Humble Beginnings
New Harvest Church in Clewiston, FL had humble beginnings. “We started twenty four years ago in a storefront,” said Administrator Carlos Roque. “They called it the Chrysler Cathedral because it was an old car dealership.”
Worship Service at New Harvest Church
But from day one, the people of New Harvest have been determined to break boundaries. Theirs was the first multi-racial congregation in the area, with members of African American, White, and Latino backgrounds. Roque said that before New Harvest, Sundays in Clewiston were known as “the most segregated day of the week.” The church takes pride in its dynamic multicultural congregation, and has a worldwide vision to see men, women, and children find and fulfill their God-given Destiny.
Growing the Harvest
Growth is a consistent theme for New Harvest. In 1995 the church moved to a beautiful new ten-acre campus, and since then has built a sanctuary capable of holding 500-600 people. Since the opening of the new sanctuary, the church’s k-12 school, Harvest Academy, has reached enrollment capacity. A new building is in the works so that the school can expand its resources and take on more students.
They recently started using Realm for check-in and child safety features. “It’s fantastic for our school and our daycare,” said Roque. “We sit on about ten acres, so it’s important that we keep track of our kids. I believe Realm is going to be absolutely vital as our ministry grows,” he continued.
As Harvest Academy grows, so does New Harvest’s congregation. “We’re a church of about 300 members, but we think of ourselves as a church of 800-1,000 members. We’re expanding every day. We’re also very strategic about getting our students involved in our ministry,” Roque said. On May 1st, the entire Harvest Academy attended their local National Day of Prayer. “That really says something to the community about our school,” said Roque.
Realm has also helped New Harvest support their growing ministry. The cloud-based tool has been key in helping them manage tithes and offerings through online giving.
“For many of our members, it’s the only way they give. We have a lot of contractors at our church who get paid by the job instead of a regular schedule. As soon as they get paid, they give online. Realm really makes it easy for people with multiple types of income to give, and for us to keep track,” Roque said.
Students at a Youth Conference in New Harvest’s Sanctuary
A Heart for the World
While New Harvest is new to Realm, they look forward to implementing its tools for member connection and information tracking. This church has a vision for even more growth and expansion. In the future they hope to see over 500 families join the as weekly covenant partners, and they want to add satellite campuses and trained pastors who will plant new churches around their region and the world. The church’s website states that New Harvest “must be a church that has a heart for the world.” As their ministry begins to reach beyond the borders of Clewiston, Realm will help them stay connected.
Are you looking for ways to help your growing church thrive? Learn more about how Realm can keep your growing congregation connected.