H.O.T. celebrates another fruitful year

 

[October 27, 2024] 

On Sunday, October 27, Lincoln Christian Church held Harvest of Talents celebration services during all three worship services.

The service began with several songs of praise and Scripture readings led by worship minister Laurin Hill along with the worship team and a small choir.

Harvest team member Carolyn Neal said it is with great joy we celebrate God’s faithfulness in 41 Harvest of Talents here in Lincoln and our sister events in other states.

There are many verses that inspire the Harvest of Talents. Neal said her favorite one that is a great motivator is 1 Peter 4:10. She read the passage, which says, “Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others, so be sure to give well.” Neal said everyone gave well.

As far as local events, Neal said she cannot think of any others that use so many talents like the Harvest of Talents does. Everyone there was a part of a very big offering. These gifts are to be used by God to serve others.

In her communion meditation, Neal said we were going to share a meal. As the bread is passed, she told everyone to remember that it represents the body of Christ. One of the many things Christ did while he was on earth was to care for the poor and the hungry. She said as the body of Christ we should carry out what we did using our talents and our hands to serve others.

The more we serve others and the more talents we share, Neal said the whole church looks more like Jesus.

As the cup is passed, Neal said we need to remember it represents the sacrifice Jesus made for us and the forgiveness of our many sins. We should also remember Christ’s death on the cross, his burial and his resurrection. It is in his leadership, his authority and his name that Neal said we are motivated to be more like him.

In her prayer, Neal thanked God for loving each one of us so much that he doesn’t want any of us to be left behind. She thanked God for empowering each of us with something to do and a talent to share. She then thanked God for his sacrifice and prayed his name is glorified in our lives.

Before the time of offering, Neal reminded everyone that the money given would help many including the International Disaster Emergency Service. She said God will multiply these gifts.

Next, a video was played that showed Harvest recipients who benefited from the money raised through H.O.T. and the food taken to them by IDES. The woman in the video said thanks to the money received from the Harvest of Talents, they have been able to feed 250 families on a weekly basis and over 800 children at their school that they feed on a daily basis. The man said they are so blessed to have a partner like you to be involved in feeding people in a crisis situation.

Harvest of Talents Co-Chair Natalie Morris thanked the church for all the ways it has been a blessing to others and the way people have given of themselves, their time and their talents. She said God has blessed it.

H.O.T. Co-Chair Bethany Henry then shared some statistics. With the help of IDES team members, many at the Harvest of Talents started packing God Always Provides (GAP) meals a couple years ago. This year alone, Henry said 15,502 meals were packed Saturday morning. In the three years the GAP packing has been part of the Harvest of Talents, she said 45,816 meals have been packed.

With the monies raised in 2024, Henry said GAP will provide 274,973 meals to be distributed around the world.

Henry then announced the total raised at this year’s Harvest of Talents was $109,988.83. In the 41 years of this event, Henry said $3,679,000.99 has been raised to feed hungry people all over the world. She praised God for this amount.

The check was presented by Morris and Henry to Jeff Robinson, IDES Director of Church Relations.

When IDES thinks of Lincoln Christian Church, Robinson said they think of what the apostle Paul said to the church in Philippi. In Philippians 1:3-5, Paul said, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership with the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you” will be faithful to complete it.

For the last 41 years, Robinson said Lincoln Christian Church has partnered with IDES to not only feed the hungry, but to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to hundreds of thousands of people around the world. HE thanked the church for its partnership with IDES and for their generosity.

Before Lincoln Christian Church’s Lead Pastor Ron Otto started his message, he recognized the Harvest team members and IDES team members for all their hard work. He asked any member of those groups to stand and be recognized with applause from the congregation.

In stepping into the leadership of the Harvest of Talents, Otto said Morris and Henry stepped into some very big shoes. When others stepped back from leadership roles after many years, Otto said Morris and Henry stepped up as co-chairs, working so hard and so well with the staff. Otto joked that the staff looks forward to working with them for the next 41 years.

John F. Kennedy was aiming for the stars in the 1960s and by the end of the decade, Otto said we not only had rockets going into outer space, but we also had the first human being on the moon.

Forty-one years ago, another dream was set. Otto talked about how Pat Snyder had a vision for the Harvest of Talents in 1984 and approached the minister with it. She dreamed of people bringing items created by hand to be sold with every penny of it going to feed starving people.

