Author: cefiggins

As we move into Good Neighbor Serve Week please join hundreds of Harvester Christians as we pray for our neighborhoods, communities, and city.

Good Neighbor Serve Week Prayers

Heavenly Father, we ask for your presence in families in our neighborhood. We pray

for strength and understanding between the marriages in our neighborhood. We ask

for loving, strong bonds between the children, teenagers, adults, and grandparents.

We pray that each branch of the family will demonstrate love for one another.

God Almighty, we ask for healthy, thriving relationships between neighbors. We pray

different cultures will be able to understand and care for one another in our

neighborhood. We pray that the diversity of your people will be celebrated by all

neighbors, just as you affirm and love each one of us.

Father, we pray for the teachers and local principals who devote their days to

shepherding our students. Please be present as district and state leaders make

impactful decisions. We ask for guidance and patience for the parent volunteers as

they serve our neighborhood schools. We pray that our schools will be a safe, positive

community for our students.

Lord God, we pray for guidance for our local pastors as they nurture Your

congregation and seek to serve those around them. We pray Fieldview Church and

Harvester Christian would welcome neighbors with open arms. We hope for residents

to find a place to experience community with the body of Christ as they grow

spiritually.

God we ask for your presence in the streets and homes of our community. We pray for

local law enforcement and first responders, for their safety and wisdom and

compassion in all circumstances. We pray for your comfort for those who have

experienced violence and destruction, and we ask your protection for all our

neighbors.

Father, we ask you to give our state and local leaders wisdom make decisions affecting

our city and county. We pray they will be thoughtful in their decisions and listen to the

voices of the community. We pray for courage to stand up for our community and to

live with grace and dignity in our city.

God, we ask for a flourishing community, where neighbors learn to love each other

and come to know Jesus. We pray that we can be good stewards of Your love to each

one of our neighbors. We ask that You help us to learn from our community, and it

may be a place where all are welcomed.

Dear Lord, we lift the lonely people in our community to you today. We pray that you

will bring them comfort, companionship, and hope. Please surround them with your

love and care. Let them feel your presence in their lives. Make us instruments to seek

out the lonely and give them comfort.

Lord, we pray the body of Christ rises to the needs of our neighbors. In our city, if

someone is hurting and in need, we pray your people will step in and minister to their

needs. Teach us to provide both the physical and spiritual needs serving as the hands

and feet of Jesus.

Lord, there is much work to be done in our city. We pray that You will guide us as we

address these challenges and bless our efforts to create a community where everyone

feels valued and supported. We rebuke the lies of Satan as he comes to steal, kill, and

destroy. Open the eyes of our churches so they see this as spiritual warfare. Bring our

city to their knees to fight the battle against Satan’s efforts.

We pray Father God that you will unite our community in a spirit of generosity, justice,

and hope. Help us to see that we are part of Your family and we all have been

commanded to Love You and love others.

Heavenly Father, help us to listen to our neighbors, to seek common ground, and to

work together. Give us the wisdom to recognize the needs of our community and to act on

those needs with creativity and innovation. Remove all fear and apathy from our

hearts. Create in us a clean heart. Pour out your compassion, empathy, and kindness

through us.

Lord dissolve any prejudices or biases within our community and replace them with a

deep understanding that you have fearfully and wonderfully made all of us to glorify

you. Help us to work together to build a community of unity, understanding, and

compassion. Sweep our community and bless us all with the eyes and heart of Jesus.

May the Holy Spirit sweep over our city, resulting in a true revival where actual change

occurs inside and outside the church walls.

Heavenly Father, We come before You with grateful hearts for the nonprofits and

schools in St. Charles County that serve our community with dedication and love. We

lift up every leader, teacher, volunteer, and staff member who works tirelessly to meet

the needs of others. Strengthen them with wisdom, patience, and compassion as they

fulfill their roles.

