2011 Memories

The year 2011 will be remembered for two really huge events in my life – the marriage of my daughter Monica to Scott Gould and Dad going home to be with Jesus.

Monica and Scott’s wedding took place Saturday, October 15, in our church. What a fun and meaningful day. I got to be the proud dad while Scott’s pastor from his home church performed the ceremony. The reception at the Fairgrounds included lots of great food, fun activities, and many guests, including my dad.

Monica was patient and wise, not settling for just anyone. We love Scott, and our respect for him only grows as we get to know him better. He is a county police officer from Michigan and a great addition to our family.

Who would have known that not quite two months later my dad would go home? All seven of us siblings had five days together with him and Mom in their home before he passed away. What an awesome time of laughing, crying, praying, and singing. Then we were all there to witness his last kiss to Mom just before he left us for heaven. While it was an amazing experience, he is still gone. And that is harder than I ever imagined.

So 2011 ended with some big events. God has been so faithful. And I am so grateful for the love and life he offers us in every situation.

New Missionaries

Last Sunday morning was awesome at Harvest Community Church as we commissioned some new missionaries from our church.

Ken and Becky Holderman did an effective missionary stint in Venezuela several years ago before joining our church. Then they endeared themselves to us as they served our church in many ways, culminating in Ken becoming an elder. We love their wisdom, wit, and vivaciousness.

Ken and Becky with the travel-size trophy we gave them for a job well done.


One of the people they mentored in Venezuela moved to the Canary Islands and is pastor of a growing church. As the Holdermans visited him and cared for him over the years, it became apparent that God was calling them to that land as well.

Many of us would like to get a call to such a tropical vacation destination! But is it also a spiritually dry place. So Ken and Becky are taking lots of Living Water with them as they oversee two churches and reach out to the lost.

I’m proud to be sending these veterans out from our church. They have been proven in the fire and will surely do a great job. Our love and prayers are with them.

Honoring Our Officers

Our service last Sunday honored the 9/11 victims and offered us some serious lessons to apply to our lives. Such a devastating attack on our nation and the tragic loss of life can put a lot of things in perspective. I’m still deeply moved by the reminders that life is fragile, life is precious, and life is eternal. If we could live every day from that perspective, we would live differently to be sure.

We now have the opportunity to honor those who serve our community by putting themselves at risk on our behalf. Every year Jim Bontrager (Mike’s brother) and his family quietly and sacrificially offer a fun place for law enforcement officers to be honored and appreciated. Officer Appreciation Day is in its 17th year, and we want to get involved.

How about contributing towards gift baskets that will be given out this year? You can either provide items for the baskets or money for them to be purchased. You can also contribute to the cost of tickets for the officers and their families to attend the new Christian movie “Courageous” dedicated to the work of police officers. Lists of basket items as well as sign up sheets for the movie tickets are available in our office and at the Info Center. Call the office or sign up on Sunday. The deadline for contributions is September 25th.

As we have marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I’m eager to use my resources to bless those who serve in a tough role to make our society safer. How about joining me?

Pandamania!

We just wrapped up Pandamania, our most awesome Vacation Bible School ever. Just the stats make me want to thank God – and a whole lot of others. From about 100 kids last year, we saw almost 150 kids attend this year. About 75 workers were on sight with their cool green T-shirts during the week – including yours truly – with a total of 135 people volunteering time to make this possible.

But the stories were the big deal. All week little eyes and spirits came alive to God’s great big truths, especially that God is wild about them. As pastor, I was very impressed with the Gospel presentation on Thursday. It was clear, accurate, and reinforced all morning. One crew leader reported that two kids in his group gave their lives to Christ for the first time. How great is that?

Sunday morning was our report to the church, with all the kids singing the songs and sharing the lessons they learned. Lots of new people showed up as well. At the end of Pastor Jim’s talk, we learned that two little girls walked all the way from town – over 2 miles – in hot weather to be at that Sunday service. Their crew leader connected with them, took them home, and plans to bring them back next Sunday.

We are pursuing our goal to double our congregation within five years through outreach. God opened so many doors as our amazing church members caught the vision to reach out to our community. And to think that there is an even greater harvest before us. Let’s go after it!

Life from Death

On Tuesday we held Mike Hoffman’s memorial service. Mike gave cancer a brave fight for many years. He was a much-loved man who gave his life to Jesus as an adult. He made it clear that he didn’t want any long-winded preachers at his funeral! But he did want a clear salvation message presented.

The service was great. I was moved by the tributes his family and friends gave. And all three of us preachers did our best to be clear and brief. I think Mike would have been pleased by the end result.

The really great news is that one person picked up a Red Bag after the service, indicating his desire to follow Christ. Pastor Jim unpacked the bag for him and learned that he is coming back to Jesus after a long time away.

Later we heard that another person who attended was so moved by what was said that she prayed with a friend that night to give her life to Jesus. Wow, life from death!

Mike’s testimony lives on. I want to live for Jesus so that my life impacts others even after I’m gone. What if we all did that? What an impact for eternity!

Winning the Battle for the Harvest

Last Sunday was awesome! There was a tangible sense of God’s presence in our morning service. I was thrilled to see how the Holy Spirit tied all the pieces together to challenge us to win the battle for the harvest of lost people. The songs, the sharing by our missionary Tanneken Fros, and my talk carried the big message God wanted to bring to us.

The harvest is all about workers who also see themselves as warriors in battle. Since God gave us the task of bringing in the harvest, if the enemy defeats us, the harvest is at risk. That simply can’t happen! So we recruited warriors who will not give the enemy an opening and will step into their role.

I am also super grateful to report that at the conclusion of our service someone picked up a red bag, signifying their decision to follow Christ. So we won a battle right away and had an eternal harvest!


