Love Link, an compassionate ministry center of the Church of the Nazarene is located in the urban core of Oklahoma City

Common questions

Does Love Link have companies like Wal-Mart, Kohl's, and Homeland that regularly donate to it or does it solicit grants on a regular basis from companies like these?
We're not working this area of resources as much as we should. We need someone to help us. We did have a grocery store that regularly gave us stuff, particularly that which was about to go out of date. Unfortunately they went out of business (I don't think it was from giving us too much stuff!). We've also had a bakery that gave us stuff. Board member Norris Seaton (now deceased) was excellent at getting places like Home Depot and Lowe's to donate building supplies. We need a "scrounger" to replace him! In terms of grants, United Parcel Service (UPS) recently gave us a grant.
Does Love Link have businesses that give a discounted price on the supplies being used in the ministry? If yes, then is it better to give you money for those supplies?
We have an office supply place (not one of the big names) that gives us a discounted price on office supplies. Again, I wish we had a "scrounger" that would cultivate contacts with businesses and get several of them on board!
I suppose you've included the Southern Nazarene University athletic groups and campus clubs in your solicitations for help?
NSI regularly sends a group to work and some of the clubs on campus have done an occasional fund raiser or food drive for us. We haven't done much with the athletic groups. I need to get after them and see if we can get some of the teams coming down on a regular basis.
Does Love Link have groups that consistently provide help or goods on a regular basis?
We have several Southern Nazarene University students that help on a weekly basis. Several area Nazarene churches are strong supporters financially and with food. Among them are: Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, Western Oaks Church of the Nazarene and Choctaw Church of the Nazarene. A Baptist church in Guthrie has also been extremely helpful with providing meals. There are several small rural Nazarene churches in Oklahoma that also regularly help us. Cleo Springs, 30 miles west of Enid, is one that comes to mind.
Do you need tools for the Craft Link? What other supplies?
Thus far we've been buying supplies and tools out of the sales. From the sales, one third goes to buy supplies, one third goes to Love Link for building upkeep and utilities, and one third goes to the artist.
In addition to cash donations from churches and individuals where does Love Link derive its income?
The rest of the needed funds came from our golf tournament, from resale and craft shop sales and even from money earned by men living in the recovery houses.
What amount of your budget goes for salaries? How much goes into rent and utilities?
We're pretty low budget! It does help that most of the buildings are paid for. We've taken a leap of faith for 2005 and working with a budget of about $101,000. Here's how it breaks out:

34%    Salaries/compensation

21%    Utilities and maintenance on main building, craft shop and recovery houses

7%    Debt service on buildings and property

7%    Insurance

7%    Fund raising event expenses (fall golf tournament and spring dinner)

6%    Food pantry purchases when needs exceed donated food

5%    Vehicles (maintenance, tags, gasoline, insurance)

4%    Recovery program incentives (example: payment to men who help with maintenance jobs)

