Loving our valley with the hope of Jesus
Reaching our valley with the gospel of Jesus
OUR STORY
Welcome to Harvest. A Wesleyan church
What is a Wesleyan?
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY * CHRIST LIKENESS * DISCIPLE MAKING
The holy blaze in the hearts of Wesleyans caught fire in 18th century England with a Church of England priest, John Wesley, who called upon Christian believers to commit to a life of holiness and the study of God’s Word. Our name “Wesleyan” honors him.
Wesley was an outstanding Oxford scholar, yet regarded himself as “a man of one book,” the Bible. It was while studying the Bible that Wesley received assurance of his salvation through faith. It was the Bible that motivated his vision for offering Christ to the common people of England and which eventually led to the nation’s greatest spiritual revival.
Biblical truth inspired Wesley to develop a school for orphans, job programs and medical assistance for the poor, efforts to reform inhumane prisons and arguments for the abolition of slavery. Confidence in the Bible as “the only and sufficient rule for Christian faith and practice” (to use Wesley’s own words) remains a hallmark of The Wesleyan Church today.
It was in 1843 that our leaders organized to address social issues through The Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. Wesleyans were one of the first denominations in America to ordain women and were at the forefront of giving laity significant roles in church leadership.
The movement spread like wildfire as passionate Wesleyans began to radically apply their faith to every area of their life and communities, leading to reformations in education, culture, and governments.
Wesleyan groups in both England and North America openly opposed slavery, called for women’s rights, and stood up against child labor atrocities.
This distinct call to holiness and witness bound Wesleyans together as a diverse family of multiple nationalities, races, languages, and cultures. Members of The Wesleyan Church continue to be catalysts for individual and social transformation.
Our name and facilities:
Our local church was founded by a small group of passionate leaders in 1940 in homes and rented buildings.
In 1946 our original building was born at our current location as a Pilgrim Holiness Church with the front door facing Elm St ( now on 11th). In 1968 a merger of the Wesleyan and Pilgrim Holiness churches took place. a New name was given to the church and Himmerlright Memorial Wesleyan church was born (Name given to honor a founding family). A new sanctuary was added as a second phase of the building in the late 70's and in the late 90's Sunday School rooms and offices were added as the third and final phase.
A major renovation and ongoing remodel launched in 2010 to update our already beautiful building. The hard work of many people made our building the beautiful place of worship that it is today. We continue to beatify the property as time and resources allow.
In 2022 the name "Harvest Wesleyan" was adopted.
The seeds planted by the generations before us are now the harvest that God now has us in. We strive to carry on the passion for Jesus and to grow the kingdom of heaven like our founders did.
We are thankful for the investment and dedication of the previous pastors, Himmelright family and the many others that have paved the way, their legacy will always live and be special to us.
The Wesleyan Church:
The name "Wesleyan" is in honor of John Wesley, a priest in the Church of England who was the inspiration and founder of the Methodist movement. Wesley was an outstanding Oxford scholar, yet regarded himself as "a man of one book," the Bible. It was while studying the Bible that he received assurance of his own salvation through faith. It was the Bible which motivated his vision for offering Christ to the common people of England in a way that led to that nation's greatest spiritual revival. It was biblical truth that inspired Wesley to develop a school for orphans, job programs, and medical assistance for the poor, efforts to reform inhumane prisons, and arguments for the abolition of slavery, a great evil of his time. Confidence in the Bible as "the only and sufficient rule for Christian faith and practice" (to use Wesley's own words) is still a hallmark of The world wide Wesleyan Church today.