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Mental Health

Community Partner Spotlight: Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri

Calling Out from Isolation: Hope Found on the Airwaves

About twice a year, JOY FM reaches out to me and about 30 other pastors and counselors to be a part of their Hope & Heal. For four hours straight, we receive phone calls from all over the St. Louis Metro area and beyond to answer our neighbors’ prayer requests. This week, JOY FM’s Hope & Heal initiative has been a sacred lifeline for many. The phone calls are always non-stop. You no sooner hang up the phone than your phone is ringing. There are often 10-12 people in the queue every minute. In moments when loneliness whispers that nobody cares, people have dialed into the station, baring their deepest struggles to voices that feel like strangers—and yet, through those strangers, they’ve felt God’s presence.

Some callers expressed the depth of their isolation. The calls this week were of higher intensity, people in total crisis. They were so low, they did the bravest thing they ever could: they reached out to people who didn’t know them, and in sharing their hardest truths. KMOV and Fox 2 both promoted the event, and people around the area who perhaps had not set foot in a church in years, if ever, reached out for hope.  Satan was overcome, and God was glorified when they discovered they weren’t alone.


When Strangers Become Praying Neighbors

The power of those moments—when an unknown voice prays for your healing, your family, your burdens can’t be overstated. In these exchanges, strangers were transformed into praying neighbors, offering their faith as a bridge out of despair. Holy connectivity brought people out of the pits of despair. We couldn’t see these people’s faces; we didn’t have any idea of their belief systems or faith journey. We didn’t know where they stood on political or social issues. There was no way we could withhold grace. mercy and love on theological differences. These neighbors were drowning and needed a Savior right then and there.


Scripture: The Foundation of Healing Hope

The spiritual core of this outreach draws strength from God’s Word. Here are some scriptures that echo what many have experienced this week:

  • “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” — 2 Timothy 1:7
  • As believers, we can operate with confidence and courage in the strength, love, and self-control that come from God.
  • “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”James 5:13
    A simple call to release our suffering through prayer so we can more easily receive something new.

  • “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”1 Peter 5:7
    In isolation, we can fling over our worries to the One who holds us.

  • “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”Psalm 34:17
    Many found comfort in knowing their prayers did not go unheard.

  • “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”Galatians 6:2
    Strangers became companions in prayer—becoming the hands and feet of Jesus in those moments.


Stories from This Week’s Calls And Beyond

While respecting privacy, here’s a distilled glimpse of what participants  shared:

  • A single mom feeling utterly alone, who confessed, “I’ve never felt this distant from God—and now I can feel Him listening.”

  • Parents battling despair over fractured relationships with grown children shared  “everything feels too heavy to bear,” and yet, through the kindness of a voice on the line, felt the light of hope.

  • A veteran battling depression said, “I don’t pray well…but hearing you pray for me gave me words I didn’t have.” This underscores how communal prayer can empower even those struggling with their own faith.

  • Several of our HCC family reached out to me later in the day, saying they wanted to call but couldn’t find a private space. They shared that they knew they needed prayer and didn’t want to wait.

Why Prayer Still Matters

In a world often cold and disconnected, prayer is our most human response to the supernatural grace of God. It transcends distance, mends what’s broken, and brings healing to the hurting.

This week’s JOY FM outreach was a reminder that healing doesn’t always begin in a church—or alone in a room—but often happens when someone picks up a phone, speaks honestly, and allows love to be offered back. Healing often starts when we are brave neighbors and reach out to those living right next door to us to remind them they are not alone, and we have a hope that does not make sense in this world of chaos.


A Prayer for Today

Let’s pray together, in solidarity with every caller and for those who were not able to call in:

Lord, in our brokenness and in our silence, You are there—listening, caring, healing. May Your people continue to be vessels of Your hope, that no one ever feels too low to reach out. Make us brave to reach out to recieve hope and to give hope. Let every heart find rest in You. Amen.


This Hope & Heal week reveals a powerful truth: even when Satan lies to us and tells us we are most alone, we are not alone. Prayers offered by strangers unaware can become channels of grace and messages of hope—showing us that our stories, shared in vulnerability, are met with compassion, faith, and healing. So often we say something utterly silly like “All I know to do is just pray.” Just pray…as if that is the most minimal non-invasive weak sign of surrender. When we pray, we can move mountains in the name of the Lord! Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus! May these moments continue to remind us all: the darkest depths often give way to the brightest dawn when we reach out in prayer.

