Mission:
The Missions team of New Harvest Church is committed to educating, equipping, and encouraging our New Harvest family to fulfill the Great Commission by sharing the gospel and making disciples who make disciples.
The following are across the STREET, across the CITY ministries that New Harvest Church supports. Help spread the love and grace of Jesus Christ into the lives of many in our community.
Patty Project
ESA/Love INC
Valley Teen Ranch
Good News Clubs
Patty Project
New Harvest Church has adopted Webster Elementary School as one of three downtown elementary schools in the Patty Project program. The program consists of both one-on-one and group mentoring programs to children in need of positive role models in their lives.
The Patty project was inspired by the passing of one of a vibrant, compelling reflection of Christ’s mercy and selflessness, Patty Negrete. A 44year-old wife, mother and teacher, Patty lived a life filled with a passion for all God’s creatures. Possessing a tremendous ability to draw out the goodness and potential of her students, it was pure love of life that was reflected in her relationships with all those she touched. Patty passed away on May 17, 2002 after living life to the very fullest, even while battling cancer.
Patty Negrete was a wonderful illustration of the giving nature that makes life so precious and worthwhile. As a response to this kind of spirit, New Harvest has partnered with Northwest Church and The Well Community Church, to “adopt” three downtown elementary schools (Webster, Jefferson, and Susan B. Anthony) and institute both one-on-one and group mentoring programs.
Mentoring Program
The Patty Project mentoring program pairs an adult with one student from Webster Elementary for one school year. The adult agrees to meet with the student once a week for 45 minutes. The students for this program are chosen by the teachers and principal based on need. Many of the students in this program just need someone to listen to them and hang out with them. The kids are often in need of a positive role model who will help them to develop positive self-esteem, conflict resolution skills, or to provide simple homework or academic guidance. Most time is spent going over homework, playing games or doing activities in the library, reading together, shooting hoops or playing on the playground. Some mentors have taught their mentees how to knit, do crafts, or color together.
Saturday Sports
The Saturday Sports program reaches out to kids in need of something to do on Saturday mornings, providing them with quality interaction, positive role models and an example of the love of God. The program meets kids right where they are and brings in assets that might otherwise be lacking in their lives.
Every child participating is offered a free breakfast and lunch, provided by the Poverello House. The morning begins with breakfast, followed by 1 1⁄2 hours of play, interaction with the mentors, and culminates with a sack lunch to take home. Saturday mornings are a very casual, laid back, fun time to hang out play with these children. It is a morning filled with jump rope contests, football, drawing contests, crafts, basketball, hopscotch, and whatever else the mentors have the energy for! For many kids, it’s the highlight of their week.
ACROSS THE CITY
VALLEY TEEN RANCH
The motto of VTR is "Building young lives", and that is being expressed in a loving "family farm" environment in group homes for troubled boys on an 80 acre ranch in Madera. There is an on-site school for the boys, as well as a variety of opportunities to grow in their faith and areas of resposibilty to each other and their community. These boys have experienced social and emotional difficulties from abuse, neglect, and delinquency. The goal of VTR is to rebuild boys into valuable members of their own families as well as the their community. Over the last 20 years, hundreds of boys have benifitted form th e loving and stable care of the commited staff, under the guidance of the CEO of VTR, Connie Clendenan.
NHC recently began investing $250 permonth in this great local ministry.
ACROSS THE CITY
ESA/LOVE, INC
ESA's mission is to mobilize Christian churches in our community to transform lives and neighborhoods in the Name of Christ. Jesus intended teh church to be His change agent and ESA connects churches and individual and families in need with the resources available in the Body of Christ. People in need are linked with people in the churches to provide what God has equipped them to give through their time and energy. ESA is not just providing crisis relief, but has multiple programs to develop and empower people who need a hand up. Alan Doswald is the Executive Director of ESA. NHC began investing $500 permonth in this vital ministry in 2007.
ACROSS THE STREET
GOOD NEWS CLUBS
In 2003, Tammy Beers listened to a sermon by Dr. Larry Powell about our window of time to share God's Word in public schools (after school hours)and took action. She began a Good News Club in her local Clovis elementary school, Redbank. Now there are 7 GNC's in Clovis, and more are being developed.
NHC is blessed to fund this Redbank Club, only $800 per year provides all the materials needed.
After-school Good News Clubs are Bible classes children may attend once a week after school hours. They are an excellent opportuity for children in the public schools to hear the Gospel and learn the truth from God's Word. GNC's are a ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, whose purpose is to evangelize boys and girls with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and disciple them in the Word of God and in a local church for Christian living. Over the past 5 years< Tammy has been able to report on the salvation of hundreds of children in Clovis schools which host a Good News Clubs.