Lord Jesus, may Your peace, protection, and provision cover every organization and

school, and may their work reflect Your grace and mercy. Help us as a community to

support and encourage them in their mission. Unite us in our efforts to care for the lost

and wounded and to unleash hope to our community.

Holy Father guide us to be instruments of your love and mercy, showing kindness and

compassion to all we encounter. For those living apart from Jesus, please open their

hearts and minds to the truth of Your word and the gospel message. Help them to see

the beauty and power of your love and to experience the transforming power of your

grace.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the unity we have in Christ. Just as Jesus prayed for

His disciples, we also lift up those who believe in You, and for those who will come to

know You through our witness. May we be one, just as You, Father, are in Christ, and

Christ is in You. Let the unity of believers reflect Your love and truth, so that the world

may believe that You sent Jesus. Help us live in harmony, united in purpose and love,

so that Your name may be glorified. Bind us together in a spirit of peace, that our unity

may reveal Your presence to those around us.

In the name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen.

October 17, 2024

in Global, HCC, Outreach

Job posting with Harvest Initiative

One of our global partners, Harvest Initiative has a new job posting for Nicaragua Trip Coordinator as a contracted position. You can find all the details noted below. Serious inquiries should contact Marcus Pearson marcus.harvestinitiative@gmail.com

Nicaragua Trip Coordinator Job Description

Harvest Initiative, (HI), a Missouri based 501c3 not for profit seeks to fill the role of Nicaragua Trip Coordinator as a contracted position for 6 months to 2 years. The main focus would be the mission trips including pre field prep communication as well as the actual trip activity direction here in Nicaragua. It would be necessary to spend time here in Nicaragua to catch the clusters of trips, for example, we have 4 groups in Feb and March and we need to have someone here on the ground a couple of weeks prior to the trips, then during the visits, after that, it would be pretty flexible Nica base vs US base until we have another cluster later in the year. Other communications and administrative tasks could be carried out remotely except for planned events and occasional meetings, typically in the St Charles, MO area. In almost all aspects, this is a people-oriented, public-facing position so the ability to interact with people, sometimes in stressful situations is vital.

Qualifications:

Good Christian Testimony
High School graduate
Experience with the dynamics of mission trips
Spanish is desired but not indispensable, HI will pay for some language training

Mission trip Responsibilities: 60% time commitment

Nicaragua Based
correspond with trip leaders to align expectations according to the HI Delegation Guide
collect and forward information needed for compliance with local regulations
coordinate with project directors and pastors to set trip activity schedules and plan for needed transportation, materials, translators, food etc.
accompany teams during their stay and oversee the activities, coordinate on-site with local volunteers, directors, and pastors
conduct after-action evaluation and communicate results as appropriate
ensure that pictures, videos , and testimonies are collected and available for inclusion in social media postings

Other Responsibilities

Nicaragua-based or US
monitor email and respond/reroute/follow up as needed
REACH sponsorship and donor database monitoring+recruitment
correspond with sponsors regarding expiring payment info, missed payments general concerns, new sponsor welcome by phone, e mail, postal mail as
needed
contact prospective sponsors to encourage them to commit to sponsoring
maintain archives of corporate documents, contact lists, media resources and project information for use by others inside and outside the organization and facilitate access as needed

Other duties as needed

may include representing HI at churches or civic venues, logistics support, or online research

Stateside Admin Functions

Intern and Mission trip recruitment, orientation, debrief, travel to Nicaragua for in-country during the time the groups are in Nicaragua is necessary, other than when teams are in country, job could be remote.
Follow up on grant proposals generated by YourGrantSource & grants researched by volunteers (e.g. Tinker Fdn, Weekly Fdn, IDES, Emerson Electric)
Assist volunteers with data entry and retrieval as needed from Quickbooks, Reach Donor database, and Mailchimp
Routine correspondence and communication as needed
Recruit and integrate volunteers in strategic areas where HI lacks help (IT, graphic design, marketing)

