Harvest News. Children s Sunday School Kick-Off. August 14 Prayer Vigil. August 2016

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1 August 2016 August Highlights Children s Sunday School August Launch Prayer Vigil August 14th Prayer Event Sept. 23 for Women Thanks to Cave Quest Plus Team! Choices Class starts Sept. 7th Hidden Acres Women s Retreat Sept. 16 Missionary Outreach for Women Two service schedule resumes August 7th Thanks to technology team! Prayer for search team Not a Fan Class begins August 14 Uninvited Class Looking for the latest information? Be sure to check our website... harvestefree.org Harvest News Children s Sunday School Kick-Off As Harvest returns to two services on August 7th, we will launch our children s Sunday school program, as well. In between services, at 9:45, we invite parents and children to a Meet and Greet Open House in the children s education wing. (Classes will not actually begin until the next week) We d love to have you join us for refreshments and take the opportunity to explore the classrooms, meet our teachers, and find out more about what our Harvest kids will be learning this year. We will have a registration table set up on this day for you to update your child s information, as well as find out what classroom and teacher he or she will have this Sunday school year. The first day of formal classes will be the following week on August 14th. We look forward to another fun-filled year learning about Jesus love for us! August 14 Prayer Vigil We are excited about God s grace to us and our need for his mercy, wisdom, and direction as we move to a new season of ministry at Harvest. We realize that growing in prayer is a key part of our best future. On Sunday August 14th we are inviting the Harvest family to participate in a 12-hour Sun up to Sun down prayer time. You are invited to join us in one or more 1/2 hour segments to praise God for what he s doing among us, intercede for the pastoral search process, and seek his blessing upon all the initiatives that will be part of life at Harvest as fall approaches. The Prayer vigil will run from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We are inviting you to sign up and join us in room 031 downstairs (below the main kitchen). We will provide sheets to help you focus your prayers. It will include items to praise God for, texts of scripture to meditate on or pray back to Page 1of 4

2 Page 2 of 4 Prayer for Search Team Search team members include Kurt Erickson (chairman); Jake Bates, Jenna Clark, Ron Ehrenberg; Tammy Kumrow, Theresa Perry, Erik Ringsby, Jess Robinson and Angela Snyder. The team is focusing on one promising candidate in particular. He will travel to Story City in August to meet with the full search team. Pray for clarity and wisdom as the team discovers more about him and he learns more about Harvest firsthand. If the results are positive for both the team and him, a more extensive visit with the whole congregation will be scheduled in the future. Thank You Wednesday Night Cave Quest Plus Team! We are thankful for the many volunteers that devoted their time and resources to our Cave Quest Plus program this summer. Every Wednesday in July, kids came to play games, hear a Bible story and lesson, make crafts, and enjoy snacks here at Harvest E-Free church. This was a great follow-up to our VBS program in June. We thank you for making this such a fun summer for our kids! Jordan Moore, Jenna Dowling, Grace Dowling, Mari Janes, Jeff Janes, Dawn Risdal, Madelyn Risdal, Rodney Rinehart, Don Naglak, Andy Webb, James Webb, Darrin Berggren, Deb Shaw, Emily Berggren, Brian Petersen, Kim Petersen, Jake Bates, Isaiah Bates, Jess Berggren, Roy Watson, Jim Levitt, Marsha Levitt, Jerry Seydell, Kalynne Seydell, Anjuleah Knutson, Laura Carlson, Ben Carlson, Dylan Hughes, Wim Luyendijk, Addie Luyendijk, Lynn Ehrenburg, Jessica Brown, Rebecca Brown, Kristine Brown, Kim Heckert, Lois Heckert, Diane Braun, Juli Oakland, Anna Gabler, Jean Gustafson, Glen Hodnefield, Cindy Hodnefield, Dikran Koundakjian, and Joy Thye. We also wanted to note that we were able to help Lighthouse Church in Des Moines by giving them our Cave Quest decorations and stage set. Thanks again to the Fishers and Wilsons for designing something so amazing and what a praise to be able to share it with others, as well! Children s August Education Schedule August 7: Harvest returns to two services at 8:30 & 11:00 Sunday School Meet & Greet Open House & Refreshments in the Children s Education Wing. Stop in any time between 9:45 and 10:45 to register your child and meet our teachers. August 14: First day of children s Sunday school classes 9:45-10:45

