Mike Willis

God is wonderfully good and it's a delight to know Him and be growing-up in Him. I grew-up in Raleigh where my story of faith began in my home where mom prayed with me at night, dad took me to men’s conferences at church, and my sister and I went to youth group and on mission trips. Christian camp counselors and youth leaders preached Jesus with their words and their lives. They really lived their real faith in Jesus Christ. I trusted Christ for salvation as a boy.

Like suddenly being declared a husband or a dad and then growing into that title, God declared me Christian by my faith in Christ and now I am growing-up into being a Christian. It requires effort, there is no autopilot, and I get hard-hearted like unstirred concrete if I don’t stay in God’s Word, marveling at grace and being equipped to live out my faith.

I live and labor that Jesus would be known, worshiped, and served in Raleigh and the world. God didn’t save us for some status-quo faith, but for sincerely following Jesus as we lift our eyes to Him, the author and perfecter of our faith (Colossians 3:1-4; Hebrews 12:2). “That you may grow up into your salvation” (1 Peter 2:2).

My wife, Vanessa, is full-of-life, a fervent Christian, a great mom and a daily inspiration. We met at NC State. We’ve served Jesus overseas in Jordan and Kenya. We have two kids, Maddie and Luke.

I did my undergraduate studies in Communication at NC State. Between my Sophomore and Junior years, I spent a summer in Spain studying abroad and it was there that I first understood God’s calling on me to be a Senior Pastor. After college, I received a Masters of Theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. During seminary, I was privileged to start and lead a college ministry in Dallas.

Nearing the end of seminary, a godly man from Harvest Bible Fellowship with Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicagoland called me and asked me about being a church planter. Long story short, Vanessa and I moved there for eight months for dynamic hands-on training at Harvest under the leadership of some giants of the faith. It was through this process that the LORD led us back to Raleigh to plant Harvest Bible Chapel North Raleigh, the 40^th Harvest Bible Chapel.

“For your joy and progress in the faith.” Philippians 1:21

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Jason Kennedy

I've had the joy and privilege of being around a lot of fantastic people in my life. My wife, Julie, my family, men at NC STATE who invested in me and helped me grow as a disciple, and some godly leaders at church have all left a lasting impression on me. It was during my college years and involvement with Campus Crusade for Christ that I learned what it meant to become a disciple.

After several years of rich learning at the church where I met my wife, we decided that we wanted to be a part of a new thing; something where we could apply the things we had learned and be a blessing to others. About that time, the Willis' showed up in Raleigh ready to plant Harvest and the Lord showed us that this is exactly where He wants us. Since then, we have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and joy of serving Christ at Harvest.

We are passionate about cultiviating healthy marriages that honor the Lord and are thankful for the opportunities we get as small group leaders to influence and encourage biblical marriages. We are also captivated by the high calling of being responsible parents (we may or may not have watched hours of parenting DVD's on our vacation just for fun). Julie and I just had our first child, Jason Jr., in May 2011. Julie gets to stay home with him and invest her time in our family, while I do the best I can to make sure the good people of North Carolina have toilets that flush properly. I am a Civil Engineer doing site design, so next time you notice that the water in your toilet successfully goes away and doesn't return, thank a plumber and a site design engineer who helped make it happen.

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Tim Horton

I distinctively remember the first time I picked up a Bible to read it because I wanted to know what it said. I had read the Bible since I was very young, but always at someone else's request. When I read it to listen, I experienced a remarkable transformation. I read about a God who loved me with a deep, deep love and I knew that I wanted to serve Him. Christ love for the church is the most powerful thing that I know and the cross and resurrection are the greatest demonstrations of that power that man has ever seen. My life is given purpose by Christ's life, death and resurrection. Therefore, I am daily trying to honor Him with all that I do.

I love Harvest North Raleigh because this is where normal people who have hard lives walk with one another as we walk with Christ. I am passionate about small groups, because they have been a tool of spiritual transformation in my life. I am also really excited about frontier missions because it is the radical place where the sharp edge of the knife cuts into the greatest darkness in the world by rescuing people who have been blinded for generations.

I met my wife, Kate, on the mission field and our lives have been defined by the things we saw and experienced. Kate, our daughter Mary Wallace, and I look forward to taking the lessons we are learning at Harvest and in the professional marketplace to some far corner of the world one day to plant indigenous churches among people who have no access to the gospel.

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