It began with a vision in two people’s hearts!
Through the 1950-70’s: many BIC churches held tent meetings for a week or two, often in a farmer’s field. Cedar Grove BIC participated in those meetings and also held their own in the Seven Stars, Millerstown and Liverpool areas.
Through those meetings, a number of people migrated to the Cedar Grove church. Some were new believers. There was a couple in the 1970’s who attended the Cedar Grove church and the tent meetings, Glen and Mary Stoner. They were an older couple who had a heart and vision for the Seven Stars, Millerstown & Liverpool areas. They asked Cedar Grove if they would someday consider starting a daughter mission church in these areas. Though it was often talked about by the Stoners, nothing transpired.
April 1999: Ken Letner was the Lead pastor of Cedar Grove. During a Church Board and Deacon weekend retreat, the focus of the retreat centered on … was Cedar Grove ever going to birth a daughter church, as Glen and Mary had prayed for so long?
Warren & Nina Peachey were a part of leadership and attended that retreat. Warren had felt a call to ministry in 1986, but had never pursued it. But, as that meeting went on, he felt a call that this possibly was what the Lord was leading him to. He discussed this with Ken. They then connected with the Bishop in May. Warren did not have a college degree, but felt a strong call to be a part of this planting with Cedar Grove. He was sent to Idaho for three days to be accessed for a church planter, where he was told he could possibly plant a church in the next three years.
The vision became a reality!
January, 2000: Cedar Grove & Ken said, “let’s roll.” Plans began to take shape.
The opening date of March 18, 2001 was decided upon. A lot of work needed to
be done through the next year. A “phones for you” campaign was done, with over 7,000.
Summer 2000: Cedar Grove encouraged those from their church who had a vision/passion for this church planting to join the launch team, which was to be comprised of 50 people (10-12 family units). The team, with Warren Peachey as the founding lead pastor and Pauline Allison, met weekly during that summer to help kick off the daughter church plant in Millerstown. The team visited several new church plants as a group and felt the Lord was really blessing their time.
August, 2000: Warren resigned his job from Custom Harvesting and became full time for a New Harvest of souls, with the BIC Regional Conference and Cedar Grove giving the daughter church plant their full support prayerfully and also financial support for about three years. The New Harvest church plant was then able to be self-sufficient. The launch team agreed to rent the Greenwood Elementary School for their site.
March 18, 2001: Kick off day, held at Greenwood Elementary School, was a day of celebration with 270 attending.
New Harvest Church Plant Grew Rapidly!
Over the next few years: As NH began to grow in attendance, the team saw that people were coming in mass, largely due to something new happening. The team felt many were under churched or over churched. For a couple of summers, NH worshipped at the Newport Family Life Center.
2003: More help was needed! Rodney Bower was hired as part-time administrative assistant. Warren and Rodney both felt their gifting would complement each other and the NH ministry. Later on, Rodney was hired as a full-time Associate Pastor of NH Staff.
2006: The highest yearly average attendance for NH was 390.
Land Search: Started in 2008-2009, and became really earnest in 2010-2011.
A piece of land was available near the Newport exit, but was going to need an enormous amount of earth moving, so that did not work out. NH was then offered another building in Newport that was a used car lot, but it did not work out either.
2011-2013: The school board then decided that NH had been at Greenwood long enough, so the church meetings were moved to the Newport Elementary School for the next three years. This began an even more urgent desire among the church body for their own building.
In 2011, NH’s current building, which was a warehouse, was going up for sale. This began a very, very long process. Talking to constructors, renovations, codes, etc.
In June 2013, it looked like it would become a reality. NH moved ahead to make the warehouse their home church. As often happens, there was one area of expense that made for a need in plan changes… the parking area ended up costing over a half million dollars with drainage, etc.
A New Beginning!
Mother’s Day, 2014: The New Harvest church body moved into this newly renovated building, which is now New Harvest’s church home.
Dec. 2015: Warren’s last message. He had given over 15 years of his life and heart ministering to NH, and knew it was time to step back and take a break.
New Era: The church body was still getting used to having a monthly mortgage, plus trying to continue to be an effective ministry and outreach in the Millerstown and surrounding areas. The search for a lead pastor began.
Jan. – July 2015: Patrick Dee ministered as Interim Pastor, alongside Rodney.
June 2016: Rodney’s last message. He had given over 12 years of his life and heart ministering to NH, and decided it was time for him to retire.
August 2016: Terry Burton was hired as Lead Pastor. His heart’s desire is to lead and help establish a foundation (moving from church plant)
so that NH can continue to be a healthy, vibrant, with outreach vision and growing church.
September 2016: The funding for another full-time staff position was not available at this time. Sandra Burton was hired as part-time Ministry Coordinator, to the be central hub for connection of ministries, through communication, etc.
December 2017: The old church office building (Ministry Center) was sold!
2019: NH received a generous gift of a steeple, as well as donations given towards updating technology in our facilities. We began the opportunity to give online, as well as creating our own APP!
2020: What a year for everyone, with Covid-19 shutting the USA down mid-March and off and on throughout the year! NH did not have service one Sunday out of the year, while we scrambled to go livestream 6 months ahead of schedule.
Praising God for having already implemented online giving, app, church wide email and website in place, so that we could help to stay connected. Ministries and Leadership Team used Zoom and teleconference calls. To have the social distancing required by the state, we implemented two services and began in-person services mid-June. Our connection time of snacks could not happen.
Even though Covid surged again in November, we were grateful to be able to gather as a church family to celebrate Christmas!
2021: God is still writing a new chapter for New Harvest and you are invited to participate!
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527 Maple Street * P.O. Box 614 * Millerstown PA 17062 * Email: office@newharvestcc.com