Our Vision
To see Christ-centered churches united in purpose and fully engaged in actively living out their faith by lovingly serving people in need in their communities.
Our Mission
Is to mobilize local churches to transform lives and communities In the Name of Christ.
Our Core Values
· We are Christian. Everything we think, say and do is in the name of Christ.
· Prayer is an integral part of who we are.
· We follow Christ’s example of valuing those in need.
· We value unity of the Body of Christ.
· We value transformation in the lives of people and communities.
· We value churches living out the two great commandments to love God and love their neighbors.
· We value building Christ-like relationships.
· We value the connectedness of the Love INC movement.
· We model excellence.
· We value continually maturing in our capacity to meet people’s needs.
History of Love In the Name of Christ of Newaygo County
Love In the Name of Christ of Newaygo County (Love INC) was founded in 1987 by seven local area churches. Their desire was to share the love of Christ by responding to unmet community needs (physical, spiritual, and emotional) without duplicating efforts.
Today, over 300 Love INC community and partner church volunteers are working together to share the love of God with our neighbors in need. We are one of 135 Love INC affiliates serving throughout the United States and in Kenya, Africa.
“We LOVE, We SERVE. We LISTEN, We MENTOR… Love INC + The Church… WE”
The Meaning Behind the Mark
We are connectors. We connect churches to one another and their community. We connect community members to resources and support. We bring people together, and in those intersections, they experience divine encounters with God.
Secondly, while our mission is about transformation, we are not the ones who do the transformation work. Rather, we create the scaffolding upon which transformation and growth is possible. We create spaces where church
volunteers and community members lives intersect and reciprocal transformation can occur. Then, the body of Christ rises up to do what it does best—care for one another and point people to God.
Our People
Administration
Traci S.
John D.
Volunteer & Fundraising
Kit F.
Marketing and Communications
Rachal G.
Resale Store
Peggy B.
Matt C.
Ericka N.
Help Center
Tracy C.
Food Pantry Coordinator
Vickie P.
GAP Ministry Assistant
Kelly M.
Rooms of Refuge
Aubrea V.
Transformational Ministries
Laurie P.
Rita A.
Laura V.
Ericka N.
Meet The Board Of Love INC Newaygo
Tim Bont
Dr. Tim Bont is a family practice physician in Newaygo County. He is gifted in the areas of leadership, administration and vision casting. He and his wife, Linda, attend First Baptist Church of Fremont.
Dave Kooienga
Dave has been involved with Love INC. Newaygo for over 10 years, first as a volunteer, then as a board member. He lives in Howard City with his wife of 36 years, Felicia. Dave and his wife attend Grant CRC.
Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson is a writer for the American Decency Association, a non-profit, pro-family organization in Fremont, MI. He has also written for CNS News, the Federalist, and the American Conservative. Chris and his wife Stacey live in Fremont with their two young children and attend Bethel Reformed Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
Del Hirdes
Del and his wife, Jean, live in Newaygo and attend Family of God Community Church. Del is a local insurance agent, specializing in Medicare and ACA Life Insurance assistance. He has been active in his church and the City of Newaygo, serving on several committees throughout the years.
Jim Mansfield
Steve Walmer
Cindy Stowell
Cindy joined the board in 2020. She has served as both a teacher & a mentor in the Growing Hope TM Program Financial Management class. She recently retired as an insurance agent where she enjoyed 27 years using her gifts of working with people building relationships as an encourager, faith & discernment which are attributes she hopes to bring to the board. Cindy & her husband, Jack, are members of Bailey Christian Church.
Bob Rosenberg
Bob and his wife Chris live in White Cloud. They are owners of Rosenberg Hardware. They are board members of the Samuel Omogo Foundation, an organization that has helped put over 500 wells in Nigeria. Their life’s mission is to love Jesus and to be in His will in a way where the can be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Jeff Pols
Jeff and his wife, Karen, live in the Newaygo area and attend Bethel Reformed Church OPC of Fremont. Jeff is an insurance agent. Throughout his life, he has remained active in church and Christian ministry, serving as an elder, a member of the Council of Middle East Reformed Fellowship, and as the Director of Development for a seminary and a Christian school.
Diane Speese
Diane began budget mentoring in the Growing Hope program in 2013. She joined the board in June 2021. She is grateful for the many transformations, through the love of Jesus, that she has experienced during her time with Love INC. She attends church at Saint Bartholomew’s and All Saints.
Traci S.
Traci has been married for over 23 years to her high school sweetheart Rob. They have three very active and bright boys—two in high school and one in elementary. With her boys all in sports year-round, watching them play has become her primary hobby!
Traci earned a B.A. in Social Work from Taylor University and then a Master’s from the Indiana University School of Social Work. Early in her career, she worked as a substance abuse prevention and addictions therapist with adolescents and adults. While in Fort Wayne, IN, she was blessed to have the opportunity to be involved with founding two nonprofit organizations—one she served on the board for and the other where she served as director of for six years before moving back to Michigan. She has taught as an adjunct professor both in the classroom and online for 15 years. In addition, she served as Director of Kids and Students at Magnify Church at Ensley where her family currently attends. Recently, she was re-elected to the Cedar Springs Board of Education, where she has been serving for five years.