Inasmuch Going Global

           What do you take with you when you travel abroad?  Your passport?  Your personal items?  Your stories?  How about Operation Inasmuch as part of your life experience you share with others?
           Kenneth Rust of Lumberton, NC, did just that in his recent mission trip to India.  Kenneth has led his church, First Baptist Church, Lumberton, in their Inasmuch events for 10+ years.  Inasmuch has become part of the church’s DNA so when the opportunity came to share their faith experiences with brothers and sisters in India, Kenneth and his church friends naturally shared about Inasmuch.
            Kenneth traveled to 3 areas in India where his group worked with Baptist groups there.  In each location, Kenneth presented Inasmuch and gave brochures about the model to local church leaders and seminary students.  The most enthusiastic response took place at the India Baptist Theological Seminary in Kottayham in the Kerela Province in southern India.  About 125 students and seminary faculty were present.  After Kenneth showed the Operation Inasmuch Introductory video, the President of the seminary spontaneously took the microphone and began challenging the students to implement Inasmuch in their churches.  He led them in an exercise of identifying needs in their community much like an Inasmuch Planning Team does.  Rust stood back in amazement at how well Inasmuch seemed to connect with the seminarians.  At the conclusion of his presentation, he was asked if he could come back and lead them in conducting an Inasmuch event!
            As it turns out, India is particularly fertile ground for Inasmuch.  As a Hindu culture, the concept of “doing something for nothing” is foreign to them.  Consequently, God can use ministry to Indian people in need to draw positive attention to the rapidly growing churches in that country.  “This can become a renaissance of New Testament ministry!” says David Crocker, Executive Director of Operation Inasmuch, Inc.  “Any time genuine Christian ministry is introduced into a community, or in this case a nation, where loving through serving is rarely practiced, it only makes it more visible and appealing.  This is what happened in the beginning of the church; now it can happen again in parts of the world where true ministry will grow the church.”
            In addition to this foray into India, Operation Inasmuch will exhibit at the Baptist World Alliance Congress in Honolulu in July where tens of thousands of church leaders from dozens of nations will gather.  Some of them will take Inasmuch back home with them . . . along with their passports, personal items and stories.

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