Our 2022 Love INC National Gathering will be a wonderful time of encouragement, connection, and training as we explore our theme One Another.
One Another is a powerful call to be the best of who we can be as Christians and positively impact our communities for the cause of Christ. It is an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17 for the unity of the Body of Christ. It is the reflection of the necessary interdependence of the diversity of gifts.
The phrase One Another occurs nearly 100 times in the New Testament with over half of those occurrences providing specific teachings on how to relate to others. Imagine if One Another was the driving passion and message of churches in every community, with actions and effort to match.
This September 21-22, let’s gather with one another and explore what this call to the unity of the body of Christ means for our ministry and mission.
Executive Director Retreat
WORK FROM A PLACE OF RESt
This year, prior to digging in to all of the amazing trainings we’ll be offering, we’re offering a day for Executive Directors to come and center themselves on God and why we do what we do. Back due to popular demand, Jennifer Dukes Lee will walk you through new content that will help fill up your cup so that you can bring your whole selves to God and your ministry.
Date/Time: Join us on the evening of September 19 for a Welcome dinner where we’ll enjoy great food and each others company before our Executive Director Retreat begins on Tuesday, September 20.
Cost: FREE with Gathering registration, until July 15.
Without Gathering registration, or after July 15, cost is $100 per person.
Special Guest leader: Jennifer Dukes Lee
Author of Growing Slow, Jennifer Dukes Lee lives on the fifth-generation Lee family farm in Iowa, where she and her husband are raising crops, pigs, and two beautiful humans. She writes books, loves queso, and enjoys singing too loudly to songs with great harmony. Once upon a time, she didn’t believe in Jesus; now he’s her CEO. Find Jennifer at JenniferDukesLee.com and on Instagram at @JenniferDukesLee.
2022 Training Tracks
At this year’s National Gathering, we’ll be featuring 8 full-conference tracks for you to choose from. You can explore Love INC Core principles, dig into leadership development, choose a transformational ministry training, and more. Please note, however, that you must remain in your track’s sessions throughout the entirety of our time together.
Click a track title below to learn more.
Track 1
Love INC Core
Audience: All Attendees
Let’s stay on mission! This track is relevant to everyone; those just beginning or long-timers. We will dive into who we are, who we help, how we help, why we help, who Love INC National is, and who Leads. Topics include: missional integrity, core values, ministry modes, mobilizing Church volunteers, Redemptive Compassion®, healthy leadership, Love INC resources, and more.
Trainers:
Katie Popp, Director of Affiliates, Love INC National
Jennifer Lund, Developing New Affiliates Specialist, Love INC National
Judy Edwards, Church and Public Relations, Love INC of Treasure Valley, ID
Kim Wittel, Affiliate Resource Specialist, Love INC National
Joey Spiegel, Developing New Affiliates + Board Resource Specialist, Love INC National
track 2
Seeking Transformative Relationships
Audience: Clearinghouse, Volunteer, Gap, Transformational, Comprehensive Transformational Coordinators
Love INC’s goal is not to meet needs transactionally, but transformationally through relationships. Relationships are key: between church volunteers and neighbors in need, among churches, with Christians across denominations, and throughout the community. When Love INC flourishes in a community, healthy relationships grow, Christian love thrives, and mutual respect is experienced. This track will explore the development of healthy relationships with oneself, neighbors, volunteers, and the community.
Trainers:
Denny Howard, Director of Counseling & Coaching, Full Strength Network
Debbi Miller, Clearinghouse Coordinator, Love INC of Greater Holmes County, OH
Hilary Ford, Transformational Ministries Manager, Love INC of Treasure Valley, ID
Kirk Vander Molen, Executive Director, Love INC National
Track 3
Leadership Development
Audience: Executive Directors,
Affiliate Leadership, Board Members
Many components are required to develop a strong and impactful Love INC affiliate, and leadership, at every level, is arguably the most critical of them all. In this leadership development track, participants will explore theory and practice that will encourage and excite leadership that develops people, transforms culture, maximizes missional impact, responds to difficult team members, and leaves a legacy of prepared leaders in its wake.
