“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?… But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. 

— Jesus (Matthew 6:25-26, 33-34)

Dear Harvest,

As I mentioned this past weekend, the situation with COVID-19 is rapidly changing.  It is one in which we are being asked to weigh the need to gather as a church with the call to love our neighbors by trying to prevent the spread of the virus.

Today, the Harvest staff met together with members and spouses of our larger leadership and eldership team.  Together, we have decided to take the following actions for the next few weeks to ensure that our mission to reach people and build lives will continue in an effective way while we honor the requests and examples of our community leaders to limit social gatherings for a period of time.  With this heart and desire we are making the following announcements:

We will Take the Following Actions to Build People’s Lives Through Prevention

  • Harvest will not meet on Sunday, March 22nd or Sunday March 29th.  We will then evaluate our Sunday gathering as we approach April. See below about our alternative Sunday activities.

  • Effective immediately, the Harvest building will be closed for two weeks for a deep clean.  The offices will remain open Monday-Thursday form 9am-4pm.  All activities at the building (including events and Life Groups) will be postponed until Monday, March 30th.  This action means:

    • Harvest Students will not meet the following two weeks.

    • The Team Harvest Training will not meet on March 29th.

    • All other events have been postponed.

  • Life Groups that meet in homes may take actions as they see fit.  However, we are recommending that you postpone meeting this week to allow some extra social distancing.  We would then encourage Life Groups to consider meeting beginning on Monday, March 23rd as they and their leaders feel comfortable. 

We will Take the Following Actions to Reach People During the next Month

  • Starting this Sunday, Harvest will create a live-stream virtual service for you and your family to watch online.  We will release a time and details later this week.

  • Later this week, we will launch an updated Harvest Kids page for parents to access.  This will include a weekly lesson for your kids to watch, and a list of resources and activities for your children to do.  

  • Starting later this week, I will create a Facebook Live Bible study titled “Secret Church” for you to follow.  This will be a virtual Life Group experience.

  • This week, Pastor Jim is contacting our local ministry partners to see if there are practical ways we can serve them.  Once these opportunities are made available, we will make them known to you.

  • We are also looking at a variety of other options to equip us to reach people and build lives in these unique times.

How To Stay Connected

  • If you have prayer requests or a need during this time, you may either call the office during regular business hours at 574-534-3528 or email us at info@hccgoshen.org.

  • For members, the best way to connect is by creating an account with our online database, REALM. There you can find contact information, get the latest updates, and give regularly.  To set up your REALM account, just email Nancy Bontrager at nancy@hccgoshen.org.

  • We will also be posting regular updates on our Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hccgoshen/) and Instagram (@hccgoshen) pages.  Parents we also encourage you to join our invitation only Harvest Kids and Harvest Students Facebook pages.  To be invited to Harvest Kids, email Laura Peachey at laura@hccgoshen.org.  To be invited to Harvest Students, email Cory Witmer at c.d.witmer@gmail.com. 

  • Finally, to give online please either set up a REALM account (above) or go to hccgoshen.org and click the link at the bottom of the page.

What You Can Do to Reach People and Build Lives Right Now

This is an unprecedented opportunity for us to seek ways to love our neighbors and be the hands and feet of Jesus.  To that end, I would encourage each of us to think about doing the following:

  • Pray for our nation, national leaders, health care leaders, community leaders and church leaders.

  • Check in with your neighbors — especially those older than you.

  • Offer to pick up groceries or other essentials for people around you who may not be able to (or should not) go out themselves.

  • Be generous.

  • Check on fellow Harvest friends — especially those in your Life Groups or newer to our congregation.

What I Will Refuse To Do

  • I refuse to give into fear. God is on the throne, He is in control, and He knows what is best for me, for my family and for Harvest.

  • I refuse to stop loving my neighbor. I will buy what I need and no more, I will check on those who need to hear from me, I will look for ways to love and serve others.

  • I refuse to stop being generous. Jesus pays my bills.  He is the owner of all things and I simply manage what He gives me.  I will look for ways to be generous with my time, energy, and money during this time.

  • I refuse to think of the church as meetings and services.  We are a family, a people, and have a mission that nothing can stop.

  • I refuse to not be grateful. I have been given more time with my wife, more time with my kids, more time to reflect, and more opportunity to be creative in engaging our call to reach people and build lives.

  • I refuse to dwell on what I have lost. It is okay to feel sad (I love Life Groups, Sunday Services, the lobby), but we shouldn’t remain in sadness.  We serve a joyful God who is just as happy today as He was a few weeks ago.

  • I refuse to trust anything but God. My faith will grow stronger even though I feel weaker.

It is an honor to serve you all.  This is the time for the church to rise up and be the hope of the world.  I look forward to maximizing the part Harvest is supposed to play in this calling.

Blessings,

Jeremy M. Gwaltney

Lead Pastor

Harvest Community Church