Dont find that in the Bible. The good intentions of our ministry partnership with Harvest Chicago have been overshadowed by these developments, he said. Lina did try to have a conversation with the Elders before she left Harvest. Your willingness to sit down over a cup of coffee in your home with women of God and get real about our hurts, our fears, our dreams, or whatever is going on in our lives. Thanks for writing this, Lina. SHERI PINE. When we try to protect those in power instead of those who are hurting, we are not doing the work of God. I assumed that you had simply moved on to bigger and better things. I love who you are and what you do. The Jews ebb and flow toward God followed a pattern. If you read the history and understand the public record of offenses at Harvest (with many more than the requisite two or three witnesses), you will understand why this is not only completely justified, but actually necessary to the restoration of healing and good order to Christs Body. When you are in a position where fear dictates the position you cannot speak out while under that. Fear is a stupid liar and I praise God that Hes given us a spirit of a sound mind and Love!!! Kenny Foreman, Founder of Cathedral of Faith, Passes Away at 88, Millennials Cant Buy MeaningLets Talk the Meaning of Life. The practice of medicine is not an exact science; neither is navigating very tough and painful circumstances such as this. 1.) Ive been where youre at, believing that its godly to keep trying to work it out, like family does. As of November, 2021, HBC is $34,000,000 in debt. He was a very good speaker and teacher of the Bible but was forced to resign from our church a few years back. Despite recent legal cases and reports of greedy abuses, experts say the longstanding benefit remains safe. Soon we must bring those truths to light, but for now we continue under the weight of so much falsehood in hope that the church will themselves initiate the needed steps of public confession, he wrote. In one fellowship people were actually warned to have nothing to do with us, and yet all we had done, in each instance was to ask questions. Dont stand in the middle, dont seek to mediate. Others will be hurtit is a matter of time. He spoke highly of you, and since then, I have occasionally prayed for you regarding your time and experience at HBC. In fact, he is the one who is no longer pastoring. Thankful we got left when we did. Until then, you are still a wolf in sheeps clothing. He invitedme to go when we first started dating. I struggle with the fear of man myself. 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And your part of the problem. Structure: the structure of My Dream Church is based on the New Testament Body Of Christ wounded by wolves in sheeps clothing. Harvest elders announced this morning that they were forced to take immediate action on Tuesday to end his 30-year tenure. Continually praying for healing, reconciliation and restoration for His church. This young lady has done the work and is doing the work of the great physician. Now that all MacDonald men are gone and the elder board has been cut down to 9 men until a brand spanking new group of men are approved of, I am curious to see where this train goes. As one person whom MacDonald led to the Lord remarked to me, Its like finding out your wife is a serial killer. The disillusionment, betrayal, and loss can be excruciating. He bullied his way into being paid multiple times for the work he was hired to so as the pastor, sermons and bible teaching. The people of the church are those we feel we can trust and love. (It wouldve done no good to tell them how they erred when previous months didnt get it done.) Thank you for displaying what an honest and vocal Godly woman can look like. The current leadership at Harvest Bible Chapel including Luke and Landon and Rick and Mo and Jeff and the CFO are infected by the cancer of fear and control. see My Dream Church https://sites.google.com/site/mydreamchurch/. I am thankful for JESUS that used Pastor James in my life. Ive tried to cover everything in prayer but I dont feel God right now. If the church treated Lina this way, they will do it to you and others without a second thought. We are the Church! We just determined to treat the circumstances as a loving God giving us a different direction. Finally, we have landed at a church with a passion for others, our hearts have healed and by going there I was introduced to your bible study Resolved. It completed my healing. Lina, to see how the Lord has blessed your ministry these past few years is absolutely amazing! Quit pointing fingers, justifying why and stirring the pot. Christ alone is to be worshipped. Its about the hurting. Hes my brother in Christ. She loves the Word and words, is a binge reader and grammar nut, and is fanatic (as her family can attest) about Jeopardy! Everybody and anyone has an opinion about what should happen to and for Harvest whether this means the self-identified victims, or the buildings, or the leftover and future leadership well, everyone is entitled to an opinion about everyone and everything. The surprise is not Harvest, but that you publicly hung them. The recognizing date of the exempt status is April, 1972. Something happened to us some years ago and a number of people turned against us because of lies, etc. The Bible even says Truth shall set you free. Youre sharing your story and I think those who have been hurt by HBC (including me) needs to hear these stories. He went recently, saying the time had come. Christ followers are saying enough. , Titus 3:10-11 says as for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once, and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful, he is self condemned. Also 1 Timothy 5:20 says as for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, which is what we are doing, so that the rest may stand in fear. , Nothing is covered, nothing is unresolved, nothing is ongoing, only this attack from the enemy. After telling us that the elder board always made every decision by full consent, we learned that the former head of the elder board found out about major church initiatives from his seat in the congregation. Im praying for you. I pray to our Father who loves us all that His truth and reconciliation and peace, healing abounds in this circumstance. This is also why as a follower of Christ it is so important to know and learn Gods word so you see when something isnt right. for less than $4.25/month. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. The issue here is not TIMING or kicking someone when theyre down its about exposing ungodly, cowardly behavior and making people aware of its existence. Also another story emerged on why another person left Harvest Bible Chapel. This included an abusive and fear-based culture where those who question leadership are punished, she writes. - October 16, 2020 The protracted dispute between Pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel (HBC) recently concluded through arbitration. @Ross, Were you able to access it? 1 Timothy 5:20 Then, not ten minutes later Mike Dunswood told us the Elders were told ( presumably by the XLT, which included Jeff Donaldson) all parents were notified about Paxton Singer and his sexpoitation issue in Jan 2018. How do you know it wasnt done with fasting and with prayer? Harvest and MacDonald had a contentious separation last year, when he lost the position he held for 30 years over inappropriate comments and harmful conduct stemming from his legal battle with people investigating the church. @Donna Is it possible that it is God Himself who is exposing these misdeeds? The beloved drink is both an attraction and a generational divide. The Elephants Debt, which had posted criticism of MacDonald, including stories by former Harvest members, elders, pastors, and staff, throughout 2012 and 2013, went on a posting hiatus at around this time. You too felt you had to leave Harvest and what was your point of conviction on having to leave the Church ,that we all sacrificed so much for! Now you can stop going to church altogether and free your mind from religious delusion. Please have your Passports Ready. I also trust that you did seek wisdom from the Lord on what and how to speak into this. This is why NOW. Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church. Praying for this church also that Gods Holy Spirit is cleaning/healing/humbling/teaching his people. He is angry that they keep on sending texts and emails asking for money. OnFebruary 13, the elders announcedJames MacDonald had been fired. Maybe its because youre a doctor and have such a desire to see people healed. Fear is what has been under all this, I would not be surprised if there is some fear in Jamess heart that is the root cause of his sins here. Im very certain you do not understand narcissists and how manipulative they are I recommend Dr. Ramani on YouTube as she is a great resource to gain understanding but the only chance to fight their evil is to bring it out into the light, expose them for what they truly are. Even now, many years later, the enemy could still, if I let him, get me questioning my motives and trying to persuade me I was in the wrong not the shepherds. I am grateful for your courage. The abuse I suffered first hand and working through the realizations and implications of that abuse have been traumatic. The Asbury Revival Is Over. It is a cry to the current leadership, to evangelicalism at large that there are some very serious problems that need to be dealt with. I dont see anything mean in her commentary. I think God has not lifted the veil on a lot of eyes for some reason. Do you read the elder updates? Oh my how that resonated with me and the experiences my beloved and I have had with churches in the UK. 1. At the start of the year, elders stated that his primary focus has transitioned from building our ministries to securing a healthy succession that sets all our ministries up to flourish in the next generation.. That, apparently, was what it took to get him fired. Were you bullied by those elders named? I met you when you spoke at Harvest Davenports womens ministry retreat and events many years ago and was challenged and inspired by your teaching. There is no question in my mind that what I did see and experience increasingly at Harvest was a culture that functioned and was sustained by fear and the desire to please James at any cost. A worship song says He gives and takes away, He gives and takes away, and still my heart will say Blessed be the name of the LORD!. Stephanie Martin, a freelance writer and editor in Denver, has spent her entire 30-year journalism career in Christian publishing. According to Harvest, their agreement resolves all claims and issues and releases them from future legal matters over the arbitration terms. According to Roys extensive research and interviews, changes didnt occur at Harvest; instead, questionable treatment and practices continued. We attended Elgin from 2005 through 2008. In effect, the senior pastor isthe church. Ross, James is (was) a powerful force which could and did destroy people with his power and influence. Lina, thank you for your post, and thank you for your honesty and transparency. When the Church becomes the organization instead of the people, then it ceases to be the Church. We have now been without a fellowship for nearly a year (we are missionaries in Europe) because I do not want to join a happy clappy crowd who would not know the Word of God were it to bite them nor do I want to join a fellowship where the Word is extremely well known but there is no