December 21, 2018

Year-End Reflections from Tim Geiger and John Freeman

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Dear Friend,

Thank you for your interest in our ministry. This year marks the significant anniversary of 35 years of ministry. That means 35 years of lives impacted by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with the Founder of Harvest USA, John Freeman. We asked him to share some of his insights about the historic and ongoing impact of this ministry over the last 35 years. (You can watch John’s full interview in the video above!) I hope you’ll find John’s words as encouraging as I do.

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Harvest USA: John, how did our ministry start?

John: With the help and visionary leadership of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Center City, Philadelphia, back in 1983, Harvest USA got its start through Bible studies and support groups with men and women from the LGBTQ community. These meetings sought to bring the love and transforming power of Christ to a hurting and, often, marginalized group of people. It was in these first small group meetings where I saw God begin to show up big time in hearts and lives. That’s when I became convinced that God wanted me here in Philadelphia.

Harvest USA: Would you highlight one or two powerful stories about what the Lord has done in the last 35 years?

John: Harvest USA has always been about the gospel and people. It’s been about seeing the “what if” in people’s lives; that is, what they could be if they came to understand the love of a Savior, who left the splendor of heaven to walk in the midst and muck of humanity, despite our sexual confusion and sin.

I remember sitting in on one of the men’s groups, and I was struck by what one man was sharing about what God was teaching him. He said, “I’m beginning to see that following Jesus isn’t a self-improvement program; instead, he wants to do continual radical surgery on my heart to enable me to walk a life of obedience, faith, repentance, and joy.”

Another man shared that he hadn’t tithed in years due to the guilt and shame surrounding his sexual sin. He had become a passive dropout in his church. Now, beginning to understand and abide in the love and forgiveness of Jesus, he said that he, like Zacchaeus, would be giving back fourfold to his church. That’s the power of the gospel at work, moving this man to worship God through giving!

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This is an exciting season in Harvest USA’s history. Our plan in 2019 and beyond is to continue, just as we always have, to help people in our offices. But we also want the local church to become a place where men, women, and families can find help.

So, we’re working on more resources to equip the local church—the kinds of resources that Harvest USA is known for—resources that leaders can use to help sexual strugglers in their churches. But we’re also creating new resources that churches can use to disciple their members in a biblical view of sexuality. And, we’re creating resources that parents can use to disciple their children in biblical concepts of sex, sexuality, and gender.

You care about the gospel work of Harvest USA, so I’m asking for your help. Would you pray for our future and the work that God has given us to do? We need God’s wisdom and help in all things, especially as we work to create these new resources for the Church.

Would you also invest in our ministry with a calendar year-end gift today by clicking here? $271,000 remains of our $500,000 year-end goal. Just as God used John Freeman’s vision to establish Harvest USA 35 years ago, we believe that he can do extraordinary and eternal things with each and every gift.

Let me close by saying that I’m very hopeful about where Harvest USA is headed! Whether you’ve known about Harvest USA for just a short time, or for all of our 35 years, thank you for believing in our ministry! And, thank you for standing with us as we move boldly into the future.

Ever grateful,

Tim Geiger
President

P.S. If you want to donate stock to Harvest USA before December 31, please contact Scott Pickering at [email protected] or 215-482-0111, ext. 104.

Tim Geiger: The Lord has used the ministry of Harvest USA in ways that we never could have imagined or predicted 35 years ago. Tens of thousands of people all over the world have been impacted. Many of those people have experienced changed lives, and I’m one of them. I’m so thankful that Harvest USA was here for me 21 years ago. Back then, there was no one else to turn to who would convey God’s love and truth so compassionately. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important that Harvest USA is around in the years to come.

You can help carry Harvest USA into the future by investing in our ministry today. Our goal is to raise $500,000 by December 31. Would you consider giving a calendar year-end gift today? Just as God used one man’s vision to establish Harvest USA 35 years ago, we believe that he can do extraordinary and eternal things with your support today.

John Freeman: When I first moved from Tennessee to Philadelphia with my wife almost 40 years ago to attend Westminster Theological Seminary, I had no idea I would be spending the rest of my life here. You see, my goal back then was to get through seminary as quickly as possible and then seek a pastorate, hopefully somewhere back in the South. But God had other ideas.

It was through a missions class in seminary, taught by Dr. Harvie Conn, that God first burdened me with the idea of gospel outreach to the gay and lesbian community of Philadelphia. With the help and visionary leadership of historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Center City, Philadelphia, back in 1983, Harvest USA got its start through Bible studies and support groups with men and women in the gay and lesbian community. These meetings sought to bring the love and transforming power of Christ to a hurting and often marginalized group of people. It was in these first small group meetings where I saw God begin to show up big time in hearts and lives. That’s when I became convinced that God wanted me here in Philadelphia at Harvest USA.

Harvest USA has always been about the gospel and about people. It’s been about seeing the “what if” in people’s lives: that is, what they could be if they came to understand the love of the Savior, who left the splendor of heaven to walk in the midst of the muck of humanity, despite our sexual confusion and sin. It’s been my privilege for 35 years to see God do new and amazing gospel work in the hearts of those he brings to our doors and impacts through our equipping ministry.

Not long ago, I sat in on one of the men’s groups here at Harvest USA. I was struck by what one man was sharing about what God was teaching him. He said, “I’m beginning to see that following Jesus just isn’t a self-improvement program. Instead, he wants to do continual and radical surgery on my heart, to enable me to walk a life of obedience, faith, repentance, and joy.” It’s been an amazing 35-year journey to be part of what God has done.

It’s undeniable that the hand of God has been on this ministry for the last 35 years. In the beginning, it was just me, a few volunteers, one room and a telephone, and a $16,000 budget. Today we have a staff of 20, multiple volunteers and interns, an office with many phones and rooms, and a $2 million budget. This is incredible growth. It’s obvious that the Lord is blessing us. Much of this blessing is due to the faithfulness and generosity of our donors and ministry partners, people who enable us to minister the truth and mercy of Jesus Christ right here in Philadelphia and around the country. That’s why I’m so very excited about where we’re headed in the future.

Tim Geiger: As John said, this is an exciting season in Harvest USA’s history. Our plan in 2019 and beyond is to continue helping people in our offices. But we also want the local church to become a place where men, women, and families can find help, so we’ll provide more resources to equip the local church. We’re creating more of the kinds of resources that Harvest USA is known for, resources that leaders can use to help with sexual struggles in their churches. But we’re also creating resources that churches can use to help disciple their members in the biblical concept of God’s perfect design for sex, sexuality, and gender.

Please do pray for our future. We need God’s wisdom and help every day, especially as we work to create these new resources for the church. I’m hopeful about where we’re headed. The Lord has been faithful to provide for us these last 35 years, and I’m confident he’ll be faithful to give us what we need for the future.

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