April 2026 Newsletter
April 2026 Newsletter
HCC St Charles Campus-Local Outreach
Devotional: Trading Our Certainty for Christlikeness
I think and pray about neighborhoods a lot. When I am driving around meeting with our various community and ministry partners, I get to see all kinds of neighborhoods of different ages, different builders, and different preice points. Think about a neighborhood where every house is painted the exact same shade, every yard trimmed to identical lines, every porch decorated with the same furniture. At first glance, it might look neat—even impressive—but after a while, it begins to feel lifeless and a little creepy. There’s no personality, no story, no evidence of the unique people who live inside those walls. Sameness may create order, but it rarely creates connection.
Unity in the Kingdom of God was never meant to look like that kind of sameness—it was always meant to look like surrender. Somewhere along the way, it becomes easy to confuse being right with being righteous, to elevate certainty over Christlike character. But God did not set us apart because we mastered arguments or held the correct opinions; He set us apart through His Word, which reveals His heart, not our superiority. The invitation of Jesus has never been to prove a point, but to embody a posture—one marked by humility, love, and a deep trust that God is fully capable of being God without our control. And when we begin to loosen our grip on needing to be right, we may discover that what the world has been waiting for isn’t our correction—but our compassion.
Unity does not mean uniformity. It is not about who is right and who is wrong. We are sanctified, set apart, not by being right and everyone else is wrong. We are sanctified by God’s word and His truth. That scripture reveals God’s heart towards us, not our certainty in being right. It is a posture of humility and love. A posture that is not about us but allowing more and more people to encounter Jesus, not being a blockade. Does the God of all the universe, in all of His omnipotence, really need me to try to control His creation? Does God, in His omniscience, rely on me to define what is true and what is false on His behalf? Have I fallen into the trap that somehow God, the same God who is omnipresent, needs to be defended in case someone sneaks up behind Him and takes Him down? I am weak, and He is strong. I need forgiveness and redemption. He is the Forgiver and Redemptor. I do not need to waste words, thoughts, and energy on things that seem holy as dictated by the world. I have been called to Love God with all my heart, and all my soul, and all my mind. Secondly, I am commanded to Love my neighbor as myself. We must be careful not to confuse our role with God’s rule. Jesus’ holiness did not push people away. His purpose was not to intimidate or condemn but to gently call all people to something greater than they had ever known.
If we are honest, we have all fallen short of this glory of God and conformed our faith into something we saw on the news or social media, or from some group. 2 Timothy 4:3-5 says there will be a time when we gather around teachers who say what our itching ears long to hear, and it turns us away from the truth to myths. Myths that convince us to force our faith on others through policy or party, or marginalize people for not believing how we believe as Christ followers. John 17 reminds us that the world will not believe because we are the most correct. The world will believe because we are the most loving. There is a point in our spiritual transformation that we must surrender the fear of being wrong. We must repent from the motivation of “getting it right.” At some point, we all have to admit that we are the barrier keeping others from finding and following Jesus. Join me in humbling myself and repenting of the need to be right with all certainty and surrender to becoming more like Christ.
- Ask God to create in you a new heart and renew a right spirit in Him. Repent of the times you have unknowingly or knowingly been a barrier to someone’s faith rather than a door that leads them to Jesus.
- The early church was visible to the whole world, and they had favor with all people (Acts 2:47). Dietrich Bonhoeffer shares that the growth of the church came from those who shouted “Hosanna,” not “Crucify.” How is God possibly calling on you to shift your speech to others, the words you choose to listen to, to the social media posts you like or post to focus on John 17 unity rather than creating dividing lines with non-believers?
Prayer Focus
We believe prayer is where outreach begins. Before we go, we ask God to move.
- Our Community — That individuals and families in St. Charles County would experience stability, provision, and the hope of Jesus
- Our Ministry Partners — For endurance, wisdom, and encouragement as they serve on the front lines every day
- Our Church — That more people would step into serving as a next step in following Jesus. Pray that barriers are removed that keep people from finding ways to serve and signing up to serve outside the walls of Harvester.
Prayer Prompt:
Lord, help me see what You see. Break my heart for what breaks Yours, and give me courage to step in.
