Wealth is fleeting.
The shakeup at Harvest Bible Chapel continued tonight as the sons of founder James MacDonald, who was fired last week, offered their resignations.In his resignation letter, Lead Pastor Luke MacDonald said his “professional dream” had been “to one day grow to be the Senior Pastor of the church.” But he added that “conversations with elders and staff” had made it clear that he “should move forward to whatever God has next.”Noting that his birth year and Harvest’s were the same, Landon MacDonald, executive pastor of student ministries, said he “always thought that something like that would be said at my funeral having served at Harvest my whole life.” Landon said his years at Harvest have been wonderful and that teaching the students at Harvest has been “a dream come true.” But he expressed that the the past few months have been “painful and heavy in ways I didn’t think possible.” The resignations come after Harvest member Mark Banaszak wrote a letter on behalf of about 30 members, which was emailed to the elders. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you”.It is with the greatest hope we that press on to restore our church to the glory of God and stand on his promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14; “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”Keep in touch with Julie and get updates in your inbox!Republic Bank’s recent foreclosure on the estate of disgraced pastor, James MacDonald, is sending a sobering message. While we have no current future employment plans, we hope to serve the Lord again and would never choose an assignment that would hurt the church we have loved these many years. His alleged behavior has not affected those numerous churches to the extent of that felt in Chicago. Landon MacDonald’s Resignation Letter: To the Elders and people of Harvest Bible Chapel, I have been at Harvest since I can remember. This $650,000 home was merely the MacDonalds’ way station while they built their extravagant, custom mansion on a nearby five-acre parcel. If desired, I am available by phone to answer any questions related to transition of responsibilities.To the people of Harvest – your support and prayers kept us through until today -the sincerest thank you from my heart. To all students past and present, you and this ministry is the thing that I will miss the most.I love Harvest and its people and I always will. This lack of oversight facilitated the covered up of ungodly behaviors, financial mismanagement, potential embezzlement and illegal self-dealing by current and former church elders, pastors and leaders.
This lack of oversight and transparency must be addressed first and foremost during the Harvest 2020 process. Even after my parent’s ministry at Harvest ended, I was hopeful that with enough humility and time that could still happen. We are also aware that there are pastors and leaders outside the elder board who have been complicit in these actions which contributed to this storm. From my years in Niles as the youth pastor, through pastoring students in Rolling Meadows, and then to Vertical Worship and preaching on the weekends, there have been many great years. The letter also asked for every elder who participated in the creation of the executive committee to resign immediately, as well as every elder who participated in the 2013 excommunication of three former elders. It is our expectation that the congregation will receive frequent updates as well as our questions being answered in a timely manner.I exhort you leaders, as the church in Sardis was in Revelation 3:2-3, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works to be perfect before God. All current members of the churches financial team should be subject to a thorough vetting process and the current CFO should be called into account for these matters.Harvest Bible Chapel pastors, elders and the Executive Committee members have conducted their activities in secret for over a decade. My professional dream has always been to one day grow to be the Senior Pastor of the church. I always thought that something like that would be said at my funeral having served at Harvest my whole life. Both to those who told me they were praying and those who just did it.To the students of Harvest – leading and teaching you has been a dream come true. An eight-month investigation into pastor James MacDonald and Harvest Bible Chapel, his Chicago-area megachurch, culminated last week with the publication of a World Magazine article by Julie Roys. James MacDonald and his wife, Kathy, moved into their “smaller” home—which was still more than three times the median price of other homes in Elgin—for only a short period of time. I thank God for it. According to aJames MacDonald’s defamation lawsuit against his former confidant and friend, WLS-AM Radio Host Mancow Muller, is “no more than a vindictive fishingThanksgiving dinners at the MacDonald mansion will never be the same.My comment is going to be a bit different. The conferences and Good Fridays and altar calls have been great, but the true joy has been the blessing of walking alongside so many wonderful individual people. Get Landon's Direct Phone & … The letter specifically called for the resignations of Luke and Landon MacDonald.