3 Page 3 of 4 A NATIONWIDE PRAYER EVENT FOR WOMEN Sept 23 One evening One heart One Cry! Friday, September pm Join us here at Harvest For more information go to CRYOUT16.COM Join women in hundreds of locations across the U.S. on September 23 to beseech God. What could be more vital at this critical time, than for women to bow together before the God of heaven and earth and cry out to Him to do in us and our nation what no man-made effort can accom- Choices study begins Sept. 7th For women who long to discover life s best by Mary Farrar Wednesday s 9:30 am Conference Room, starts September 7th Today women have many choices. This book of 12 lessons prepares women to make wise, God-aligned decisions in such vital areas as career, family and personal growth. Book cost is $17 Juli Camarin at Hidden Acres Women s Retreat Sept Hidden Acres Women s Retreat, guest speaker Juli Camarin will discuss how fear, shame and heartbreak keeps women from experiencing the abundant life Jesus promised His followers. Join us for this retreat starting Friday, September 16th. Come enjoy small group discussion time, rest, quiet time, camp fires, horse rides, zip line, climbing wall, giant swing, swimming pool and hot tub. Retreat cost $70 for all weekend, $30 for Friday only, $45 for Saturday only. Register at or call

4 Page 4 of 4 Missionary Outreach for Women HIS Ladies (Hands in Service) 2nd Monday of each month 2-5pm & 5-8pm (feel free to come and go) Democratic Republic of Congo projects: Rolled bandages Layettes (newborn kimono & receiving blankets) Scripture cards-beautiful pictures and African scripture-used in hospital/prison ministry, Sunday Schools and HIV/AIDS education for young people Dress and short kits for Congolese orphans Finished garments: dresses and shorts Local Baby Talk Blanket project: Simple baby blankets-distributed through family support visiting programs that serve low-income families of at-risk infants Donations needs: straight pins, needles, small spools of thread, 8 inch scissors, $$ for shipping totes & postage. Two Service Schedule Resumes Aug. 7th We want to remind you that we resume our two Sunday morning worship services on Sunday, August 7th. The first worship service will be at 8:30 a.m. and the second at 11:00 a.m. Thanks for helping us allow a relaxed schedule for our great volunteers who make up our technology team, our worship team, and our education teams. (And we thank those who went the extra mile in helping with Cave Quest and Cave Quest Thanks to our technology team You may have noticed that some of the visuals you see on Sunday morning are enhanced from what they once were. This is the result of our technology volunteers learning new software designed to improve your experience. My thanks to Patty Walters and Deb Shaw and the other volunteers for their willingness to learn, encourage each other, and make this transition work.

5 Not a Fan Adult Class Launches August 14 You and I are invited to be fans in lots of ways. You may be a fan of the Star Wars films or the Scorpion TV series or Roland-Story Norseman football or the singer Adele. Fans are people who are enthusiastic admirers of a person, institution, or cause. Sometimes we are content to be fans for Jesus. We attend church, sing songs that praise him, and admire what he did for us. But is that the extent of the relationship that Jesus wants for us? Not a Fan will challenge you to consider what it means to call yourself a Christian. With uncommon direct frankness, Kyle Idleman (Teaching pastor at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY) will invite you to take an honest look at your relationship with Jesus. Jesus was never interested in having admirers. It s not fans he s looking for. This 6-week class which begins on August 14 explores the difference between being an enthusiastic cheerleader for Jesus (a fan) and one who shapes their lives after his agenda and his priorities (a follower). As you follow along in the video series, you will see the difference between the two kinds of choices. It s one thing to agree with a statement like, Jesus is the savior of the world. It s quite a different thing to restructure your life to actually follow him. Jesus called people to believe in him. But he more frequently called people to follow him. What is the difference between those two approaches to the Christian life? How do you move from being a fan to becoming a follower? The six mini-movies in this study will set the stage for some thought-provoking discussion about the difference between these two approaches to the Christian life. The class meets from 9:45 to 10:45 downstairs in Room 029 East. Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely The enemy wants us to feel rejected... left out, lonely, and less than. When we allow him to speak lies through our rejection, he pickpockets our purpose. Cripples our courage. Dismantles our dreams. And blinds us to the beauty of Christ s powerful love. In Uninvited, Lysa shares her own deeply personal experiences with rejection from the incredibly painful childhood abandonment by her father to the perceived judgment of the perfectly toned woman one elliptical over. With biblical depth, gut-honest vulnerability, and refreshing wit, Lysa helps readers: Release the desire to fall apart or control the actions of others by embracing God-honoring ways to process their hurt. Women s study starts Sunday September 11, (9:45-10:45 a.m.) Confer-