Maine Is the Newest Inasmuch State

Maybe you heard.  The Northeast was hit especially hard by winter storms this year.  Maine is no stranger to harsh winters but this year was harsher than most.  Even so, Greene Baptist Church in Greene, Maine, had David Crocker, Executive Director of Operation Inasmuch, in January to train them in how to conduct an Inasmuch Day.

On May 2, shortly after the enormous snowfall and the winter thaw, the church held their Inasmuch Day with about 85 percent of their average attendance involved!!  Josh Burden, Greene’s Pastor says:  “Our first Operation Inasmuch Day was a huge blessing in the life of our church as we sought to share God’s love for our community.”

One of the church’s projects was helping a family of 6 who have been stressed over the last 2 years because of the mother’s failing health.  Volunteers from the church took the father and 4 children (all of whom have been adopted out of foster care) out for a day of fun while other volunteers modified their home for the wife/mother who was hospitalized at the time.  The father told Tracy Dyer, Greene Baptist member, that when he received the call from the church saying they were going to help his family, he broke down and realized at that moment that God still cared.  It was as if God was saying to him:  “Everything is going to be okay.” 

Dyer says:  “What Inasmuch did for this family was give them hope.   What it did for me was it opened my eyes to how something so seemingly simple as taking a family to an arcade could offer someone so much hope.”

The church did 11 projects including holding a party at an assisted living facility, assembled hygiene kits, wrote letters to soldiers, did home repairs, and met other needs of their neighbors in the small New England community.  Betty Bartos, a member of the Inasmuch Planning Team says:  “I saw smiling, happy, involved people.  Those we served were happy as well.  By the end of the day, I was hearing ‘when we do this next year we should also . . . .’”

David Crocker says:  “Maine is our 22^nd state where Inasmuch is used to show God’s love by a local church, and Greene Baptist Church is just the beginning!”  He has already talked with Pastor Burden about how best to share their experience with other churches in Maine.  “Given the enthusiasm of this congregation,” he adds, “I wouldn’t be surprised to see several dozen Inasmuch churches in Maine within a couple of years.”

Pastor Burden says of their experience:  “This was such an excellent way to let God’s generous love incarnate in Jesus Christ, be reflected in and through his church.  To God be the glory!”  Tracy Dyer adds:  “Thank you so much for all you have done to help us to engage our church into action and become the hands and feet of Christ.”