Many of you know that we have had the wonderful privilege for the past five years to serve at Harvest Bible Chapel Rockford where Jesse is on staff as the Student Ministry and Outreach Pastor. When we first moved to Rockford in 2012, it was with the understanding that after five years of ministry here, we would be sent out to plant a church through Harvest Bible Fellowship. Jesse has long felt called by God to plant and lead a church, and this calling has only been increasingly confirmed and encouraged throughout our time in Rockford.
Through much prayer and counsel, and the mutual agreement of the staff and elders of Harvest Rockford, we have decided to step out in faith in order to plant a church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We understand that this is an enormous undertaking, and are truly humbled by this calling.
This fall, we are being sent by our church to begin a four-month residency in Elgin, Illinois under the direction of Harvest Bible Chapel Founder, and Senior Pastor, James MacDonald. During this residency period, we will be attending the Harvest Training Center, which exists to train and equip godly and gifted men to become effective and fruitful senior pastors. We are extremely sad to be leaving Rockford and our wonderful church family at HBCR, but we are equally excited to be used of God in this way.
Harvest Bible Chapel has planted over 150 churches in the last ten years and they offer incredible structure and support for church planters, and have a tremendous success rate. We will be financially supported by Harvest Bible Fellowship for the duration of this training as well as the first few months after we move to Milwaukee. We are also expected to raise $10,000 to cover part of the cost of our training, and an additional $80,000 to cover the start-up costs required to launch this church plant.
We are asking for your help and partnership in this new season as we follow the Lord as He builds His church. Here are a few ways you can partner with us:
1. Pray. Apart from Christ, we can do nothing. We earnestly covet your prayers as we step out in faith to sell our home in Rockford, raise funds, and build a core team in order to begin an effective, impactful, and fruitful church that is founded on the solid bedrock of the gospel. We also ask for your prayers for our family, as this transition from Rockford, to Elgin, to Milwaukee, will not be easy, especially for our children.
2. Give. We understand that the goal of raising $90,000 is a tremendous endeavor, but we are confident that as God has continually directed us towards this great work, He will also provide what we need in order to accomplish it.
Would you consider giving a one-time or recurring donation towards this amazing opportunity that God has given us?
You can give at: https://app.mogiv.com/hbf/jesseschmidt or if you would prefer to give by mail, please make all checks payable to:
Harvest Bible Fellowship
Attn: Church Planting
1000 N. Randall Rd.
Elgin, IL 60123
If you prefer to give this way, please make sure to put my name on the memo line of the check.
Contributions made to Harvest Bible Fellowship (HBF) are tax deductible in the US and will be used as indicated by the donor to the extent consistent with the policies and procedures of HBF, and are subject to its control and discretion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact info@harvestbiblefellowship.org.
3. Go. We are asking the Lord to send out workers with us. We cannot do this work alone, and need others to join us in Milwaukee. Perhaps even now God is tugging at your heart to be a part of this endeavor. Or maybe you know someone who currently lives in Milwaukee that you could connect us with. You can pass along any contact information you might have through this form: https://harvestmilwaukee.wufoo.com/forms/milwaukee-contacts/ We would love to talk more with you about what it would look like to have you partner with us in this way.
We are deeply grateful for you and the role you have played in our lives. We will send out regular updates of our progress throughout this process and prayerfully hope to launch Harvest Bible Chapel Milwaukee in the fall of 2018.
-The Schmidt Family
You can also follow our church planting progress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram