August 2022
In-the-Know Monthly Newsletter
Last Month Recap
Wins for The Kingdom!
- We had 2 baptisms this month
- We have had 6 volunteers join the HarmonyKids ministry! That is all but ONE spot filled!
- The security team applied for a DHS security grant worth up to $150,000
- We are seeing a lot of first-time guests each week
- Our Care Ministry team has been ministering to so many through prayer, calls, and visitations
Prayer Requests
Calling all Prayer Warriors
- Pray that God will raise up people to serve in our ministry to kids and REACH
- Pray for opportunities for our church to make a difference in people’s lives in Georgetown
- Pray for those affected by grief and loss
- Pray for our church as we continue to seek financial stability in order to reach more people with the Gospel
- Pray for our Student Ministry (Teens) and those who lead them, these students face such huge pressures and issues and need to deeply know the love of God
Have a prayer request? Join our Online Facebook Community to post it or contact our care ministry via email
Ephesians 1:18-19
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength
%
of every dollar given at Harmony goes straight to Missions, the rest goes to creating stories of Kingdom Impact in the lives of those you touch!
Reconstructing Faith
– by Kent Wagner
Advancing the Kingdom by Living for God and Loving People
I LOVED hearing all the incredible stories during this sermon series, Stories of Impact, of how God has been working around the world to lead people to Himself. I hope it’s been encouraging to you and I want to thank those of you who shared what you expect to be able to give over the next year. It really is helpful for us to know how to budget.
Our last missionary, David Wissel, who is planting a church in Japan, said something during his sermon that I think a lot of people may not have understood – even though it was a passing comment. He talked about how a lot of people are “deconstructing”. This is a concept pastors talk about, but isn’t something that is probably in the mainstream of Christianity unless you know someone who is deconstructing. The basic idea of deconstruction is this: as young followers of Jesus feel the faith they were taught run up against the ideas of the world they begin to dig into those teachings to see if they were actually founded on truth or were just constructs designed to create a specific worldview. That’s probably an overly simplistic way of describing it. But deconstruction is a real thing and it is happening at unprecedented rates.
It’s easy to blame “the world” for this phenomenon, but the reality is, that it’s way more nuanced than that. Celebrity pastors who are abusive and flame out in sinful behavior. Normal everyday pastors believe that their authority is the same as God’s and abuse it. The lack of biblical literacy in our modern world. The ability to literally have information at your fingertips in an instant. An overly critical view of the world because so much of what we see is airbrushed and curated that we can’t help but look at things trying to find what’s wrong with them. An overly simplified version of the Gospel that ignored the hard parts of the bible or following Jesus. The conflagration of political ideologies with the Gospel on both sides of the aisle and missing the Kingdom of God almost completely. These are just a few of the reasons modern young people (and some older people as well) are deconstructing – taking their faith down, brick by brick.
What do we do with that? Is it hopeless? Have we all believed things we shouldn’t have believed?
Let me share with you my view of deconstruction. I’ve wallowed in those waters a bit myself at points in my life and it didn’t take me long to realize that what I was really looking for was a reconstruction – not a deconstruction. You may have noticed in my sermons that I preach some things from a different angle than the preachers you grew up with. I am not moralistic in my approach to God (meaning I believe doing and being right about everything is the path to holiness) – this doesn’t mean that I believe morality doesn’t matter, I just see it as an overflow of a deep, rich relationship with Jesus. You may have noticed that I preach a lot about the Kingdom of God as though it’s a thing that exists right now, not just in heaven – and that’s because as I read the Gospels I realized, that was the Gospel Jesus preached:
Mark 1:14-15
“14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!””
You may hear me talk about giving differently – I believe generosity is a direct reflection of the heart of God and that He longs to bless you for your generous outpouring – but if you think I just want your money, then tithe to a church you believe is Advancing the Kingdom. I care way less about how many butts we have in seats than I do with the number of hearts that are going ALL IN for Jesus in their everyday lives. I could care less if we have lights and fog or if we have air conditioning and comfortable seats – those things are all extras that are fine and I enjoy them, but what I LONG for is a passionate group of people who would give their lives for their neighbors and Jesus.
Seriously. Deconstruction ends with no house at all – you’re homeless and left out in the bitter cold, rejecting people and God and it’s lonely.
But Reconstruction – going back and trying as hard as you can to find the heart of Jesus and living that out. That is freedom, that is healing, that is a community, that is peace, that is joy.
A lot of what most of us were taught as the core parts of Christianity wasn’t exactly the Christianity Jesus came to instill. But that doesn’t mean abandoning Jesus – it means putting on your archaeology hat and going after Him with the whole kit and caboodle.
I’ll leave you with the words of the Savior:
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Which Kingdom are you seeking? What are you building or destroying? Let’s give it all to Jesus and see what He can do with it!
Serving Jesus,
Kent Wagner
Kent Wagner
You've Made a Serious Impact in Eastern KY
Harmony responded BIG time to the tragedy of all the flooding in Eastern KY and we just wanted to say THANK YOU!
Big shoutout to Taber Walls & Nicole Hall for doing so much. If you want to continue to stay involved, click the button below.
Travel with Harmony to Israel in 2024!
Visit the temple ✡︎ Stand on the sea of Galilee ✡︎ Walk where He taught
Text2Give
SEE HOW IT WORKS: Text $1 to (859) 459-0316, afterward text “refund” (no quotes) to get a refund.