Trainers:
Luigi Peñaranda, PhD, Camino Road
Dan Walker, DMin Candidate, Camino Road
TRACK 4
The Love INC Brand
Audience: Executive Directors,
Board Members, Communications Staff
For the Love INC Brand, 2022 has been a year of transition. Following our new logo launch in January, a variety of training on our Brand Guide, Canva Templates, Website options, and more has taken place. We understand that it may have felt like a whirlwind at that time, so we want to offer you the chance to refresh yourself and retake all of these mini-trainings in one Love INC Brand track at the Gathering.
Join us to go through the Love INC Brand Guide, find help setting up your Canva Brand Kit and spend some time working on creating updated brand resources in Canva, explore the website template options available to you and get a brief introduction to Elementor, learn how to use video for great storytelling, and chat with other affiliate staff who manage communications during a Communications Topics panel.
Trainers:
Catherine Vlieger, Director of Marketing and Communications, Love INC National
Nolan Gunn, Love INC of Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta
John Cochrane, IT+Data Specialist, Love INC National
Track 5
Trauma Informed Care
>Audience: All Attendees
At present, there are many challenges facing us in our society: COVID 19, workforce shortages, compassion fatigue, burnout, not to mention the day-to-day trials of helping hurting people and fulfilling the great commission of ministry work. We will take a closer look at trauma-informed care by reviewing the adverse childhood experiences study, exploring the importance of resilience in people, discussing the effects of trauma on the brain, understanding the necessity of smart self-care, and learning how to become more skilled in compassionate communication. Finally, we will take a deeper dive into the values of trauma-informed practice and how it aligns with the call of Jesus to care for one another. If you attended this session on Day Zero in 2021, you’ll be happy to know that this year will include more and deeper content than our previous look at trauma informed care.
*This track is limited to 40 participants, so be sure to register early.
Trainer:
Scott Webb
Track 6
Redemptive Compassion
Audience: All Attendees
Whether you are familiar with Redemptive Compassion or a first-time student, participating in this track on how to offer biblical, wholistic help to others will be beneficial to you. I will combine teaching presentations with group discussions as well as address questions and concerns you may have faced trying to incorporate Redemptive Compassion into your ministry. I will also debut a new class designed to help facilitate conversation and teaching around the book Compassion with Redemptive Power. A special promo offer for this new class will be extended to those in attendance.
Trainer:
Lois Tupyi
TRACk 7
Work Life
Audience: Transformational Ministry Facilitator
Helping people find and keep meaningful work is one of the best ways to address the root causes of poverty. Work Life is a soft job-skills training program for people who are unemployed or underemployed. The program empowers participants with the skills, character, and relationships to find work – and flourish in it. At the facilitator training course, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to start a Work Life class in your affiliate!
*This track includes 3 weeks of online class prior to the Gathering which will begin August 29. Registration for this track closes on August 5.
Trainer:
Vicki Conn
TRACK 8
Faith & Finances
Audience: Transformational Ministry Facilitator
Arm yourselves with the tools to journey with neighbors in your community facing unique challenges as they rediscover their God-given dignity. This curriculum is designed to help your affiliate work specifically with low-income adults. Add Faith & Finances to your Transformational Ministry Program to address the challenges the materially poor face and help them rediscover their God-given dignity.
*This track includes 3 weeks of online class prior to the Gathering which will begin August 29. Registration for this track closes on August 5.
Trainer:
Mark Brown
Plenary Speakers + Worship Leaders
Kirk Vander Molen
Executive Director, Love INC National
Drawn to ministry by Christ’s example of caring for and serving others, Kirk Vander Molen has been a part of the Love INC movement since 2002. He first served as the Executive Director for the Love INC of NW Allegan County, MI before joining the Love INC National Movement as the Director of Missional Integrity, and now serving as the National Executive Director. Kirk has a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Health Sciences from Western Michigan University with a research focus on religious problem-solving styles in the context of experiencing poverty. He holds masters’ degrees in divinity (Western Theological Seminary) and social work (Grand Valley State University). He did his undergraduate studies in business at Hope College.
Eliza Cortés Bast
Researcher, Camino Road
Eliza Cortés Bast is a Senior Director for a national ministry, helping ministries unlock their missional imagination. She is passionate about facilitating strategic processes that help individuals and organizations ask good questions, release talent, and amplify the good. Eliza is an adjunct faculty member and has designed curricula for Cornerstone University and Northpoint Bible College, teaching at the intersection of leadership, business, and ministry. Additionally, she stewards a women-owned and operated non-profit ministry consulting group. She is an Ed.D. candidate at Cornerstone University in Organizational Leadership. She resides in Michigan with her amazing family.
Carlton Smith
Board member, Love INC National
Pastor Carlton formerly served as the East Side Director of Love INC of Cuyahoga County in Ohio. With his God-given burden for and experience in addressing the needs of the cities, he has worked extensively with church and ministry leaders within urban as well as suburban contexts. Prior to his work with Love INC, Pastor Carlton served as Lead Pastor of Antioch Fellowship Assembly as well as Executive Director of Christian Family Outreach. He is excited to be a part of Love INC, and sees the ministry as needed infrastructure within the broader expressions of the body of Christ, especially across the cities, to affect those in need with Christ’s love.
Vicki Conn
Executive Director, love inc of greater holmes county, ohio
Vicki serves as the Executive Director of Love INC of Greater Holmes County in Ohio, where she worked with the local Ministerial Association to bring Love INC to Holmes County. Previously Vicki served as a phone volunteer, a Clearinghouse Coordinator and Director of Ministries at a Love INC in NW PA. Vicki also serve as one of the Faith & Finances and Work Life Lead Trainers for Love INC National. She has facilitated locally Faith and Finances, conflict resolution as well as providing national trainings and training new Faith and Finances facilitators. She meets regularly with two different groups of pastors locally and several round tables for community involvement.
Tom DeVries
President, global leadership network
Tom joined the Global Leadership Network (GLN) in 2017 as President and CEO. He brings a wealth of expertise to the GLN’s year-round leadership development efforts and the leadership of producing The Global Leadership Summit (GLS), the premier leadership event of the year. Prior to joining the GLN, Tom was the General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), the oldest continuing Protestant denomination in the United States with over 200,000 members and 100 missionaries serving in 40 countries around the world. Tom has a B.A. in Sociology from Wheaton College, a Master of Divinity from Fuller Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership from Western Seminary. He has provided leadership in both the ministry and nonprofit environments serving as a church planter, large church lead pastor and multisite pastor. He served on the central committee of the World Council of Churches and the governing board of the National Council of Churches. Additionally, Tom served on the Board of Trustees for New Brunswick Theological Seminary and Western Theological Seminary and has also taught as an adjunct professor at Western Theological Seminary. Tom played a key leadership role in the launching of a nonprofit focused on food insufficiency in young children and today Hand2Hand feeds more than 8,000 children each weekend through school-church partnerships. He has been a featured guest on NPR, the Salem Radio Network, Life Today Live, Newsmax TV, Moody Radio, the WOW Factor, and Common Good.
Russ Parish
Worship leader
Stylishly fusing the delicacy of acoustic guitar play with breathy, expressive and increasingly powerful vocals, Russ Parrish’s naturally compelling sound has graced our Love INC National Gathering for many years. Join him and his band for soulful worship songs throughout our Gathering, and if you want to continue listening at home—click here to follow him online.
Workshop Leaders
Mark Brown
Former Vice President of Operations & Finance, Northwest Iowa Community College
Mark Brown has been involved with Love In The Name of Christ for over 20 years in various roles. He was a founding Board Member for the Love INC of Greater O’Brien County while also serving as a volunteer Faith and Finances teacher for his local affiliate. In addition, Mark has facilitated numerous national training sessions (both online and face to face) for Love INC National throughout the United States. Mark graduated from the University of Iowa and most recently was Vice President of Operations and Finance/CPA for Northwest Iowa Community College where he retired in 2021.
John Cochrane
IT + Data Specialist, Love INC National
Judy Edwards
Church + Public relations, Love INC of treasure valley, ID
Judy Edwards has served on the staff of Love INC of Treasure Valley for 8 years, working with volunteers and partner churches. She moved to Idaho in 2012 with no knowledge of the ministry of Love INC. God led her to the Treasure Valley affiliate where she served as a Clearinghouse volunteer for 2 years and was then hired as staff. Two of her favorite things to share are the ministry of Love INC and the helping philosophy of Redemptive Compassion and how they are used by God to lead people to transformation.
Hilary Ford
Transformational ministries manager, Love INC of treasure valley, ID
Hilary Ford has served as the Transformational Ministries Manager for Love INC of Treasure Valley since 2007. In May of 2015, she started training Track 1 during the Vision & Reality trainings and in January 2019 she started facilitating monthly TM training calls. She is passionate about getting to know other affiliates and encouraging them as they develop and grow their Transformational Ministries.
Nolan Gunn
Communications Director, Love INC of Staunton, Waynesboro, Augusta
Denny Howard
Director of Counseling & Coaching, Full Strength Network
Denny Howard serves as the Director of Counseling & Coaching for Full Strength Network, a group of professional caregivers around the nation that provide preemptive, renewal and counseling services to pastors and their families. Full Strength Network exists to make it easy for pastors to monitor their own wellbeing and find their way to strengthening resources (FullStrength.org). Denny also serves as the director of the Vitality Care Institute providing a wide range of proactive and restorative services for those who serve in people influencing vocations such as non-profit and ministry leaders. He is a State Licensed Clinician in mental health, marriage/family therapist and a certified addictions counselor. Denny is an ordained minister, a graduate of George Fox University located in Oregon. He is a member of the National Association for Addiction Professionals, National Board of Certified Counselors, and the American Association of Christian Counselors. Denny resides in Fort Wayne with his wife Debbie and they have three adult children Joshua, Rebecca, and Timothy who all serve in people-helping vocations.
Developing New Affiliates Specialist, Love INC National
Jennifer joined the Love INC National Staff after serving at our Douglas County affiliate in Minnesota as a Clearinghouse Coordinator. She understands the Love INC Clearinghouse ministry inside and out, and her experiences there have helped her appreciate working with volunteers and neighbors in need.
In addition to her time at her local affiliate, Jennifer has six years of experience running her own business. She’s very familiar with the challenges of starting something new and the importance of good project management processes.
Debbi Miller
Clearinghouse Coordinator,
Love INC of Greater Holmes County, OH
Debbi Miller has been involved with Love INC of Greater Holmes County, OH since 2015. She was captivated by the mission and the approach of Love INC at a fundraising dinner and was immediately trained to be a phone volunteer. As time passed, the Clearinghouse Coordinator role became available and she was able to step into that position in 2017, along with Homes of Hope Case Management. Over the past several years she has had the opportunity to facilitate Redemptive Compassion and Affirming Potential trainings for the national movement and added Clearinghouse Training on Demand to her training repertoire in 2022.
Luigi Peñaranda, PhD
Camino Road
Luigi Peñaranda is a bilingual professor specialized in Leadership Studies and Biblical studies. He has a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Development and is an ordained minister, with pastoral experience in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural church settings. A passionate educator, an enthusiastic reader, and a music aficionado. Luigi and his family live in San Antonio, TX.
Katie Popp
Director of Affiliates, Love INC National
Developing New Affiliates + Board resource Specialist, Love INC National
Joey serves as a Developing New Affiliates Specialist and Board Resource Specialist. He’s been around the Love INC movement for over a decade, first as an associate at a local partner church, and then serving as an Executive Director at the Huntington County affiliate for seven years. He brings with him a passion for good board governance and strategic leadership, both key to starting and maintaining a healthy affiliate.
Lois Tupyi
Executive director, Love INc of treasure valley, ID
Lois Tupyi is the Executive Director of Love INC of Treasure Valley and has worked with the Canyon County based affiliate since April 1999. She assumed the responsibility of Executive Director in January 2002 and has had the privilege of leading the Treasure Valley Affiliate for 20+ years. Lois has been National Love INC National trainer since 2005 and Love INC of Treasure Valley has had the privilege of being a training site for people in all stages of their Love INC ministry growth as well as others interested in learning more about Redemptive Compassion. Lois travels nationally leading seminars and training sessions for people in communities who want to learn more about how to offer Redemptive Compassion, the biblical call to wholistic help.
Catherine Vlieger
Director of marketing and communications,Love INC National
Having worked as a church communications director for 10 years prior to joining Love INC National as the Director of Marketing and Communications, it was Catherine’s heart for the church and the unity of the Body of Christ that drew her to Love INC National in January 2020. Now, it’s her pleasure to equip and elevate the marketing and communication efforts of our 115 affiliates, while also bringing greater awareness to the overall Love INC movement.
Daniel Walker
Camino Road
Scott Webb
Trauma-Informed Care Coordinator, State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services
Scott Webb is a trauma survivor himself who has worked in the behavioral health field for 35 years. His career has included clinical, administrative and consultative work. He is currently the Trauma-Informed Care Coordinator at the State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services. In addition to his professional work, Scott is a Stephen Leader through Stephen Ministries and has been instrumental in launching Stephen Ministry in his church. He holds a Master of Science in Education degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Since 2014, Scott has provided training and technical assistance on trauma-informed care principles to more than 13,000 clinicians statewide. His insights on trauma-informed care have been featured in articles published by Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism and Isthmus. He also has presented at numerous conferences and acted as keynote speaker for the UW-Madison School of Social Work, the National Alliance on Mental Illness Wisconsin Conference, and the Wisconsin Personal Services Association.
Kim Wittel
Affiliate resource specialist, Love INC National
Kim Wittel retired as Executive Director of the Love INC of Lancaster County in 2019, after 15 years with the affiliate. She began working for Love INC National in 2018 as the Lead Consultant, recently transitioning to Affiliate Resource Specialist. She has led multiple Comprehensive Consultations and Reflect Assessments for affiliates across the country, and has taught National Gathering sessions on Homes of Hope, Church Relationships, and Board Responsibilities.
Schedule
WEDNESDAY,
September 21
8am
9:30-10:30am
10:30-10:45am
10:45am-12:15pm
12:15–1:15pm
1:30-2:30pm
2:30-2:45pm
2:45-4:45pm
Welcome + Hot Breakfast
THURSDAY,
September 22
8am-8:30am
8:30-9:30am
9:30-9:45am
9:45-11:30am
11:30am-12:30pm
12:30-1:30pm
1:30pm-1:45pm
1:45-3pm
3-3:15pm
3:15-4:45pm
5:30pm
6pm
National Gathering—Day 2
Coffee
Plenary: Serve One Another
Snack
Training Session
Lunch
Plenary: Show Hospitality to One Another
Break
Training Session
Break
Training Session
Refreshments
Final Plenary: Encourage One Another, along with our Anniversary Celebration, and Award Dinner in Holiday Inn Ballroom
Travel + Lodging
Here are a few important details to help you with your travel plans.
VENUE:
Village Church of Gurnee
1319 N Hunt Club Road Gurnee, IL 60031
LODGING:
Holiday Inn
We’ve once again arranged a block of discounted hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn. Our reduced price is $109 per night and includes a continental breakfast each morning. Simply use promo code LIN by August 20 to get this rate.
6161 West Grand Avenue Gurnee, Illinois 60031
Register Now
Don’t miss our best National Gathering yet, this September 21-22! Registration closes on August 26.
Cost is $260 per person for our 2022 National Gathering and includes a special, hot breakfast on Wednesday, Sept 21, five thought-provoking Plenary sessions, 8 hours of Track training, incredible worship, and a celebratory anniversary banquet.
Plus—If you register for the Gathering by July 15, you’ll get our $100 Executive Director Retreat on September 20 for FREE.