Our Foundation Is Jesus Christ
Harvest exists to glorify God
by making more and better followers of Jesus.
Our Leadership Team
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Our History
In early 2000, a small group of believers were gathering under the name Hope Community Church in Barrie. With no pastor and no building of their own, the group faced the prospect of closing down the ministry, but instead, full of faith, they allowed God to give them a renewed vision for this city and beyond.
In the months that followed, a God-ordained connection was made with leaders from Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, and in January 2001 the church became the core group of a new church plant, Harvest Bible Chapel Barrie. We give tribute to the “original eight” families who exercised faith and believed God for what we have today: Terry and Ruth Ann Evans, Les and Judi Galicinski, Stewart and Faye Mathie, Gunther and Helga Podewils, Scott and Tracy Robinson, Janet Smith, Garth and Peta Taylor, Richard and Sue Thomas, and with honourable mention to Steve Gallant, who was a teen in the youth group at the time, and who continues to be a part of our Harvest family to this day.
On March 25, 2001, Todd Dugard became the founding and lead pastor, preaching his first sermon. After five months of training in Chicago, he assumed his full-time responsibilities at the church’s official launch on September 16, 2001, and he remains our lead pastor to this day.
Over the years, Harvest has gathered for worship at the Sunnidale Community Centre (now the Dorian Parker Centre), Emma King Elementary School (2001-2005), Timothy Christian School (2005-2017), and since August 2017, at our own 7 George Street facility (the former Army, Navy, Air Force Club Hall).
By God’s grace, the church grew in a way that could not have been anticipated, and God gave us a front-row seat to what he was doing through the movement of the Holy Spirit. In 2002, we had the privilege of being a founding church of the newly formed Harvest Bible Fellowship, through which many planters were trained and sent out, many churches were planted, and many people were led to faith in Christ and baptized. Sadly, after a lingering and devastating leadership crisis, our fellowship of churches disbanded in 2017 leaving us without an affiliation. We are grateful that despite human failure in what happened, the fruit of these years remains.
In March 2021, after a lengthy season of internal evaluation and investigation of options for a new connection, Harvest joined Acts 29, a diverse, global family of church-planting churches.
Over the more than twenty-two years of our history, we have had the joy and privilege of being involved in planting, coaching, and supporting new churches and pastors/planters in Canada, the U.S., Scotland, Cameroon, and other countries, and we have engaged in gospel-centred compassion ministries locally and globally. Together with our partners, we hope to continue to make an impact for the kingdom of God here on earth until Jesus appears.
What To Expect
Service Format
Our service begins with worship, led by a band. Most people stand during this time, however, there is complete freedom to be seated if you prefer. The words of all of the songs are projected onto a screen. Our hope is that you’ll hear songs you know or can relate to, even if you haven’t been to church before.
Giving toward the ministry costs of the church is part of our worship and details ways to give can be found on this website. If you are a guest, please do not feel obligated to participate, as this is intended for those who consider Harvest their church home.
As our guest, we only ask that you take a few moments to complete the Connect Form found at HBC.info. By filling this in you can request information, ask for prayer, let us know your thoughts, or just indicate your presence with us. In any case, our church leaders pray for each of the prayer requests every week.
You won’t be asked to stand or raise your hand (or anything else embarrassing) just because you’re new. Nor will you have to recite anything or kneel at certain times during the service.
Harvest provides practical Bible messages that help you deal with real life issues. Pastor Todd preaches from the English Standard Version, but please feel free to bring whatever version of the Bible you use.
We’ll even provide you with a handy outline with the main points and Bible verses on our microsite hbc.info. What you learn on the weekend, you’ll be able to use during the week.
AFTER THE SERVICE
Be sure to stop by the Guest Central and pick up material on any aspects of Harvest in which you may be interested. One of our pastors or leaders would love to have a chance to meet you.
WHAT TO WEAR
At Harvest Bible Chapel, we focus on the heart more than the outward appearance. When you come to one of our weekend services, you will find people dressed in a wide variety of styles from as casual as jeans or shorts, to as formal as suits and dresses.
We do ask that people wear clothing that does not draw attention to themselves.We think that what you wear to church should not detract from the worship experience of others around you. We want all of the attention to go to Christ.
What We Believe
Doctrinal Statement
We also subscribe to:
The Acts 29 Distinctives
The Lausanne Covenant