3%    Postage

2%    Printing costs

2%    Accounting/audits

1%    Office expenses

1%    Telephone / e-mail

If a group has a fund or food raiser, do they have to deliver the goods to 500 S. Western?
Stuff can be delivered to 500 S. Western or to Wayne Stark's home at 4500 N. Asbury.
I give used clothing and other stuff to one organization because they gave me a magnet with their phone number to put on my refrigerator and it makes it easy when I have a bag or two. Also, they pick up. Does Love Link pick up?
We don't have a regular system of picking up stuff, although it can be done. I do like the magnet idea.
Do families stay in the Love Link facilities or is it just men?
Our three recovery homes are men only. We have done some talking about opening a women's home, perhaps even finding a home whose location would be fairly anonymous so it could shelter battered women. OKC Compassion -- located at Penn Ave Church of the Nazarene -- does have women's housing. I'm not sure if they can keep their children there. We have some Southern Nazarene University students who have worked at fixing up homes in our ministry area to make them more weather-proof and thus more hospitable in the winter (and during rain storms!)
If yes, do you provide stuffed animals and/or toys for them?
There's been some things done at Christmas time for the children attending First Indian Church of the Nazarene (the church connected with Love Link).
Does someone provide Christmas baskets for the families involved?
At Thanksgiving, the last two years some people from the Love Link Board and members of Western Oaks Church have prepared Thanksgiving dinner for all the men in the program. It has been very nice. Each year at Christmas we try to find people who want to sponsor the men. This last year wasn't very good but previously we've been able to provide the men with either new shirts or shoes, towels, socks and underwear as well as some special candy treats. We also have given each house a turkey to be prepared if no one was preparing the meal for them. Each year we have been able to give all 20 men some kind of gift at Christmas. We are always looking for people who want to be sponsors/mentors to the men in the program. I'd love to see a few people who wanted to commit to at least a year to befriend and mentor the men when the men are ready. We have several who would benefit from this. This is a big commitment but a worthy one.
When you say you pay the food pantry, do you mean from the food bank or is that donated and then you buy extra food to keep up your pantry?
The Food Bank does charge us for what we get (although it's less than retail prices). They have a limit on what we can get from them and it's less than what we need. While we do get food donated from local churches, we often run short of certain items and we are obliged to purchase them.
What are the vehicles used for? How many? Did someone donate them?
There's a donated van or two and a truck involved. The vehicles pick up foodstuffs and get various supplies. We do an occasional pickup of donated stuff for the resale shop. Our monthly newsletter requires a run out here to the SNU print shop and then the printed newsletters and envelopes go to Bethany Place where they are labeled and sorted and prepared for mailing. Then they go to the post office. Last year we experimented with having a booth of the Craft Link shop items in a crafters' mall (the one on NW Expressway between Meridian and MacArthur). The men had to go out periodically to check on the display and re-stock the booth. The men in the recovery houses generally don't have vehicles, so if they need to go to the doctor, they usually go in one of the Love Link vehicles. Sometimes some of them will be in job training programs that require some transportation to get there. Recently, Wayne Stark and two men in the recovery houses plus a woman that is involved with the ministry came to speak at a Southern Nazarene University class. They used one of the vans for transportation. Wayne has use of a van for his transportation.
For your printing do you have a laser printer or do you use a commercial printing company?
Currently, most of our printing needs are met by the Southern Nazarene University print shop. It gives us the best deal we've been able to find.
Do you pay someone to audit Love Link and to keep the books?
We don't pay anyone to keep the books but we do pay an auditor who also helps us with the required IRS filings to maintain our status as a 501c3 non-profit organization. The bookkeeping is currently done by a volunteer.

Love Link | 500 S. Western | Oklahoma City, OK 73109-1032 | (405) 239-6219

Mailing address: PO Box 2023, Oklahoma City, OK 73101

SNU missions course materials and syllabi

Cultural Anthropology Introduction to Missions Linguistics Mexican Field Studies Missions Strategies Modern Missionary Movement (History of Missions) Nazarene Missions Church Growth and Christian Missions Theology of Missions Traditional Religions World Religions

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Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008 | Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2002 - Last Updated: April 25, 2007 | URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/linkfaq.htm

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34%	Salaries/compensation
21%	Utilities and maintenance on main building, craft shop and recovery houses
7%	Debt service on buildings and property
7%	Insurance
7%	Fund raising event expenses (fall golf tournament and spring dinner)
6%	Food pantry purchases when needs exceed donated food
5%	Vehicles (maintenance, tags, gasoline, insurance)
4%	Recovery program incentives (example: payment to men who help with maintenance jobs)
3%	Postage
2%	Printing costs
2%	Accounting/audits
1%	Office expenses
1%	Telephone / e-mail

Love Link ministry FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Love Link, an compassionate ministry center of the Church of the Nazarene is located in the urban core of Oklahoma City

Common questions

SNU missions course materials and syllabi