Two things I love,
SUMMER COOK OUTS!!
and
STUDENT MINISTRY!!!

And when you put them together, you get an awesome night of summer fun, good food, and some great friends!

Harvest Student Ministry is kicking off the summer with a School Year-End Summer '14 Cook Out!

What a great way to end the school year and begin the summer! On Sunday, June 8th, we are inviting students in grades 6 through 12, to join us for a great night of early summer fun. The plan is simple...

Hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill! Delicious side dishes and desserts!

Fun games to make us laugh and have fun!

An intro to our summer study!

A backyard campfire with s'mores.

And time to just relax and hang out with friends.

It's going to be great!!

So come out and join us!

Be sure to visit the Harvest Student Ministry webpage on the Harvest Church website for all the details, menu, and a better list of activities!
 www.HarvestChurchToday.org/students
Bring on the summer!

- jay

This past week has been one of the rainiest weeks of spring. It has rained for at least 6 or more days. And while the rain is a welcome friend for the grass seed that we scattered on our patch work lawn, rain is not a friend to the springs sports that are currently taking place. 

We have 3 of our kids playing the spring sports; 2 are playing baseball and 1 is playing soccer. Like many parents, we have come to some what enjoy the crazy paced life that involves practices, games, and concession duty. To watch your son or daughter play a sport that they love is exciting. And the opportunity to get involved with the community is always a positive plus. But for the last week, the area, like many others across the country, has been plagued with rain. And rain leads to ball fields left under water.

You can't play baseball or soccer on a field that is under water.

Needless to say, games have been cancelled.

Now at first glance, a cancelled games appears to be a blessing. Where at first glance you have a full schedule of games and taxiing, a cancelled game offers an unexpected reprieve. Suddenly you find yourself with a night free. However, a game cancelled is only a game to be rescheduled. And sometimes one game rescheduled result in a two game doubleheader. And sometimes, you find yourself with a doubleheader on back to back days. And that's just baseball. Throw in the other sport(s) and well, you get the picture.

Now, I want you to know, I'm not complaining. I really enjoy watching my kids play. We have four gifted athletes (a talent that clearly comes from their beautiful mother) and to watch them do what they love and do it well, is a blessing. We have never made sports a must. They play because they want to play. And so sports is fun for us.

But I guess what I'm not looking forward to is the unexpected calendar changes that we will have to deal with in the coming days. As a family of 7 with 5 active kids, our family calendar is an important tool in keeping life organized. In the coming days, I expect to see a little shuffling and rearranging of schedules to take place. It's just another joy of being large family!

But I do love it.

- jay

The weather is warming up. Easter has come and gone. The boys are playing baseball and soccer. And it's time that we begin making plans for the Spring and Summer months.

In the coming weeks, there will be a number of great opportunities for growth, family fun, worship, and memories. I want to take just a few minutes to share some of these events with you.

TIMOTHEUS POPE VISIT HARVEST CHURCH
On Sunday, May 4th, my good friend, Timotheus Pope will be visiting Harvest Church to share the ministry of CitiKidz. Timotheus is the director of SB2W CitiKidz, a summer camp ministry that serves urban students across the east coast. SB2W CitiKidz, is one of the ministries that Harvest Church has chosen to support with our mission giving. Along with the latest from the camp, Timotheus will also be teaching at our 10:00 a.m. worship service. Along with Timotheus, Kendra, his wife, and their 5 kids will also be visiting!

NEW SERIES COMES TO HARVEST CHURCH
This Sunday, April 27, kicks off a new sermon series entitled, What if? For the next couple of weeks we will ask, What if? as we work our way through the early chapters of the Gospel of John. We will look specifically at how John records the proof statements of Jesus. We invite anyone and everyone who is new in their faith, or those who want a better understand of who Jesus said he was, to come and join us for this series. We begin this Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. at Harvest Church.

Man Up Pittsburgh - Dad's Conference
Dad's, don't miss one of the coolest, most exciting conferences in our area, the Man Up Pittsburgh Dad's Conference! Taking place, Saturday, June 7th, at Orchard Hill Church, in Wexford, PA, the conference encourage dads to improve their game through biblical growth and development. Join Mike Tomlin, Tunch Ilkin, Ed Glover, and Dr. Tony Evans, for an incredible day of fellowship and learning! I have included the 2014 promo video and a link to the Man Up website below!

That's it for now. I don't want to overwhelm you, but there is still more to come! So keep an eye out to another, SAVE the DATES post coming soon!

- jay

PS - Was this post helpful, insightful, encouraging, or thought provoking? Great! I'd love to hear from you! Share your reactions, thoughts, and/or comments in the comment section! And thanks for reading and supporting the blog!