INSIDE THIS ISSUE

In The Spotlight..................2Group Life .........................3Harvest Worship................3In His Family......................4 Ministry Teams..................4Harvest Kids......................5Harvest Youth.....................6 College&Career...............6Calendar Events.................7

Dothan, Alabama December 30, 2014 334-702-6555

God has put us on Earth to bring glory to Him

and to live our lives to make a difference for all eternity. It’s easy to get distracted in life,

to get off course, or to even miss our entire purpose. As we end 2014 and begin 2015, it’s important for us – as individuals and as a church – to evaluate our lives and consider our direction for the new year.

In November, our Leadership Team and Staff held the church’s annual business session (Charge Conference). Since you are Harvest, I want to share some of the highlights from 2014 which we recorded at this meeting:

• We are thankful for God’s presence in our services and for people regularly meeting Christ and being discipled here.

• Through the first ten months of the year, our average Sunday attendance was up by 78 people per week (over 1,700).

• We started 2014 with a church-wide study, 40 Days in the Word, in which over 1,000 people participated in small groups. In our small group ministry, led by Keith Frith and James Keeler, we currently have 70 groups meeting and many dedicated leaders.

• Nearly 1,000 of our people

committed to a personal “Plan for Spiritual Growth” this year – to spend more time in prayer, in the Bible, in service, and in spiritual community.

• Our two main conferences were tremendous! In May, Dr. Bill Ury spoke, leading to many significant breakthroughs and commitments. About 900 attended each of the 4 evening services. In September, Mark Nyswander led our Fall Conference focusing on New Testament revival, personal revival, and revival in the church and society. About 500 attended each of the 3 evening services. We are committed as a church to contend for revival.

• On Easter we had 3,258 people in worship – our largest service ever.

• God continues to move in our youth ministry, led by Josh Moore, in weekly meetings, retreats, ski trips, ministry projects, and activities. Our group played a key role in WIRED, which brought together nearly 800 students from 32 churches. In July, about 300 students took part in our Harvest Youth Conference.

• Children’s ministry, led by Debi Parnell and Bonnie West, continues to grow. In addition to weekly ministries, they led a pre-teen retreat, Chick-Chat, Project 56, Skadoodles, and

From Pastor Ralph...

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Ask the Lord of the harvest,

therefore, to send out workers into his harvest

field.”Matthew 9:36-38

Continued on page 2

www.HarvestDotHan.com

Debi Parnell Children’s Director

David Beaty Congregational Care

Assistant

James Keeler Assistant Pastor

Josh Moore Youth Pastor

Keith Frith Small Groups Pastor

Ralph Sigler Founding and Lead Pastor

Roy Rogers Congregational Care

Pastor

Rusty Frith Director of Worship and

Performing Arts

Sandy Uhler Interim Director of Ministries

Wilson Garzon Pastor of Harvest En

Español

Page 2

• New YeaR’s ChuRCh-wide PRaYeR meetiNg •

Sunday, January 4, 6:45pm, Worship Center

• bReakiNg the sileNCe •

Human Trafficking Testimony Night Friday, January 9, 7pm, Worship Center

Come hear Tajuan McCarty, the most sought-after speaker in the Southeast, share her amazing story of how God rescued her out of a life of

abuse and fear and led her to start The Wellhouse Ministry in Birmingham.

• womeN’s CoNFeReNCe •

“Fresh Grounded Faith” February 6, 7-9:30pm - February 7, 9am-12:30pm

See page 7 for details.

december 14 1,679

8:45 793

10:45 886

december 21 1,587

8:45 793

10:45 794

december 28 1,537

8:45 761

10:45 776

HarvestFest (attended by about 2,000 people one evening in October).

• Although we lost Cheryl Hidle as Worship Director and Jeff Burnett as Ministry Teams Pastor in June, the Lord gave us Rusty Frith and Sandy Uhler, who have moved into these positions and continued on smoothly with the ministry.

• We are grateful for a strong College&Career group, led by Joel Sigler through August and now by Jude Tharpe and a great leadership team of young adults.

• Roy Rogers and David Beaty lead a number of ministry teams

that continues to expand our Congregational Care and support those in need.

• By August, Harvest had given over $200,000 to missions above our denominational giving.

To see more of the Charge Conference Staff reports visit our website.

God raised up Harvest Church to transform our region as we lead people to Christ and develop true disciples. Pray for continuing guidance and blessing so we will become more and more effective in advancing God’s kingdom, loving one another, and bringing glory to Him.

small group leaders meeting Sunday, January 4, at 5:30pm in the Worship Center. Childcare will be available.

Financial Peace university Begins Sunday, January 11, at 6:30pm in room 101. This system teaches you clear steps and useful strategies that will help you address debt problems and achieve your financial goals.

discipleship 3 - Begins Sunday,

January 11, at 6:30pm in room 204b.

agents of the apocalypse - Is it possible that the events written about in the book of Revelation could be happening in our current times? And if they are, would you know how to recognize them? Everyone is invited to join us for Agents of the Apocalypse by David Jeremiah on Wednesdays at 6:45pm in the Worship Center starting January 14.

Really bad girls of the bible Wednesdays at 6:30pm in the Mothers Room starting January 14. You are sure to experience God’s grace anew by learning more about our nefarious sisters during this eye-opening study.

Restless - Join us for this women’s group in the Café on Thursdays at 9:30am starting on January 15 as we discover the different threads that make up our lives and use them to glorify God.

Page 3

Ke

ith F

rith

Sm

all Group Pastor

group life

Rus

ty F

rith

Director of Worship & Perform

ing Arts

I wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped with all the special Christmas services and events this December. You have been such a blessing to the Harvest Church family.

This season is so very special as we remember our Lord Jesus’ birth and celebrate the hope we have in the Savior of the world. Let us continue to pray that our worship will be joyful and sincere from a true heart of

gratitude and love as we come upon this new year.

Thank you to all the folks at Harvest who have told me what instrument you play and how you are available if I needed those instruments in a song sometime. This has been very helpful and I encourage anyone else that plays an instrument or sings to let me know about you.

Harvest worsHip & performing arts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------To get involved, contact Rusty Frith at 702-6555 x247 or worship@harvestdothan.com.

small group kick-off 2015 | January 11, 6pmWe all have appetites for certain foods and entertainment. Galatians 5:16 talks about desires of the flesh, and when we are led by the Spirit we will not fulfill those desires. As we are moving into a new year, I would like to encourage you to examine what your diet consists of. It is not the foods we eat that I am concerned about as much as the steady diet of junk food for the soul that distracts us from the most important things, like our relationship with God. Psalm 42 says, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” On January 11, the small group department is launching a way for you to view great teaching and preaching on demand, plus endless libraries of great entertainment for your kids that will teach them all about the Bible. We are starting five new studies using this tool. sunday, January 11, at 6pm in the worship Center is our kick-off for the new small groups available here at harvest. There will be pizza and drinks available that evening, a short time of worship, and information on how you can get involved in a group.

If you are interested in joining any of the following groups or would like to receive more information about other groups, please contact grouplife@harvestdothan.com or 334-702-6555 x232. A list of all current groups is available online at www.HarvestDothan.com.

With Sympathy Please be in prayer for the following people: • Margaret McKnight and family for the loss of her husband, James “ed” mcknight. • The family of Christine Franklin for their loss.

Baby Dedications The following babies were dedicated to the Lord on Sunday, December 14, 2014: • salem Reign graves (daughter of Jason & Leah Graves) • Collin aaron kirkland (son of Aaron & Crystal

Kirkland) • Rhett Patrick Varner (son of Kerry & Nicole Varner)

Baby Baptisms • lilliana grace hannon (daughter of Casi Hannon) was baptized on Sunday, December 14, 2014.

on-Call Pastor - For after office hours emergency pastoral care only, call 334-648-0270.

Page 4

The Women’s Christmas Party, “A Cup of Christmas,” was a wonderful success! It was a great night of food, fellowship, laugher, and worship to our Lord. Thanks to our set-up team, table hosts, special guests, and to our women’s ministry planning team. You all did an amazing job!Join a team! Did you know that here at Harvest, we offer over 52 ministries to get involved and connected with to utilize your natural gifts to reach people for God? The beginning of the year is a great

time to get involved in serving on a ministry team! Take a look around when you come to church and notice all it takes to make our service a success. Ask yourself, “How can I help?” Here are just a few of our current ministry team needs: Honey Visitation, Welcome Center, Doorkeepers, Freshen Up, Floor and Balcony Refreshment Servers, and Ushers. To get connected, contact Sandy Uhler at 702-6555 x237 or ministryteams@harvestdothan.com.

ministry teams

To get involved in the ministry of Harvest, contact ministryteams@harvestdothan.com.

San

dy U

hler

Director of Ministries

Congregational Care Pastor

Roy Rogers

coming in Januarylisten to sermons, view upcoming events, and explore all the content available through our new haRVest ChuRCh aPP to be launched in January!

Messages | serMons | audio | articles | events | BiBle | online giving

share events with your friends via twitter, Facebook, or email.

Our mobile app will work on these devices: iPhone, iPad, Android Tablet, Android Phone, Fire Phone, Fire Tablet, and Windows Phone.

congregational care

site56 - Wednesdays, 6:30-8pm, for preteens (5th and 6th grade) - Classes resume January 14.

XtRemekidZ - Wednesdays, 6:30-8pm, for K-4th grade - Join us on January 14 for a kick-off party for our first study of 2015, Adventures in Science! Kids will be introduced to the Adventures in Science Laboratories where our dedicated and talented scientists, like Dr. Oppenheimerstein and his assistant Flask, seek to tackle some of the greatest wonders of our time. Step into the lab and get ready to examine the mysterious elements and miraculous events of the Bible!

koNstRuCtioN ZoNe is a creative worship setting for children in Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. Kids see Bible lessons come to life through dynamic dramas, enjoy exciting worship music, and build relationships in age-level small groups. Konstruction Zone meets Sunday mornings at 8:45 and 10:45am in Room B-210. Worshiping in Konstruction Zone is a great way to begin the new year! For the month of January in kZ:

Memory Verse: “Training the body has some value. But being godly has value in every way.” 1 Timothy 4:8a

Life App: Commitment—making a plan and putting it into practice.

Page 5

Thank you to all who gave through this holiday season. Your kindness has blessed many lives. It brings me to tears when I imagine the faces of the families that have been touched by the love of God. May many blessings be returned to you all!

We are always welcoming new volunteers. Let us know if you are interested in serving in Noah’s Park (nursery and preschool) on Sunday mornings!

To get involved, call 702-6555 x241 or email kids@harvestdothan.com.

Bon

nie W

est

Preschool/Nursery

haRVest Nametags To request a permanent nametag (5th grade and up), mark “I would like a permanent nametag” on your

Communication Card on Sunday mornings or call the church office, 702-6555. Please allow one week for processing. They can be picked up on Sunday mornings at the Welcome Center in the main lobby.

D

ebi P

arne

ll

Children’s M

inistry

To get involved, contact Debi, 702-6555 x236 / kids@harvestdothan.com.

Page 6Page 6

Main Meeting Wednesdays, 6:45-8:15pm upstairs Education Bldg.

Small Groups Sundays, 6:30-8pm upstairs Education Bldg.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more information, email Wes at youth@harvestdothan.com.

Sports day - Monday, January 5, 1-3pm. Meet at Westgate’s Optimist Field.

Afterglow - Stick around after our youth meeting on Wednesday, January 7, to go eat dinner together and hang out. Parents, pick up at 9:15pm at McDonalds and Del Taco on Hwy 84.

Ski Trip 2015 - January 21-25 at Sugar Mountain in North Carolina. No youth meeting on January 21. Total cost: $245 for skiing or $260 for snow boarding. Lessons: $15. Balance is due January 14. There will be a brief ski trip info meeting on sunday, January 11, at 12:30pm (immediately after the second service) in the office building.

Afterglow - Stick around after our youth meeting on Wednesday, January 28, for games! Parents, pick up at Westgate’s Optimist Field at 9:15pm.

Mission Trip to Haiti - May 29 - June 6. On Wednesday, January 14, at 8:15pm (after our youth meeting) we will have an information meeting about our summer mission trip. $250 non-refundable deposit is due March 11.

Jos

h M

oore

Youth Pastor

Visit harvestdothan.com/Youth for more information about harvest Youth and our upcoming events. Find us on Facebook: search “haRVest Youth.”

Christmas tree burn - Saturday, January 3, 6pm, Jude & Carolyn Tharp’s home. If you have a real Christmas tree that you haven’t gotten rid of yet, bring it and we’ll burn it!

Pre-service Prayer - Sunday, January 11, 10am, Prayer Room. One Sunday a month we are going to take part in the prayer time before the 10:45am service. If you attend that service, come a little early and join us! “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Colossians 4:2

COLLEGE &and CAREER (18-29)

Join us on Tuesdays at 7pm in the Youth Room | Contact: youngadults@harvestdothan.comFinD uS on FACeBook! SeARCh “hARVeST CoLLeGe AnD CAReeR”

Page 7

• womeN’s CoNFeReNCe • “Fresh Grounded Faith”

February 6, 7-9:30pm - February 7, 9am-12:30pm | Covenant uMC Save the date and make plans to attend this LIVE area-wide women’s event co-hosted by Covenant United

Methodist Church, Harvest Church, and other area churches. Tickets are $39 through January 14 (available at the Harvest Church office Monday-Thursday and the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings) and $59 at

the door. Visit www.HarvestDothan.com for more information.

• ChRis tomliN CoNCeRt •

“Love Ran Red” Tour Special Guests: Tenth Avenue North and Rend Collective

Saturday, February 28, 7pm, Civic Center Tickets are available for $22 at the Harvest Church office during regular office hours (Monday-Thursday,

9am-3pm) or at the Welcome Center on Sunday mornings.

suPeR suNdaY 2015 January 25, 2-4pm

at First united methodist ChurchEach year the Methodist Dothan District offers a training event, and this year it is led by our own Salli Rogers. Rev. Sam Parkes (pastor at Cloverdale UMC) will be speaking on “How to Listen to a Sermon” – a sermon is not solely the responsibility of the preacher, but of the people of God, in which the Holy Spirit is at work in the preacher and the listeners. Rev. Mike Pearson (pastor at Greystone UMC) speaks on “Change for a Positive Future.” These seminars are open to anyone who would like to attend.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of

God.” (Colossians 3:1) Indeed, one unexpected day the clouds will roll back and the King of all kings will burst through the

sky... Christ Jesus will sit on the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem, and hope will give birth to certainty!

(From A Heart Like His by Beth Moore)

worshiping on sunday mornings at 8:45 & 10:45am

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDDOTHAN, AL

PERMIT NO. 87