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evangelism Tag

November 3, 2025

in Outreach, Uncategorized, Upcoming Events

by cefiggins

0 Comments

October 2025 Newsletter

Just pretend when you open this newsletter it’s still October because I am sure most of you are like me, thinking: “What the what, how did November and that Vile Daylight Savings Time Sneak In!

God and I have been simmering in Matthew 9 and Ephesians 4 for many weeks now. For this month, I want to invite you to settle into Matthew 9:37-38.

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Is it just me, or is there an actual command from Jesus that says to pray for laborers to be raised up and sent out? What does that mean for us at HCC Local Outreach? I often tell others that people who choose to serve with Local Outreach really do see the world differently. They have a very hard time passing by those who are suffering. It almost physically hurts them to overlook those who are hungry, those who are thirsty, those who are naked, those who are in prison. My heart, mind and soul have been especially burden this month with the increasing needs of our community. Recently I have often felt overwhelmed and ineffective. It has been a beautiful thing though, because it reminds me to daily and almost hourly surrender to God, submit to His authority, and trust in Him. It has also been a reminder that I am to be obedient to His calling, but I am not responsible for the outcomes. Those battles belong to the Lord.

Your faithful service in the HCC Food Pantry, school outreach, the Sharing Shed, or any part of being a Good Neighbor and serving with HCC Local Outreach is a living answer to that prayer. You are the hands and feet of Jesus, meeting physical needs and planting seeds of hope in our community.

Thank you for your compassion, your time, and your heart for people. Whether you’re stocking shelves, praying with families, or simply offering a smile, you are making an eternal impact.

We’re praying for more laborers to join this beautiful work. If you know someone who might be interested in serving, invite them to one of our upcoming VIP Tours—a behind-the-scenes look at how ministry happens at Harvester and how others can use their gifts and talents to unleash hope in our city.. These tours are a great way to connect, learn, and take the first step toward volunteering.

Volunteer recruitment is ongoing, and we’d love to welcome new hearts into this mission. Let’s continue to pray for God to stir hearts and send more workers into His harvest. Our world needs us more than ever.

Upcoming Events

November 1: As you have heard in the news, SNAP benefits are suspended during the federal government shutdown. We are anticipating more of our neighbors needing support during this unusual time. The food pantry always needs canned meat, canned meals, fresh meat ( venison too!), and cereal. Our HCC food pantry also needs your plastic grocery bins. You can drop off donations in the covered bin outside of the South entrance, Monday through Thursday, or in the wooden bin near the TV in the Mission Cafe on Sundays. We love hearing stories of Harvester Christians like Stacey Floweree mobilizing her neighbors to give to their neighborhood food drive to support the pantry. Thank you Stacey and friends!

Tuesday, 11-4-25 There is nothing on the ballot in our area so HCC is not needed as our neighborhood’s regular polling site. The next time we will serve our neighbors in this way is April 2026.

If you plan to serve in any capacity during the warming centers in January or February 2026, I highly encourage you to attend this EWR training at Wentzville Christian Church from 6:30 to 8:30. If you need to carpool, we are meeting at the church at 5:50 PM and leaving at 6 PM. Not only will this provide a clear vision of why we do this, but also how we do this, and as you know, knowledge is always power!

Thursday 11-6-25

The closure of the O’Fallon Salvation Army Shelter has left people, including children, without a safe place to go. Specialty shelters are nearly full, and families in crisis are being sent outside the county for help. Temperatures are cooling in St. Charles County, and it has been 637 days (nearly TWO YEARS) since we’ve had an option for our families seeking emergency shelter.. Over 600 of our neighbors are at risk. The Continuum of Care for St. Charles, Warren, and Lincoln Counties is actively looking for resources and partners to address this urgent need. Together, we can do better for our neighbors. Our community is invited to attend Community Coffee Conversation: No Place To Go at Saints Joachim and Ann Care Service to hear directly from those on the front lines, share ideas, and explore urgent solutions.

Let’s learn what’s needed—and how each of us can help. Attendance is free, but registration is required. Click here to register.

Event Timeline:

8:30 am Doors open for networking and intentional connections
9:00 – 9:15 am Member announcements
9:15 – 10:00 am Presentation/ Discussion
10:00- 10:20 am Round Tables and Resources
10:30 am Meeting adjourned

Monday 11-10-25

With so many of our local children and families experiencing stress from strikes, furloughs, or their benefits being paused, we need to serve from our knees even more. We will have two School Outreach Prays and Preps this month to pray for our schools as well, and prep our handwritten cards and gifts for teachers for the upcoming Christmas season. In November, we will meet in the Annex on Monday, November 10 and November 24 at 6:30 p.m. Enter through door #10. RSVP in the Harvester app. At the bottom of the home screen, click “Resources.” On the next screen, click “Volunteer Tool Box.” On the next screen, click “Groups.” On the next screen, search “LO – School Outreach.” On the next screen, click “Calendar.” On that screen, click “Monthly Pray and Prep for School Events.” At the bottom of that screen, you can RSVP by clicking “Going”, “Maybe,” or “Not Going.”

Thursday 11-13-25

Our Annual LO/GS Gathering is just around the corner! This is the only time all of Local Outreach, Food Pantry, and Guest Services volunteers can be together in one setting! We will enjoy a fellowship meal from Ginghams together as we celebrate all you did this year to unleash hope inside and outside the walls of Harvester! We will hear our Vision for next year and receive some practical evangelism training, and pray for how God will use us to bring more laborers to the harvest!

Click here to register for this very special night!

Saturday 11-15-25

Sharing Shed Crew serves from 9 a.m. -11 a.m.

Community and Ministry Partner Updates

Tuesday, 11-11-25 Joni & Friends has its St Charles County Church Network Meeting for Disability Ministry Leaders and Volunteers at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of O’Fallon, MO. The guest speaker will be DeAnn Yount, licensed counselor from Crossroads Counseling Centers. DeAnn will offer encouragement and hope for those who give of themselves to meet the needs of others. The meeting will explore the sustaining power of Christ’s presence and the renewal of our spirits when the work feels overwhelming. Please RSVP HERE

Wednesday, 11-12-25 Child Advocacy Center is celebrating its 25th Anniversary at Bogey Hills Country Club from 5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m.

Immediate Volunteer Needs

Our ministry partners at Faith Haven House urgently need volunteers.

Volunteers are needed to be at Faith Haven House every afternoon and evening between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Volunteers are primarily needed to socialize with any residents who are present during those hours. Other volunteers who have served in this capacity share that sometimes it is just chatting around the dinner table. Other times it’s watching TV or playing cards. Other times, it was teaching a hobby like crocheting. As consistent, trusting relationships are built with the residents over time, there will be opportunities to share the gospel. If you are interested in learning more about this serving opportunity, please reach out to Dareth at Faith Haven House at faith.haven.house@gmail.com

The Child Advocacy Center of Northeast MO is looking for 1-2 unique volunteers. They have been diligently building out a chaplaincy program called The Hope Project to assist children and families who seek their services in the healing process. The CAC has also seen a need for its staff to have spiritual care as well. You do not have to have specific chaplain qualifications or credentials. The crux of chaplaincy is the Ministry of Presence. God can do so much when we are willing to sit in the hardships and heartbreaks of others, just so they know they are not alone. If you would like to know more about joining this small team of CAC chaplains, email Carissa at cfiggins@harvester.cc

Food Pantry Van drivers are needed to pick up food donations. The pickups consist of going to 3 stores and picking up their available donations that day using the HCC Food Pantry Van. Food Pantry Van Drivers need to be able to pick up boxes that weigh up to 50lbs. Food Pantry Van Drivers would bring items back to the HCC food pantry, weigh each store’s donation separately in several categories, and put away accordingly (freezer, cooler, table).

Pickups are in the mornings, Wednesdays & Fridays. A Saturday driver is also needed to pick up on Saturday mornings from the Lindenwood Schnucks bakery. Potential volunteers will need a cleared motor vehicle records check through HCC before driving. Email Sherry Bollinger today with questions to get started on you being the next best happy van driver! sbollinger@harvester.cc

Did you know? The Good Neighbor Serve Crew receives requests from HCC members and our neighbors to help with one-time tasks such as moving, mowing, powerwashing, simple home or car repairs, or trimming trees and bushes. Needs are posted in this group and grabbed as schedules and skills allow. Want to be added to the group? Email Jillian at jhohensee@harvester.cc

SAVE THE DATE(S)!

Is it too soon to mention serving opportunities in December? Not when it involves PANCAKES because our people LOVE cooking tons of pancakes! Castlio Elementary School K-Kids is hosting a Pancake Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 13. Volunteers are needed to cook approximately 2000 pancakes and sausages between 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

You can sign up now using this link! https://harvestercc.ccbchurch.com/…/737/responses/new

HCC has committed to being on call as one of the area warming centers the week of January 18-24, 2026, and February 15-21, 2026. The EWR warming centers are activated if the temperature is forecasted to be 20 degrees or less. This program is a death prevention intervention to keep our unhoused and most vulnerable neighbors safe in extreme weather conditions. This program is even more needed this year with the closure of the O’Fallon Salvation Army. There will be MANY volunteers needed to serve in MANY capacities. Prayer Warriors, Hospitality to cook and serve meals, Laundry, Set Up, Clean Up, but ESPECIALLY volunteers to stay overnight on the nights we are activated. Pray how God wants you to support this ministry, and mark your calendar now for this critical event. Sign-ups will be available soon.

June 1, 2023

in Church, Discipleship, DTOTD, Outreach

by Brendon

0 Comments

DTOTD – How do you stand out?

” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them ( Saul and Barnabas ) and sent them off….” Acts 13:3

My family moved into a new house about a year and a half ago. It was a needed move since we had 3 kids and a dog in a relatively small house. The house we moved into, was larger and has become our home. With projects going and new paint and new murals on the walls….made by the kids, with toys all over, with comfy chairs and a long comfy couch and a fireplace and a back deck that we use all the time. We love our home. Do you love your home? You probably have memories just like we do in your home or you have your favorite spot in the living room or your bedroom.

What if you were called to leave your home? Called not for a new job or a new opportunity or retirement or anything like that. But what if you were called to leave your home and enter the world as someone who is going to preach the good news of Jesus to anyone that will listen?

Would you?

Seems kind of crazy.

The book of Acts brings this thought to mind. In Acts 13/14 we see that Saul (Paul) and his ministry partner Barnabas are sent off on their first missionary journey. They were in Antioch, the birth place of the term Christian. They were there with there friends and possibly family, but in a time of prayer and fasting, Paul and Barnabas are lead off. The whole reason for their journey was for them to go into the Gentile cities, cities that were not primarily Jewish, to preach and open the hearts and ears of the Gentile people to the sacrifice and grace of Jesus Christ.

They were sent off for evangelism.

Evangelism is an interesting term. Because there are times when it is tied to only a certain type of person or rally or revival. Evangelism is the mission of telling people about Jesus. Whether it is in a home or in a stadium or a coffee shop. Evangelism is the encompassing term for the Great Commission of Matthew 28. It is what we as Christ followers are called to be a part of in our lives.

The problem with Evangelism, is that is requires you to stand out.

It requires for you to be set a part from others. It requires you to act differently. It requires you to look at the world differently. It requires you to talk with people differently. It requires you to listen to people differently. It requires you to love differently.

For Paul and Barnabas, it wasn’t hard for them to stand out. We see in these two chapters, Paul and Barnabas immediately found a way to stand out by trouncing into a Jewish synagogue in every city they went to and they stood up and preached the word of God boldly. In chapter 13 of Acts, we see that Paul & Barnabas are in the Pisidian Antioch, and when the time came for Paul to stand, he gives one of the most pointed messages I have read. It starts at the beginning and walks through the history of Jewish/Israelite people all the way to Jesus. Paul doesn’t stop with just the arrival of Jesus, he boldly calls out the people of the crowd that were a part of the Jews that lead Jesus to his death.

” And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.” Acts 13:28

Ouch. Paul goes on to tell the good news of Jesus by declaring how God raised Jesus from the grave and how Jesus’ death and resurrection leads to freedom.

” Let it be known to you therefore brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39

Paul and Barnabas in just these two chapters, traveled to at least 16 different cities.

How many of you could say that you have traveled to 16 different cities in one trip? Better yet, how many of us can say we have left our home state for the sake of Jesus at any point?

Evangelism requires you to stand out. Even to the point where your life might be in danger.

In chapter 14, we see Paul and Barnabas have began to leave a trail of emotion behind them as they continued to travel through these cities. They find themselves in Lystra, a city in Lyconia, and we see Paul and Barnabas preaching the good news of Jesus to the people there. Paul in Lystra see’s a man that is crippled, his feet didnt work from birth and was never able to walk. Paul looks at him intently and tells him to rise and walk, immediately this man is healed and in the wonder and amazement to the crowd, they begin to call Paul and Barnabas gods and want to sacrifice things to them. In quick haste, Paul pleads for the people to knock it off since they are just men and the power is in Jesus. But in this moment, the trail of emotion that Paul and Barnabas left caught up with them.

” But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing he was dead.” Acts 14: 19

But what about us? We do not live in the same period of time that Paul and Barnabas lived. We do not have to walk from city to city, we can drive. We do not have to sail and risk open water, we can fly. We do not have to go into a synagogue to preach people, we have the internet. We do not have to worry about being stoned, because we live in a free country. So what do we have to risk in order to be a part of this evangelism?

What does evangelism look like in our life?

if evangelism requires us to stand out…how do we stand out as christ followers?

There are countless things we could say here. We could talk about how we use our phones or how we talk with people or how we communicate on Social Media or where we hang out.

The big question here, is whether your heart is in the place to talk about Jesus when it is not easy.

We live in a world where inclusivity is important. We all want to be known and we all want to be a part of something larger than just us. We want to be accepted for who we are and where we are. We want people to respect us and give us the chance to prove ourselves. We want the world to know who we are whether we have done something or not. We live in a world where social media posts almost outweigh anything else that we do in life. We live in a world where our homes, which should be a refuge, where we can rest and retreat and be together with family and friends, become hot spots for arguments and bickering and quarrels and heart ache.

How do we stand out?

When our words match up to what Jesus has called us to, to love Him and love others. When we act differently than even those closest to us that don’t know Jesus. When our social media posts look and sound different than those of the rest of society that rages with anger and divisive comments. When our hugs go beyond the normal ‘ hey how are you’. When our hearts constantly strive after this Jesus that died on a tree for you. When our conversations over coffee at our favorite coffee shop are open and bold for the love that Jesus has for you and for who you are with. When our homes look and sound different than the homes around you, not because we are better than them, but because the peace and grace that Jesus gives us each and every day is flourishing in every room in the house.

How do we stand out?

We stand out, when we live our faith boldly to those around us.

It’s not easy. It’s not natural. It’s not always going to work. But when we continue to do it, to stand up for what we believe and what Jesus calls us too, we begin to have a part in this thing we call evangelism.

Stop and read Acts 13 and 14.

Celebrate today what Jesus has given you in your lives. But also pray for the opportunity to tell or show someone else about the love of Jesus.

evangelism Tag

October 2025 Newsletter

DTOTD – How do you stand out?

From the HCC Outreach Team: