Julian Gibb
Executive Director
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” Matthew 13:33, ESV
More than any other institution, anywhere, the local church has the greatest potential to shape culture. When we glimpse the potential, it helps us understand why Christ instituted the church, specifically the local church, as the administration of His grand agenda. The church announces and advances the Kingdom.
(Bob Moffitt in “If Jesus Were Mayor”, p. 184)
A little yeast affects the whole dough, it causes an internal transformation, its character is changed. Likewise, when the Gospel permeates an individual, it gradually transforms from within and changes not only their character, but their whole purpose in life. People who are being transformed into the image of Christ permeate and affect the world around them, they are agents of change, Christ’s bride, the local church.
In our training we have found that consistent small acts of love in the local community can have a dramatic effect. In his book If Jesus Were Mayor Bob recounts how a Mexican village known for lawlessness and deadly feuds was transformed into a Christ focused community, dedicated to healing, and building homes for widows. The Gospel has immense transformative power if it is lived out, if we as individuals within the corporate church serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.
At Harvest our mission is to equip local churches worldwide to make disciples of Christ, so that each member in every church may sacrificially serve. This service is achieved through “seed projects”, small, short-term projects, conducted by believers with local resources to demonstrate God’s love to those outside the faith community.
This year in Africa, associates have fought against neighborhood poverty and deforestation by establishing tree nurseries and chicken farms. Villagers have been taught how to effectively grow quality vegetables in small plots of land to combat malnutrition and illness. School facilities have been repaired in Honduras, teen retreats and soccer camps have been organized in Paraguay and Chile, a church was planted in Guatemala, the homeless have been fed in Bangladesh, and a youth festival in India which attracted thousands of youths, a number of whom received Christ. Furthermore, children have been taught carpentry, locksmithing and plumbing to provide them with a vocational skill, while women have been provided with medical assistance and taught about their human rights. All of this has been conducted through the local church for the glory of God.
The following chart shows the breakdown of our global activities. This year 27,798 participants within 950 churches in 30 countries served their communities through 13,853 DOL and seed projects.
| GLOBAL MINISTRY ACTIVITIES | ||
| December 10, 2021 – December 10, 2022 | ||
| Activities | Events | Participations |
| Network – Events to contact and serve alongside church leaders | 545 | 2,613 |
| Training – Classes, sermons, and presentations using Harvest lessons | 583 | 7,317 |
| Mentorship – Events to train and mentor trainers | 511 | 3,043 |
| Commissioning – Events commissioning trainers to multiply the SamS model | 110 | 972 |
| Disciplines of Love and Seed Projects – Short, small, and simple activities done by believers to demonstrate God’s love to those outside the church, using local resources. | 2,477 | 13,853 |
| TOTAL | 4,226 | 27,798 |