📅 Upcoming Opportunities
If you do not see these serving opportunities in the app, or if it is not clear how to sign up, please email Carissa at cfiggins@harvester.cc
Leadership Pathway
Our Local Outreach Crew Leaders recently completed a Leadership Orientation that is a requirement for all HCC Leaders at all campuses. So what do they do now? The first special Leadership Seminar will be led by Don Sanders on two important topics to help us grow as leaders. It will also be a great chance to connect with other leaders at Harvester too! Reminder, this is just for HCC Leaders who have completed the Leadership Orientation.
May 2nd
O’Fallon Campus
9 am-11 am
SCHEDULE:
8:45-9:00 – Arrive/Snacks & Coffee
9:00-9:10 – Welcome & Intro
9:10-10:00 – Session 1: Thinking Critically as Leaders
10:00-10:05 – Break
10:05-10:55 – Session 2: Caring Compassionately as Leaders
10:55-11:00 – Closing & Dismissal
We want all our leaders to be there! Here is the link to RSVP.
The Sharing Shed
Join us and serve on one or more of these dates! This regular serve crew serves clients of The Sharing Shed by receiving household donations, cleaning, organizing, and personally shopping with clients.
- Saturday, May 16, 9:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, May 27, 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
- Saturday, June 6, 9:00 am -11:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, June 24, 9:00 am-11:00 a.m.
Broken & Beautiful Pen Pal Ministry
Ongoing Need- Volunteers are needed to join our Pen Pal Ministry to women incarcerated in prison. A minimum of one email a month to encourage and help women draw closer to Jesus. Training is required.
School Outreach Pray & Prep
- Wednesday, May 6, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Join us for any of these serving opportunities in the Annex to pray over our local schools, students, and teachers each month. The remainder of the time is spent preparing teacher appreciation gifts and handwriting cards of encouragement. Enter through Door 10 of the Annex.
School Partnerships
Ongoing Need – We are waiting on some details from the schools, but pencil in these events and dates for now.
- May 6 Teacher Appreciation Lunch at Harvest Ridge 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- May 6 Teacher Appreciation Lunch at Barnwell
- May 12, 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Hackmann Rd Early Childhood End of the Year Celebration at Ollie’s Fun Center-St Peters.
- Kona Ice at Barnwell Middle School, Friday, May 15, 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Serve at one or both times! 2-3 Volunteers needed to assist students in purchasing Kona Ice, handing out napkins, and being a friendly face at the school
- May 18, 10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Senior Clap Out and Ice Cream at Becky David Elementary
HCC Food Pantry and Food Backpack Ministry – Ongoing
Stamp Out Hunger 
- Saturday, May 9. Volunteers are needed to receive non-perishable food items from letter carriers. Donations will need to be sorted, weighed, and organized in the food pantry.
- May 20 Last deliveries of food backpacks to schools for the school year.
SAVE THE DATE!
Good Neighbor Serve Week Coming July 13-18
Start praying now about how you—and your family or group—can be part of this powerful week of impact. We are lining up over 20 different serving opportunities! I am actively recruiting leaders to lead each serving opportunity, so let me know if you are interested in learning more!
Ministry Partner Spotlight: Safe Families for Children
If you haven’t already, read about our ministry partner, Safe Families for Children, as we continue to bring awareness to Child Abuse Prevention/Awareness Month. Click this link to read this article by our Communications Volunteer, Christina Bollinger.
More Ways to Stay in the Local Outreach Loop
- Like and Share posts from HCC Outreach- St Charles Campus Facebook Page
- Like and Share posts from HCC Food Pantry
- Subscribe and follow HarvesterCC Outreach Blog
- In the Harvester app: Log in to the app. At the bottom right-hand corner, click “Resources.” On the next screen, click “Volunteer Toolbox.” Click on any group you are assigned to see the calendar and message about needs, events, or serving opportunities. If you would like to be added to any group, such as Food Pantry, School Outreach, EWR Warming Center, Safe Families/Foster/Adopt, Natural Disaster, Food Backpack Ministry, Elections, or Sharing Shed, please email our Ministry Coordinator, Jillian Hohensee, at jhohensee@harvester.cc
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and therefore, it is an important opportunity to highlight the invaluable work of one of our local community partners: The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri.