Stories

“Inasmuch as you did it for the least of these, you did it for me.”-Jesus
MATTHEW 25:40

April 21, 2012
Due to schedule conflicts, some areas will participate on other dates.

Questions?
Contact any member of the Planning Team - just click the person's name.

Planning team:

Below you will find 5 stories from congregations in the South Carolina Synod. Please share these stories with your congregation. Inspire their efforts as they begin to plan another year of Operation Inasmuch. Stir their imaginations as they perhaps decide they can hold an event of their own. These five stories are intended to inspire and encourage your congregation as they gather and plan for this year's event. We hope that you will read them before worship as an Operation Inasmuch moment, include them in a newsletter, or use them in any way that might benefit you Operation Inasmuch planning.

Two members of St. James Lutheran Church, Lexington stand on a rickety porch and nervously await their first door knock of the day. They stand with smoke detectors and batteries in hand hoping to give some away through the course of the day. The door finally opens and a gruff man with tattooed arms and no shirt answers the door. With an angry look on his face he barks, "What do you want?" "Well," says the older St. James member nervously. "We've got these smoke detectors and batteries we’re are trying to give away as part of our church's Operation Inasmuch Event." "Why would you want to do that?" asked the man. "Because," answered the door knocker we want you to know that God and the members of St. James Lutheran Church care about you." The countenance of the man changed with those words and the nervousness of the moment flitted away. "You care about me?" he asked.

Operation Inasmuch has helped to give our church a voice in the community, and it has helped us to hear such questions as the one mentioned before. It has changed the way we look at the people who live and work in the area around our church, and it has changed the way that they see us. Instead of the church across the street from Red Bank Baptist church, we are the church that distributes food to hundreds of hungry people each month. Instead of a stoic building with signs that prohibit skateboarding, we are a church that identifies itself by the ways we help and serve those in our community. This is how Operation Inasmuch has changed our church. Many times over the last three years members of our church now ask a different question when developing some program or project. They have not asked how some project will benefit their church, but they have asked how a project will further our mission of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. They have asked how they can serve the community whose voice they have clearly heard. They have clearly heard the community's voice, because they have knocked on their doors. They have clearly heard the community's voice, because they are now friends with the people who are fed by our food pantry. They have clearly heard the community's voice, because they remember one man's question upon receiving a smoke detector. "You care about me?" This is why we participate in Operation Inasmuch; to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us through the community God has called us to serve.

For the past few years Resurrection, Christ the King, and Good Shepherd Lutheran Churches in Columbia have partnered in their Operation Inasmuch efforts. A few years ago, a team of volunteers from all of the churches participated in a project at a nearby group homes for girls. While the volunteers were at work painting rooms, they noticed that on the rack in the bathroom hung towels that looked ripped and torn. The volunteers learned that the care-takers had to tear towels in two to get more use out of them because of the scarcity of resources. This experience caused a struggle for those who were there that day, and when they returned to their congregations they did something about it.

Working through their WELCA circles and through a special collection drive, the members of these three churches collected new towels, sheets, and linens for the residents of this group home. Some of the original volunteers were able to deliver the gifts and were brought to tears when the girls grabbed the towels and commented "I get my very own towel? Really?!" The idea that a simple bath towel would be an extravagant gift was a stark reminder that there are always those who are in need, and that the efforts of Operation Inasmuch can make a profound difference in the world.

Four Lexington churches come together for Operation Inasmuch, crossing denominational lines to share the love of Christ and be God’s hands to their neighbors in need. A young woman in her 30s comes to the campus of Lexington Middle School looking for an audition room, where none was to be found. She realizes that she is at the wrong school and asks what is happening there. When she learns that local area churches have come together to offer car care, medical examinations and prescriptions, clothing and food she realizes that God has brought her to this place. This unemployed teacher with two children was facing a weekend of no food and no warm weather clothes for her growing children. She confessed that God had answered her prayers that day by redirecting her path across the dam to provide for her needs. As she wept to the volunteers, they gathered her in hugs and prayed with her. She left that day knowing that God hears prayers and that people care, even those who don’t know her.

Our congregation worships around 60 people each week but has a heart for ministry to those facing hunger and poverty related issues. While we have been excited to participate in Operation Inasmuch each year, we determined that with other larger churches we could reach more people and therefore do more ministry. So, we contacted Saxe Gotha Presbyterian, Lexington Baptist and Mt. Horeb UMC to partner for the sake of serving together as Christ’s church. As our members collected food with our Baptist brothers and sisters or worked doing home repair, each person learned that our differences were a blessing rather than a hindrance. Everyone made new friends that day. Approximately 300 people gathered together to serve over 2,340 people through food collection and distribution, home repair, medical assistance, car care, clothing, a free lunch, and working at LICS. We even had a group of women pray the day before and throughout the entire day to ensure that this event would reveal Christ and be a blessing to all involved. The bonds made have now resulted in additional ministry opportunities throughout the year.

Today, many people know Providence Lutheran Church as that little church with a big heart for ministry. Our larger church partners agreed that while they always thought working together across denominational lines was a good idea, no one had ever taken that necessary step to make it happen. We even had other churches ask if they could be involved in 2012 after seeing our Operation Inasmuch event! When a new need arises in our community, we are often contacted to see if we can help direct folks to the right resources or find a solution. Everyone who is involved in this amazing ministry tells countless stories of grateful recipients and blessings in serving. Over the past two years of working with our ecumenical partners participation has increased dramatically but there is still much more to do and many more hands needed. There is no doubt that the Lexington community has seen the benefit of our churches working together to make a difference!

Every year for operation INASMUCH there is one activity which repeatedly receives praises from the recipients of our efforts. That activity is a hand bell outing. The hand bell choir from our church shares the Gospel trough beautiful music traveling to area nursing homes and assisted living centers. Our first year, the choir was a little worried about the logistics . . . packing up tables, loading and unloading heavy bells, members of the regular choir having a conflict that Saturday morning. . . . but the day was a success and two different assisted living centers and many songs later, the group that set out on the venture returned energized and rewarded by a successful day of brightening faces. Another benefit to this project is that members who cannot usually play in our hand bell choir because of whatever conflict, got to share their musical talent on that day as they filled in for regulars who could not participate.

Since Bishop Yoos first encouraged our congregations to engage the world through Operation Inasmuch, the people of St. Peter’s have reached out to serve our community in a number of ways. We have power washed houses, pulled weeds, and rebuilt ramps. We have also sought to make a difference in the lives of a number of children in need. In partnership with the St. Ann Catholic Outreach Center in Kingstree, we arranged to have a busload of children spend the day with our congregation at Huntington Beach State Park. Together, we learned about God’s creation, played games, worshipped, and enjoyed fellowship together.

These children, underserved and at risk in a variety of ways, had never seen the ocean before even though they only live forty miles from the beach. When the bus pulled into the state park a number of children began to ask, “When are we going to the swimming pool?” They couldn’t conceive of anything bigger. Imagine the joyful shock of several dozen kids walking past the dunes and seeing nothing but water on the horizon! What a wonderful reminder that God and his grace are bigger than we can imagine. Our Day at the Beach has become the annual focus of OIAM at St. Peter’s. We always look forward to enjoying the goodness and grace of God with these wonderful kids!