Fill Up

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Harvest Update 7-24-11 – Ps 34:3 If you’re visiting with us for the first time, this service is going to be different Not only b/c we’re going to worship at the end, but b/c I’m going to spend the bulk of our time giving you an update about our church Which is important from time to time; It moves us forward together, and ensures that we thank and praise the Lord along the way Like King David said in Ps 34:3 – Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! That’s what I want to do as we recount all that he’s doing among us Exalt his name together for things like . . .  Our heritage I haven’t said much over the years about our spiritual heritage as a church, but we have a very rich one Yes, Becky and I started this church, and God laid it on our heart to do so, but it didn’t happen in a vacuum There were others who went before us, like James MacDonald and the leadership in Rolling Meadows, who laid some very important groundwork so we didn’t have to In fact, they planted the church who planted us And I want to give you a sense of that heritage with a little video (HBF Church Plants) As you saw, we were one of those early plants, and we have much for which to exalt the name of the Lord together *****  Our numbers We’re running a summertime attendance of about 2100, with another 300-400 expected this Fall Meanwhile, our giving is on track, with 2 to 5 new givers every week . . . And we’re under budget on our spending I just wish we could eliminate the summertime lull in our giving And then last is our baptisms In the past 12 months, no less than 90 people have professed their faith in the waters of baptism, with well over 100 decisions for Christ to go with them So we can exalt his name for our numbers  Our staff We now have 35 people on staff, all of whom do a phenomenal job I’m extremely proud of them And I want to introduce two of them to you – Gary Pena (Mem) and Kip Hamby (Shari) Both of whom just started July 1st Gary replaced Dave Merrifield, and Kip replaced David Olson Dave Merrifield is retiring after 5 years on staff as our Director of Global Outreach . . . And David Olson is semi-retiring – scaling back his hours and responsibilities, but still helping with counseling and congregational care (Photo slide – Gary and Kip) So Kip and Gary are filling some pretty big shoes, and we’d like to pray for them But before we do, why don’t you guys share a bit with us re your passions, and some of the things you’re excited about in your respective roles (Kip; Gary; Pray) *****

 In addition to Gary and Kip, we also just hired a Men’s Pastor It’s a position we’ve been looking to fill for over a year now . . . And his name is Ken Schmidt (Kim); They’re coming from South Carolina, he starts August 1st, and I can’t wait to introduce him to you ***** That’s our staff; And once again we have much for which to exalt the Lord together  Our ministries Which our staff oversee; And I just want to list them very quickly, highlighting a few things as I do The first is Children’s Ministry – which continues to grow, both on the weekends and in our Tuesday evening club program The same is true of Student Ministries – where there’s a constant buzz of activity . . . Young Adult Ministry is bearing the most fruit in SG’s these days . . . Women’s Ministry has always been strong around here, and continues to grow in both depth and breadth . . . And our Men’s Ministry has a huge upside In addition to that, are Small Groups – who meet at various times during the week for encouragement, personal application, prayer, and accountability . . . And Discipleship Classes – which have surprised me We offered 6 different DC’s this year, some multiple times – with almost 400 people involved; Something we want and need to do more of, but don’t have the space Then there’s Global Outreach – We support 15 global partners, scattered all over the world in cross-cultural settings . . . For the purpose of planting churches, or planting the seeds to plant churches And we sent short-term teams to them in places like St. Vincent, Romania, and Turkey Not to mention street evangelism in NY City last week, with our HS students Closely associated with that, is our Local Outreach ministry Where we support 7 local partners like World Relief, Youth Hope, and King’s Harvest But more important, is our involvement in those ministries Writing a check is good, but getting involved in people’s lives is better And I’m encouraged to hear that about 200 of you are And then last, is Alive & Free for those struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups Yet another ministry where the truth of God’s Word is proclaimed, and lives are being changed *****  That’s a lot; And it doesn’t happen by itself We don’t get the opportunity to bless and influence people, just b/c we hang a sign out front and open our doors; It takes people; And lots of them People like you who recognize your responsibility to serve, and take advantage of your opportunity to learn If you’re not serving in one of these ministries, and learning in one of these ministries, serving and learning at the same time . . . You’re dropping the ball on what it means to Work for Christ and Walk with Christ

Every single one of us is meant to be a conduit of God’s grace Conduits who fill up, and then overflow; Conduits who pass on the grace of God, that’s been passed on to them; Conduits who both learn, and serve And the best way to do so, is to Worship One, Work One Worship one service and work one service – every single week That’s what we need, to fulfill our mission of making disciples as a church That’s what we need if we’re going to make the most of the opp God has given us And that’s what you need if you’re going to be a good steward of the gifts God has given you *****  Our initiatives This time last year, I laid out 10 initiatives for your consideration and prayer Some of which we were well into, and others of which are still future So I want to update you on each of them, and praise the Lord for all he’s done 1. Orphan Care – We launched this ministry in January, and so far we’ve already come along side 12 different families; I love the groundswell in this 2. 3-Year Discipleship Process – We started this last Fall, we’ll start another cycle this year, and we trust that more and more of you will take advantage of it To grow in maturity, and your ability to rightly handle the Word of truth 3. School of Ministry – This too was launched last Fall, with a class of 8 students, in order to provide seminary-level education . . . In the church, by the church, and for the church It takes 4-5 years, the degrees are fully accredited at both at the bachelor’s and master’s level, and we’re looking forward to our next class this Fall So if that’s something you’re interested in, be sure to contact Bob Brueggen, our EP, as the application deadline for next year’s class is quickly approaching 4. Church Planting Residency – Once again, we started this last Fall with two of our own, Mike DuBard and Glenn McCrae, and we’re looking to expand it in the future We anticipate various lengths from 5 months to 5 years, depending on the experience, education, and readiness of those involved 5. Church Planting – It was this time last year that I announced that we were sending Mike and Jaime DuBard to plant a church Chattanooga And I’m happy to say that it’s starting to come together They have over 30 on their Launch Team, their finances are looking up, and they just found a place to meet In addition to that, we’ve decided to plant a second church, this time in the Washington, DC area, and we’re sending Dan and Jaime Buraga out to do so It’s something we’ve been thinking and praying about for some time now, and we believe the time is now to do it So be in prayer for them; It’s an exciting time, but an overwhelming one as well, and there are no guarantees

6. Expanded Worship Ministry – A year ago today, Austin and Katie were just arriving in town, with Seth following a few months after him, and more recently, Kelli Myers And they’ve been hard at work to raise the bar, raise up the next generation of leaders, and train those whom God has gifted in this respect Which not only shows on the weekends, but is beginning to be felt throughout all our ministries, and in things like the Night of Worship coming up this Fall And if you’re interested in some of the thinking behind it all, they’ve just started a blog that you can find on our website 7. Women’s Bible Study – Referring to the Titus 2 study we wrote Which has been very well received by those churches that have used it, but getting others to do so has been a challenge So we continue to work on getting the word out, and expanding our scope of distribution 8. Radio Ministry – This was an effort to expose more people to our church and the truth of God’s Word, through 2 minute segments from my messages And I say was, b/c we discontinued it last month We simply came to the conclusion that they weren’t very good, they weren’t putting our best foot forward as a church, and they weren’t having the impact we anticipated Especially in light of the time and effort required to produce them So at this point we’ve tabled the radio ministry, but remain open to other possibilities should they present themselves, or God so compels us 9. Satellite Campus – Which we still anticipate with more and more people driving long distances, but right now there’s nothing on the radar screen We don’t sense that strong compulsion from the Lord, and we’re going to need every penny we can find to do our build-out But we are keeping our eyes open, and trusting God for the clarity when the time comes 10. Build-out – Having completed Phase 1 with the expansion of the Worship Center . . . We’re still on track and looking forward to Phases 2 and 3 with increasing anticipation Which you can see in this schematic Phase 1 is the red, Phase 2 the blue, which is scheduled to begin next Spring, and Phase 3 the yellow, scheduled for the spring of 2013 The biggest change being Phase 3, where instead of piecing together a CM with the leftovers if you will, we decided to wipe the slate clean, and do it right Which basically means we’re going to re-do the back hallway, instead or working around it And while that may cost a little more, we think it’s the best use our money, hands down The last thing we want to do is throw good money after bad space So I trust you’re preparing for the Sacrificial Gift next March, when we need to raise $3.5 million to make this happen B/c if you wait, and just give whatever you have at the time, or whatever is left over, we’ll never make it – it’s going to require sacrifice ***** Those are the initiatives; And we have much for which to exalt the Lord

 Our fellowship Or, more specifically, Harvest Bible Fellowship; That’s what we call ourselves as a group of like-minded, autonomous churches . . . Who partner together to plant more churches It’s non-denominational, meaning there’s no hierarchy or authority that makes decisions from afar . . . And it’s voluntary – in that we voluntarily pool our resources to do more together than we could ever do alone And to give you a sense of that, and some of the fruit that’s being born – check this out (Video – The Hour Is Now) In addition to that, 16 new plants are scheduled to launch this year, with another 13 in 2012 so far Bringing the total to 99 HBC’s on 6 continents, by the end of 2012 Many of which are international plants, and two of whom we’re partnering very closely The first is HBC-St. Vincent with Al & Debbie Blake . . . And the second, that we just recently took on, is HBC-Mexico City with Antonio & Becky Munoz (photo)  Our future Our future is as bright as ever, and filled with opportunities And we need to take advantage of them Now More Than Ever In fact, that’s going to be the theme for our ministry year starting this Fall B/c NMTE people need the truth; NMTE people need perspective – God’s perspective And NMTE people need Jesus So let’s stand and exalt his name together in worship (Our God) Worship – How Great Thou Art; Say Say (?) Close – Next week – Preaching in Phoenix; Dan Buraga preaching here