life, no joy. In 2013, in a story covered bymajor evangelical news outlets, Harvest publicly excommunicated two former elders who were still members of Harvest. Everything is being talked about at great lengths regarding Harvest except for Who the body of Christ should be praying to, talking about and quoting. needless to say she did not go back and found a great church she was able to become a part of during her college years. By then there were so many small things that werent so small and added up to big things that could have explained my leaving, but to me, that video was the tipping point. He says he gave about $1K in these 6 months, and regrets it. Welcome to Ohio. *Strong Bad: Just for the record, in all kindness Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. For years, I kept believing the deception fed to the congregation by the elders. I believe you are mistaken. In other words, thatwasMacDonald in the recording. WORLD Magazine and other evangelical news outlets celebrated this resolution. I pray that the sincere, Christ honoring followers humbly seek Him and His will for them individually in relation to this circumstance, in addition to His will for the church as a whole. Not everything needs to be about Polititcs. Laurie Newman, a Harvest member, told Christianity Today that she believes the church's current leaders, like Bradshaw, are "good people who want to lead the church the way God wants it to. Roys also lamented the fallout of todays news. Your child will experience the life-changing power of Jesus and His Word through worship and story, and age-appropriate learning tools. Im glad I have stood firm. The environment is as ahw stated, fear James, make James happy 1st at services, then recording those messages fir walk in the word and finally by publishing them. I hate to be James because God judges leadership harsher than the regular sinner. see My Dream Church https://sites.google.com/site/mydreamchurch/. Thank you for speaking out, Lina! People need to be accountable for their actions. The harsh language of Harvests public excommunication of these individuals did receive pushback, and in 2014, MacDonald expressed regret at the language used, and announced that the church had reconciled with the elders. Somehow I thought 2500+ members walking out would send the message. The fired senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel megachurch is contending, in a new lawsuit, that an attorney and accountants hired by the church took part in a "smear . Perhaps we can do something like that here in Davenport, too. My last complaint. Sign up for our newsletter: hi liz, not really looking for a vote here. Or is he in effect the church, with an elder board that exists only for show and to rubber stamp his decisions? *For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The problem definitely doesnt end with James. Go figure..Disappointed, Searching for a new study close by. So Grace is only for MacDonald and no one else not the elders he excommunicated, not the numerous employees who were fired or kids who were expelled from HCA, not the pastor who was fired in FLORIDA and had his church taken away I would ask you SERIOUSLY??!! We believe that disciples of Jesus profess that He is Lord, practice His Ways, and persevere in both their profession and practice. The fruit of people at Harvest coming to Christ belongs to the Holy Spirit, not to JM. He is very likely not a brother in Christ. I love Dr. Dobsons admonition that while it is tempting to want to get out of a painful situation, often the only way out is through. I will not address any party affiliation. What happens next? Thats the point and issue with what was and is going on at Harvest. I pray for the leaders. For years, they had been made to feel like the outcasts, but finally vindication in its godly form was working its way out. She is not trying to kick him while he is down. Amen Sister! Thank you for your courage. Ted Haggard bemoans his "exile" in a new HBO documentary. I was recovering from the deep wounds and hurts from when we left when this all came rushing back in and opening old wounds. That IS A LIE!! That, it seems, was what it took to finally break his hold over his current elder board; to finally convince the elders that they were wrong to keep listening to his excuses. I wondered if you had become a full time missionary and if that was why you quit writing. It IS her truth The kindest thing one can do is to cut out and expose the cancer to death. I will be praying for you , too, Lina. In the past we were to study pulpit curriculum and bible vocabulary. I am surprised by your editorial on Harvest. My response, Why? Really? whos fault is this? As painful as it is, all that has been hidden must be revealed. Thoughts from a person looking in. Swicegood released a statement saying that much of what has been alleged "is simply false, misleading and hateful." He added that the . Do You Really Have to Go to Church Every Sunday? Not just Harvest Bible Chapel. Im disappointed in your timing. Lina Abujamra who once was the Womens Ministry Director at Rolling Meadows explained how she ran afoul of the elders and why she left in the course of time. How important it is to pray pray pray and check on our leaders also of their growth in Christ and what our church mission is and to stay biblical, not political but biblical. Im replying after reading just your first few paragraphs. So Ill never forget the day I got up from my seat in a service, walked out, and never looked back. Amen sister!! Fear can lead to many sins. You are courageous! There were several close family deaths, lost our home, business and more. I have wondered if Harvest Bible Chapel (the organization) is worth the cost its taken to try and save it? 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