What battle are you facing? Is the enemy trying to defeat you and put your harvest at risk? This Sunday I talk about strategies for the battle for lost souls. Grab a Bible and let’s learn how to win the war and bring in the harvest.

A New Name

Our church just completed a years-long process of changing our name. I am so blown away by how God seemed to orchestrate this whole thing.

Over two years ago a visiting minister sensed God telling us to change our name. The idea was to have a name that better communicates our church vision, plus connects better with the community.

The name Harvest surfaced last fall. Then in January another visiting minister shared God’s call of harvest on our church. The theme just took on a life of its own. The rest is history.


While we now have a new name – Harvest Community Church – my brain is still adjusting. For almost 40 years I have been saying the old name. So it may take a while for me to get it right.

Here’s the exciting part: God has put harvest and outreach into our DNA like no man could have. We are rabid about the harvest. And it is here. Let’s go get it.

God's Greatness in Our Loss

We just came through one of the most tragic events in the life of our church family. The loss of Karlee Byler deeply affected us all, whether we knew her well or not. Yet we also experienced God’s promised comfort and presence in times of loss and trouble. God continues to bring healing to us and glory to himself. What a great God we serve.

I am so proud of our church. The support of the Bylers, one another, and Jim and me are hugely appreciated. It seems that every day I hear praise from the community for our church in caring for this family. And that others have been praying for us.

We will continue to love the Bylers and one another through this. And redouble our efforts to reach children and families who aren’t following Christ yet.

Maybe we never really get over an event like this, but we do get through it. And God can somehow redeem it for us all. I am eager to see how he does that.

Karlee's Story

In a few hours we lay Karlee to rest. What a bittersweet day. We are suffering a loss we cannot fathom. What a huge hole a little seven-year old girl left behind in all of us.

But today we tell her story. Her laugh, her love, her hugs, her humor, and her heart make her story one that is easy for us to tell. She had a passion for Jesus that led her to take Bibles to school to give to her fellow students. Her favorite song was Big House which describes heaven from a kid’s point of view.

And today we get to tell the story she shared with others. Her short life will be the catalyst for many hearing of the Jesus she loved so much. And now she is dancing in his presence.

I am humbled to be the spokesman today for the most powerful message on earth. May God enable me to speak it clearly and in the power his Spirit. May all know his generous goodness and awesome redemption

God's Love in Our Loss

I am amazed at God’s great love for us. Yesterday morning in our service God showed up in so many ways. We cried over losing Karlee – especially the beautiful tribute video by WNDU TV – rejoiced with those who got baptized, and comforted each other with big, important truth from the Bible and lots of hugs.

I have been hearing from other pastors in our area who want us to know their churches are praying for the Bylers and our church. I am so grateful. God hears those prayers.

I had the opportunity to spend more time yesterday afternoon with Jay, Kelly, and Brooklyn. They are beginning to experience some important healing from God and are so thankful for your love and prayers.

Here are the arrangements for Karlee:

Visitation will be Tuesday 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 pm at Zion.
The funeral will be Wednesday at 10:00 am at Zion with burial at Violet Cemetery.
Memorials may be given to Zion Layette Ministry (for new moms in the area) or West Goshen Food Pantry.

Keep drawing on God. He is loving and powerful.

Losing Karlee

How can you even absorb such a loss? I’m writing this in the early morning hours having awakened with my thoughts and heart going out to Jay and Kelly Byler and their family. To experience the loss of a seven-year-old child is beyond comprehension, a parent’s worst nightmare. Karlee was a sweet, loving little girl that is now in the presence of Jesus.

Jim and Joyce and Ronda and I sat with the Bylers last night. Mostly we just sat and cried and prayed. We reminded ourselves that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46) And this is trouble. And God is there for us.

During the coming days the loss of Karlee will probably hit us like waves crashing on the shore. We can’t seem to take it in all at once. Maybe God has mercy by keeping that from happening.

Pray a lot for the Bylers. But don’t fear the loss of your children and those you love. Just hug them every chance you get and enjoy them every day God blesses you with them.

I am really cranked up about our church!

First, we had a great response in January to praying and fasting to start the New Year. People came out for special prayer meetings and, in general, increased their prayer time and fervency.

Then our prophetic meetings at the end of the month were outstanding. Attendance was as high as ever, God showed up, and we heard his voice. The prophets, Ben Goodman and Michael Cotten, were relaxed, relational, and right on with speaking for God. Our church loved their banter back and forth as they tag-teamed their way through the weekend.

I was amazed how God spoke to our church, reminding us of important things said long ago. A word about us being an Antioch church harks back to the early 1970’s! Then vision was given about planting churches and the harvest that almost duplicated what was said in 1991 by another prophet. To top it off, five people came to Christ during the weekend. That’s harvest!

We are excited about our future and the ripe harvest God has for us. The fact that God repeated these things so clearly indicates how determined he is to bring this harvest about. In 1991 the word included an urging to expect it and go after it. That’s exactly what I and our leaders intend to do. Join us for a great ride ahead.

January is our month to get the New Year off to a good start by taking extra time to pray and fast. God has wonderful things for each of us and for our church, and we are going after them!

I was overjoyed to see more people come to Christ in 2010 than we have seen for a long time. Many more experienced life change through our ministries led by really great people. It was amazing to hear Darren’s story of how God transformed him. You can watch his story by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdkvA-1lzmk

So I want to see God create some more stories that will make Him even more famous. That’s why we pray.

We are going to finish the month with some prophetic meetings with Michael Cotton and Ben Goodman, two veteran prophets. I can’t wait to hear what God says so we know how to invest our lives in the coming months.

Here’s hoping you connect with God in new ways. I can’t think of a better way to start the year.