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Good Neighbor Serve Week Tag

July 30, 2026
in Uncategorized, Upcoming Events
by cefiggins
0 Comments

Developing a Rhythm of Serving: July HCC Local Outreach Newsletter

Developing a Rhythm of Serving

Scripture: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” — Mark 10:45 (ESV)

Most of us understand that serving is a good thing. We volunteer for a project, help a neighbor move, or give our time during a church event. Those moments matter—but God invites us into something even deeper. He isn’t just asking us to serve occasionally; He’s shaping us into people who naturally live lives of service. Just like prayer, Bible reading, silence, solitude, and worship become rhythms that draw us closer to Jesus, serving is a spiritual practice that transforms our hearts. Every time we choose to love a neighbor, meet a practical need, or offer our gifts for God’s Kingdom, we become a little more like Christ. Jesus didn’t fit serving into His schedule. Serving was His lifestyle. Everywhere He went, He noticed people, showed compassion, and met needs. As His followers, we’re invited to develop that same rhythm—not out of obligation, but out of love. When serving becomes part of our regular rhythm, something beautiful happens. We begin to see our neighborhoods differently. We recognize opportunities instead of interruptions. We discover that God uses ordinary acts of kindness to open doors for extraordinary conversations about His love. At Harvester, we say we want to unleash the hope of Jesus. Hope is unleashed when the Church steps beyond its walls and into the lives of people who need to experience God’s love in tangible ways. A consistent rhythm of volunteering isn’t just about filling a schedule—it’s about participating in God’s mission of bringing hope to our community.

Ask yourself:

  • Where is God inviting me to make serving a regular rhythm instead of an occasional event?
  • Who is one neighbor I can intentionally love this week?
  • How might God use my willingness to serve to point someone toward Jesus?

Prayer

Hey God, thank You for showing us what it means to serve with humility and love. Shape my heart to become more like Yours. Help serving become a natural rhythm of my life, not just something I do occasionally. Open my eyes to the needs around me, and use my hands, my time, and my gifts to unleash Your hope in my neighborhood and community. May every act of service point people to You. Amen.

What are our next steps after Good Neighbor Serve Week?

At Harvester Christian, serving consistently and regularly is a part of each of our spiritual development. It is not an annual checklist to cross off. Rather, it is a regular rhythm: the more we encounter Jesus, become like Jesus, and unleash the hope of Jesus. Whether you were able to serve or not during Good Neighbor Serve Week, what are some possible next steps for you? One step might be to attend our next prayer retreat. This might be a great way for you to spend time with God and have a conversation with Him about where He is leading you next. The Invitation to Retreat is a free prayer retreat on August 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. in Laurel Park. Perhaps you want to learn about more serving opportunities at Harvester. The VIP Tour on August 23 during 1st or 2nd service is a great next step to learn an overview of every ministry at Harvester. Another possibility for you is to sign up for our next course, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality,  starting September 9th in the Elementary Auditorium from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Over 9 weeks, this course will take a deeper look at how your emotional health affects your spiritual health. If you are ready to get more involved in Local Outreach Serving Opportunities, check them out below under Upcoming Events. If you served during Good Neighbor Serve Week be sure to complete this evaluation form to help our planning and execution for next year.

 

Upcoming Local Outreach Serving Opportunities

August Events

August 2-8, and August 30- September 5, Cooling Center in Annex. Volunteers are needed to be on call to host the Cooling Center for our unhoused neighbors if a heat advisory is issued next week. Shifts are 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m and 2:00 p.m. -5;00 p.m. Three volunteers are needed for each shift, and they must be a mix of men and women. Volunteers serve as hosts for our neighbors, offering light snacks and cold drinks and typical conversation and fellowship. Click this link to see open shifts.

August 4, Hospitality Volunteers for Elections. HCC hosts two polling sites for each election. This is a great opportunity for us to be hospitable to our literal neighbors. Volunteers are needed to greet guests, hold open doors, and offer a snack and a bottle of water as they leave. Shifts begin at 6:30 a.m. and run every two hours. 2-4 volunteers are needed at the South and North Entrances. Click this link to see open shifts.

