chronic dependents, reduce the unnecessary duplication of services, and
fashion a cooperative relationship between churches and agencies.
The
Clearinghouse Process
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The Love INC office
receives a request for help.
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The request is analyzed for legitimacy, nature, and
extent of need.
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The individual or family in need is referred to the
most appropriate source of help:
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Community-based
organization/social service agency.
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Specialized help could include medial, psychiatric,
substance abuse, legal or other services.
□
Church volunteer.
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Church
program or ministry.
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Advantages of
Love INC to Churches
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Helps generate untapped volunteer resources that already
exist in the local churches to meet needs both within and outside the
church.
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Screens need for churches as to nature, extent, and
legitimacy. This determines what the real need actually is.
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Prevents church
duplication of existing services already available in the community.
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Discovers if those requesting assistance are going from
church to church and making the rounds. Love INC puts an end to this
by meeting legitimate needs in another way or discovering instances of
fraudulent requests.
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Provides long-term self-help solutions for those who are
chronically dependent or have multiple needs.
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Enables churches to prevent unbiblical extremes of either
refusing to assist those outside of their own congregation or wasting
God’s resources by assisting before real need is determined.
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Due to an increased use of volunteers, meeting only
legitimate needs and rotating assistance among several churches, Love INC
is very cost-effective.
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Offers a unique witness of God’s love to the community as
Christian churches work together in the name of Christ.
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