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 1970′s. 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 aid their neighbors.

Today there are over 130 Love INC affiliates in 30 states helping more than 1 million people in need each year through over 8,000 churches, 5,000 community agencies, and 186,000 volunteers. Love INC’s national headquarters is located in St. Paul, MN and serves as a training resource to help communities establish and strengthen local affiliates.

Go to www.loveinc.org to learn more.