NON PROFIT ORG.
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
OREGON CITY, OR
PERMIT NO. 59
PO Box 2378
Oregon City, OR 97045
Love LINC
Love In the Name of Christ
Fall 2014
Clackamas County
In This Issue
The Sacred in the Ordinary
The Sacred in the Ordinary
Unsung Heroes in the Field
Summer Collection Drives Bless
Families
Challenge: Technology Upgrade
Jobs for Life
Donate Every Time You Shop!
Mobile Dental Clinic Services
time in this ordinary endeavor and not doing the important work for which I had been prepared. I came
to this place once again last spring, when I lost my
important job, and began to volunteer with Love in
the Name of Christ of Clackamas County.
I wanted to find a new job, to be important again. Instead, God told me to slow down, to be available, and
to serve in a variety of ways: at Love INC, at church,
and in my family and circle of friends. It has been the
single most fruitful time in my life, as I have learned
to recognize, over and over again, those moments of
the sacred within the serving and ordinary.
Mobile Dental Clinic Services
Through a unique partnership with Medical Teams International, First Evangelical Presbyterian Church in
Oregon City and Love INC
Clackamas County, qualifying Clackamas County
residents without access
to regular dental care can
now have their urgent dental needs met through quarterly
Mobile Dental Clinics.
schedule an appointment prior to the upcoming Dental Clinic
date and be prepared to contribute $10 towards the expense
of their dental procedure, which typically involves treating broken teeth or alleviating tooth pain.
The Youngers schedule a date for the Mobile Dental Clinic to
come to First Evangelical Presbyterian and get the word out
to Love INC, who in turn shares that information with our clients. Love INC clients interested in visiting the Dental Van must
If you are, or know of, a dental professional who might be interested in volunteering time with the Mobile Dental Clinic, contact Duane Younger at 503-784-3759 or youngerpad@gmail.
com for more information.
The cost of the dental services has been covered by the gracious professional volunteers who give of their time as well
as from a grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Special
thanks is extended to Dr. Bryan Guthrie, DMD, PC, and his staff
in Oregon City, who have shared their expertise and compassionate hearts to care for the dental needs of those in pain.
In my later teen years and into my early twenties, I
was quite morally superior, as I was heading to college and eventually an important job. I was going
to be better than my coworkers at the fast-food restaurant where I worked. I wasnt going to be ordinary.
I was going to live an extraordinary life. I graduated
from Warner Pacific College with a degree in Elementary Education, got married and had a couple of kids.
I then spent the next five years changing diapers, every single day.
I had not taken a college class on changing diapers,
and felt frustrated that I was spending my valuable
There is a popular Christian song, in which the lead
singer says, We know we were made for so much
more than ordinary lives. I disagree. I think we are
made to live exactly ordinary lives, to find Jesus
and the sacred in the midst of the dirty diapers, the
clogged sink and the homeless who need somewhere
to sleep during frigid winter nights and hungry kids
struggling in school and drug addiction and the rest
of the mess of ordinary life.
I no longer desire to live an extraordinary life. I strive
to find the sacred in the middle of the ordinary
when Im not too important to look for it.
Kelly Wilson,
Volunteer with Love INC
4
Love INC of Clackamas County
PO Box 2378 Oregon City, OR 97045
503.655.4223
Giving thanks for all you do for those in need In the Name of Christ,
with deepest joy and gratitude, Love INC
Love Inc Love In the Name of Christ
Love INC of Clackamas County
Unsung Heroes in the Field
In April the Clearinghouse
took a call from Allen who
was in need of some help with
repairs on his manufactured
home. In anticipation of the
Manufactured Home Parks
Annual Inspection, he needed
to have his front porch rebuilt
along with some cosmetic
repairs around the exterior of
his home. Allen and his wife,
Nancy, were unable to do the
repairs themselves and had a
Standing on the rebuilt porch
limited budget for their home
from left to right are: Gary,
upkeep. Faced with the possiNancy, Allen and Debbie.
bility of eviction from the Park
without these repairs, Allen called the Love INC office to see if
we had anyone who could lend a hand.
The request was passed on to our Clearinghouse Coordinator,
Debbie Whittet, who in turn sent out Bud Boyer, our faithful
field project scout, to assess the situation. Once Buds report
was complete, Debbie began contacting field project volun-
teers to see who might have the time and skills to make the
necessary repairs. Unfortunately for Allen and Nancy, two
different volunteers accepted the job but, due to scheduling
conflicts, had to rescind their offers of help. With precious
time lost and the inspection looming, we were all starting to
feel anxious about the completion of this project. Allen and
Nancy were added to our weekly prayer requests and Debbie
continued to look for a volunteer who could do the repairs.
Prayers were answered through Gary Mengis, a Love INC volunteer who squeezed this project into his already full days and
persevered through a project that kept getting bigger as more
problems were discovered. 30+ volunteer hours later, Allen
and Nancy have a sturdy porch and a new friend in Gary. They
cant say enough positive words about Garys work ethic, generosity and skill and are thankful for the ministry of Love INC.
Gary is one of several faithful servants who provide home
repair, yard maintenance or in-home assistance for Love INC
clients in need. Typical requests involve 4 8 hours of labor and clients are responsible for purchasing any materials
needed for their project. If you might be interested in signing on as a field project volunteer, contact Debbie Whittet at
503-655-4223 ext 2.
Challenge: Technology Upgrade
It is time to put
our current computer system out
of its misery, and
we need your help
to do it! We want
to give our attention and energy to the families that are
seeking assistance from our partner churches and not our
lumbering and unresponsive computers. Please consider
generously donating to this challenge.
Our goal is to raise $3,000 towards a matching grant for
new hardware and software for our Call Center and staff.
If you want to help us meet that challenge, please indicate this on the envelope provided for your giving.
Jobs for Life
A lack of work contributes to poverty, crime, homelessness, domestic violence, substance abuse, unwanted
pregnancies, divorce, and suicide.
Love INC is launching the first Clackamas County Jobs for
Life class in January. We invite you to learn more and join
this powerful ministry to change lives.
NOTHING ATTACKS ONES DIGNITY LIKE A LACK OF WORK.
The suffering and consequences of unemployment and
underemployment are pervasive and heart-wrenching; it
is self-perpetuating and tears at the fabric of society.
Summer Collection Drives Bless Families
Love INC has been repeatedly blessed throughout
the summer as churches and organizations collected
goods for the families we serve. Vacation Bible School
programs at Trinity Lutheran in Oregon City brought
in boxes (more like mountains) of diapers while First
Evangelical Presbyterian in Oregon City collected items
for the Non-Food Pantry. St. Stephen Lutheran Quilt
Group in Gladstone brought 25 hand-made school bags
filled with supplies for children returning to school. And
Marys Woods Senior Living Community in Lake Oswego
has been faithfully bringing items for the Non-Food
Pantry, thanks to the doorto-door delivery service rendered by resident Meg Wilson. Thank you to all these
groups for investing resources and time to bring hope
and tangible goods to those in need.
If your church or organization might be interested in a
collection drive for items needed for families needing
assistance, please give us a call at 503-655-4223, ext. 2.
503.655.4223
Donate Every Time You Shop!
Thank you for using your Fred Meyer Rewards Card when
you shop. Love INC has raised $1,850 this year and we
have you to thank for it. If you have not yet signed up for
the Community Rewards Program please do so.
Just go to www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards and
search for us by name Love INC of Clackamas County or
our nonprofit number #81100. Together we can help
bring people out of isolation, one family at a time.
www.clackamasloveinc.org [email protected]
