With a heart of compassion and a spirit of discernment, the Deacons at Harvest Church desire to continually serve the membership of the church in the area of benevolence assistance when individual times of financial strain arise. Our overall desire is to glorify Christ by obeying His command for benevolence and the care of one another as illustrated in the Scripture (1 John 3:17-18; James 1:27; James 2:14-17). Undergirding this desire to obey Christ is the understanding that we also show obedience to Christ by demonstrating proper and good stewardship with the resources that He has entrusted to us as a church. To these ends, we have created a Benevolence Fund along with the drafting of certain criteria and process.
The application process at Harvest for assistance through the Benevolence Fund requires a spirit of humility and partnership between you and the church leadership. It is more than a simple request for assistance. It is our desire to not only help with immediate financial needs, but also to help biblically address any underlying causes that may have led to the immediate need. In the end, we desire to see transformation and freedom in the area of financial stewardship in all of the members of Harvest Church and this transformation may come through needed lifestyle change and encouragement from the church. Understanding that this process could effectively be seen as personal discipleship, it is essential that any guidelines or instructions given from the Deacons in regards to your personal situation should be examined biblically and applied in a timely fashion. If you do not desire to place yourself under the authority and instruction of the church leadership in this area of your life, you should discontinue the process at this point.
The following application, along with the follow-up interview, gives the Deacons the necessary information to be able to whole-heartedly extend benevolence while also ensuring obedience in the area of stewardship. Complete honesty and openness is essential to walk forward in faith in God’s direction in this area.
The application must be filled out completely to be considered. Submission of the application does not constitute approval.