Developmental Compassion

Deuteronomy 24: 19 “When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 “When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again ; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. 21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again ; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. 22 “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt ; therefore I am commanding you to do this thing.”

This Old Testament law did not require God’s people to harvest everything and take it to those in need. It required participation on the part of the receiver of assistance. This type of developmental compassion is a core principle of Love INC.

Love INC is about providing a hand up and not just a hand out. Although there is a time and place for providing hand outs (for example in crisis and disaster relief situations), Love INC is not a crisis intervention or disaster relief ministry. Love INC’s primary focus is helping the church transform people’s lives (physically and spiritually) so they can break the dependency cycle they are in. We seek to engage and hold accountable people receiving help, and work with them to strengthen the assets they have and develop new ones that allow them to break the cycle of poverty and dependency they find themselves in. We call this developmental compassion (as opposed to the traditional charity compassion so prevalent in our society today.) As a result, direct financial aid to clients (charity, with little or no relationship) is not intended to be a significant component of our ministry.