For years, Muluneh Taye watched a generation slip through the cracks - young people from 1.5/2nd gen immigrant families, caught between the culture of their parents and the pressures of American society. They didn’t fully belong in either world. And too often, that in-between space led to isolation, confusion, and spiritual disconnection.

But God placed a burden on Muluneh’s heart to stand in that gap. And through his partnership with LINC, what started as a calling became a clear mission. “The Accelerator gave structure to the vision,” he shared. “It helped me move from ideas to action - and showed me I wasn’t alone.

”With faithful guidance, a supportive community, and a mission plan rooted in the gospel, Muluneh began laying the groundwork for a new church plant in South Bay - a church designed to be a spiritual home for those who’ve never quite felt like they had one.

Today, Muluneh is stepping forward as a Builder, equipped with tools and surrounded by prayer, planting a church that reflects the very heart of God: one that pursues the lost, welcomes the outsider, and invites the next generation into the hope of Jesus.

For years, Veralisa Hunter served behind the scenes - guiding people through housing crises, praying for neighbors in need, and helping her community navigate systems that were never built with them in mind. But she began to sense that God was inviting her to bring it all together into something new.

With a deep love for people on the margins, Veralisa launchedAmana Ministries, a faith-based initiative offering financial coaching, credit repair support, and Christ-centered personal development to low-and moderate-income servant leaders.

Through her time with LINC in the Mission Accelerator and now the Builder phase, Veralisa was able to sharpen her focus. “I never really stopped to consider the specific personality type or profile of the person I’m called to serve,” she said. That clarity changed everything.

Now, Amana Ministries is not only coming to life - it’s growing into a larger vision. Through workshops, prayer, and practical tools, Veralisa is helping leaders reclaim peace in their finances and their faith. “All the pieces of my life have collided into this one moment,” she said. And because of your support, that moment is becoming a movement of restoration.

Hands and Feet Ministries started with a simple question:“Who is my neighbor?”For Valerie Skeen, that question became a way of life.

It began on a park bench in the Monument Corridor, when a brief conversation with a group of recent immigrants turned into a door God opened - and a ministry was born. Since then, Valerie and her cofounder Sara have been showing up faithfully in the community: learning names, building friendships, and walking with neighbors through the very real challenges of immigration, poverty, and isolation.

Through LINC’s Mission Accelerator, Valerie sought greater clarity in leading an established nonprofit - refining the organization’s messaging, board structure, and strategy to grow in both sustainability and impact.

Hands and Feet continues to build bridges between local churches and the marginalized, especially women navigating life in a new culture. It’s slow work. It’s relational work. But it’s how Jesus met people - and it’s how transformation begins.

Brian Osei knows firsthand the ache of growing up without a father.

As a young man, he struggled to find identity and direction. The absence of a steady, godly presence in his life led to decisions and consequences he now sees clearly. But then God stepped in and began rewriting his story with grace, purpose, and redemption.

Now, Brian is stepping out to help others do the same. ThroughBo’s Brotherhood, the ministry he’s building through LINC’s Mission Accelerator and Builder, Brian is creating a space for fatherless young men to be seen, mentored, and shaped into leaders through the truth of Scripture and the love of Christ.

“This isn’t just a program,” he says. “This is personal. I know what these young men are walking through, and I want to walk with them.

”Though he’s mentored young men for years as a side ministry, LINC has given Brian the support to step into this calling full-time. With strategic guidance, coaching, and a gospel-centered community around him, he’s building something that could change the trajectory of a generation.

Thanks to your support, leaders like Brian are redeeming broken stories, one young man at a time.

Dan and Casey Williams know the joy and heartbreak of foster care.

They’ve opened their home to children in crisis. They’ve walked through reunifications, unknowns, and the ache of letting go. And through it all, they’ve seen how profoundly hard, and how profoundly holy, the call to foster can be.

After completing LINC’s Mission Accelerator this winter, Dan and Casey launchedArukah Family Support, a ministry designed to walk alongside foster families with practical help, prayer, and gospel-centered encouragement.

“Families in the foster care system carry so much grief, love, exhaustion, hope,” they shared. “We want them to know they’re not alone.

”Rooted in their own experience, Arukah exists to provide wraparound care for families navigating the foster system, whether through meals, mentoring, or moments of rest.

Because the families who step into brokenness need someone stepping in for them, too.With support from LINC, Dan and Casey are now building a community of restoration, one that helps foster families keep going, even when it’s hard.

Praxedes Reyes never expected that prison would be the place he met Jesus.

But it was there, in the middle of addiction, pain, and a life that had hit rock bottom, that God broke through. And everything changed.

After encountering the gospel while incarcerated, Praxedes began a new journey: one of freedom, healing, and restoration. And now, back in Milwaukee, he’s answering the call to help others do the same.

Through Casa Segura de Dios(Safe House of God), Praxedes is building a ministry for men coming out of addiction and incarceration. It’s not just a program, it’s a place of belonging, of brotherhood, of hope.

“I keep running into people from my old life,” he shared. “And now I get to tell them what Jesus did for me. They see the change and they’re finding freedom too.”

After walking through LINC’s Mission Accelerator and now continuing with the Mission Builder, Praxedes is gaining the tools and support to turn his story into something sustainable, something that helps others reclaim their lives through Christ.

Tamekia never planned to start a nonprofit salon.

But after returning from a mission trip and meeting a transracial adoptive mom struggling to care for her daughters’ natural hair, she realized God had given her a gift, and a responsibility. What started as a one-time conversation turned into a calling that would grow far beyond anything she imagined.

Today, she leadsStyles4Kidz, one of the first nonprofit salons of its kind. For over 20 years, the organization has provided hair care education and styling services for multiracial families, adoptive and foster children, empowering kids to embrace their natural crowns with confidence and dignity.

Tamekia first connected with LINC as a guest speaker, sharing photos of her very first salon sink, tucked into a corner of her home, and the vision that’s now become a full salon in Oak Park. But her story didn’t stop there.

As aLINC strategic guide, Tamekia now walks with a cohort of local leaders, sharing meals, tackling tough topics like time management and vision, and investing in others the way others once invested in her.

“I was looking to make a bigger impact beyond my ‘one person,’” she shared. “Through LINC, I found a way.

”Because of your support, leaders like Tamekia are building bridges between communities, offering every child the chance to feel seen, valued, and loved.

In Englewood, summer can be both a lifeline and a risk. When school is out, many young people are left without structure, meals, or safe spaces. But for the past five years, Barbara has been faithfully standing in that gap.

A native of Chicago’s South Side, Barbara runs a summer ministry that provides thousands of hot meals and enrichment activities for youth, offering more than just safety, but holistic care for the mind, body, and spirit. From citywide field trips to literacy programs, Barbara is planting seeds of hope right where she was raised.

But the road hasn’t been easy. “Three years ago, I was considering giving up,” she shared at a recent LINC event. That’s when she connected with LINC and began receiving monthly coaching and mentoring. With encouragement and practical tools, Barbara gained the confidence and structure she needed to continue building and she didn’t stop there. Two years later, she came back to LINC as aspiritual guide, walking alongside new leaders facing the same doubts she once carried.

“I heard in another leader’s voice what I felt two years ago,” Barbara said. “And now, I get to be someone who prays, listens, and reminds them not to give up.

”This is the power of long obedience in the same direction. And this is what your support makes possible.