May 2025 Newsletter

First Things First

In the busyness of outreach—packing groceries, loving teachers and schools, caring for our unhoused neighbors, mentoring kids—it’s easy to pour ourselves out until we’re running on empty. But God never meant for our service to come from exhaustion. He calls us to serve from a place of rest. 

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
—Matthew 6:33 (ESV) 

God established the Sabbath not as a burden, but as a gift—a rhythm of rest and renewal that reminds us: our worth is not in what we do, but in Whose we are. 

As HCC Outreach volunteers, we love well when we live well—rested, rooted, and responsive to the Spirit. When we put God first in our weeks, our days, and our decisions, everything else falls into place—not always easily, but in order. The Sabbath helps reorient our hearts so we can give our best, not just what’s left. 

This month, let’s choose to rest with God before we work for God. Saving the best of ourselves—our time, our attention, our affection—for Him first is the most powerful way to love our neighbors well. 

May Serving Opportunities Looking for serving opportunities? Check out our new link on the  “big” church website! https://harvester.cc/outreach-events 

FHSD: God is opening doors for us left and right in the Francis Howell School District. However, it does require us to have many more volunteers complete the volunteer background check through FHSD. Even if you are cleared to serve at HCC you must complete the FHSD process. We will need at least 8 clear volunteers to serve at an immunization clinic in August and 15 cleared volunteers to participate in a pilot math tutoring program later this fall. Processing can take up to six weeks. Let’s get this done by June please!  

Good Neighbor Serve Group: Did you know we have a group of Harvester folk who answer the call when our members or neighbors need lawns mowed, simple repairs, or heavy items fixed? Let me know if you would like to be added to this group to be notified of needs.  

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5-9. We have a ton of ways to show our local school teachers and staff how much we appreciate all they do in our neighborhoods!  

Sharing Shed: We have had such a response to serving at The Sharing Shed. They have provided a few more opportunities, but we need your input on how we are going to best divide this serve group. Be sure to complete this survey so we know the best way to communicate with you. It’s very important to RSVP to the event as a limited number of people can serve effectively at The Sharing Shed.  

Work Day at The Sharing Shed 

Saturday, May 17 9:00 –11:00 

Pack A Pack 

We have a goal to collect enough school supplies for 800 local children in need this year! Are you a small business owner or have access to a doctor, dentist, insurance agent, or small shop? Could you consider serving as a Pack A Pack Collection site June 1-30? Email Carissa to learn more about how you can have an impact on the community using your gifts, talents, and blessings. Huge shoutout to those HCC businesses who have already said yes! We have a goal to have ten businesses in total.

  • CC3 Solutions 
  • Dailey Chiropractic 
  • Edward Jones 
  • Midwest Scuba 
  • Tequila Restaurant  
Prayers: 

Pray the most audacious prayers this month for our neighborhoods. Pray for those seemingly impossibilities! Is it Satan’s release on someone’s mental health or freedom from addiction? Is it curing someone of cancer? Is it for safe, affordable housing for our unhoused neighbors? Is it for child abuse and neglect to be non-existent in St Charles County? Is it for 300 foster children in St Charles County to return to safe homes or find safe havens in adoptive families?

Comment below what you are praying for!  

 Resources:  

In these present times, our mental fitness requires us now more than ever to renew our minds with the Lord. Check out this new study from Kyle Idleman in Right Now Media.  https://app.rightnowmedia.org/en/content/details/920259 

“Jesus said, ‘Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest.’ This You Version plan is an invitation to partake in God’s abiding rest with many practical ways to make rest a lifestyle. This one discipline could deepen your intimacy with God and change the fruitfulness of your life.” Check out this Bible Study by yourself or with a friend! https://www.bible.com/reading-plans/25341-sabbath-living-from-rest 

Here is an interesting podcast from the Think Biblically Podcast How does a Christian view of mental health compare and contrast with a secular perspective? Are we in a mental health crisis today? And how do we best love our family and friends who are suffering from mental illness. In this video and podcast, Sean and Scott talk with Rosemead Professor Chris Adams about these questions and more. Dr. Adams shares about the new Flourishing in Ministry resource that helps pastors and churches address mental health. See www.flourishinginministry.org. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0DoddNSCs 

 Recommended Reading:  

The Body Keeps Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk  

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst 

Troubled Minds by Amy Simpson 

Take a risk in the name of the Lord

There is not a set formula that leads someone to live unhoused. We can’t be so naive and judgemental to assume someone got into drugs, lost their job, doesn’t want responsibility, and is now living on the streets. In St Charles County homelessness is becoming a crisis. The situation is fueled by the lack of affordable housing, lack of transportation, and affordable child care,  mental health challenges, job loss, and other life crises that create depression and despair.