August 6, Harvest Ridge Back To School Bash: It’s time for back-to-school events again! Our first one will be at Harvest Ridge Elementary, located at 1220 Harvest Ridge Dr, Saint Charles, MO 63303. Volunteers are needed from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to help set up, serve refreshments, assist in games, and encourage the students, families, and teachers. Click this link to sign up. 

August 11, Habitat for Humanity Informational Meeting. Join us on August 11 at 6:00 p.m. in the HCC Chapel to learn more about At Home Missions and how you might join one the St Charles County Church Build Days on September 18-19. RSVP using this link by August 7.

August 15, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & August 19, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.Sharing Shed. The Sharing Shed is located at 923 E Terra Ln, O’Fallon, MO 63366. It provides furniture and household goods to families experiencing poverty, recovering from fire/flood, or rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Our Sharing Shed crews are serving twice in August to help families in need find household items as well as receive donations, clean donations, and organize donations. Click this link to sign up for 8/15. Click this link to sign up for 8/19.

August 18, HCC Blood Drive. Volunteers AND Donors are needed for our Blood Drive on August 18 from 9 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Volunteers just greet donors, offer a snack after a donation, and help clean. We have a goal of 20 units of blood, so drop in on August 18 to help save a neighbor’s life! Click this link to sign up

August 18, Becky David Elementary Spruce Up, We are sending volunteers to help get our neighbors down the street at Becky David Elementary ready for the new school year by weeding and mulching the campus. Becky David is located at 1155 Jungs Station Rd
Saint Charles, MO 63303. Volunteers arrive at 7:00 p.m. with work gloves, any gardening or landscaping tools, shovels, and rakes. If you have a wheelbarrow, please bring that along too! Click this link to sign up

August 21, Becky David Welcome Back The Teachers Breakfast. Volunteers are needed to set up and serve a yogurt and bagel bar for the teachers and staff at Becky David Elementary. Volunteers need to arrive at Becky David by 7:30 a.m. and stay until 10:30 a.m. to help clean up. Click here to sign up.

Ongoing serving email Carissa to learn about these serving opportunities cfiggins@harvester.cc

  • HCC Food Pantry
  • Broken & Beautiful Pen Pal Ministry
  • Good Neighbor Serve Team

September Events

September 2, School Outreach Pray & Prep. The first Wednesday night of every month, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., we pray over our schools, students, teachers, and administrators in the Annex workroom. After we pray we write cards of encouragement and assemble simple appreciation gifts. Click this link to RSVP

<squeal with me> Carissa is in Athens visiting our Global Partner September 4-11! 🙂

September 16, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. & September 19, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.Sharing Shed. The Sharing Shed is located at 923 E Terra Ln, O’Fallon, MO 63366. It provides furniture and household goods to families experiencing poverty, recovering from fire/flood, or rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Our Sharing Shed crews are serving twice in September to help families in need find household items as well as receive donations, clean donations, and organize donations. Click this link to sign up for 8/15. Click this link to sign up for 9/19.

September 19, Gateway Faith & Work SURRENDERED Symposium HCC St Charles is hosting Gateway Faith and Work’s annual one-day conference! What happens when our work, resources, and ambitions are fully surrendered to God? Join Christian professionals from across the region for a day of learning and fellowship as we explore stewardship, productivity, technology, and more through the lens of a biblical worldview. Scholarships available for college age and young professionals. Click this link to register. 

 

Prayers

  1. Pray for 8 families to commit to driving once a month 1-4 women living at Rise Up Transitional to church on Sundays and Celebrate Recovery on Monday nights
  2. Pray for the families coming to HCC to receive food, a cool spot from the heat, school supplies, or financial assistance to consider attending Harvester this fall so they can hear the Good News.
  3. Pray for 6 people to commit to tutoring third graders in math at Central Elementary School, 1- 2 hours a week during the school day for 6 weeks beginning in September
  4. Pray for people to commit to serving with our specific School Outreach teams at Becky David, Barnwell, Harvest Ridge, Hackmann Rd, and FHSD Parents As Teachers
  5. Pray for opportunities for our school outreach volunteers to be in schools focused on presence and not just events or tasks.
  6. Pray for God to move through and sustain each of our ministry and community partners 
  7. Pray that all of Harvester Christian continues the momentum of Good Neighbor Serve Week to intentionally share the love of Jesus with as many people as possible.

 

 

 

 

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June 1, 2026
in Uncategorized, Upcoming Events
by cefiggins
0 Comments

May 2026 Newsletter

Unleashing Hope:

HCC-St. Charles Local Outreach

May Update

Hello, Harvester Church Family!

As the spring weather warms up, our opportunities to show up and build trustworthy relationships in St. Charles County are heating up too. Our dream has always been for Harvester Christians to love God and love their neighbors naturally as a lifestyle, rather than just waiting for events and programming. This summer, let’s look at how we can carry the hope of Jesus into our everyday spaces, prepare for a massive summer of serving, and remain rooted in our discipleship foundation.

Devotional: Showing Up and Showing Up Again and Again and Again

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” — Acts 1:8

In Local Outreach, our core strategy is simple but requires radical commitment: We show up, and we show up again, and again, and again.

When we meet the tangible, physical needs of our community—whether that’s through the Food Pantry on Tuesday mornings, sorting furniture with the Sharing Shed, or packing school backpacks—we aren’t just checking off a volunteer box. We are earning the right to be heard as followers of Christ, not as humanitarian aid workers.

Our neighbors who are fighting poverty, navigating child welfare systems, or seeking mental health support need more than a one-time transaction; they need a relationship. Our teachers in our schools must be more than teachers in this age. They are social workers, mental health crisis counselors, and Supreme Court-level negotiators. This month, look at your “Jerusalem” (your neighborhood, your local grocery store, your sideline, your workplace). Where is the Holy Spirit calling you to show up consistently so that you can earn the right to share Christ’s life-changing love? Where do you need to take a step of faith and not wait for the perfect time or the perfect relationship or the perfect situation to share the hope of Jesus?

Reminders from Discipleship Training

For those who have walked through our recent discipleship training, the summer months are the ultimate testing ground for what we’ve learned. Let’s keep these three core principles at the front of our minds this month:

  • Move from Event to Lifestyle: True disciples don’t just participate in a service project; they live on mission. Watch for the needs around you daily. Discipleship is not only conversion. The lifestyle is our willingness to be discipled by Jesus, to walk and learn from him. Then discipling others, whether in our families, small groups, neighbors, or serve teams, to walk and learn from Jesus as well.

  • The Power of the Simple Question: As you see new faces in our community and at the St. Charles campus, keep our age-old question ready: “How long have you been attending Harvester?” It’s the easiest way to break the ice and start a real connection. Take some time and practice the Art of Small Talk to build relationships.

  • Serve from Rest, Not Weariness: We cannot pour out what we aren’t taking in. Prioritize your personal time with Jesus so your service comes from a place of spiritual overflow.

Speaking of showing up again and again! HUGE Shoutout to our Food Backpack Packing Crews. From January of this year to the middle of May, this crew packed and delivered approximately 2040 food backpacks for local school children experiencing food insecurity. Thank you to our Crew Leaders, Shelly Swart and Susan Nash, for your countless hours of leadership, coordination, and communication to the schools and to the volunteers! We also want to thank our Food Pantry volunteers, who are more reliable than the USPS used to be. It can be 20 below our 2000 degrees, and these volunteers show up week after week with joy and hope and beautiful servant hearts!

HCC Food Pantry Need: Canned meals such as Beefaroni, Beef Stew, Ravioli, etc. These can be dropped off in the bin outside the South Entrance or placed in the collection bin in the Mission Cafe.

 Mark Your Calendars: Good Neighbor Serve Week is Coming in July!

Our biggest outreach push of the summer is right around the corner. Get ready for Good Neighbor Serve Week, July 13-18!

This is an incredible, all-church, all-campus effort to unleash the hope of Jesus across our communities. We will partner with local municipalities, support our community and ministry partners, and tackle Pack A Pack to provide 300+ local students with school supplies before the new school year starts.

Whether you serve with your family, your small group, or your co-workers, make sure to save the date. Pray for God to lead you where He wants you to use your gifts and talents to serve your neighbors, then check out all the serving opportunities by clicking here==> Good Neighbor Serve Week 2026. Register as soon as possible so you don’t miss out on your FREE Good Neighbor Serve T-shirt! There will be an opportunity for everyone to play a part in being good neighbors and in unleashing the hope of Jesus!

Pack A Pack Collection

Our Annual Pack A Pack Collection will run from June 28 through July 12 in the Mission Cafe. Drop off a complete backpack or any of the items needed. These school supplies will be used for the Boys and Girls Club St Charles Back to School Bash on July 25, as well as the Good Neighbor Market on July 30th. The shopping list is below, or you can pick one up in the Mission Cafe beginning June 28. An easy peasy way to shop is our Amazon wish list that you can find by clicking here==> 2026 Pack A Pack School Supply Drive

NEW THIS YEAR: If you plan to serve as a Pack A Pack volunteer, check with Jillian Hohensee, our Ministry Coordinator, to make sure you have an up-to-date HCC background check to serve with children who will also be serving in this ministry.

Upcoming Serving Opportunities

Saturday, June 13, 9 a.m.-11 a.m. The Sharing Shed

Wednesday, June 24, 6:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. The Sharing Shed

Sunday, June 28- July 12 Pack A Pack Collection in the Mission Cafe. Choose your shift here==> Pack A Pack Collection Volunteer

July 13-18 Click here for full descriptions ==> Good Neighbor Serve Week

Wednesday, July 22, 6:00 -8:00 p.m. The Sharing Shed

Saturday, July 25, 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Click here to RSVP==> Boys & Girls Club- St Charles Unit Back to School Bash

Thursday, July 30  Click here to RSVP==>Good Neighbor Market

May Prayer Prompts

Please join us in lifting up these specific requests for our local community and outreach ministries this month:

  • For Hearts of Service: Pray that our church family expands their vision of neighboring—moving from seeing service as a calendar event to adopting it as a daily lifestyle.

  • For Our Vulnerable Neighbors: Pray for the unhoused individuals, families utilizing our Food Pantry, and single parents in St. Charles County. Pray that as they interact with Harvester, they feel safe, dignified, and deeply loved by God.

  • For the Logistics & Leaders: Pray for our Local Outreach Crew Leaders as they manage the moving parts of the upcoming heavy preparation for Good Neighbor Serve Week. Pray for endurance, wisdom, and joy. Pray for more HCC members to answer the call to lead a one-time Good Neighbor Serving Opportunity.

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May 18, 2026
in Outreach
by cefiggins
0 Comments

Powerful Acts of Being A Good Neighbor

Powerful Acts of Being A Good Neighbor

 

Sometimes it is the simple, small acts that make the biggest difference. Below are a few examples of what these acts of service and acts of neighborliness may look like. We encourage you to pick one and see what happens as doors open and new conversations begin simply because you showed up to unleash hope. These are just a few examples. There are many ways to love your neighbors well. When people ask why you are doing this simply tell them that God loves you and that is reason enough to want to love them. If your neighbors turn down your offer, don’t worry. You are being obedient to the greatest command no matter what. Before any activity pray God will use these acts for His glory and trust that is what will happen.

 

  • Read a good book about neighboring to get you inspired. Try Dave Runyon’s book, “The Art of Neighboring.”

 

  • Read Melody Warnick’s book, “This Is Where You Belong” and try out one of her ideas for learning to love where you live.

 

  • Make a post of chili, soup or cookies and share… take some of your homemade treats to a neighbor and simply tell them you were thinking about them and wanted to bless them today.

 

  • Beautify a corner of your neighborhood, plant flowers, help to clean, and pick up trash. If planting flowers, pot some and share.

 

  • Do a family or group “Care Scavenger Hunt” to find ways of encouraging people in a define time frame. Then come back to share stories.

 

  • Visit a local school, first responders location or hospital and take a thank you package to show appreciation for all they do for our community

 

  • Put $20 cash or a gift card in your pocket specifically for the purpose of helping someone. Pray for wisdom in knowing who it should go to on that day.

 

  • Reach out to old friends and tell them you would like to commit to praying for them at a certain time each day of the week for a month.

 

  • Purchase a gift card to a local fast food restaurant. Use it to pay for someone’s meal or item unexpectedly.

 

  • Write notes of encouragement and share them. They can be anonymous or not.

 

  • Babysit for free for an evening so a couple can go out that rarely has the chance.

 

 

  • Text 10 people and share something with them that you appreciate about them

 

  • Make a busy bag for a family that has young children

 

  • Keep water, socks, granola bars in your car to share in the moment when you see a need.

 

  • Organize a prayer box in your neighborhood. This is a simply a place for people to drop off a prayer at anytime and know it will be prayed for.

 

  • Give an overly generous tip

 

  • Give out pre-paid card or quarters at a local laundromat

 

 

  • Leave a gift care with the check out clerk to be used for the next person in line (groceries, restaurant, gas station, etc)

 

  • Offer a helping hand to rake a neighbor’s law, clean rain gutters

 

  • Give thank you cards to those in your neighborhood who contribute in big and small ways.

 

  • Find out who served in the Armed forces in your neighborhood and brainstorm something you could do that would show appreciation for them service.

 

  • Host “Sunday Sundaes”. Invite your neighbors over for sundaes on a Sunday.

 

  • Offer to walk your neighbors dog(s). They might welcome the break and you might have a chance to meet more neighbors.

 

  • Bring cut flowers to a shut-in in your neighborhood.

 

  • Start a neighborhood garden and bring the produce to your neighbors. You might want to put it in the front yard, so the neighbors watch the vegetables and flowers grow.

 

  • Start a neighborhood lending library. You can build a book box on a pole for the neighborhood or in a public place in your apartment building.

 

  • Look for needs in the neighborhood and ask if you can lend a hand.

 

  • Host a neighborhood book club. You can host in your house, garage, or a local space like the library, community center, or a church basement.

 

  • Go for a walk and bring a small trash bag to pick up trash along the sidewalk.

 

  • Use sidewalk chalk to write an inspiring message on the sidewalk in front of your home.

 

  • Ask an elderly neighbor or parent with young children if you can pick up items for them while you’re at the store.

 

  • Compliment a neighbor on a feature of their home or garden.

 

  • Make yourself available by spending more time in the front yard.

 

  • Host a garage sale with special discounts for your neighbors.

 

  • Organize a blitz neighborhood cleanup.

 

  • Leave a bottle of bubbles, flowers, or a coloring book on the neighbor’s doorstep.

 

  • Ask a neighbor if there’s a chore you can help them do.

 

  • Set up a reverse lemonade stand with free drinks for neighbors.

 

  • Host a weekly or monthly coffee bar in your garage for the neighborhood to gather people and get acquainted.

 

  • Go to a library event featuring a local author or speaker. Invite a neighbor to go with you.

 

  • Join your local HOA or neighborhood association. Or, if you can’t lead, find ways to support and thank them for their efforts.

 

  • Offer to teach a skill you have to local neighbors. Skills like baking, writing, public speaking, budgeting, sewing, water color, and fixing a lawn mower are just a few ideas of skills many people (including young people) would love to learn.

 

 

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February 26, 2026
in Upcoming Events
by cefiggins
0 Comments

February 26 Newsletter

Unleashing the Hope of Jesus in

St. Charles County

Devotional: Love That Moves

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

February is often centered around love. Cards. Candy. Flowers. But Scripture reminds us that love is not simply something we feel — it’s something we do. Jesus didn’t just speak about compassion. He lived the fullest meaning of compassion: TO SUFFER WITH. He moved toward people. He touched the untouchable. He fed the hungry. He welcomed the outsider. He made love visible.

As a church, that is our calling too. When you move dusty furniture on a cold Saturday morning, you are making Jesus’ love visible. When you deliver packed food backpacks to school staff who may be too busy to even acknowledge you, you are making Jesus’ love visible.  When you serve overnight at the Warming Center with folks who may not experience the same reality as you,  you are making Jesus’ love visible. When you organize what seems like the same school supplies for the 50th time, you are making Jesus’ love visible. When we act and live and serve as one saved by the blood of Jesus, we make the love of Christ tangible for the world to see. You are putting hands and feet to the gospel.

This month, ask yourself:

  • Where is God inviting me to move toward someone and suffer with them?

  • What would it look like for my love to be visible?

  • Who needs to experience hope through action?

Love is more than a feeling. It’s a response to the love we’ve already received in Christ. Let’s be people whose love moves.

Prayers

Please join us in praying for:

  • Our unhoused neighbors to find safety and security and a compassionate community.

  • The ministry partners who serve families facing food insecurity

  • School staff and administrators navigating mid-year challenges

  • Volunteers who faithfully show up and serve behind the scenes

  • New leaders emerging within our outreach crews

Prayer:
Father, thank You for loving us first. Give us eyes to see needs around us and the courage to respond. Strengthen our ministry and community partners. Protect the vulnerable. Raise up compassionate leaders within our church. May everything we do unleash the hope of Jesus in our community. Amen.

📅 Upcoming Serving Opportunities

Date
Event/Program
Leaders
Ministry
3/1
Warming Center Celebration/Reflection Lunch
Mike Coumerilgh
Michael True
Emergency Weather Response
3/2
LO/GS Gathering #1- Safety Focus
Brendon & Carissa
All Local Outreach & Guest Services
3/5
Monthly Pray & Prep
Katy Pursell
School Outreach
3/7
Operation Restoring Calm Exercise
Leader Needed
Natural Disaster Response Team
3/21
Sharing Shed
Lisa Rogers
Alleviation of Poverty
3/24
City Life Serve Day in Food Pantry & Food Backpack Ministry
Carissa Figgins
Susan Nash
Food Pantry and Food Backpack Ministry
Ongoing
Food Pantry
Jane & Steward Topper
Denise & Ken Sabo
Linda Beeler
Food Pantry
Ongoing
Food Backpacking
Shelly Swart
Susan Nash
Food Backpack Ministry
Ongoing
Broken & Beautiful Ministry Pen Pals
Leader Needed
Mental Health Support
3/25
YAM Sharing Shed
Stephanie Lake
Alleviation of Poverty
4/1
Monthly Pray & Prep
Katy Pursell
School Outreach
4/7
Election Polling Place
Leader Needed
Local Outreach
4/18
Sharing Shed
Lisa Rogers
Alleviation of Poverty
4/24-4/20
Carissa on Vacation
4/27
Extra Pray & Prep
Katy Pursell
School Outreach
4/30
LO/GS Gathering #2- Discipleship Focus
Brendon & Carissa
All Local Outreach & Guest Services
SAVE THE DATE!
Good Neighbor Serve Week is July 12-18th!
Look for more information this spring!
Mark your calendar now!

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight

Do you have a serving story to share? When we highlight your story, it isn’t about drawing attention to you — it’s about honoring God and helping others see how they might step into serving too. If you’d be willing to share how God is working through your local outreach involvement, we’d love to connect with you.

New to Local Outreach?

Not sure where to start?

  1. Pray about where God may be leading you.

  2. Click here to take the SHAPE assessment and familiarize yourself with your spiritual gifts.

  3. Explore current serving opportunities.

  4. Try one opportunity and see how God works through it.

  5. Consider stepping into leadership if you sense God nudging you.

There is a place for you.

💬 Final Encouragement

Serving our neighbors isn’t a one-time event that we check off when we are done. It’s a rhythm of life that honors what Jesus did for all of us. It’s choosing compassion when it’s inconvenient. It’s showing up consistently. It’s believing small acts can create eternal impact. Thank you for being a church that doesn’t just gather — but goes.

Together, we are unleashing the hope of Jesus in St. Charles County.

With gratitude,
HCC St Charles – Local Outreach Team

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October 24, 2024
in HCC, Jesus, Local, Outreach, Serve Teams
by cefiggins
1 Comment

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.

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September 14, 2024
in Discipleship, Jesus, Local, Outreach, Serve Teams
by cefiggins
1 Comment

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

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From the HCC Outreach Team:

Thanks so much for stopping by the Harvester Christian Church Outreach Team’s blog! We hope you find this resource helpful, insightful and encouraging as we strive to Unleash the Hope of Jesus back into our world!

This resource belongs to Harvester Christian Church in St. Charles, Mo.