Love God Love Others

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Love God Love Others Tag

February 13, 2025

in Church, HCC, Jesus, Local

by cefiggins

1 Comment

Valentine’s Day Prayer

Hey God,

You are the God of love, the One who first loved us and calls us to love others in the same way. Thank You for the example of Jesus, who showed us what it means to love without condition, to serve with humility, and to give without expecting in return.

Lord, soften our hearts toward our neighbors. Remove any barriers of pride, fear, or indifference that keep us from seeing them as You do. Help us to love not just in words, but in action—to listen with compassion, to serve with joy, and to give generously of our time, resources, and kindness.

When it is difficult to love, remind us of the grace You have shown us. When we are tempted to turn away, strengthen us to lean in. Let our love reflect Your heart, so that our neighbors may come to know You through our lives.

May our homes, churches, and communities be places where love flourishes, burdens are shared, and hope is unleashed. Teach us to love as You love, for Your glory and the good of those around us.

In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen.

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

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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

More Ways to Stay in the Loop

Like and Share posts from HCC Outreach- St Charles Campus Facebook Page
Like and Share posts from HCC Food Pantry
Subscribe and follow HarvesterCC Outreach Blog
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

December 17, 2024

in Food Backpack Program, Guest Services, HCC, Local, Outreach, packapack, School Outreach, Serve Teams, Volunteer Spotlight

by cefiggins

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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.

November 21, 2024

in HCC, Jesus, Local, Outreach, School Outreach, The Sharing Shed, Volunteer Spotlight

by cefiggins

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Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Katy Pursell!

At Harvester Christian Church, we know that our volunteers don’t serve for recognition—they serve out of love for Jesus and a desire to make a difference. But we can’t help but celebrate how God is working through their faithfulness to unleash hope in St. Charles County. This week, we’re shining a light on one of our incredible volunteers, not to highlight their efforts alone, but to showcase the ways God uses ordinary people to bring extraordinary transformation in our community.

Meet Katy Pursell!

Where do you serve with Local Outreach?

Local school outreach. Katy also coordinates and leads all of our Teacher/Staff Appreciation Cards and Gifts.

How are your gifts and talents used in this service?

Organization, writing cards, being an extra set of hands wherever needed.

What inspired you to start volunteering with Harvester Christian Church Local Outreach?

During the “Become a Great Church” series, I felt pulled to help people to find and follow Jesus. I had been putting off what I was capable of to stay comfortable. I realized that my heart needed to open to others. Jesus told me it was time to step out of my comfort zone and spread His word through my actions.

How has serving impacted your personal relationship with Jesus?

I have a whole new perspective of community. Serving has created a stronger connection to the people around me. I have realized that serving others, helping spread joy, and showing people the love of Jesus through actions takes priority over my own personal comfort of staying in the background.

What advice would you give to someone considering volunteering for Local Outreach at Harvester?

Step out of your comfort zone. You may learn a lot about yourself while helping others to find and follow Jesus. You will grow closer to Christ as he works through you by helping others.

How do you see God working through the Local Outreach efforts at Harvester?

Serving provides a physical representation of God within the community. For some, It may be the first or only representation that they have experienced. Every time we express God’s love, through our actions,it could guide someone to Him. Planted seeds will grow.

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.

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

September 12, 2024

in HCC, Outreach

by cefiggins

1 Comment

Bible Verses About Serving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Galatians 5:13

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

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

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

1 Samuel 12:24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

June 10, 2024

in Child Welfare, GiveHope, Outreach, Serve Teams

by cefiggins

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Give Hope Ministry Partner Spotlight: The Sparrow’s Nest

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

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

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

GIVE HOPE has allowed The Sparrow’s Nest to

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

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

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

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

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

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

What existing volunteer needs can we share with Harvester Christians?

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

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

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

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

April 17, 2024

in DTOTD, HCC, Jesus, Local, Outreach

by cefiggins

0 Comments

They Don’t Know To Count On Us

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

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

They don’t know to count on us.