What is the cause of homelessness? 

If you talk to any HCC volunteer who served in the Warming Center they will all humbly share that they entered that serving opportunity with a preconceived idea of why someone would be homeless. In reality, there are so many situations that can lead to homelessness. Many of us in the church are just one hospitalization away from being homeless ourselves.

Homelessness can mean :

  • Earning a wage that is insufficient to meet housing costs.
  • Aging out of foster care and not having a permanent place to live.
  • Fleeing an abuser as they seek a safe place to live.
  • Living in a constant state of survival mode.
  • Being arrested for sleeping in a public location, despite having nowhere else to go.

So what does this mean for us at Harvester Christian Church? What can we possibly do?

Pray

For sure, I can share all the ways I know how to serve our unhoused neighbors, but I don’t know specifically how God is calling you. Pray for God to give you eyes to see His children who are experiencing homelessness. Pray for your heart to break for the things that break His heart. Pray for God to open your mind to the possibilities of service through justice and generosity. Pray you are obedient to the command of Loving God with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul. Pray you are also obedient to the command of loving your neighbor as yourself.

Educate yourself and others

As I mentioned before there are lots of reasons for homelessness but there are solutions that work to end homelessness as well. The solution to ending homelessness is simply housing. “Rapid re-housing provides short-term rental assistance and services. The goals are to help people obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency, and stay housed. It is offered without preconditions (such as employment, income, absence of criminal record, or sobriety) and the resources and services provided are typically tailored to the needs of the person.” Rapid re-housing can end homelessness by quickly connecting people to a home and services. We need Christian landlords willing to provide truly affordable housing with limited barriers. We need policies that encourage and incentivize business owners and community leaders to support rapid re-housing initiatives. We need many more second-chance employers to provide employment opportunities at a living wage. We need to be well versed in what God’s word sets as expectations and commandments for serving the poor and marginalized.

Practical and Tangible Help for Transportation

Many of our unhoused neighbors have been able to hold onto a car of some form or another. This provides their access not only to employment but also serves as their home Many of our unhoused neighbors share that transportation is a barrier that hinders access to services and opportunities. Challenges can include high maintenance costs and unreliable vehicles. You can help by donating bikes, and gas/Uber cards, supporting small repairs (Jiffy Lube GCs), and offering to pay directly to insurance providers to make sure their cars are properly insured for 30,60 or 90 days. Or make a financial contribution to local organizations that provide direct services.

Take A Risk

Ultimately we need Christ’s followers to live their faith in action. We need Christians to be obedient to God’s calling in their lives and take a risk in the name of the Lord. We need to walk into loving others knowing that yes we may get taken advantage of, yes we may be inconvenienced, yes, our efforts may not work out, and yes something we own might be mistreated or abused. Yes, the individual we are helping may not know how to properly express gratitude. Yes, it might be messy and take a long time. Yes you may not get to see the results of your efforts and investment of your time, talents, and treasure in this individual. But all of those things are of this world. All of those excuses are really about pleasing ourselves and man rather than God.

I don’t know where is God is leading you in meeting this need in our community. But I do know we have to step out of faith and be much more intentional in our actions of serving those women, children, and men who are experiencing homelessness. If you want to learn more about homelessness in our community let’s schedule a coffee soon. We CAN do something about this issue not because of who we are but because of WHOSE we are.

