Home · Vertical Vision · God at Work: Kansas City
 God is visibly at work establishing His kingdom in Kansas City, Missouri!
With their sights set on launching this fall, Harvest Kansas City Senior Pastor, Jeff Terrell, shares this amazing story:
"Now [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." Acts 17:11
I can remember reading these words for the first time as a young believer. From the day of my conversion, I had a passion planted in me to study the Word of God. As I discovered pastors such as John MacArthur and John Piper, I learned that the Bible has the answers for all areas of life! So, my heart resonated to read in the 17th chapter of Acts that the people of Berea searched the Scriptures—even to see if Paul himself was preaching truth. These Bereans quickly became one of my favorite people-groups in the Bible.
Introduction to Berean Bible Church
On March 25, my family found our way into the Berean Christian School offices desiring a tour of the facility and hoping to enroll our daughters, Meg and Mallory, for the fall. I was familiar with the ministry. For over 40 years (30 for the school), it had been firmly planted in the Olathe, Kansas area as a place committed to the Word and excellence in Christian education. Even when I played against them in high school, there was a special place in my heart for the ministry named after the Acts 17 Bereans. (Of course, that didn't mean that I would let up when playing against them!)
As we toured the beautiful and relatively new facility—built in 2004—the school secretary told us of God's great provision for the ministry which led to their being able to build such a beautiful campus. As we continued to talk, we found out the church was looking for a pastor. The secretary became intrigued as we talked about Harvest Bible Chapel.
For I Am Doing a Work...That You Would Not Believe if Told
 Okay, so the paragraph heading is from Habakkuk 1:5 and was speaking of the impending destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, but for us, this work I am about to tell of falls into the "you would not believe if told" category. The weeks which followed were filled with much praying, fasting, and dialogue with the leaders of Berean and Harvest Bible Fellowship.
As we began to learn more about each other, we realized that our ministries are committed to the same core principals—the supremacy of the Word of God in all things, believing firmly in the power of prayer, sharing the good news of Jesus boldly...
So, we began to discuss the possibility of the people of Berean joining the people of Harvest to become Harvest Bible Chapel of Kansas City! Harvest was in need of like-minded people and a facility. Berean was in need of like-minded people and a pastor. God had this plan in motion long before March 25!
On Sunday, May 30, the voting members of Berean Bible Chapel unanimously affirmed the direction of their elders. We now put our hands to the plow and spend the summer planning for a September launch!
A Vision for the Future
We plan on launching Harvest Bible Chapel of Kansas City on the corner of 159th Street and Lackman Road in Olathe, Kansas in September of this year. What is wonderful is that—although the name will change—the great heritage displayed by the ancient Bereans and continued by the people of Berean Bible Church of "examining the Scriptures daily" will continue to be the fountain from which all areas of our ministry will flow.
The surrounding community is filled with mature and young families. We look forward to impacting them with the Gospel and discipling those God brings us...so that we may present everyone complete in Christ, Colossians 1:28.
Please Pray
The corner of 159th and Lackman is seeing a lot of change this year. In August, Berean Christian School and Westminster Christian Academy will merge to become
Heritage Christian Academy. This location will promise to be a hub for the community for years to come. We look forward to ministering to the people of the community, building a healthy God-honoring church, and partnering with an school committed to spiritual and academic excellence. Please pray for the school, the church, and especially the people. Change can be difficult. However, when God calls us to take a step of faith, He always provides!
—Jeff Terrell
For more information, see HarvestKansasCity.org
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