Time commitment breakdown

Intern, Mission trip,volunteer recruitment 60%
Reports, Document prep, correspondence 10%
Grant followup, database 20%
Other 10%
Location 80% remote, 20% in person, various locations in St Louis Metro, most of our contacts are in the St Charles Co area.
In Nicaragua time $1000/mo stipend, all travel and housing pd by HI, pd language study if desired

US time

part time position approx 20 hrs/ week average, flexible schedule, occasional travel to Nicaragua possible. Spanish desirable, but not required. Compensation $18/hr billed monthly as 1099 contract position

As the organization has grown our volunteers have admirably taken on more responsibility and we are in a great debt to them. Our challenge is to increase our stateside capability in administration while not supplanting the efforts of our core volunteers.

September 14, 2024

in Discipleship, Jesus, Local, Outreach, Serve Teams

A Little Raw & Honest Truth: Do We Need A Serve Week?

I will get right to the point. I debated for a long time this year on whether it was a good idea or not to organize another Serve Week for our HCC family. Let me be clear. My ping-ponging in my head was not about whether it was a good idea or a needed thing much less a commandment to serve. The Bible is pretty clear on that one. If you need a list of biblical proof you can find a growing list here.

My concern is if I was giving people a reason NOT to serve. I worried that if we focused all of our attention and energy on this one week would we be fooled into thinking we had done our duty for the year. That somehow there was a spiritual checklist that we checked off serving one time that we were good to go until next year. I debated on perpetuating the idea that serving in this day and age had to be convenient, it had to fit in between this soccer game, this trip to the lake, this business engagement, and these two birthday parties, and if it was a full moon, and if it was not too hot and not too cold and with the people I know, doing a thing I know how to do that wasn’t too hard or too strenuous or too involved or too messy or if it interfered with my work-life balance. We tend not to commit to something ongoing or even one time as we wait to see if something better or more enticing or entertaining comes along.

Did I mention this post was a little raw and honest this time?

I am genuinely worried that we are selling ourselves short of all the blessings God truly intends for us by offering ourselves up as a living sacrifice obedient to Him. There are loads of “feel good” reasons to serve. You no longer feel guilty about sidestepping your Local Outreach Pastor (wink, wink). It makes for some very likable Instagram posts. Science also tells us that serving makes us healthier, it helps us live longer fulfilling lives because we have a sense of purpose and identity in something greater than ourselves. Our service directly glorifies Him. Serving isn’t a clickable option for living as a Jesus Follower. God hard-wired us to serve. Serving others is a form of worship. It puts us in our proper place and posture to God. But it’s also messy, And it doesn’t always work out into a neat social media post. And the people we serve are not always dripping with gratitude. And the people we serve with are just as likely to be stinky, biting, obstinant sheep like us. Serving is probably going to test our boundaries and push us way out of our comfort zone. It usually takes place during a time that doesn’t fit the family calendar.

Serving allows us to experience God’s presence in a new way. If we stop relying on an annual serving event to remind us that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves and rather allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to serve others we start to see that the small, cumulative intentional acts of kindness, gentleness, and love in God’s name are what are truly pleasing to God. When we are real and authentic about serving, the cost of serving, the reason why we serve, and WHO we serve, this is what will lead our neighbors to find and follow Jesus.

we start to see that the small, cumulative intentional acts of kindness, gentleness, and love in God’s name are what are truly pleasing to God.

So here’s the confusing part about being raw and honest. God has cleared the way for Serve Week. 🙂

Our Good Neighbor Serve Week is September 28-October 3. I hope you will take advantage of some of the serving opportunities we have lined up to use your gifts and talents for God, connect to other HCC members, meet our neighbors at Fieldview Church who are also serving with us, to unleash the hope of Jesus. I also hope you and your life group will seek God and see where He wants you to consistently serve your neighbors again and again.

