There’s Inasmuch Life in Michigan

May 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

David Crocker likes to say that Operation Inasmuch is not just a “one and done.”

Operation Inasmuch, Inc., has trained thousands of churches to conduct a single day of community outreach to serve those in need. But “once is not enough!”

That’s why we created the Inasmuch Life process to help churches mobilize their people to volunteer on a regular basis, with lifestyles of compassion ministry.

But sometimes a church needs no training!

The following article shows how churches in the Cheasaning, Michigan area turned their Inasmuch United into a lifetime of caring for the hungry. The article was published in the online Tri-County Citizen on May 6, 2012:

Inasmuch donations needed to continue feeding the needy

BY JEANNE MARCELLO STAFF REPORTER

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – Volunteers sort food into boxes for needy families in the Chesaning area and surrounding communities. About 50 volunteers are needed to help with the food distribution on the second Saturday of every month. Contact Trinity United Methodist Church to volunteer time or donate money to help this effort continue. (TCC file photo)

CHESANING – For the past year, Chesaning area volunteers have been dedicating one Saturday a month to provide food for those in need. It’s an extension of Operation Inasmuch; which focuses on helping others. During the past year, several area churches, local businesses, some national chain stores and the Chesaning Union School District have all contributed to make the food program work. Once a month, each family receives a box full of food to help them through tough times. Cash donations are needed to keep these truckloads of food coming.

The project coordinator, who prefers to remain anonymous, said, “We got through the first year. We can see this is going to be a big need in the community, and we’re growing.” Presently, 175 boxes are given out on a monthly basis, feeding about 475 people per month.

The coordinator explained that while the food is not free, over the past year, the cost of truckloads of food has been $500 each month. But with increased fuel costs, the food will now be $600 each month. Local churches, businesses, even several individuals, have donated money to keep the food deliveries coming.

Those in need who would like to be put on the list of food recipients should go sign up at the Chesaning Area Emergency Relief (CAER) center up to two weeks before the food is delivered. The truck arrives on the second Saturday each month, loaded with 10,000 lbs. of food coming from the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan.

Swartzmiller Lumber owner Don Swartzmiller has been bringing equipment to unload the truck each month. Approximately 50 volunteers help through much of the day sorting food into boxes.

Over the past year, most of the food distributions have taken place at Trinity United Methodist Church. Although during the winter months, they were able to use the Chesaning Union Schools bus garage; which enabled volunteers to work indoors.

During the past year, the following organizations, and individuals, have donated funds to cover the cost of the monthly food deliveries: Our Lady Catholic Church, St. Mary Church of Albee, St. Michael Church of Oakley, Trinity United Methodist Church of Chesaning, Family Dollar, Walmart, and even an individual who had benefited from the food program while he was unemployed.

Other organizations that have contributed include: Frank’s Super Market (provided older shopping carts and boxes for packing food), Nixon’s Grocery (helps with food for community suppers), and the Boy Scouts (carry boxes to vehicles for people and help with the community suppers).

The coordinator said, “This is not really a church thing; it’s a community thing. It’s a community project. A lot of people are not affiliated with a church.”

With so many families needing help at this time, more cash donations and volunteer labor are needed to continue this worthwhile Operation Inasmuch food program.

“Some of the recipients think the food is free. It’s not free. It’s kind of a hardship for us to do this. But the need is here,” the coordinator said.

Donations can be directed to the Trinity United Methodist Church. Those interested in volunteering can call the church as well; (989) 845-3157.

 

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Virginians to Unite for Statewide Inasmuch

May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On May 3, 2012, Executive Director David Crocker met with members of the Network of Association Workers comprised of Directors of Missions and Association support staff from across the state of Virginia.

By the end of the meeting, the group decided to work together to conduct an Inasmuch United Virginia in the spring of 2014!

The group anticipates that 1400 churches from across the state will serve their communities with compassion on a single day. This event makes Virginia the third state to experience the blessing of a statewide Inasmuch event, following North Carolina (Southern Baptist) and South Carolina (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America).

Cliff Hudgins, Director of Missions of the Pittsylvania Association was a strong advocate of a statewide Inasmuch Untied at the May 3 meeting. He said…

A lot of churches wait too long and do too little to wake up their congregations, to find ways to reach out to the community and to grow spiritually. Operation Inasmuch provides a model that is far more effective than most efforts to help a church move forward.

In last year’s Inasmuch event, we were able to mobilize 70% of our churches in the Association. Each church in turn had a huge number of people involved: 58% of those who attend Sunday School – well beyond the 20% that typically volunteer! As a result, over 1500 volunteers from 36 churches served their communities last fall.

The biggest benefit of our Inasmuch United is that participants realized for the first time that they don’t have to go overseas or even across the state to do mission work. They can become missionaries in their own backyard and experience the joy serving those who have needs – while having their own lives touched as well.

We are excited about the opportunity to share the missionary thrill with churches and churchgoers across Virginia in 2014!

Operation Inasmuch’s presence in Virginia is not new. More than 115 churches individually and in groups have been conducting Inasmuch events for several years now.

Churches in Tappahanock, VA, have worked together for 5 years in a community-wide Essex Churches Together Inasmuch event. Northern Neck churches (near Warsaw, VA) have been serving together for 3 years. The Portsmouth and Pittsylvania Baptist Associations started Inasmuch events last year and hope to expand to neighboring Associations in 2013.

May, 2012 eNewsletter

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NC Unites to Build Record # of Ramps

May 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

The following article was published May 2012 under Convention News in the North Carolina Baptist website.

The article discusses the statewide Inasmuch United (called NC Operation Inasmuch) – and the huge success of the Rampin’ Up initiative to build a record number of wheelchair ramps in one day!

Rampin Up!, Operation Inasmuch successful in community outreach

By: Melissa Lilley

Photo credit (all photos): Melissa Lilley, BSCNC Communications

After just a couple hours working, Vicky Coerper couldn’t believe the team’s progress. Before the day’s end the wheelchair ramp would be finished, giving her mom a new sense of freedom.

“I am very thankful. This will help keep my mom, and her caretaker, safe,” Coerper said. Coerper’s mom, who has dementia and cannot care for herself, came to live with her and her husband about three years ago in their North Raleigh home. Coerper said adding the wheelchair ramp to their home will help her mom be able to get outside on days when the weather is nice, instead of being stuck inside all the time.

Coerper’s mom has a wheelchair but it is difficult to navigate in and out of the house, and even inside the house.

Coerper’s family is just one of many across the state that benefited from “Rampin Up!” on April 28. “Rampin Up!” was an effort among North Carolina Baptists to build wheelchair ramps for aging adults, as ramps consistently rank among the highest needs of the aging-adult population.

In one day, nearly 3,000 volunteers from North Carolina Baptist churches built 327 wheelchair ramps.

North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM) partnered with NC Baptist Men to coordinate the initiative as part of the larger statewide Operation Inasmuch. Operation Inasmuch is an event that encourages churches to choose one day and minister to those in need in their communities through hands-on, practical efforts.

After May 5, when more volunteers will participate in community outreach, the total number of participants for this year’s Operation Inasmuch will include more than 170 North Carolina Baptist churches, representing about 50 counties.

NCBAM Director Sandy Gregory called April 28 an “independence day” for aging adults in North Carolina.

“People of all ages can find themselves confined to a wheelchair. But as we age, the number of people unable to leave their homes because of a lack of mobility increases. They are trapped until someone builds a wheelchair ramp for them,” Gregory said in a statement released by NCBAM.

NCBAM reported that six people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior through “Rampin Up!”

A ramp costs usually costs $700 and takes about eight hours to build. Some churches built more than one ramp on April 28, and Eastern Baptist Association in Sampson County built more than 20 ramps.

Members from Bay Leaf Baptist Church, known as the Bay Leaf Builders, built two ramps April 28, including Coerper’s. The group includes mostly retired adults.

“Just about every week we build a ramp. We are able to share our faith with the homeowners and pray with them,” said Reece Dillard.

Dillard said Bay Leaf Builders began in 2008 because people saw the need for such a ministry and wanted to serve others.

In addition to “Rampin Up!” North Carolina Baptist churches participated in a variety of outreach efforts through Operation Inasmuch. Members of First Baptist Church in Cary volunteered with Dorcas Ministries, an organization that began in 1968 and is dedicated to helping meet physical needs and to sharing the gospel.

Dorcas Ministries serves the community through a thrift store, food pantry, crisis ministry and adult education scholarships. In the past five years Dorcas Ministries has helped more than 42,000 people and provided more than $2.2 million in financial and food assistance.

“This is more of a calling than a job,” said Howard Manning, Dorcas Ministries executive director. “It’s a practical way to put God’s commands into action.”

When Manning retired from GlaxoSmithKline he did not plan to enter the workforce again, but serving at Dorcas has provided unique opportunities. “It’s a way to exercise your true beliefs everyday. It’s Matthew 25, ” he said.

First Baptist Cary member Andrew Major has volunteered at Dorcas and is also involved with Touching Lives for Christ, First Baptist’s annual community outreach.

“One of our visions is to do local missions in North Carolina, and to do missions in the United States and internationally. Touching Lives with Christ and Operation Inasmuch help us get families involved with missions projects,” Major said.

In Scotland Neck, Dawson Baptist Church also found a creative way to serve the community. Their “Relief at the Pump” outreach took place at the Shell gas station on Main Street, where youth and adults spent the morning pumping gas and cleaning windshields.

That morning the station discounted gas 25 cents, with the church making up the difference. “It was busy all morning long. There was already a line when we got there,” said youth pastor Will Matthews.

Matthews said the idea for the outreach came after church members saw a television news report about poverty in the Scotland Neck area. “It got us to talking about what we can do to reach out,” he said.

Operation Inasmuch allowed the church to help meet a need and to share the gospel.

“Just about everyone asked why we were doing it, which gave us a really good opportunity to share Christ.”

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Inasmuch United Sumter, SC!

May 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Item, Sumter, SC’s local paper, published a SECOND nice article on May 1, 2012 about Inasmuch United Sumter which was conducted on April 28. It’s filled with great pictures from that event, like the one below. Read the article here (and see six more great pix!): Inasmuch United Sumter – Helping those who need it most.

Children enjoy a block party held at Crosswell Park during Inasmuch United Sumter on Saturday. A similar event was held in the Cherryvale community as well.

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Another Church Joins the Compassion Revolution

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Baptist Church of Beaufort, SC, conducted its first Inasmuch Day on conducted on May 5, 2012.  The Beaufort Tribune published the following article about the event on April 30, 2012:

Operation Inasmuch arrives in Beaufort!

Janet Carr Hull

Over one hundred community volunteers from the Baptist Church of Beaufort will roll up their sleeves and descend on Beaufort on Saturday, May 5 in Beaufort’s very own Operation Inasmuch event.

Baptist Church of Beaufort’s Dr. Jim Wooten calls the event a day to “deliberately turn our attention outward and to put our energies into ministries that touch the lives of people in need. We call it Operation Inasmuch, and we hope it will become at least an annual emphasis.”

The model for this missions challenge is driven by Operation Inasmuch, Inc., a national non-profit organization that helps churches break down barriers between the culture and the church. The large scale effort encourages churches to minister to those in need in their communities through hands-on, practical efforts such as construction projects, landscaping, painting, block parties and prayer walking. Over 1600 churches in 21 states have joined the revolution and have taken the challenge to go into their communities and spread the love with no strings attached.

The code words for this event come from the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40, “Inasmuch as you did it unto one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it unto me.”

Dr. Wooten more clearly defines the framework of the call to enthusiastic service, saying of the endeavor, “These words of Jesus stand as a sobering reminder of the need to put our faith into action and to do so in ways that meet the needs of the powerless, the dispossessed, the overlooked.”

Look for smiling, happy, hardworking people in bright blue shirts all over town on Saturday, doing everything from giving out water at the park to building wheelchair ramps.

The volunteers will be participating in these events:

• Building Wheel Chair Ramps – The BCOB veteran team will take on two projects.
• Parkview Children’s Art Ministry Project – Helping the kids at Parkview create a picture collage to decorate the new community center.
• Parkview Women’s Project – Helping organize a “Dress for Success” Clothing Project.
• Habitat – The projected task for BCOB’s on-going “church build project” is subflooring, exterior framing and interior walls.
• “Thank you” Cookie Basket Project for Emergency Personnel – Home-baked cookies taken to police officers, firefighters and EMT workers who keep us safe.
• Cup of Cold Water Park Ministry – Face painting and giving out bottles of cold water in Pigeon Point Park from 10:00 a.m. – 12 noon.
• Cleaning Project for Hope Haven – Helping provide a clean and inviting environment for the children served by this Children’s Advocacy Center.
• HELP of Beaufort – Teaming to help sort and organize clothes and canned goods.
• Parking Lot Fundraiser for Children’s Missions Camps – Teaming to monitor parking lots during Taste of Beaufort.

Janet Carr Hull is the author of two poetry books published by Coastal Villages Press, and has been published in numerous literary journals nationwide. She is a native Beaufortonian.

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Campbell U’s Inasmuch Day – the Complete Story!

May 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The following post appeared April 27, 2012 on Campbell University’s blog Service @ Campbell (Campbell University is located in Buies Creek, NC).

Inasmuch Day Recap

Inasmuch volunteers gather on Academic Circle. Photo by Sara Acosta

On the morning of April 14 a familiar sight filled Academic Circle: professors holding project signs, bleary-eyed students bee-lining for the donut table, and a sea of matching t-shirts.

As the smell of Sherry’s donuts wafted through the brisk air, the fifth annual Inasmuch Day was about to begin.
 “But Inasmuch Day is not about us,” said Campus Minister Faithe Beam as she offered encouragement and motivation with opening remarks to the crowd of volunteers. “It’s about loving our neighbors and meeting their needs. Today is about giving ourselves to the community.”
Campus Ministry’s Terry Tucker, ministry associate and coordinator for serving and sending ministries, echoed that the goal for this year’s Inasmuch Day was two-fold, to expand impact and to communicate the importance of putting others first.
“We wanted to increase our project base as well as see a broader volunteer base regarding the number of faculty/staff versus students.  We saw this happen this year as we added five new projects and approximately 60 faculty/staff participate over the 25 from 2011,” she said.
“My hope was also that our volunteers would see the significance in serving others as Jesus calls us to in Matthew 25:40. To whatever area of service we are drawn, it involves the lives of others.”
Tucker added that the five new projects were Appleworks School, the Harnett Food Pantry, S.A.F.E. of Harnett County, Triton High School, and Kicking4Hunger.

Campbell students at Cape Fear Christian Academy.   Photo by Billy Peterson

While pictures tell a thousand words, the numbers for Inasmuch tell a story of their own. One of only two universities in the country participating as a campus body, Campbell’s Inasmuch Day engaged 450 volunteers in 30 projects that served approximately 23 thousand people. The day’s work and projects are valued at $10 thousand.

Campbell further expanded Inasmuch Day by incorporating it into Accepted Students Day, giving high school seniors seriously considering Campbell a glimpse into life as a student. The approximately 200 accepted students volunteered with Kids on the Run and Backpack Buddies, and made children’s busy bags for hospital emergency rooms, hygiene kits for Beacon Rescue Mission, and treat bags for Facilities Management.

Arc of Harnett County.                           Photo by Billy Peterson

An event of such magnitude doesn’t just happen. In January Tucker convened a team of 14 faculty, staff, and students to organize the day.

“The logistics include working with community partners to secure projects, enlisting projects leaders, online registration, assigning 450 volunteers to 30 projects, project leader training, media, service day check-in procedures to insure all teams are equipped to move out into the community, and much more.”"This was also our second year of working alongside Admissions to include the accepted students” she added.
Beam echoed that the day also wouldn’t be possible without stellar volunteers.
“I am so proud of our students, faculty, and staff who volunteer to wake up early on Saturday to share their time and resources with the community,” she said. “Days like this make me especially proud of Campbell.”
Junior biology pre-professional student Erica Hammond is one of those volunteers, one of many to host Arc of Harnett County’s developmentally disabled children and their families at the Irwin Belk Track for an afternoon of inflatables and snow cones.

Project Leader Melissa Psaltis.           Photo by Courtney McGown

“I chose the Arc project because it’s a great way to give back to the community and to interact with special needs kids to help them feel accepted and special,” she said. “They are just such optimistic kids and a joy to be around.”

Arc project leader Melissa Psaltis, a student in School of Counseling, said that the fun and games go beyond entertaining the kids.
“It means as much to the parents as it does to the kids. Seeing their kids smiling and happy means a lot to them,” she said. “And we wouldn’t be able to do this without all the volunteers.”
While the volunteers sign up with a motivation to bring joy to others, project leader at Beacon Rescue Mission and physician assistant student Jessica Robbins found that what goes around comes around on Inasmuch Day.
“When we went to pay for lunch after finishing the project, our waitress came up and told us that ‘good deeds do not go unnoticed’ and that a couple had seen our shirts and paid for our group’s lunch and left before we could thank them or see who they were.  It is so touching to know that people recognize what we are doing and appreciate it,” she said.

