Harvest Fire Worship Center New Membership & Baptism Class

PROFILE ON THE NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS

It is the aim of Harvest Fire Worship Center to “Reach the lost at any cost”.  After a sinner has made that important step to commit his/her life to Christ, then the next step is to guide and teach the new believer how to lead a spiritual life in the LORD.

Harvest Fire has many opportunities for spiritual growth and empowerment.  For example, various workshops and seminars are offered throughout the course of each year, as well as the teaching and guidance of Pastors Donald and Helga Clarke.  There is also mid-week Bible study, Men’s and Women’s Fellowship, Discipleship classes, early Morning Prayer, and first and foremost, the NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS.

The NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS helps to lay the foundation for new believers, for all persons who are seeking membership at Harvest Fire Worship Center, and for those who are preparing for water baptism.

Since the start of 2004, this class has been jointly taught by Deacon Michael Lawrence and his wife, Deaconess Francine Lawrence.  They have succeeded Brother Tommy Steel, who had been teaching the class for a number of years.  Mr. Steel, who has a wealth of knowledge, is now imparting this knowledge in Discipleship 1 class.

THE LAWRENCES

Michael Lawrence attended DeCarteret College in Mandeville, Jamaica where he graduated and pursued a career in the banking field.  He worked at Mutual Security Bank where he worked as Senior Officer until he migrated to Florida in 1990.  Shortly after coming to Miami, he continued his studies at Florida International University where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He currently uses his business skills to process payrolls and tax forms for various companies.

Francine Lawrence migrated from Jamaica to Florida at a very young age.  She attended elementary, middle, and high schools in Miami.  Francine also attended Florida International University on a Golden Drum scholarship.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, and has been teaching elementary students for the past 10 years.

The Lawrences are the proud parents of twelve year old twin girls. They enjoy spending quality time with their daughters and believe that if you train children in the way they should go, then when they are old they will not depart.  Bible reading and prayer are important aspects of their time together as a family.

Michael and Francine Lawrence have been members of Harvest Fire Worship Center since 2001.  It was at this ministry where they were convicted by the HOLY SPIRIT to recommit their lives to CHRIST. They both attended NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS and were subsequently welcomed as members of the church. They have also been through other classes, such as Discipleship 1 & 2, Intercessory Prayer, and various leadership training programs.

When it comes to “The Word”, Michael and Francine are like the FBI (Faithful Bible Investigators).  They spend a great deal of time studying the word of GOD.  Together, they have built up quite an impressive collection of reference books that have helped them to gain a better understanding of the Bible.  Michael has said quite a few times, “We still do not know everything, and we admit that we have only scratched the surface of where we want to be spiritually.  However, with what we know, we feel that we are making a positive contribution to our church.”

After being inducted as Deacon and Deaconess at Harvest Fire, Michael and Francine felt the need to get more involved in their church.  Although leaders of a Cell Group, both felt like they wanted to contribute more to the ministry.  They prayed and asked the LORD to reveal to them how to use their spiritual gifts to serve.  The Lawrences informed their senior Pastors of their willingness to serve in any area of need. They said, “We want to be a part of the solution, to make a difference, to care and not just be church-goers.”

The church was at the time restructuring some things, and the opportunity was given to teach the NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS.  The Lawrences felt that this is what GOD has called them to do at this time of their lives.  “HE might have other things in store for us later, but we are delighted to serve in this capacity,” said Francine.

THE CLASS- The Lawrences’ Perspective

The class itself sets the foundation for new believers and prospective members. It consists of eight lessons, and participants are encouraged not to miss more than two classes.  Eight lessons do not translate into eight weeks of classes!

We believe that the HOLY SPIRIT is the true teacher of the class.  We are only HIS oracles.  Even though we have an outline, if there is an issue that needs to be dealt with, we will take the time to deal with it.  The class normally consists of people from various backgrounds.  Some are new Christians, while others are seeking membership at the church.  For some, this class might be the only place where they can express themselves without feeling intimidated.  We have occasionally stopped in the middle of a lesson to pray for someone in need.  Each Sunday and every new student brings new challenges.  We never know where each lesson is going to take us.  As we said before, the HOLY SPIRIT is the true teacher.

We tend to make the class as interactive as possible.  Questions are encouraged and we elicit participation from even the shiest students.  Some of them have different experiences that they’ve encountered, so the students learn from each other as well.  Sometimes what we learn from one group, we in turn, use to share with our next group.

We are currently in the process of revamping the New Membership Handbook.  Many things have been changed since the first edition. However, the basic structure of the handbook will remain the same.  We have added more scriptures and have reorganized some of the contents.  Some of the topics that we get into are: The Doctrine of Harvest Fire Worship Center, Confirmation of Salvation, Principles of Spiritual Life and Growth, Overview of Prayer, Overview of the WORD (Bible), and the Responsibility of the Believer.

Harvest Fire Worship Center has a relationship with the Miami Rescue Mission.  On any given Sunday, we have people in our class from the Mission.  These people were once homeless, and since they have found GOD are trying to turn their lives around.  They are so hungry for the WORD.  Many of them have questions and situations that require us to spend time making sure that they become secure in their salvation.  They bring a whole different experience to the class.  We have baptized and extended membership to quite a few of them in 2004. Some of them are making a positive contribution to our church by working in various ministries.  Some ministries that they work in are: Maintenance, Greeting, Security and Transportation, and the Audio/Visual Department.  On the personal side, some have gone back to school and are excelling in their classes. Two previous students from the Mission are now deacons in training!  Isn’t GOD good?

We are looking forward to what GOD has in store for Harvest Fire Worship Center in 2005.  Our goal is to continue to serve as oracles for the NEW MEMBERSHIP AND BAPTISM CLASS, but we always live our Christian life according to the motto, “For the audience of ONE.”