Friday, January 27, 2006

At Harvest Time this weekend

This Weekend at Harvest Time:

Sunday, January 29, 2005

8:30 am
Worship Service
(Special Guest: David Wagner)
KinderChurch

10:00 am
Sunday School
Membership Class
Intercessory Prayer

11:00 am
Worship Service
(Special Guest: David Wagner)
KinderChurch

11:30 am
KingdomKids

Attention all parents of youth and those interested in serving in Youth Ministries: please meet with Pastor Chris and Jeannette immediately following Second Service on Sunday, January 29th!

7:00 pm
County Wide Prayer Service - come out and pray for Connecticut and our region!

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

More website changes

Hello Harvest Time,

Please stop by the website and see the changes we've made over the past week, including

  • Lots of new text and information on the church in general such as our history and the story of how God led us to our new property.
  • Complete calendar information which includes online registration for many events - especially appealing to those of you who never remember to sign those clipboards at the Welcome Center!
  • A growing photo gallery which will include pictures of special events - stop by and see Trinidad photos you might have missed.
  • News and services information right on the home page.
  • Schedules for ministries such as Greeters, Nursery, PowerPoint, Ushers, and Worship Team are now all online (please note: private information such as e-mails and phone numbers will not appear). Just go to the Ministries section and find your ministry. If it's not there yet, we didn't forget you, we're still working on it!
  • Class notes for certain ongoing Bible studies have also been posted, such as Christian Life Workshops 2 and 3, and Young at Heart.
If you've been waiting to really use the website until it was a little more fleshed out - then the wait is over! Thanks for your patience!

Ministry leaders, please send along any additional information you'd like your teams to be able to see online - there's even room for a photo or two.

Blessings,
Pastor Nick

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Sunday, January 22, 2006

Making the best use of our blog?

We can't tell how much time you all spend exploring the blog, but just be sure to check out the links on the right-hand side of the page. You'll find a lot of useful stuff over there.

Helpful links you might have missed:

  • Christian Resources Links - popular destinations like Christianbook.com, The Elijah List, Focus on the Family, and more
  • Connecticut Christian Events Calendar - what's going on all over the State in churches, concerts, and special events
  • Greenwich Public Schools Calendar - complete with homework!
  • Harvest Time Church Calendar - a quick jump to our website's calendar
  • Live Traffic from WNBC Channel 4 - this is a great site and very useful on your way out the door to Harvest Time
Got a link to submit? Pass it along. It should be something helpful or relevant to believers in the Greenwich area. It can be a news site or a ministry site.

Be sure to pass along photos of any ministry activities or, if you'd like a feature story on your ministry or event, please contact Heather Retzlaff or Pastor Nick.

Thanks!

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Website changes to check out -

Hello all! We've been working to upgrade the readability and usefulness of our website. Stop by and explore - although it doesn't yet contain everything we'd like, we're adding to it all the time. Already there are more news events and more helpful ministry features.

Attention Ministry leaders!
We're now able to upload documents or messages you'd like your teams to have onto the Web. For example, we have recently posted the ushers' and PowerPoint teams' schedules, as well as class notes for Christian Life Workshops 2 and 3. For an example, go to the site, then click on Ministries, then Media and Tech, and you'll see the PowerPoint ministry schedule.

We'll be working to flesh out more areas, but we need your help. Send anything you would liek to appear on the site to Pastor Nick. We can accept just about any format - Word, PDF, even pictures of your ministry in action!

Please note; if you do not see your ministry there yet, it's not because we forgot about you! We will gradually get everyone up there so the congregation and the community can see how we at Harvest Time are reaching out with the love of the Lord!

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Testimony: Bernie C.

I always said that I am too old and weak to do missions, but this Mission Trip to Trinidad stayed in my heart, so I said I need a confirmation from the Lord to go. I was reading 40-Days of Purpose and it said that you are not too old for missions. Some of my friends also gave me some kind of confirmation, but I did not listen. Then, one night when I arrived at our missions meeting just as I came in the door Steve pointed his finger at me with a strong and stern voice and said, “You are going on this Missions Trip.” I got scared and I went. This trip was the best blessing that the Lord has given me.

On the first trip to Kistow House, my first time to go to an orphanage, I was shocked and in tears. I looked at the eyes of the kids and saw there is something in their eyes that was missing and it touched my whole being. When we started the singing and decorating the Christmas tree the kids became lively and with smiles they helped with the decorations. The giving of the sneakers and especially the bicycle gave glow to their eyes and they became very excited and everyone wanted to get the first ride. That was fun!

On the VBS at Lady Ho Choy I was in charge of the children’s snack. It was just a joy to serve the down syndrome teenagers because they love the Lord. I got the idea of asking them to sing while waiting so everyone wanted to sing and dance and we all enjoyed singing together and one girl danced the African dance. That was great!

The 2nd VBS at St. Mary’s was with over 200 kids. While having the snack with the teenagers, there was one boy who carried his test paper with the grade of 95 and was trying to show it to anyone who would be interested. Me and my coworker focused on this need and we gave him praise and advice about continuing his education. He and the others interacted and talked about working hard to study and have an education. Then I heard that those kids over 18 are sent out in the street because they only house kids up to 18 years old, and sometimes they have nothing to eat out there so they go back to the orphanage to beg for food. I cannot do anything but pray for these kids and their future daily.

The dump experience was great. I was giving out tracks and these kids were following me and asking for tracks for their whole family. I was so excited while giving out these tracks. What I have noticed in these areas, the families are really poor but the children are different – they are happier and when you look in their eyes they are content. Then I realized that these kids are blessed because they have parents and they care and love and protect and feed them and do other personal matters in the family.

I ended up with diversified job helping in the shoe box preparation – organizing and checking the contents, removing the chocolate candy that had melted in some (!) and setting up a system for quick distribution. At the Faith Center we gave over (200++) gifts and shoeboxes and I bathed in my own perspiration.

I also joined the Salvation Show and that was a great show. At the end we stood in the back of the church. When the first call for salvation came only a few people stood up. We were all praying in the back. On the 2nd call a man went to the altar and over 100 people stood up and 6-8 orphaned children received the Lord. (These were the kids we ministered to at Hope Center!) That was a great night and the joy that I experienced there was indescribable.

It is great to work for the Lord. I came back a changed person and if it is God’s Will, I will go again.