About Harvest Youth Ministries

The first Harvest Youth initiative, The Cellar, opened in Dayton, Ohio in 1998. Originally located in an old house, The Cellar soon grew large enough we needed a large warehouse type building.  We moved to Moraine, Ohio where the Cellar was transformed into a large neighborhood skate park. Through God’s grace and provision, our ministry at The Cellar led thousands of teens to accept Jesus Christ as savior and begin an authentic relationship with Him. Due to economy changes and the popularity of free, outdoor skate parks, The Cellar closed in 2009. However, many of the teens that attended The Cellar began to attend our second Harvest Youth Ministry location, The Attic, in Kettering, Ohio.

The Attic was founded in 2002 as a safe alternative to weekend house parties which had become prevalent in the area. The Attic’s mission is to provide a “positive place” for teens that was free from drugs, alcohol, and violence. This approach was designed to keep teens out of trouble for at least one night a week but was inspired by our desire to build relationships with them and impact their lives. The Attic reached an average of 300 teens on a regular weekend and up to 1500 teens on weekends of premier events. The Attic also hosted youth group events, Bible studies and became home to our church plant; Harvest Christian Fellowship.

In 2010 Harvest House was founded to help young women in especially difficult situations. It was evident after years of interacting with youth at our teen centers that some individuals just needed an extra hand. With Harvest House we are able to give those in especially difficult situations a safe place to call home.

Like most other organizations, when the pandemic hit in 2020 we revised our plans once again and worked on coming alongside individuals and families to help them break cycles of poverty, joblessness, homelessness, and more.  By meeting practical needs, we are able to remove some of the barriers that prevent independence. 

Harvest Youth Ministries also sponsors the Thought4Today newsletter. Thought4Today is a daily devotional that is delivered by email and facebook. The devotionals are inspired by God’s word and focus on Biblical topics relevant to both teens and adults.

It is the vision of our founder, Jim Kilby, to see more people reached with not only practical help but the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in Dayton, Ohio and beyond.  Harvest begins by serving our local community, but we are also available to help as a resource for similar initiatives nationwide.  Jim's background and experience over the last 14 years have made him an excellent resource for other leaders who are interested in opening up their own teen centers or finding ways to meet the unique needs of their communities. If you are interested in learning more, please email pastorjim@harvestyouth.org for more information.