The Darkness Has Not Overcome- DTOTD

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” – John 1:5

Before this particular winter season, I like to think I created the hashtag #Ihatecold. Before this year I despised winter. Not even joking, winter has always brought on intense panic for me. Before this season winter has always been a race for survival for me. I think I have felt truly threatened by what I perceived as the power of winter. The lack of yellow sunlight, the lack of warmth, the perceived prison of the indoors, the perpetual grayness, and the phrase “weather permitting” have always made me feel like I am suffocating as I will truly not survive another winter. My brain plays tricks on me that I really might not survive and depression and anxiety have ruled the day in the winter months. Even if we have crazy days of spring pop up like they leave me feeling yanked around and psychologically messed with. The darkness, and the lack of light, in the past have given me a feeling of fear that I had convinced myself I needed to fight off, not succumb to, to overcome myself. Instead of winter being a season of rest and a time to slow down, I have been frenzy not to let it “get me.” New journals, new self-help strategies, new bright-colored clothing, new light therapy, a new therapist anything I could think of to outrun the darkness. It has always been exhausting and it has rarely worked as winter deepens, the days are short; darkness claims more hours than light. In this season, it is too easy for me to feel the weight of the shadows—both physical and spiritual. The world can feel heavy, cold, and uncertain for me. 

However…

Over Christmas, I found a book that has drastically changed my perspective and mindset about winter. How to Winter: Harness your Mindset to Thrive on Cold, Dark, and Difficult Days shares themes of anticipating winter, looking forward to the times of rest, allowing a sense of wonder and awe to lead how we view the world, and most importantly for me, to embrace the darkness of the season. This has been a key mind shift for me to not only survive winter but also reflect on my own walk with the Lord. I am not talking about embracing the darkness that Satan tempts us with. But more in how the author shares in this passage. “No other strategy embodies the spirit of shifting your wintertime mindset as completely as finding joy in the darkness: faced with something we have no power over, we can push back and complain or we can collaborate with the night to transform darkness from oppressive gloom to cozy wonder. “

When I read this part of the book, I was reminded of our decision to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as we find and follow Jesus. My spirit was convicted that I once again had walked right into one of Satan’s oldest and stupidest lies: that I am alone and must overcome alone with my strength and understanding.

But John 1:5 reminds us of a powerful truth: the light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

In the stillness of winter, the bare trees and silent cold may convince us that we will wait forever for warm sunny days,  but waiting does not take away our joy. Just as creation rests during this time and waits to grow again, so we, too, are called to joyfully wait on the Lord because He is coming. I have always struggled with The Waiting. I feel I need to be doing something proactive. But Waiting is not a passive act; it requires a reaction of trust, surrender, and hope. It requires strength to let go and become weak. It is an invitation to lay down our burdens and let God take control.

So often, we want to fight our battles in the darkness, relying on our own strength, reasoning, or plans. We may feel we need to keep our battles in the darkness because no one else understands what we are going through or we can’t believe we are in this particular darkness again. Yet, our finite understanding can only be seen so far. Living life this way allows Satan to steal our joy. The battles we face—be they against fear, uncertainty, anxiety, or grief—are not ours to fight alone. As we read in Psalm 27:1 The Lord is our defender, our light, and our salvation. 

I am wondering if you are like me and need to be reminded to take heart in knowing that Jesus is not intimidated by the darkness. He is not overwhelmed by the despair the winter seasons bring into our lives. He stepped into it, bringing a light that the shadows cannot extinguish. When we feel overwhelmed or unsure or overcome by the vastness of the darkness around us and in us, we can rest in and be joy-filled with His promise in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

As we enter hopefully the last part of this winter, let’s be brave together and wait in the darkness with a joy that really makes no sense for Jesus to rescue us. Once again, let’s surrender our struggles to the One who sees the end from the beginning. Let us trust in His light, and choose joy that illuminates the path even when it feels hidden. His light is not just for overcoming but for guiding, warming, and restoring. I pray the light of Christ fills and refills your heart today. I pray you feel His presence in a new way today and that it reminds you that darkness never has the final word. Be brave and joyfilled and rest as you wait in the darkness for your defender.

Prayer:

Hey God, thank You for being the light that shines in the darkness. In seasons of waiting, help us to trust in You and surrender our battles with the darkness into Your hands. Remind us that Your light is stronger than any shadow we face. Teach us again and again to rest in Your promises, knowing that You are our refuge and our strength. Be our defender, our source of joy, and our hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Local Outreach Ministry Partner Spotlight: Joni & Friends

This is one of my favorite times of the year. We ask each of our Local Outreach partners to send brief impact reports back to us. This allows us to glimpse what God is doing to unleash hope in our community through your generous Give Hope gifts. This week we are spotlighting our ministry partners Joni & Friends.  Be sure not to skip over the success story section!