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

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

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

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

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

March 13, 2024

in Alleviation of Poverty, Local, Outreach, Serve Teams, The Sharing Shed

by cefiggins

1 Comment

More of A Blessing To Me: Guest Blog by Bernice Bundren

Several months ago I started volunteering at the Sharing Shed with our Harvester crew once a month. All I knew about this place in O’Fallon was that it provided free furniture and household items to those in need. The first day I walked in, I was quite surprised at what I saw. My thoughts were more of people rummaging through items that they might need and hopefully it would be good quality items. Was I ever wrong!

There is a room that looks more like a boutique for household items…everything someone would need to get started. Some shelves have neatly placed matching plates, bowls, and cups. A section with everything that’s needed for the bathroom and bedrooms with sheet sets and quilts separated for Twin, Queen, and King beds. There’s another section for a baby’s needs. All the donations they receive have to be sorted and cleaned. I could go on and on about the plethora of items. What I love is to see are the faces of the clients that we help when they walk into this beautifully displayed room. I believe they get a real feeling of being treated with dignity and respect when they see how much effort has been put into creating this space.

That was just the household items…then we take them into the furniture warehouse – couches, love seats, recliners, mattresses, dining and kitchen tables and chairs, bedroom sets! Again, every item has to be in good condition and cleaned before it goes on the floor warehouse. What is amazing is that all the items they receive are donated.

What I love about this time of helping is just seeing what joy it has given to so many who probably had felt things were hopeless until they walk in this door and we start packing up their U-Haul with items they picked out themselves!

One of the most heartbreaking but precious moments was when a grandmother was with her 8 or 9 yo grandson who had just lost his mom to drugs. Grandma was taking him into her home. Grandma picked out some of their needed items but all he wanted was a picture of a little angel going up to heaven. There were many tears shed over this.

Quite often, I have felt it has been more of a blessing to me just to know there is a place like The Sharing Shed that provides an amazing ministry to so many people in need.

Bernice Bundren

If you would like more information about regularly serving with The Sharing Shed Crew consider joining us at the Come & See The Sharing Shed event on Saturday, March 16 from 9-11 a.m. RSVP here.

Bernice Bundren is a Harvester Christian. Bernice can be seen expressing her love of Christ through service at The Sharing Shed, Discover Harvester, Guest Services, School Outreach, local nursing homes, Life Group Leader, and wherever else God calls her.

October 6, 2023

in GiveHope, HCC, Local, Natural Disaster Response, Outreach

by cefiggins

1 Comment

Are you in?

This week I met with St. Charles County Regional Emergency Management to determine the best way Harvester Christian Church can serve our neighbors in the event of a natural disaster or any widespread emergency situation. As our Natural Disaster Response Team starts to gel, the humble heart of each person is so evident. They all want to help but they want to make sure what we do is actually helpful and we don’t get in the way. Natural disasters have so many moving parts. I know we have all felt some level of feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to even begin to help. I received very helpful information and feedback today to shape our next steps and best utilize our church family’s gifts and talents.

Are you curious about how to help our neighbors after something like a tornado or flood?

Take a few moments and click here==> to complete this brief survey to let us know how you might be able to help. It does not sign you up to serve on any team. It is simply used to determine how our church family might serve our community.

The staff also gave me a tour of Dispatch. My heart broke with how many calls they received per minute. No one was calling to say they were having the best day ever. As with everywhere else, there is a shortage of dispatchers. Even with that volume of calls, and the lack of personnel, every dispatcher was calm, cool, collected and so understanding. They quickly connected to our incredible police, firefighters, or EMTs all over St. Charles County. As I reflect on my day I think it was truly a sacred ground of people doing their very best to unleash hope in our county. It also made me think of many of you. People who love so deeply that they can diffuse difficult situations and move to action quickly and efficiently. Perhaps you or someone you know would like to learn more about Dispatch positions available with St. Charles County. You can find out more about that opportunity here==>https://www.sccmo.org/2077/Jobs

One of my greatest desires is for our city to know we are Christians by our love. I want our community to experience unprecedented hope because as a church family, we can be counted on to show up in the really really dark times to our neighbors. I pray God blesses us with the opportunity to constantly and consistently serve our neighbors so they might find and follow Jesus.

Are you in?

September 14, 2023

in Alleviation of Poverty, Food Backpack Program, GiveHope, HCC, Local, Outreach, School Outreach

by cefiggins

0 Comments

People Are Hungry

Food Insecurity is a hard word to describe in our presumed affluent St. Charles County culture. Food insecurity is when you don’t have enough money to buy the healthy foods you need, or if you have to skip meals because you don’t have enough money to buy more food. The reality is St. Charles County actually has the third largest percentage of people facing food insecurity in The St. Louis Area Foodbank service area. Food insecurity can be caused by many things – an accident, an unexpected illness of a family member, underemployment, or simply having children not in school during holidays, spring breaks, or the summertime.

HCC Food Backpack Ministry is another aspect of our School Outreach to meet the physical needs of our neighbors. Each week our dedicated teams of volunteers pack nondescript food backpacks to meet the physical needs of about 100 local school children in 8 different schools across St. Charles County.

“Our program sends a bag of food home with a student each week. The bag is designed to feed the student for the weekend with simple meals and snacks. We don’t have any qualifications to participate in this program. The program is mostly utilized by the “Free and Reduced Meals” families. Free and Reduced Meals is a federally funded program that provides breakfast and lunch at school for students based on financial need. Our program has the unique ability to also help students during short-term events that don’t require a family to apply for Free and Reduced meals. All of the students participating are selected by the counselors in the schools we serve.”

-Shelly Swart, HCC Food Backpack Crew Leader

Here are a few ways you can support this ministry.

Pray. Yep, you guessed it. I think prayer is kind of a big thing. Prayer is constantly needed to help increase all of our faith in God. Prayer is needed for all of us to understand that we can trust God in hard situations like these. Pray about how God might want you to serve in this program or how He wants you to continue serving in this program. Pray for the children and families receiving this supplemental food so that they will see how God is providing for them. Pray for volunteers serving in this ministry that God would provide divine opportunities to unleash hope to the school, families, and children.

Collect food. Consider hosting a macaroni and cheese drive, canned ravioli drive, or protein/granola bar drive. Donate these items to the HCC Food Pantry to be used in the Food Backpack Program. This is a great way to get your neighbors involved in addressing food scarcity in our community and to raise their awareness about the needs around them as well as introduce them to some of the ways HCC serves St Charles County.

Serve. Join one of the packing teams. Consider serving as a driver to deliver to the schools. One of the wonderful things about our School Outreach Teams is that a child or his family can interact with a Harvester Christian in so many instances. Perhaps a child who attends Becky David and sees Harvester Christians delivering coffee to her teacher. Then the next week that same child saw Harvester Christians dropping off a food backpack to supplement what was missing from her pantry that week. Perhaps this child utilized a scholarship in order to participate in HCC Basketball-Cheer and begins to hear the Good News from her coach and other caring adults in the league. All of a sudden the child has a network of support grounded in biblical motivation. All of this creates a trustworthy relationship and a bridge to the church. We have served out of love and obedience. God does everything else.

In a perfect world, a child would not have to depend on a food backpack to get them through the weekend or a school holiday. All of their needs would be met. But even in a lost and wounded world, we can unleash hope through cans of ravioli and boxes of mac n cheese.

Important upcoming dates:

Food Backpack Program resumes on September 11

HCC Basketball-Cheer Registration opens September 25th at 8 a.m.

Guest Services/Local Outreach Gathering- we want to celebrate all of our volunteers. Join us on October 27 for a little food, fellowship, and vision for the coming year!

See You At The Pole September 27 at 7 a.m.

Love God Love Others Tag

Click the link below to sign up for one of our

Good Neighbor Serve Week

serving opportunities here ==>

-Shelly Swart, HCC Food Backpack Crew Leader

Important upcoming dates:

From the HCC Outreach Team: