Dear
Friends and Members of Harvest Presbyterian Church,
30
years ago my first project in ministry was reaching out to the community of
I
know that some of you have family members and friends who suffered or are
suffering from divorce. I invite you to go to my webpage and listen to
these four sessions. Also feel free to share them with those who you
think would benefit by them. God bless you all!!
Pastor
John
http://web.me.com/pastorjohnfoster
JULY 2010
John’s Joyful
Journal
Front Cover
News
Recently, I happened again upon a
valuable exercise regarding vision and how to move the church forward to the
next level that God has for her. This exercise
was first introduced to me about 10 years ago at a seminar on leadership.
One of the most powerful sessions
was the session on vision. The leader
said, “If you don’t remember anything of our three days together, remember
this: Vision is the most important
ingredient to the forward – movement of your church. ‘Without a vision, the people perish.’
(Proverbs 29:18)” We concluded this session on vision with an exercise. Before reading further, you may want to do
this exercise yourself. Here is the
exercise:
“You are a magazine reporter from
Christianity Today. It is the year
2020. Write a one-page article
describing what your Church looks like at this time. Begin with a compelling headline and then
write the article...”
How did you do? Let me share with you what I wrote as I
thought of Harvest Presbyterian Church:
Harvest Presbyterian
Church began her ministry in 1960 with the belief that God was inviting people
to know Him in Ceres,
After 50+ years of
sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with her community, Harvest Presbyterian
Church has communicated that God is relevant and He is knowable! In an age of moral problems and decline,
self-serving religions and new age cultism, Harvest Presbyterian Church has
maintained an unmistakable and sacred value – “Harvest Presbyterian Church will
offer her community an authentic look at the real God through her love,
compassion and acceptance of all who come seeking answers to their life’s
challenges and problems.” Pastor John Foster, who has served as Interim Pastor
since 2009, states, ‘Harvest Presbyterian Church desires to make the claims of
Jesus Christ understandable to all people and allow them to experience His
grace in a safe place with other people – from the seasoned Christian to the
struggler and the seeker.”
Harvest Presbyterian
Church has definitely experienced the power of God with a weekly attendance of
over 350 people through creative worship services and opportunities for
ministry. Having been a beacon on
When asked what
the turning point in their ministry was, Pastor John shared, “It happened when
the people of Harvest Presbyterian Church saw themselves as God sees them – as
vital instruments in His hands sharing the love of Jesus Christ with their
friends, associates and neighbors. When
people saw themselves as God’s instruments in sharing the good news of Jesus
Christ, the church exploded with growth!”
One phrase seems to
catch the heartbeat of Harvest Presbyterian Church: ‘Authentically Christian.’ What you see is what you get. No games, no pretenses, no shams, no fronts
-- simply, ‘Real People, reaching out to a Real World, for a Real God.’
I believe in a real God who makes
all things possible! How about you? What is your vision of Harvest Presbyterian
Church, ten years from now, in 2020?
Pastor John Foster