August Highlights

Children’s Sunday

School August

Launch

Prayer Vigil Au-

gust 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 Out-

reach for Women

Two service

schedule resumes

August 7th

Thanks to tech-

nology team!

Prayer for search

team

“Not a Fan” Class

begins August 14

Uninvited Class

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 educa-

tion wing. (Classes will not actually begin

until the next week) We’d love to have you

join us for refreshments and take the opportu-

nity 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 infor-

mation, 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 Har-

vest. 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 partici-

pate 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 do-

ing 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

August 2016

Page 1of 4

Looking for the

latest information?

Be sure to check

our website . . .

harvestefree.org

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 first-

hand. If the results are positive for both the team and him, a more exten-

sive 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 Wednes-

day in July, 40-50 kids came to play games, hear a Bible story and les-

son, 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, An-

juleah 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 Hodne-

field, 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 Chil-

dren’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

Page 3 of 4

A NATIONWIDE PRAYER EVENT FOR WOMEN Sept 23

One evening

One heart

One Cry!

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-

Friday, September 23

6-9 pm

Join us here at Harvest

For more information go to

CRYOUT16.COM

2016 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 www.hacamps.org or call 515-547-2751

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. 16

“Choices” study begins Sept. 7th

Page 4 of 4

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.

Missionary Outreach for Women

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 Sun-

day morning are enhanced from what they once were. This is the

result of our technology volunteers learning new software de-

signed 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.

“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 hon-

est 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 Chris-

tian 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 dis-

cussion 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 re-

jection—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 oth-

ers by embracing God-honoring ways to process their hurt.”

Women’s study– starts Sunday September 11, (9:45-10:45 a.m.) Confer-