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HCC Serve Team Tag

September 30, 2025
in Church, HCC, Local, Outreach, Upcoming Events
by cefiggins
1 Comment

September 2025 Newsletter

Who Is My Neighbor?

In Luke 10, a man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” hoping to justify himself. Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan—a story that reminds us that our “neighbor” is not limited by proximity, similarity, or convenience. Instead, our neighbor is anyone in need, and love is demonstrated not just with words but through presence, compassion, and action.

As followers of Jesus, we don’t get to choose our neighbors. God places people in our path daily—at schools, workplaces, our community, and even across our social media feeds. The question is: will we stop, notice, and serve? Will we choose to see each and every person we encounter in person or online as someone made in the image of God? This fall, let’s open our eyes to see our neighbors as Jesus sees them, and be ready to respond with His love.

October Opportunities to Serve

Do you know someone who is looking to get plugged in at Harvester through serving? Send them this link to get the conversation started! ==> https://harvestercc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/265/responses/new

Black Cat Coffee Cafe Pop Up

  • Date: Saturday, October 11 | 9:00–12:00 a.m.

  • Location: Mission Cafe- enter through the South Entrance

  • Although there is no serving opportunity with this event, it is a great chance for you to bring a friend to the Mission Cafe and be served by teens and young adults living with disabilities as they gain vocational skills with hands-on experience in a welcoming, supportive environment. All treats and drinks are complimentary. Cash-only tips are welcome to support the Coffee Crew.

The Sharing Shed Saturday Crew   

  • Date: Saturday, October 19 | 9:00–11:00 a.m.

  • Location: 923 E Terra Ln, O’Fallon, MO

  • Serve by receiving donations, shopping with clients, delivering furniture, and offering encouragement.

Monthly Pray & Prep

  • *Dates: October 13 & 20  *Note change from October 6

  • Location: Annex Lobby enter through Door 10

  • Serve by praying over our local schools, students, teachers, and administrators. Make and write cards of encouragement. Prep for holiday gifts to teachers.

  • RSVP through the School Outreach Calendar in the Harvester app

Multiply: Living Out The Great Commission

  • Dates: Sundays, October 19- November 9 | 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

  • Location: TBD on HCC St Charles Campus

  • In this four-week group, we will dive into a different topic each week. We will learn about God’s heart for the lost and what He has asked us, his people, to do! We will spend time identifying the lost, what our role is in praying, how we make disciples, and what our next steps are. There will also be optional times of sharing/FISHing together in the community to live out what we have learned each week. If you have questions regarding this group, please reach out to Grace Gischer, ggischer@harvester.cc
  • Sign up here==> https://harvestercc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/722/responses/new

Unhoused Solutions Book Discussion- Grace Can Lead Us Home: A Christian Call To End Homelessness

  • Date: Monday, October 20 | 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.

  • Location: Carissa’s home

  • Whether you have read the book or not, join us as we discuss how to demystify homelessness and how we reimagine our theological approach to these matters.

The Sharing Shed YAM Crew 

  • Date: Wednesday, October 22 | 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

  • Location: 923 E Terra Ln, O’Fallon, MO

  • Serve by receiving donations, shopping with clients, delivering furniture, and offering encouragement.

Did you know?

Good Neighbor Serve Crew receives requests from HCC members and our neighbors to help with things like moving, mowing, simple repairs, and landscaping. 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

We are actively recruiting volunteers to serve at Faith Haven House in the afternoons and evenings, 3rd-grade math tutors at Central Elementary, regular monthly serve team volunteers for Becky David and Hackmann Rd EC, and chaplains at the Child Advocacy Center. Email Carissa at cfiggins@harvester.cc if you are interested in any of these options.

Our Foster/Adoptive Parent Group is growing! If you are a foster parent or adoptive parent at HCC, let us know so we can add you to that group for support, prayers, and LOVE!

Food Pantry and Food Backpack Ministry recipient numbers are growing almost weekly! Please keep those recipients in your prayers, as many of them are navigating the need for programs and services for the first time.

We may be ready for cooler weather, but perhaps not the dangerously cold weather coming in a few months. We are getting ready for the week our EWR volunteers host the Warming Center in January for our unhoused neighbors. If you have never served in this capacity and you’re wondering where you fit in, let’s chat! Schedule time with me by clicking on this link! ==>Book time with Carissa Figgins

Whenever you serve and wherever you serve, PLEASE CHECK IN ON THE HARVESTER app. We need this information for safety and security reasons. We also need to track the number of volunteers that serve in Local Outreach, whether it is the food pantry, school outreach, EWR, Sharing Shed, or any other ministry at HCC. If you are unsure how to do this, just ask!

Mark your calendars for our final LO/GS Gathering on November 13. Everyone who serves with Local Outreach, Food Pantry, and Guest Services is coming together for a fellowship meal, brief training, and to hear the vision for 2026. RSVP today using this link! ==> https://harvestercc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/584/responses/new

Discipleship Reflection

When Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan, He ended with this command: “Go and do likewise.” As you think about the weeks ahead, consider this question:

What might it look like for me to “go and do likewise” for the neighbor God places in front of me today?

Pray for eyes to see, a heart that responds, and hands that serve.

Stay Connected

Visit harvesterccoutreach.org for updates, information, and devotionals.  serving opportunities. Follow our Facebook page for serving opportunities too!

Together, let’s be the hands and feet of Jesus—answering the question, “Who is my neighbor?” with action, compassion, and love.

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January 30, 2025
in Church, Food Backpack Program, HCC, Jesus, Local, Outreach, Safe Families for Children, School Outreach, Serve Teams, The Sharing Shed
by cefiggins
0 Comments

Local Outreach Updates:
God was glorified when HCC hosted the (EWR) Warming Center on January 19-25. We were activated four nights and provided a total of 115 beds to our unhoused neighbors. I couldn’t believe it when I saw three of them on Sunday morning in services and chatting with Warming Center volunteers! We will start planning to provide a cooling center this summer when the temperatures are not safe for humans to be outside for extended periods of time. Let me know if you would like to be a part of that planning.

Our Safe Families/Foster/Adopt Serving Group is really coming together. This group is made up of HCC families who already serve as Host Families with Bethany Christian Safe Families or who are Foster/Adoptive Families. The group also includes Family Friends who may provide physical needs such as formula or clothing but they can also help provide meals, transportation, or babysitting to our HCC families.

Food Pantry and Food Backpack Volunteers are just beasts! They have continued to serve in ridiculous weather situations. Talk about discipleship at the cost of comfort. Thank you so much for your dedication and commitment!

 

FOR THE ONE VISON NIGHTS: We’re just over two weeks away from launching our FOR THE ONE Campaign, and we want to make sure you’re in the loop about this!! This campaign is all about boldly reaching the lost in our region through our third campus in O’Fallon and updates at our Troy Campus. To help everyone catch the vision and understand how we can all be part of it, we’re hosting three identical Vision Nights in February:

  • Tuesday, February 11th @ 6:30 PM (STC)
  • Wednesday, February 12th @ 6:30 PM (Troy)
  • Sunday, February 23rd @ 6:30 PM (STC)

Childcare will be provided for all three nights, and you only need to attend one. Please take a moment to sign up for the Vision Night that works best for you by clicking the link.

 Upcoming Service Opportunities

School Outreach Monthly Pray & Prep
Monday 2/3/25 6:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. HCC St Charles Campus Annex Door 10
Join us each month to pray for our local schools, teachers, staff, families, and children. We also use this time to assemble simple appreciation gifts and write thank you notes to local school staff. Click  to RSVP here


The Sharing Shed
Saturday 2/15/25 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. 923 East Terra Ln. O’Fallon, MO 63366
Our HCC Sharing Shed crew serves every 3rd Saturday of each month from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Volunteers are needed to receive donations, clean them. and occasionally help deliver the items or serve as personal shoppers to Sharing Shed Clients. Volunteers are especially needed who can lift and deliver heavy household items. Sign up Here

LO/GS Spring Training
Thursday 3/13/25 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Mission Cafe
This training is for anyone serving in Local Outreach, Food Pantry, or Guest Services. We will be focusing on safety. SCAAD will be here to demonstrate basic lifesaver CPR. We will have a brief training from our Security Team on what to do in the event of an emergency. We will also have tips and tricks on how to de-escalate and manage difficult conversations. RSVP here

Safe Families Training #1 & #2
Safe Families Core Training Monday 3/24/25 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Mission Cafe
Host Family Training Monday 3/31/25 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Mission Cafe

Bethany Christian- Safe Families is hosting two in-person trainings at HCC on March 24th and March 31st from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Mission Cafe.
For anyone wanting to serve as a Family Friend either for Safe Families or to support HCC families, you need to complete Safe Families Core Training on March 24th. Click this link to sign up for Core Training. For anyone wanting to serve as a Host Family for Safe Families, you will need to complete the Core Training on March 24th and the Host Family training on March 31st. Click the previous link to sign up for Core Training. In addition click this link to sign up for Host Family Training.
The Sexual Abuse Prevention Training for Family Friends and Host Families will need to be completed online. Email Madison Witte to enroll in the Sexual Abuse Prevention Training.  Feel free to email Madison Witte from Safe Families, mwitte@bethany.org, for any additional information about what Safe Families is, what a Host Family does, or the critical importance of a Family Friend.

Prayers
Pray for one specific neighbor to be curious about your faith.
Pray for God to provide an opportunity for you to share a message of hope and love.
Pray for God to raise up a HCC member to serve as the Hackmann Rd Early Childhood Crew Leader.
Pray for HCC members to form a consister serving crew at Hackmann Rd Early Childhood.
Pray for God to raise up a HCC member to serve as the Becky David Crew Leader.
Pray for the health and healing of so many of our Local Outreach and Food Pantry volunteers.
Pray Local Outreach volunteers will not slip into humanitarian tasks but will boldly unleash the hope of Jesus through justice and generosity.

Resources for you to grow in your faith and Become more and more like Jesus through service

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More Ways to Stay in the Loop

  1. Like and Share posts from HCC Outreach- St Charles Campus Facebook Page
  2. Like and Share posts from HCC Food Pantry
  3. Subscribe and follow HarvesterCC Outreach Blog
  4. In the Harvester app: Log into the app. At the bottom right hand corner click “More.” On the next screen click “Groups.” Click on any group you are assigned to see the calendar, and messaging about needs, events, or serving opportunities. If you would like to be added to any group such as Food Pantry, School Outreach, EWR Warming Center, Safe Families/Foster/Adopt, Natural Disaster Food Backpack Ministry, Elections, or Sharing Shed, please email our Ministry Coordinator Jillian Hohensee at jhohensee@harvester.cc

 

 

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December 17, 2024
in Food Backpack Program, Guest Services, HCC, Local, Outreach, packapack, School Outreach, Serve Teams, Volunteer Spotlight
by cefiggins
0 Comments

Volunteer Spotlight: Ken Sabo

At Harvester Christian Church, we love highlighting how God works through our volunteers, and Ken Sabo is a powerful example of His hands at work. Ken’s service is not about recognition but about responding to God’s call to impact His kingdom. Through Ken’s obedience and heart for others, God brings hope, joy, and transformation to those he encounters. This story isn’t about Ken; it’s about the incredible things God is doing through him to glorify His name and lead people to find and follow Jesus. Continue reading below to learn more about Ken and his obedience to God through service to others!
Where do you serve with Local Outreach? 
I serve in the Food Pantry, the Parking Crew, the Backpack Program (which provides food for children at local schools who may not have the means to be fed on weekends), Local Outreach events at schools in the area, and other service projects through the church as needed.
How are your gifts and talents used in this service?
God uses my ability to serve others and to help meet their needs.
What inspired you to start volunteering with Harvester Christian Church Local Outreach?
When I first started serving, I was at Guest Central. One hot Sunday, our Then-Local Outreach pastor (Kevin Hamilton) asked me to drive the golf cart to pick up people and take them to the Worship Center. At that point, I wanted to keep doing more.
How has serving impacted your personal relationship with Jesus?
It has brought me closer to Him. Realizing that He made sacrifices for me, I should sacrifice my time and talents to help increase the size of the Kingdom and show His love to others.
What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering for Local Outreach at Harvester?
It is real easy to get plugged into a program that needs help. You can try one and if you feel that is not a fit for you, switch to another until you find one that works for you.
How do you see God working through the Local Outreach efforts at Harvester?
I see that we can all help to grow the Kingdom in some way, whether it is large or small part. Every part counts.
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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.