Pastor Doug Gray
Worship Style - Contemporary
Since this was Columbus Day Weekend and a beautiful fall day, we decided that it would be a good time to go for a ride. We had recently heard of Harvest Bible Fellowship, which is a type of denomination started in Illinois in 1988 with James McDonald as senior pastor. "They had a vision for proclaiming the authority of God's Word without apology, for lifting high the name of Jesus through worship, for believing firmly in the power of prayer, and for sharing the good news of Jesus with boldness." So we journeyed out to Ludlow, MA to attend one of their churches.
Harvest Bible Church in Ludlow, MA meets at Ludlow High School. As you enter the high school, you see welcoming banners in the windows, you are greeted at the door, and you see several beautifully arranged displays regarding church activities. The hallway to the auditorium also has large banners, and there was an elaborate coffee/tea/juice/water cafe set up. The staff even had decorated the bathrooms. Finally, as you can see in the picture, they transformed the stage into a sanctuary. All of this has to be done every week, which is quite impressive.
After a time of praise music, Pastor Gray introduced the Scripture that he would be discussing: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. The sermon was completely outlined in the sermon notes handout, which we found very helpful. This was the 3rd anniversary of Harvest Bible Church. So, following the service, a group photo was to be taken. There were approximately 100 people in attendance.
Pastor Gray's sermon was entitled, "Who Will You Follow?". He suggested that this was going to be a challenging and, for some, a difficult sermon. Paul begins this Scripture with this, "Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose." Pastor Gray went on to discuss the importance of unity, what causes division, and that the solution is "oneness in Christ". He reminded us that the mission is to glorify God and that nothing else matters! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!
Worship Style - Contemporary
Since this was Columbus Day Weekend and a beautiful fall day, we decided that it would be a good time to go for a ride. We had recently heard of Harvest Bible Fellowship, which is a type of denomination started in Illinois in 1988 with James McDonald as senior pastor. "They had a vision for proclaiming the authority of God's Word without apology, for lifting high the name of Jesus through worship, for believing firmly in the power of prayer, and for sharing the good news of Jesus with boldness." So we journeyed out to Ludlow, MA to attend one of their churches.
Harvest Bible Church in Ludlow, MA meets at Ludlow High School. As you enter the high school, you see welcoming banners in the windows, you are greeted at the door, and you see several beautifully arranged displays regarding church activities. The hallway to the auditorium also has large banners, and there was an elaborate coffee/tea/juice/water cafe set up. The staff even had decorated the bathrooms. Finally, as you can see in the picture, they transformed the stage into a sanctuary. All of this has to be done every week, which is quite impressive.
After a time of praise music, Pastor Gray introduced the Scripture that he would be discussing: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. The sermon was completely outlined in the sermon notes handout, which we found very helpful. This was the 3rd anniversary of Harvest Bible Church. So, following the service, a group photo was to be taken. There were approximately 100 people in attendance.
Pastor Gray's sermon was entitled, "Who Will You Follow?". He suggested that this was going to be a challenging and, for some, a difficult sermon. Paul begins this Scripture with this, "Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose." Pastor Gray went on to discuss the importance of unity, what causes division, and that the solution is "oneness in Christ". He reminded us that the mission is to glorify God and that nothing else matters! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS!