Harvest House
Help Us, Help Her
Harvest House, located in Dayton, Ohio, is a mentoring program for young women in challenging situations. Our goal is to come alongside them as they face various life challenges. The young ladies meet with a staff mentor where they receive the attention and care they need to set individual goals based on their unique situation and hopes for the future. Our team then works closely with them to help achieve those goals.
Harvest House consists of ongoing mentoring and support while YOU work to meet YOUR goals. This is a highly individualized program designed to meet people where they are. To date we have helped in a variety of areas including job security and training, transportation needs, schooling including college level and GEDs, child care and parenting training, and much more!
We align our program with solid Biblical teaching. This program is offered free of charge.
Mission: Preparing disadvantaged young women to take on the world with new hope and life skills.
Vision: Harvest House will transform the lives of young women through God's love.
Sometimes a non-conventional approach to healing allows young women a restart they need to carry hope (and a light) out into the world.
Rather than try to make a one-size-fits all program that kind of works for the masses, we have tried to create a very individual approach that meets the specific needs of the young people we are working with. We help with both practical needs as well as mentoring, goal setting, and a little bit of mom-ing.
Harvest House Blog
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2, NIV) Dear Friends, Recently I overheard a conversation that has stayed with me. A Christian parent was explaining to a group of people that they had encouraged their grown child to move in with their significant other for a few years before getting married. Their reasoning was that couples should "make sure it works" before making a lifelong commitment. What struck me wasn't that someone in the world would give that advice - it was that someone who faithfully attends church and professes to believe the Bible had concluded that God's design for marriage no longer makes sense in today's culture. It reminded me how easy it is for all of us to accept the parts of Scripture we like while quietly setting aside the parts that challenge us. We don't usually reject God's Word outright' we simply allow the culture around us to redefine what we think is reasonable. At Harvest Youth Ministries, this is one of the greatest spiritual battles facing this generation. Every day, young people are told that truth is relative, feelings determine what is right, and God's standards are outdated. They need more than motivational messages - they need adults who are willing to lovingly and courageously point them to the unchanging truth of God's Word. Out mission has never been to make the Bible fit our culture, but to help people discover that God's ways are always right, even when they aren't popular. Thank you for making that possible through your prayers, encouragement, and faithful financial support. Together, we are helping young people build their lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ rather than the shifting opinions of the world. As you pray for Harvest Youth Ministries this month, please pray that we will never compromise God's truth for the sake of cultural acceptance. Pray that the young people we serve will have the courage to stand firm in their faith, and that each of us will be known not for following the latest trends, but for faithfully following Christ Jesus. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17, KJV) Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2, ESV) Friends, If you have been around a while, you may know there are a few things that irritate me. Some of them are things I catch myself doing! One big one is the phrase, “let’s pray really quick” before meals, meetings, or ministry. Why do we say this? Why is it so easy to treat talking to the God of the Universe as a box that should be checked off before we move on to the “real work” of doing whatever we’re doing? I am realizing prayer isn’t something we do before ministry. Prayer IS ministry. Recently, a woman reached out because she is struggling with housing after a work injury. We got details about her immediate need so we could know what steps to take, then followed up with another message, not about the housing situation, but about her. I asked how she was doing and how we could be praying for her. It was an intentional move because sometimes, people need to know they are cared for physically before they are ready to be cared for spiritually. Her response was striking. She said it was the only time she had been asked how she was during this time. The need was housing. The need was also to be seen and cared for. It can be so easy to get focused on “doing the work” that we forget to see the person in front of us. While her physical needs must be met, her soul also needs tending. Let’s never move prayer to a “really quick” before we start moving our feet. Let us pray as we begin, as we move, and as we finish, making prayer an essential part of ministry and life. Without God involved, what are we doing anyway? Please pray for Ms. A with me. She has a long recovery ahead of her, an unstable financial situation, and a deep desire to get back on her feet. Celebrations! Ms A received help with rent this month while she is working on recovering from an injury. Ms K received a voucher for clothing for job interviews, and we are working on a bicycle! Blessings, Elizabeth Kilby
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NIV) Dear Friends, One of the most surprising lessons I’ve learned in ministry is that God doesn’t always remove the need for faith. We often pray for enough resources to accomplish everything He has placed on our hearts, but many times He chooses a different path. Instead of providing every dollar in advance, He gives us just enough to take the next faithful step. Why? Because if we always had everything we needed, we might begin to trust our bank accounts more than we trust the One who provides. Scripture reminds us that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Apostle Paul even wrote that he had learned to be content in every circumstance because Christ was his strength—not his circumstances. At Harvest Youth Ministries, we’ve seen God provide again and again, often at just the right moment. While we certainly wouldn’t complain if He chose to send every resource we need tomorrow, we’re learning that the greater blessing is seeing His faithfulness unfold one step at a time. Perhaps the Lord allows seasons of need because they keep us humble, grateful, and dependent upon Him. Every answered prayer reminds us that this ministry belongs to Him, not to us. Every volunteer, every donated item, every financial gift, e very young person whose life is changed is evidence that God is still at work. Thank you for walking this journey with us. Your prayers, encouragement, and generosity are part of God’s provision, and we never take them for granted. Please continue praying that we will remain faithful stewards of what He entrusts to us and that we will always have the courage to follow where He leads—even when we can’t yet see how He will provide. We serve a God who has never failed us, and w e are confident He never will. Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim Kilby
