Eureka Christian Church volunteers will be out helping people in the community during its Inasmuch Day event on June 4. Deadline for residents requesting work to be done is April 15. Contact the church with requests at (309) 467-2369 or by emailingoffice@eurekachristian.org. (Photo courtesy Eureka Christian Church)

Eureka Christian Church is seeking volunteers for it’s fifth annual Inasmuch Day event–a community work event centered on helping those in need.

Whether that means simply flipping an elderly couple’s mattress or installing smoke detectors in a family’s home, the workload varies and allows for everyone to participate.

On June 4, more than 100 volunteers will disseminate across the community to fix patio porches, patch broken steps, rake leaves and accomplish other work for residents who might not be able to tackle the tasks themselves.

“It’s a wonderful program,” said Carolyn Kroll, project coordinator for Eureka Christian Church’s Inasmuch Day event. “It helps the church, and it helps the people in the community as well.”

Inasmuch Day began at a Fayetteville, North Carolina church in 1995. Since then, the operation has spread to include the participation of more than 2,300 churches in 24 states.

Kroll began the event at Eureka Christian Church five years ago as a way for members to give back.

“We had been doing some mission trips to Louisiana and Texas after the hurricane, but there were folks who wanted to be involved who couldn’t leave for a week at a time,” Kroll explained. Operation Inasmuch, which she had participated in in the past, was Kroll’s solution to the problem.

Kroll said there is plenty of work to be done right in the church’s own community.

Community members who have work needing to be done in and around their homes are invited to contact the church with their requests at (309) 467-2369 or by emailingoffice@eurekachristian.org.

From there, assessors will come check out the project, determine if it is feasible, and then assign a team of volunteers to accomplish the tasks during the day-long event.

“People feel very uplifted and fulfilled to be able to contribute. They also learn a lot from the people they are working for. It uplifts them in a very human way,” Kroll said.

She noted that there are tasks for the entire family to accomplish. Children are welcome to come make crafts that are brought to the elderly. There is a sewing room for those looking to do lighter work, and carpentry projects for those wishing to be more ambitions with their muscles.

The elderly are invited to participate in a day of prayer, as they bless the projects and volunteers out on the streets, Kroll said.

Daycare will be provided for small children, and those in fifth grade and up are welcome to participate on job sites with parental supervision.

Kroll said that the event has been transforming for many participants.

“We’ve gotten wonderful feedback from everybody. Everybody loves the day and feels uplifted when they come back,” Kroll said.

Volunteers needn’t be Eureka Christian Church members. In fact, anyone willing to help donate money or time is invited to contact the church for more information.

“We encourage people to bring their family and friends,” Kroll said. “We want this to be a community event.”

All funding for the projects come through church donations, and supplies and monetary donations solicited from local businesses.

The cut-off for residents requesting work to be done is April 15.

The day of services begins with breakfast and prayer services at 7 a.m. on June 4, followed by a workday that concludes with closing services at 3:30 p.m.

Families who have been served by volunteers more than once in the past will be placed on a waiting list so new requests can be honored, Kroll said.

— Eureka church takes a mission trip in its own backyard —