But my ultimate prayer is that you will wake every day asking God how you can love and serve others in His name through the everyday seemingly small but intentional acts of love. I hope you can’t help yourself because of what Jesus has done for you.

Click the link below to sign up for one of our

Good Neighbor Serve Week

serving opportunities here ==>

https://harvestercc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/487/responses/new

September 12, 2024

in HCC, Outreach

Bible Verses About Serving

The Bible is an incredible source of wisdom, truth, and motivation to devote our lives to service to God. We must remember that serving others may not always be easy, but God’s grace and strength will help us. We also need to remember that no act of love in the name of the Lord is too small that God will not use it. We are praying these Bible verses about serving encourage your spirit and strengthen your resolve to unleash hope every day in every way.

Matthew 25:35-40 – “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Romans 12:10 – “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

1 Peter 4:10-11 – “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

Galatians 5:13 – “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

Ephesians 6:7-8 – “Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.”

Joshua 24:15 – And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Proverbs 19:17- Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.

Acts 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

Philippians 2:4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Acts 26:6-7 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.

Galatians 5:13

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

1 Peter 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

1 Samuel 12:24

But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

Romans 7:6 But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

John 12:26 Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

Joshua 22:5 But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

1 Chronicles 28:9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2 Chronicles 15:7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.”

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Matthew 20:27-28 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Romans 12:9-13 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

July 15, 2024

in Alleviation of Poverty, Child Welfare, GiveHope, Local, Outreach, packapack, School Outreach

2024 Pack A Pack School Supply Lists

Middle & High School Backpacks

Plain Backpack (neutral, gray, black, navy)-1

Main Pocket of Backpack

Binder -1
Spiral bound, 70-sheet, college ruled notebooks-3
Pocket folders-5
Water bottle -1

Middle pocket of backpack:

12 pack of pencils-1
12 pack of colored pencils-1
8 pack of black pens-1
Pencil pouch-1
Calculator-1
100 pack of index cards-1

Small front of backpack– leave empty

Top loop of backpack: hook on green tag to designate as middle/highschool

Backpack 1

Main pocket of backpack

Spiral bound 7- sheet wide ruled notebooks-3
Pocket folders-5
Water bottle-1

Middle pocket of backpack

12 pack of #2 pencils-1
1 Pack of markers-1
24 pack of crayons-1
Pencil pouch-1
Glue sticks-2 (insert into pencil pouch)
Scissors-2 (insert into pencil pouch)

Small front pocket of backpack leave empty

Top loop of backpack: hook on a tag: yellow to designate elementary

July 10, 2024

in Alleviation of Poverty, GiveHope, HCC, Local, Outreach, Uncategorized

Give Hope Ministry Partner Spotlight: REACH St Charles

I just stand in awe of the way God moves in the hearts of Harvester Christians! I know you will be encouraged to learn more about one of our Give Hope community partners especially when you learn it was started by two of our members Lisa Davis and Stacey Enders! Leave a comment below to encourage them to keep doing good in the name of the Lord!

Give Hope Spring Impact Report

What is one specific way Harvester Christian Church’s GIVE HOPE contributions have unleashed hope in your organization or to the community through your organization?

Harvester Christian Church has given us the ability to help more people in our community by giving out food, and feminine products to schools, and resources, as well as through special events and pop-ups.

2. If Harvester Christians have served at your organization, what impact have they had on the community you serve?

We have had Harvester volunteers help with our community pop-ups. They have been a tremendous help in putting food bags together and handing them out.

3. Please share a brief client-success or services-success story we can share with Harvester Christian Church.

After our Holiday Meal Box Outreach, we received a letter and photo from a family eating Christmas dinner. They wrote that without our meal box, they would not have been able to have a Christmas meal.

4. What existing volunteer needs can we share with Harvester Christians?

During the school year, we could use help in delivering feminine products to schools. We could also benefit from volunteers handing out food bags during our pop-ups.

