Dear Harvest Family,
After our meeting earlier this week, we would like to share a couple of updates with you.
Harvest Christian Academy
We are so thankful for the ministry of Harvest Christian Academy (HCA). This week at our meeting we were able to spend some time with our new superintendent, Cory Harbor. We started our meeting in prayer for Cory, thanking God for bringing him to HCA and asking that God would bless Cory, his family, and the school. Cory and Pastor Jeff Sharda then presented the HCA budget for 2023–2024 to the group. We appreciate the team that worked so hard to put this budget together as well as our Finance Committee that reviewed the budget in detail. After some discussion and the recommendation of Cory’s team and the Finance Committee, we as an Elder Board were pleased to approve the budget. We are excited to see what God has in store for HCA as they train up their students in the ways of the Lord.
Theology Discussion
This week we also had the pleasure of digging into God’s Word together with a theology discussion. We as a group are reading the book, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the Bible by Jay Adams. This discussion was led by Dr. Mike Vanlaningham and Pastor Dave Learned. We plan to team up a lay elder with a staff member for each of these discussions to provide opportunities for teamwork and unity. Mike and Dave guided us through a very healthy discussion this week as we sought to understand what God’s Word says about these important, practical topics and how to best lead and shepherd those at HBC under our care. Also, we spent time as a group praying for the people of Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) specifically for those who are married.
Future Elders
We are continuing to identify and interview qualified men (see Titus 1:5–9) for the position of elder at HBC. To aid that process we are very excited about the new elder training class that started this fall. We invite you to pray with us as God raises up men who are biblically called to lead HBC in this way.
Town Hall Meetings
Mark your calendars for the upcoming town hall meetings on every campus. More details will be in your weekly campus email.
Sunday, October 1 | Crystal Lake Campus
Sunday, October 8 | Elgin Campus
Sunday, October 15 | Rolling Meadows Campus
Sunday, October 29 | Aurora Campus
Sunday, November 5 | Chicago Cathedral Campus
Sunday, November 12 | North Shore Campus
The benefits of attending a Town Hall Meeting include hearing information regarding the direction of HBC and having the opportunity to ask questions. Elders and leaders will be present at each meeting. We are very thankful for the way in which our staff is leading HBC and are excited for the days ahead. Our desire is that you attend a town hall meeting so that you can hear and understand the vision of the church as well.
May God continue to grow us as uniquely planted disciples for His glory.
—The Elders of Harvest Bible Chapel
