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.

Chuck Thomas finishes up the final touches on a porch repair job on a home near Polkville. Thomas was one of many volunteers from Dover Baptist Church who participated in the nationwide program, Operation Inasmuch, where participants from churches do yard work and odd jobs for people in need. (Ben Earp/The Star)

Jacqueline Walker moves slowly, gripping the handles of her metal walker as she makes her way to the door.

Walker lives alone and keeping up with home repairs and yard work is more than she can do.

Saturday, as part of Operation Inasmuch, volunteers from Dover Baptist Church on Polkville Road were hard at work all around the county constructing wheelchair ramps, mowing lawns and doing minor home repairs.

At Walker’s home on Weatherly Lane, a group from Dover Baptist in blue t-shirts worked to fix a porch railing and put in new columns.

“It is needed and they have done such a super job,” Walker said, observing the work going on through the glass front door. “It has really been wonderful.”

She said she has lived in the home around 17 years, and has had trouble getting around.

“I feel so helpless, sitting in here,” Walker said.

She said when she was younger she was part of a volunteer group called Helping Hands.

“It comes around every once in awhile,” Walker said.

Operation Inasmuch is a national non-profit that motivates church goers to get out into the community and lend a helping hand to those in need.

Each year, churches around the county mobilize their congregations to get out and do volunteer work.

Ashley Smith cleaned out the gutters on Walker’s small brown house.

Ashley Smith said her three daughters, 10, 19 and 17-years-old, are all participating in volunteer work around the county and her 17-year-old was finishing up an SAT exam and then heading to Christine’s Home to do yard work.

“We’re just doing this because it’s what Christians are supposed to do,” she said. “Help each other.”

On the other side of Shelby, on Washburn Switch Road, a group of men, also from Dover Baptist, pounded nails and cut planks as they worked to construct a wheelchair ramp.

Ashley Smith, who participated in Operation Inasmuch Saturday, cleans out the gutters of a home. (Ben Earp/The Star)

Tim Bailey said the group had arrived at the home around 9:30 a.m. and went straight to work.

Posts were pounded into the ground alongside the sidewalk and the skeleton of the ramp was slowly emerging.

Some men pounded nails while others cut planks to the right size.

Bailey said this is the first year Dover Baptist has been involved with Operation Inasmuch.

Many churches had already completed projects last Saturday while Dover, Camps Creek Baptist and Northside Baptist churches all participated this Saturday.

“This is what God tells us to do,” Bailey said, gesturing at the ramp.

He said the name of the non-profit comes from a Bible verse in Matthew and is the motivation behind the work.

“In as much as you do for the least of these, you do for me,” Bailey recited.

Reach reporter Rebecca Clark at 704-669-3344

Volunteers, from left, Jo Lynn Hamlin, Dawn Philbeck, Jill Loftin and Barbara Quickel sort clothes at East Lincoln Christian Ministries during Denver Baptist Church’s Operation Inasmuch. (Sarah Grano/DW photo)

About 230 members of Denver Baptist Church volunteered to work on more 20 different community service projects Saturday, April 28, for Operation Inasmuch.

“We go out and do missions,” coordinator Annette Jones said. “It’s just a one-day blitz.”

Volunteers met at the church before going out to their various projects. Steve Waters, associate pastor, spoke to the crowd.

“We’re going to read from scripture. Then we’re going to pray. Then we’re going to go, go, go!” he said.

Volunteers fixed roofs, made ramps, gave out free coffee and juice, sorted items for East Lincoln Christian Ministry, handed out bracelets and pamphlets, went on prayer walks and did odd jobs for the elderly and disabled.

“It’s a hard day, but it’s a fun day,” said Dane Helton, a church member who built a ramp. “You exercise, you’re outside, and you’re around people who love Jesus.”

Operation Inasmuch originated in North Carolina Baptist churches, but now 15 states participate. It’s a day of service work and evangelizing.

“It’s to show Jesus to people,” coordinator Todd Jones said. “That is the main thing – to show that we’re here and we love the community and Jesus loves the community. We’re here to help.”

That help took many forms, from manual labor to giving out sweets. Diane Smith, a church member, said people on the receiving end of the volunteer work are often surprised.

“They can’t believe that we’re just coming to serve them,” Smith said.

Smith was part of a group that walked around neighborhoods praying for the people who lived there.

“It’s not us doing it,” she said. “It’s God through us.”

Many church members went to East Lincoln Christian Ministry to help with a variety of work including organizing items donated to its thrift shop, sorting food items and helping build a new food warehouse. The ministry depends on volunteers all year long.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” said Larry Moore, coordinator of the ministry’s food room. “They come from different churches, and some aren’t churched, but they’re good people.”

While Operation Inasmuch is only a one-day event, it makes an impact.

“We have a lot of extra help, and some of the stuff we get behind on, we get caught up,” Moore said.

Denver Baptist Church associate pastor David Sexton said he hopes the day inspires participants to serve more often.

“If they serve locally, God might open their eyes up to serve nationally and even internationally,” Sexton said.

He has at least one church member who’s thinking big – Erin Owen, an eighth-grade student from Lincolnton.

“I like helping,” she said. “I want to go into mission work when I grow up, and this is a good foundation. I love Jesus, and I want other people to, too.”

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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.”

###

Members gathered tools, supplies, and ate a snack. Pastor Richard F. Lowery prayed, gave members their charge for the day of service, and the teams left the church heading to their projects.

For one of the projects the youth along with some of the men of the church were excited to work on an elderly member’s yard. There was physical labor involved, but the youth stepped up to the challenge. Rocks were hauled, branches were cut and weeds were weeded; but it was truly a labor of love.

Two teams delivered Food for the Body and Food for the Soul. Each team visited sick and shut-ins, shared songs, Scripture, and prayer with them. As they departed they left homemade soup and desserts.

Clothing was given away at Fowler Park again this year, with anything remaining being given to the East Stokes Outreach Ministry. This was a beautiful way of ministering and encouraging men, women, boys and girls in our community.

Food and other items were collected at Ingles and given to the East Stokes Outreach Ministry. Ingles was more than happy to assist in this endeavor for such a worthy cause. Just about everyone has been touched by East Stokes Outreach Ministry. They are a huge blessing to our entire community and we appreciate them.

The Rev. Lowery and the members of the Operation Inasmuch Ministry would like to thank all of the volunteers, the Town of Walnut Cove, Ingles, The Stokes News, and the entire community for helping to make this year’s event a success.

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.”

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.

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.