In the future simply save the Text2Give number on your phone and text any amount (add ‘weekly’, ‘biweekly’, ‘monthly’, or ‘yearly’ for a recurring gift).
Command | Description |
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$50 | Donates $50 to to Harmony. You can type any amount; the dollar sign is optional (e.g. $50 and 50 both work). |
give $50 | Same as above. |
give | You will receive a response asking “how much you’d like to give”. |
$50 missions | Donates $50 to the missions fund. You can also give to the building fund this way (example: $50 building) |
$50 weekly | Sets up a recurring gift of $50 each week. Frequency options are ‘weekly’, ‘biweekly’, ‘monthly’, and ‘yearly’. |
$50 missions weekly | Sets up a recurring gift of $50 each week to the missions fund. Frequency options are ‘weekly’, ‘biweekly’, ‘monthly’, and ‘yearly’. |
refund | Refunds the previously given contribution. This command can only create a refund within 24 hours of giving the gift. If the previously given contribution started a recurring gift, the recurrence will also be canceled. |
update | Allows a donor to update their payment method or recurring gift. You will receive a response with a link where you can make these changes. Please note: You can only update recurring gifts via text when the recurring gift was established via text giving. |
unlink | Unlinks a your phone from the text-to-give system. If you want to set-up two recurring gifts from two different methods, using “unlink” will allow the donor to set-up a secondary recurring gift from an additional method. |
commands | Provides the user with a list of the available generic text commands (will not include the unique specific keywords you have set up for your church) |
HCC Financial Update
The Past 12 Weeks at a glance
by David Burchfield
We are making progress on developing drawings and plans for developing the “Undeveloped Space”. We hope to have a potential lease hopefully by our next report. We will keep you updated on our progress.
After consulting with our new bookkeeping service we have transitioned our bookkeeping software which will save over $3,000 per year while providing much improved real-time reporting.
Please keep this in mind when giving we have the following options to give, so please use whatever works best for you:
1) Giving easily using Breeze
a. online at my.harmonychurch.cc/give
b. by text for example text “$50” to 859-459-0316 to give $50
2) Direct ACH (automatically withdraw from your bank)
3) Physical check placed in giving boxes or mailed to Harmony 4) Cash placed in giving boxes
5) Facebook “Donate” button on Harmony’s Facebook page.
We want to continue to encourage you to give Breeze a try for giving donations as it is super simple to give for example $100, just text $100 to 859-459-0316 or click on “give” online If you haven’t tried it, please pray and ask God what he would have you give.
Be sure to check out the TV at the Generosity station in the lobby to see the latest information.
If you have any questions about giving options or the financial processes of the church, don’t hesitate to reach out to me and I will be glad to answer. Thank you again for your generosity!
-David Burchfield.
The Past 12 Weeks At a Glance
- Avg weekly giving is $9,767 which is up from July report of $9,733. This is 98.7% of critical need, which is up from July report of 98.4%.
- It is 86.8% of full ministry need, which is up from July report of 86.5%.
- It is important to note it is great new that the trend is going up, although slightly, during the middle of the summer vacation season is a reason for praise!
- Avg weekly live attendance is 316 which is down from 368 in our July report, but as we are in the winding down the summer vacation season over the last three months this is still up from the prior year number of 301.
- Total baptisms year to date is 21, praise the Lord! Let’s continue to win people to Jesus!
*This amount DOES NOT reflect income from facility rentals. It is offering only.
**The percentages DO include facility rental income.
Ministry Corner:
Kids Ministry
by Lesley Tipton
Kids Had a Blast this Summer!
HarmonyKids went wild on Wednesdays this summer! The kids explored Evans Orchard, We swam the day away at Sufoletta, wore the kids out at SkyZone, and had two great events here at church! Our water night had over 100 kids slip n slide, cover themselves in shaving cream, and dump water on each other (and adults!). The inflatable night was also a great success as over 50 kids enjoyed snow cones, popcorn, and cotton candy, and then burned off that sugar high with 7 inflatables! We’re bummed summer is over but can’t wait for fall!
Members Make a Difference @ Harmony
At Harmony, we take membership seriously because our members make a serious difference!
We also think you should be able to become a member on your own time. That's why we created an innovative way to learn about membership and take your next step into becoming a central part of what makes our church amazing! Simply listen to a 9-episode podcast we produced and complete 6 online pledges - let us know you've completed the process and you will have become a member! Click below to visit the membership track podcast and get started today!
Upcoming Events
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Our Latest Podcasts
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Week 1 - Regifting Jesus
Dec 3, 2024 • 41:25
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: What do you do to prepare for Christmas to come? Years ago we had a two-story house, our kids were young and they REALLY wanted Christmas lights on the house. Jenni gave me the whole, “It would just mean so much if you’d put them up”. So, I…
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Week 4 - Letter to the Anxious Heart
Nov 26, 2024 • 40:54
When anxiety grips us, what do we do? This Sunday, let’s talk about how God helps us face what feels overwhelming. EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins. OPENING…
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Week 3 - Where does my help come from?
Nov 19, 2024 • 39:47
OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Can I tel you a quick story, and I’m gonna be a little vulnerable here and expose myself some, is that ok, yall will treat me with kindness? So, a little over year ago Jenni and I started this journey to build a rental cabin at the gorge…
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Week 2 - Dealing with Your Inner Life
Nov 12, 2024 • 37:32
What’s your day-to-day life look like? Do you take the time to truly inspect your heart and invite God into your daily life? Join us as we explore Psalm 139 together! EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give…
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