5. Please list any upcoming non-fundraising events your organization is hosting in the next 90 days.

July 21st will be our next popup, where we will be handing out bags of food to the community. We will also be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for the St. Charles COPS Camp pool party on July 19th. In the next month or so, we will also be announcing a scholarship opportunity for local community college students.

6. What is a future program or project that could benefit from Harvester Christian GIVE HOPE funds?

We are in the planning stages of offering a ‘Hometown Experience’ for local underprivileged kids or their families with special needs. The Hometown Experience is estimated to cost between $500-$700.We would also love to have a building of our own to keep feminine products, food and meet with clients.

7. How can we pray for your organization, staff, volunteers, clients, and community your organization serves?

We have been praying for the opportunity to purchase a building. We also need assistance in grant writing.

8. What is one thing Harvester Christian can do to improve how we serve your organization?

We appreciate the support and funding! If anything, more exposure so more people can learn about our organization.

=======

To volunteer to deliver feminine products to schools or to hand out food bags during pop up events volunteers can connect with the REACH St Charles website reachstcharles.org and click the ‘join us’ tab on the main page or you can send them an email at reachstcharles@gmail.com. Anyone interested should follow the Reach St. Charles Facebook page, where they announce future events and volunteer opportunities.

June 13, 2024

in DTOTD, HCC, Jesus

Unity in the Spirit- Why should we care?

No one believes me that I am an introvert hiding in bright-colored clothing. I can draw a lot of attention but it’s very easy for me to disappear on a trail or behind a book. I find it especially easy separate myself from the crowd when I am tired, weary, grumpy, stressed, hurried, overscheduled, confused, hurt, or at the very least struggling with low blood sugar. 🙂 The long and short of it is that given my own devices I am more likely to separate from the pack. However, I have this tension within me that I also firmly believe that unity within our community is foundational to living out our faith in Christ. Ephesians 4:3, which calls us to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace,” serves as a guiding principle for the people of God. This verse is not just an encouragement; it is a call to action, a reminder of the importance of maintaining harmony and friendship within the body of Christ.

But why should we care?

The Call to Unity

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a profound exploration of what it means to live as a Christian. In Ephesians 4:3, Paul emphasizes the necessity of unity among believers. This unity is not merely a superficial agreement but a deep, spiritual bond that reflects the unity of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Spirit that we are connected, regardless of our diverse backgrounds, opinions, personal preferences or sleep schedules. God inspired Paul to teach us that we all tend to pull away from each other or break off and form factions.

Making Every Effort

The phrase “make every effort” indicates that maintaining unity requires intentional and persistent effort. It is not something that happens by chance or without work. As Christ followers, we have to strive to embody this through how we schedule our time, and how we use our talents, to enable us to connect through various ministries, life groups, and outreach efforts. We have to understand that unity involves active participation and commitment from each member to each other.

The Bond of Peace

Peace is the glue that holds unity together. It is a peace that transcends understanding, rooted in the love and grace of Christ. This peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of reconciliation and love. I love how God tells us over and over again in His word that it is not our peace we are looking for. It is His peace. We are kind of stinky when it comes to keeping the peace on our own. It’s becoming more and more common to look for ways to not be peaceful. But we have God’s peace that is a whole different story. During trying uncertain times we need to make a priority to promote peace through open communication, patience, forgiveness, and a willingness to understand and support one another.

How do we keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace with each other?

Prayer: We need to pray for one another and with one another. Prayer puts us in a proper posture of humility. Prayer is a powerful tool that strengthens our spiritual bond and fosters unity.
Life Groups: Joining a small group or a bible study is an excellent way to build relationships and experience the unity of the Spirit. These groups can provide a safe space for sharing, learning, and growing together. The more time you spend with someone the more you get to know them more patience and empathy you can have for them.
Serve Teams: Serving together in ministries and community projects unites us in purpose and mission. It allows us to put our faith into action and support one another in tangible ways. There is nothing better than witnessing each other love others because of how God first loved us to tie us together.
Forgiveness: Embracing a spirit of forgiveness is crucial for maintaining unity. We are all human and will inevitably make mistakes. Having patience with one another, assuming the best about each other, choosing to forgive and seek reconciliation helps preserve the bond of peace.

This week commit yourself again to making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Reflect on Ephesians 4:3, Be inspired to live out this call in your daily life continually seeking ways to foster unity and peace within our church and the broader community. When we are rooted in love and bound together in peace and unity we can withstand any level of chaos. Through our collective efforts, we can be a powerful witness to the transformative power of Christ’s love.

June 10, 2024

in Child Welfare, GiveHope, Outreach, Serve Teams

Give Hope Ministry Partner Spotlight: The Sparrow’s Nest

We unleash hope in our community through generosity and justice. One way God provides the opportunity to do that is through local ministry partners such as The Sparrow’s Nest. I recently asked for and received The Sparrow’s Nest Give Hope Impact Report. I thought this would be very useful information to share with you as you continue to pray over Give Hope and as you look for opportunities to consistently serve in our community.

The mission of The Sparrow’s Nest is to embrace the God-given dignity of all human life by empowering young families with resources to realize their full potential. They fulfill this mission by coming alongside young families with the love of Christ to educate, equip, and empower both the parent and the child. Through their innovative childcare cooperative families enrolled in their program will receive free childcare, mentorship, and case management to reach their family goals. They also have access to a resource closet and pregnancy help.

What is one specific way Harvester Christian Church’s GIVE HOPE contributions have unleashed hope in your organization or to the community through your organization?

GIVE HOPE has allowed The Sparrow’s Nest to

1. Remain open in a time of transition while we were going through the very lengthy process of acquiring licensing to become a child care cooperative.

2. Plan for our future. We KNOW we need to purchase/lease a larger facility. We are currently serving the maximum number of children we are licensed to provide care for, 5. We currently have 7 children on our waitlist. We have had to turn away over 120 children who could not wait for a spot to open up.

Please share a brief client-success or services-success story we can share with Harvester Christian Church.

“Words can not express the thanks my family has to each and every staff member as well as volunteers at Sparrows Nest who have become a part of our family. As a parent, I trust Sparrows Nest with my greatest blessing and I am thankful for all the love, attention, and guidance that my son receives as well as myself. I have received nothing but the utmost respect and care. Sparrows Nest genuinely cares about my family and not just our current situation but the future. I feel like Sparrows Nest is a family always willing to help in any way they can. I have no worries when my son is there which is the greatest peace of mind any parent can ask for when you have to work to provide for your family. If I have a need they have multiple solutions to assist us, I never feel alone in this journey thanks to the amazing staff at Sparrows Nest.”

Where is God leading The Sparrow’s Nest in the future?

Our goal is to be in a much larger facility in the very near future. We will continue to not charge the families who participate in our programming and will remain donor-funded. The estimated cost of this project depends on the type and size of the facility we are able to move into and the amount of staff that will be required to care for the children. If we were able to accommodate 50 children that could require we hire up to 10 childcare providers depending on how many kiddos are in the different age groups.

What existing volunteer needs can we share with Harvester Christians?

We are looking for volunteers for a donor appreciation event on June 27. Volunteer information can be found here ==>https://thesparrowsneststl.org/volunteers/

*Lance Rogers, a Harvester Christian currently serves as the board president for The Sparrow’s Nest. Harvester Christians routinely serve in The Resource Closet as well as maintaining the grounds.)

How can we pray for your organization, staff, volunteers, clients, and community your organization serves?

Please pray that we are able to secure the funding required to grow the organization. We know that the need we are filling a critical need of so many families. Please pray that our state legislators pass legislation for the child care tax credit.

