Lutherans Use Inasmuch to Blitz South Carolina

          May 2nd the SC Synod of Lutheran Churches E.LC.A. conducted their first statewide Operation Inasmuch.  Ninety-three (of 165) congregations from the coast to the Georgia line and Upstate used Operation Inasmuch to mobilize more than 5,300 volunteers conducting almost 600 compassion ministry projects in the most comprehensive event if its kind for Lutherans in the country. 
            The Rev. Dr. Herman Yoos, Bishop of the SC Synod said:  “I was hoping we would have one to two thousand Lutherans turned out on May 2nd to do ministry across the state, but we actually had more than 5,300!  It was an outpouring of God’s love into communities all across our state like we’ve never seen before and it whet our appetites for more of the same.  Operation Inasmuch has moved our vision to outside the walls of our churches.”
            This event was conducted in conjunction with Join Hands Day sponsored each year by Thrivent Financial, an insurance agency serving Lutherans nationwide.  Thrivent provided a copy of the OIAM book and a sample T-shirt for each church participating in one of the training events offered by David Crocker in January.  Thrivent also made funds available to various Lutheran churches and networks in support of the statewide Inasmuch.  All but 3 of the churches at the training events followed through with their Inasmuch event in May.
            “We are pleased to see that the Inasmuch model is useful for congregations of any denomination and location,” says David Crocker, Exec. Dir. of Operation Inasmuch.  “This is the second statewide event.  And while the event in South Carolina was smaller than the 2008 in North Carolina, it was more comprehensive in terms of the percentage of the total possible number of churches—56% of all SC Lutheran congregations participating!” 
            Other metrics of this event in SC are:

• More than 37,000 people served on May 2nd
• Total dollar value of the ministry rendered--$535,800

            Operation Inasmuch, Inc. is already in talks with the Synod about how to expand this event for 2010, perhaps linking with the North Carolina event planned for the last Saturday in April and first Saturday in May, 2010.

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