The churchwide ministry of Harvest of Talents was born from Snyder’s vision. Otto said people brought in things they restored, painted, created, stitched, baked, made and built and all of it was sold to feed the hungry. We do all of that to imitate Jesus Christ, who had a big heart for the poor.

A wealthy man named Nicodemus came to Jesus. Nicodemus said he was doing all the things he was supposed to do but felt something was missing. Otto said Jesus told Nicodemus to sell his possessions and give to the poor. The Bible says Nicodemus walked away very sad because he had many possessions.

During Jesus’ ministry, he did much to defend the poor. Jesus healed, fed and ministered to the poor. Otto said Jesus asks us to become followers of him and learn to imitate him. He asked what that means for us.

What Otto said that means for us is that we need to grow a heart for the poor. Harvest of Talents has done a great job of reminding us of what it means to imitate Christ.

Why do we do the Harvest of Talents? To answer that, Otto listed four ways we can care for others and show them God’s love. Otto said there are 2,000 verses on giving to the poor and joked that he was going to read all of them.

First, Otto said God tells us to share generously with those in need. Passages in Proverbs 14 and 29 and 1 John 3:17 all talk about the need to help the poor as a way of showing the love of God. Otto said God decided to make us in his image, which is one of giving.

Because we are made in God’s image, Otto said we need to follow God’s lead in giving. God gave us all we had and asks us to be givers in this world and minister to others.

Second, Otto said we believe that what is given is also returned. It is the principle of sowing and reaping. God says what you sow, you will reap. Otto said this principle is found over and over again. Proverbs 22:9 says, the generous will be blessed because they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 28 says, “those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them will receive many curses.”

Though Otto said he doesn’t physically close his eyes; he sometimes changes the channel when there are commercials for starving children and other horrible situations.

Third, Otto said we believe that what we do for others is like doing it for Jesus. Jesus said whenever we give things away, it is like we are doing it for him. Otto read a passage from Matthew 25:35 where Jesus says [to the righteous], “for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

When the righteous asked Jesus when they saw him in these situations and took care of him, he said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Later in this parable Otto says Jesus goes on to talk about being hungry and thirsty and the people not feeding them or giving them a drink. When the people asked when they saw him and didn’t do those things for him, they were told when they didn’t do those things for the least of these, they didn’t do them for him.

Fourth, Otto said, we believe giving is one of the secrets of a joyful life. As Acts 20:35 says, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”

When it comes to those who are poor, Otto said there is a tension about when to give and when not to give. Some say there are two groups: the willful poor and the innocent poor. Those considered the willful poor are poor because of their own doing, whether it be because of laziness, addictions or unwise decisions. Otto said when we encounter the willfully poor, we do not really want to give to them.

Instead, Otto said people want to give to the innocent poor. The innocent poor have often gone through calamity or disaster. As Otto said, that is what IDES is all about.

Lincoln Christian Church has been partnering with IDES since Harvest of Talents began 41 years ago. Otto said IDES is a trusted agency who not only feeds the hungry but also minister to them in emergency moments. In times of disasters like the recent hurricanes, Otto said IDES’ trucks head in to help.

Though Otto has been making distinctions between the willfully poor and innocent poor, he said this week it hit him that spiritually he is willfully poor.

When we sin, Otto said we are all willfully poor. However, in the midst of our sins, God still gave his life for us. When we were sinners, God died for us.

If Otto feels like the Holy Spirit is asking him to give, he said maybe he should follow that lead. Otto said maybe he should not judge as much, for even those who have willfully made a mess of their lives still need help. In those moments, Otto said maybe he should be more like Jesus.

Over the years, God has used the Harvest of Talents to remind us we are ministering to poor people.

Preachers of old used to end sermons by asking the question, “what if you die tonight? Do you know where you are going?’”

To change the question, Otto asked is what if you wake up tomorrow morning? What do you want to be? What kinds of memories do you want to make for your children and your grandchildren? What kind of spiritual witness do you want to be to your family?

Tomorrow morning when Otto goes to live his life he asked, will I live it like I really believe there is a second coming of Jesus or am I just going to live for myself? When Otto wakes up tomorrow he wonders, will I want to be more like Jesus, or do I want to go back to being the old Ron?

In closing, Otto said God is trying to grow our hearts for the poor because that is what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We become like him when we help others, which Otto said is why we do the Harvest of Talents.

[Angela Reiners]