June 1, 2024

in DTOTD, HCC, Jesus

How do you know? DTOTD

At our recent leadership retreat, Nikomas asked this question.

How do you know God is good to you?

It should be an easy answer, right? But it took me more than a hot minute to find the words. My brain had to rifle through its files to find the evidence of God’s goodness. In Psalm 34:8 David writes, “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good GOD is. Blessed are you who run to him.” We can perceive God’s goodness in so many ways. How could I pick just one? I almost experienced a feeling of panic trying to think of what I was going to say when it was my turn. How do I nail it down to something brief and concise?

Then I realized why I was really struggling with how to answer how God is good. I know His goodness is evidenced in His love by sending His one and only son to be sacrificed for our sins. I know His goodness is evidenced by His faithfulness over and over again to His people. I know His goodness is evidenced by the good works God’s children were created to do all over the world.

I was struggling with the answer to the full question of how I know God is good TO ME.

In all transparency, I can share God’s love with whomever. It is my deepest desire for the world to know just how much God loves them. I need the world to know the freedom of resting in the sacrifice of Christ. But sometimes I listen to Satan’s whispers that God’s love is for everyone else but me. His sneaky lies start to somehow ring true that I have not earned God’s goodness yet. My heart knows the real truth. My mouth can speak the real truth. But my mind can be a battleground.

In that one minute of uncomfortableness and discomfort, the Holy Spirit spoke on my behalf.

I know God is good to me because He calls me His baby girl.

This identity breathes new life into me every day. It is the sweetest and most filling thing I can taste. It is a sight of awe and wonder that my eyes will never tire of seeing. I am blessed with God’s goodness as I run back to my Father’s arms again and again.

How do you know that God is good to you?

May 3, 2024

in Alleviation of Poverty, GiveHope, Local, Outreach, The Sharing Shed

The Reward of Seemingly Small Parts- Guest Blog Post by Lisa Rogers

A little over a year ago, I started searching for additional opportunities to serve through Harvester Christian Outreach. My husband and I have called Harvester, “our home”, for a while now, but being a large church, I wanted to meet new people and find new ways to serve. The perfect opportunity presented itself when I was introduced to the idea of volunteering at The Sharing Shed. I fell in love with this ministry on the first day I volunteered. They serve families in crisis, each with their own stories and struggles. The Sharing Shed provides furniture and household items to individuals and families coming out of homelessness, loss of home due to a fire or flood, displacement due to loss of a job, or individuals coming out of abusive home environments. Their stories and struggles are as diverse as their needs and The Sharing Shed provides a place of hope where they can begin a new story.

I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first day volunteering

as I had never visited the location.

I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first day volunteering as I had never visited the location. It was immediately evident to me that great care and thought were used to create a space where clients could shop with dignity and respect. This is not just a warehouse full of items to poke through but is designed as a picturesque shop with an array of items like comforters, towels, dishes, small appliances, furniture, and everything in between. It is truly a wonderful space with an opportunity to serve in various roles. Our volunteers serve as Personal Shoppers, Processors for newly donated items, along with Pick-up and Delivery Crews.

It has been rewarding to play a small part in helping people

find solutions and items that fit their current needs.

It has been rewarding to play a small part in helping people find solutions and items that fit their current needs. This ministry has been a blessing to me in more ways than one. I always leave The Sharing Shed with a sense of fulfillment. I have been blessed by meeting new individuals and families, hearing their stories, and witnessing their renewed sense of hope and gratitude for what they have received. One of the first clients I helped was a military veteran who had been homeless for a good portion of his life. As we shopped for the items he needed to fill his new home, he requested that I pick them out. He said he didn’t care what they looked like or even if everything matched. He was simply thankful to have a home and the things needed to fill it…the everyday necessities that we often take for granted. I

Serving consistently at The Sharing Shed has left me with a renewed sense of gratitude for the blessings in my own life. The Sharing Shed has also gifted me the opportunity to meet new volunteers from Harvester. I am grateful for the team I work alongside and the connections and friendships formed. It truly feels like family.

Harvester Christians serve at The Sharing Shed every 3rd Saturday from 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

If you are interested in joining this team please email cfiggins@harvester.cc

Lisa Rogers Harvester Christian Sharing Shed Crew Member

On mission with the community to meet the needs of those in crisis together for the Glory of God. We are a furniture bank that provides household goods and furniture to families in need, in St Charles, Lincoln, and Warren county.

April 17, 2024

in DTOTD, HCC, Jesus, Local, Outreach

They Don’t Know To Count On Us

It’s pretty well known that sleep is a struggle for me. But one of the blessings of being awake when the rest of the world is asleep is my conversations with God. Now granted, they can be pretty well laced with exhaustion and anxious thoughts but He can handle it. A lot of my worried thoughts center around the pain and suffering in this world. My heart breaks especially for those that suffer in silence and isolation. How will they know that God loves them? I know without a doubt these are some of Satan’s most powerful tools of manipulation and deceit. He convinces so many of us that we are alone. I think worse yet he convinces Christians not to step into others’ darkness, confusion, and loneliness.

How many of us when our gut tells us that our neighbor is hurting, or we read the unspoken body language of our neighbors that seems to be that they want to be left alone justify our inactions? How many of us who call ourselves followers of Christ talk ourselves out of connecting with our neighbors in their pain by saying they aren’t friendly, or they aren’t outgoing? How many of us use the phrase “it didn’t seem to be any of my business” or “I didn’t really want to get involved because I don’t know them very well?” Are we surprised when our neighbors don’t trust us to reach out?

They don’t know to count on us.

We live in a world where news headlines and cycles are dominated by war, death, violence, and political and ideological division. No one around us is unaffected by disease or divorce. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle. Satan is convincing us all to withdraw, hunker down, and disengage from our communities. It is a sin for us to ignore the pain around us. Many of us often forget the second greatest commandment Christ gave us: to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). The world needs us more than ever to engage in love and step into our neighbor’s lives with gentleness, patience, grace, and mercy.

How do you do that in today’s climate? Well first, you go to the source of your strength. Our God goes before us, hedges us in on either side and protects us from behind. After prayer, you step out boldly and courageously.

And then you go to your neighbor consistently and lovingly so they know they can count on you,

Pray for Them: Regularly pray for your neighbors, asking God to bless them, meet their needs, and reveal His love and truth to them. James 5:16 tells us there is tremendous power in the prayer of a righteous person.
Serve Them: Look for ways to serve your neighbors with kindness and generosity. This could involve helping with yard work, offering to run errands, or simply being available to listen and offer support when needed. Jesus taught about the importance of serving others in Matthew 25:35-36, highlighting that serving others is akin to serving Him.
Share Your Faith with Love: When appropriate and in a respectful manner, share your faith and the hope you have in Christ with your neighbors. This could include inviting them to church or Bible study, sharing personal testimonies of how your faith has impacted your life positively, or answering questions they may have about Christianity. Sharing our faith is more than having religious symbols on our houses or wearing Christian t-shirts in public. Our faith is a muscle that needs to be worked out over and over again. Our loving faith in God should be evident in our body language, our speech, our social media posts, our financial choices but most of all how we interact with those God specifically places around us. 1 Peter 3:15 encourages believers to be ready to give a reason for their hope but to do so with gentleness and respect.

Don’t let Satan win in your circle of neighbors. This week be bold and courageous in your neighbors’ lives sharing a peace that passes all understanding through a hope in Jesus. Fervently pray to God about how to step into the messiness of people’s lives, how to be present in their pain, and how to love them. Then go, don’t hesitate, go and let them know they can count on you because of your God.

April 3, 2024

in Child Welfare, Guest Services, Local, Outreach, Safe Families for Children, Uncategorized