Who We Are

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.

Executive Director
tracis@loveincnewaygo.com

Ronica G.

Operations Manager
ronicag@loveincnewaygo.com

Events & Media

Kit F.

Volunteer Coordinator and Friendraiser
kitkat@loveincnewaygo.com

Resale Store

Peggy B.

Resale Store Manager
pegb@loveincnewaygo.com

Matt C.

Assistant Resale Store Manager
store@loveincnewaygo.com

Jeff Stewart

Resale Store Assistant
store@loveincnewaygo.com

Help Center

Tracy C.

help Center & Food Pantry Coordinator
tracyc@loveincnewaygo.com

Vickie P.

Help center Assistant & GAP Ministry Assistant
vickiep@loveincnewaygo.com

Kelly M.

Food Pantry Assistant
kellym@loveincnewaygo.com

Aubrea V.

Rooms of Refuge Program manager
ror@loveincnewaygo.com

Transformational Ministries

Laurie P.

Transformational Ministry Coordinator
lauriep@loveincnewaygo.com

Rita A.

Transformational Ministry Administrator
ritaa@loveincnewaygo.com

Laura V.

Transformational Ministry Assistant
laurav@loveincnewaygo.com

Jeff O.

Church Relations
jeffo@loveincnewaygo.com

Ericka N.

Growing Hope Childcare Assistant

Meet The Board Of Love INC Newaygo

Tim Bont

President

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

Vice-President

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

board member

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

Treasurer

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

Board Member
Jim joined our board in 2018. He serves on our Safety and Security Committee and is a volunteer mentor in our Growing Hope finance program. He is gifted in leadership and relationship building. He loves to share his personal story of redemption and is passionate about people coming to know Jesus Christ. Jim and his wife Sue are members of Bailey Christian Church in Bailey.

Steve Walmer

Board Member

Cindy Stowell

Board Member

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

Board Member

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

Secretary

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

Board Member

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.

executive director

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.