Arc of Harnett County.                        Photo by Courtney McGowan

MBA student Rebekah Barker led one of this year’s new projects, a partnership with local non-profit organization Kicking4Hunger, whose mission is to run free soccer clinics in exchange for food donations that go back to the local food bank.

“It was so rewarding to put on this Kicking4Hunger camp in conjunction with Inasmuch. We ended up raising 127 pounds of food. Gabe Whaley, founder of Kicking4Hunger, mentioned that the food we raised was enough to feed five families of four for an entire week—it was more than we could have ever asked for,” said Barker.
Campus Ministry Graduate Assistant and divinity student Tyler Ward summed up the Inasmuch experience.
“Inasmuch allows us the chance to serve with the greater community. It’s a great opportunity for the campus community and our neighbors to serve together,” he said.
By Sara Acosta, AmeriCorps VISTA with reporting by student Courtney McGowan

Click here to view the complete photo album on Facebook.

For more information on Inasmuch at Campbell, e-mail Terry Tucker.
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Churches Unite to Serve Spartanburg, SC

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Two churches from Spartanburg, SC, uniquely combined a Car Care Clinic with a blood drive on their first ever Inasmuch event conducted April 28, 2012

The following article was published on April 27, 2012 in GoUpstate.com as part of an events about town article:

The Stroller: ‘You can bet’

By Lou Parris stroller@shj.com

ODDS AND ENDS: Swing by St. John’s Lutheran Church on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and leave the car’s dirt with Operation Inasmuch volunteers, including folks from Trinity Methodist in Converse Heights. These volunteers will wash vehicles for free and even check the hoses under the hood and make sure your fluid levels are where they should be. It’s a no-strings-attached event, but while you’re there, consider rolling up those sleeves and giving blood. The Bloodmobile will be there for donors starting at 9 a.m. The church is at 415 S. Pine St.

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The organizers of the Spartanburg Inasmuch event tell us that at least two people read this article and came by to offer blood!

Pictures of the event are posted on Facebook here.

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Inasmuch United Serves Families in Mountain City, TN

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The following article was published on April 25, 2012 in The Tomahawk, Mountain City, TN’s online newspaper.

Operation Inasmuch service projects benefit local families

By Lacy Hilliard

Bright and early on a classic mountain spring morning, church members from various churches in Johnson County gathered together to carry out “Operation Inasmuch.” Named for the New King James verse, Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”; founder David Crocker, created Operation Inasmuch in 1995 with the hope that his message will help provide guidance to twenty-first century ministry leaders. Crocker’s vision is to “mobilize believers in hands-on local church missions through one-day ministries that have significant impact both on the community and the church” and judging by the enthusiasm of the Johnson County participants, it’s safe to say Crocker has succeeded.

Thomas Peake, pastor at Mountain City Presbyterian Church, helped to launch the Johnson County division of Operation Inasmuch in 2010. Though Peake pioneered the local movement, many churches led a hand in this noble mission. Regardless of denomination, members of Mountain City Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist, the Methodist Circuit, Victory Chapel Cowboy Church, Bethany Baptist Church, First Assembly of God, The Church of God, and First Christian Church stayed true to the inspiration of the mission by working together to carry out the good work of “Inasmuch.”

The morning began with a cheerful devotional given by evangelist Richard Foster. As Foster joked about sermons beginning in Genesis and ending in Exodus, he led the participants in prayer as they readied themselves for the day’s tasks. The mission was organized on poster board with each task outlined and assigned. The thirty-plus volunteers (both young and old) deployed on missions ranging from construction projects, to light housekeeping, to lawn maintenance, each with a smile and the hope of bringing joy to less fortunate community members. Aunt and niece team Laura and Cora Hayworth was assigned to a local laundromat to hand out quarters to locals. This random act of kindness was well received by laundromat customers, some asking the pair to save the quarters for those in need while others graciously accepting and thanking the pair for this unexpected blessing. The duo also headed out to Ralph Stout Park and handed out bottled water to park-goers while spreading the positive message of Operation Inasmuch through fliers designed to get the word out while another group worked to install a wheelchair ramp for one local resident. Peake, Pastor Phyllis Hankins, and Janice Russell made their way to the Mountain City Care Center to provide communion and fellowship to the nursing homes residents. There were smiles from ear to ear and even a few tears on the faces of the home’s occupants as they sang along with Hankins and Russell to “Amazing Grace.”

Operation Inasmuch is an excellent community based effort. Each participant brought a positive attitude and a willing spirit. There were even many behind-the-scenes volunteers providing a home-cooked lunch to the workers and helping to coordinate project locations and contact information. If you are interested in helping with Operation Inasmuch or any other community oriented charity efforts, please contact Thomas Peake of Mountain City Presbyterian at 727-8801 or Carroll Hayworth of Victory Chapel Cowboy Church at 727-1975.

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Virginians Serve Year After Year!

May 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The following article was published on April 29, 2012 in the Clark County, Virginia ClarkeDailyNews.com

Berryville Baptist Church: 3rd Annual Operation Inasmuch Day

By  Hill on Apr 29 2012.

“Free stuff makes everyone smile.”  Tim Walraven made that comment after attending Berryville Baptist Church’s “Free for All” Yard Sale Saturday, April 14th.

And that’s what Berryville Baptist Church was after – putting smiles on faces in Berryville and neighboring towns.   On April 14th, 78 members and friends of Berryville Baptist Church participated in its Operation Inasmuch Day, a community mission program.   17 teams went out into the community helping others, reaching out, making new friends and hopefully making people smile.  In addition, others participated in advance, donating time and materials in preparation for the day’s activities.

Lisa Gum looks through the "Free for All" Yard Sale items. Photo credit Betty Hill

Preparations and planning started in January as Rose Staples, chairperson, and Berryville Baptist’s Missions Committee collected ideas for team projects, needs in the community, and volunteers.  They worked hard to find missions where every age and every talent could participate.

For the third year in a row, the church hosted a “Free for All” Yard Sale.  Congregants and friends donated items ahead of time, and then community members were invited on Inasmuch Day to “shop” for free and take what they could use.  Clothing is by far what is donated most, and what people come for.  But this year, the yard sale also offered yard maintenance tools, exercise equipment, household items, toys and stuffed animals, and more.  One picture on the church Facebook page shows a smiling young lady, Lisa Gum; one of her friends, Tim Walraven, posted “Free stuff makes everyone smile.”   So true!

There are several other projects that have happened all three years.  One favorite is a tea party, held this year for ladies at Mary Hardesty house.  Another is picking up litter along roadsides, this year at the east end of Senseny Road.  There were also mattress flipping, window washing and yard work teams who helped community members this year in Berryville and Millwood.  Another favorite is the “Sunshine Baskets,” baskets filled with fruit and goodies for distribution at the Clarke County Senior Center.  Several people shared “We Care” kits of toiletries and small gifts and visited with residents at Washington Square apartments.  Pastor Dan Stanley led the “Water Bottle” team, handing out bottled water to passers-by on the corners of Church Street and Main Street and sharing a simple message “Have a Great Day!”  This was especially appreciated this year, as this was also the Berryville Yard Sale Day, so there were a lot of thirsty people walking along Main Street. And, to support all the teams and give them energy for the day, the “Rise and Shine” team provided breakfast and bagged lunches.

Resident Cecilia Stillman holds Joshua Foltz during the visit. Chrystal Fiechtl commented “I'm sure that warmed her lap...and her heart!” Photo credit Betty Hill

This year, the “Caring and Sharing Cards” project invited each member of the congregation to participate by writing a short note on a greeting card.  Three project team members visited residents at Golden Living at Rose Hill and left the note cards for them to enjoy later.

In a new project this year, children decorated fleece lap blankets with beads and shared them with residents of Godfrey House.  The kids then sang “Jesus Loves Me” for the residents.

Two hymn sings were held, one at Greenfield Assisted Living and one at Godfrey House.  Residents commented on how the visit, fellowship and hymns just “brightened their day”.

Operation Inasmuch takes its name from Matthew 25:40 where Jesus says, “…inasmuch as you have done such things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done the same for me.”   Pastor Dan sums it up this way:  “During Operation Inasmuch days, people from Berryville Baptist Church put this verse into action.  It is my prayer that we will continue to reach out and care for others in an authentic way with no strings attached.”

Berryville Baptist is participating in a national Operation Inasmuch program that rallies congregants from churches around the world to serve their community in the “Compassion Revolution.”  (http://operationinasmuch.org/)

A special celebration service was held at the church on Sunday, April 22nd, with a slideshow of pictures taken by the “Camera Crew” team.  To see the full set of photos from the day, visit the Image Gallery on the church’s website at www.berryvillebaptist.org or the church Facebook page at www.facebook.com/berryvillebaptist.  For more information, please call the church office at (540) 955-1423 or visit the church at 114 Academy Street, Berryville, VA.

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Virginians Serve with NC Churches

May 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

GoDanRiver.com, the online newspaper serving Danville, VA and Reidsville and Eden, NC (Rockingham County), published the following article on May 1, 2012:

Touching Lives

By STEVE LAWSON

As usual, Sunday services at churches involved in last Saturday’s Operation Inasmuch were filled with testimonials concerning the reactions of people helped during the one-day missions blitz – as well as the blessings received by those doing the helping.

But Cathy Cardwell of Mayodan First Baptist Church said reactions began for her well ahead of Saturday’s multiple projects. Cardwell oversees the Hands of God food pantry housed at First Baptist and was responsible for helping prepare 100 bags of groceries for distribution Saturday.

One of the first things Cardwell noticed was the sharp increase in the cost of filling those bags. Two years ago, purchasing enough food for 100 bags took $1,400. This year the amount grew to $2,200.

“It attracts a lot of attention when you go to buy that much food,” Cardwell said.

When she started through the checkout line at Wal-Mart with carts filled with canned goods and other food items, Cardwell said people started asking her why she was buying so much.

“When I told them about Operation Inasmuch and giving away 100 bags of food in one day, everyone wanted to help,” she said. “It was really a blessing to see that kind of response even before the event itself.”

But the pre-event blessings were far from finished. Cardwell said she had to send her husband, Doug, to Food Lion to pick up some remaining items one day last week.

“As he was checking out with another cart filled with groceries, someone asked him what all the food was for,” Cardwell said. “When he told them about Operation Inasmuch, the person handed him a dollar. They told Doug they couldn’t do much, but they wanted to give something to help. Now, that was a blessing.”

Saturday was the fourth edition of Operation Inasmuch for the Western Rockingham County area. Local churches – including Mayodan First, Woodbine and Comer’s Chapel Baptist churches – joined forces to fulfill a wide variety of missions projects. More than 300 people of all ages worked through most of the day to complete tasks ranging from building wheelchair ramps, painting and re-glazing windows, planting a community garden, giving manicures, handing out quarters at laundromats, mowing lawns and cleaning gutters, washing cars or making no-sew blankets.

Bill Scheib directed Saturday’s communitywide missions blitz with the help of his wife, Sherry. Scheib said the event carried a lasting impact, both for those rendering and those receiving the provided services.

“It’s really about reaching out to help others, to demonstrate God’s unconditional love in some tangible ways,” Scheib said. “It’s about making the Bible come to life for our community.”

Operation Inasmuch began in 1995 as a one-day outreach project for Snyder Memorial Baptist Church in Fayetteville. The program grew so successful at involving church members with people in their community that it was soon picked up by neighboring churches. Within a few years, the missions project spread to neighboring counties, states and even to Canada and England.

The project’s primary focus is mobilizing church members to reach out to people outside the church walls. Operation Inasmuch is based on a lesson Jesus taught his disciples on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 25:40 – “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Scheib said the focus of the event was changing lives by working together for even a single day.

“In just one day, you can plant a garden or paint a house, teach a children’s Bible study or build a wheelchair ramp,” he said. “In just one day, you can change a person’s life forever by showing that you care and that God cares.”

At one point Saturday morning, more than 50 people were involved in the Operation Inasmuch ministry at Jacob’s Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Madison. While about 30 people gathered in the dining room to sing hymns and gospel songs for residents, another group was visible in the courtyard through the floor-to-ceiling windows along one side of the room.

The large crew in the courtyard had been busy since early morning completely remodeling the area. The work included building a waterfall feature, planting new greenery and flowers and adding new birdhouses.

While some worked on the landscaping and rebuilding, another crew worked on the walls surrounding the courtyard – painting and re-glazing the windows and trim.

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a few contributions and enough cooperation,” Amanda Cardwell said. “This is going to be such a nice area for these residents to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. I’ve already had several tell me how much this means to them and that’s what this is all about – reaching out to others with God’s love.”

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