A Church on the Hill in Trucksville
Harvest Church sits at the top of a hill on Carverton Road in Trucksville, a small community in Luzerne County in the Back Mountain area of northeastern Pennsylvania. From the parking lot to the playground, the campus is built around hospitality: greeters at the doors, a coffee cafe pouring locally roasted BeanNik, and a kids wing designed so parents can worship without a worry.
Harvest describes itself as a growing Assembly of God church with a Pentecostal flavor, passionate about creating an atmosphere where people can encounter God. Sunday mornings feel modern and expressive, with current worship music, extended prayer, and preaching that the church describes as sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and relevant to daily life.
Sunday Worship at 9 and 11
Two identical Sunday services are offered at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Each one includes modern worship, a prayer time, and a message from the pastoral team. The church teaches that expressive worship and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are part of the experience, and that attendees should leave having encountered God and been changed in some way.
Visitors are invited to arrive a little early, grab a hot or cold drink from the Harvest Church Cafe, and then head into the Sanctuary. First-time guests can enter the parking lot with their flashers on, and a parking attendant will direct them to a reserved visitor spot. Inside the doors, dress is casual. The church is intentional about making the building feel less like a museum and more like a living room for a large extended family.
Harvest Kids programming runs during both Sunday services for children from birth through 5th grade, so families can worship together without juggling logistics.
Wednesday Nights at Harvest
Wednesday is the busiest night of the week. At 6:00 p.m., the church family gathers in the lobby for a meal and fellowship. At 6:30 p.m., the evening splits into several tracks happening around the campus:
- Bible Study in the lobby for adults who want a conversational, mid-week time in the Word.
- Avail Prayer in the Sanctuary, a prayer service led by the Harvest Pastors and open to all ages.
- Discovery Wednesdays in the Harvest Kids Wing for ages 2 through 11, an activity-based program that rotates through baking, music, arts and crafts, woodworking, first aid, camping skills, and car basics.
- Apex Students in the lower level of the Student Ministry Center for grades 6 through 12, with corporate worship, biblical teaching, and small group breakouts led by adult leaders.
For those who cannot make it in person, the Sunday 9 a.m. service is livestreamed at 9 a.m. EST through the Boxcast app, Facebook, and YouTube.
Harvest Kids: Birth Through Fifth Grade
Harvest Kids treats children as gifts from God and the future of the church. The program runs in age-specific rooms inside the Harvest Kids Wing and is overseen by Children's Director Jennifer Farrell.
Infants through age 2 spend time in the Nursery, where volunteers welcome them with music, activities, and plenty of attention. Ages 3 and 4 attend Harvest Kids Wee Church, an active, hands-on classroom built around three truths: God made us, God loves us, and God wants to be our friend. Grades K through 5 join Harvest Kids for age-appropriate worship, Bible stories, games, and small group time.
First-time families stop at the Harvest Kids Booth, called the Boathouse, just inside the main doors. Volunteers gather basic information, print a name tag for the child, and give the parent a matching security tag required for pickup after the service.
Apex Students: Grades 6 Through 12
Apex is Harvest's student ministry, designed to give middle and high schoolers what the team calls mountaintop experiences with God. Wednesday nights begin at 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Student Ministry Center with worship and a teaching, followed by small group breakouts where adult leaders help students process the lesson for their own lives. A monthly Apex Students newsletter keeps parents and students in the loop on upcoming events and trips.
Adults: Women, Men, Groups, and Growth
Several distinct pathways exist for adults who want to go beyond Sunday services. The Women's Ministry meets periodically throughout the year for activities, fellowship, and spiritual growth. Forge Men's Ministry gathers every Monday at 6 p.m. in the Church Lobby for men of all ages to study the Bible and build community together.
For those wanting deeper roots, Harvest Groups are small Bible studies and book studies hosted by Harvest Partners in homes and locations throughout the area. Seed to Sower is an 8-week growth track designed to lay a scriptural foundation for both new believers and long-time followers of Jesus, with the aim of sending participants out to share their faith with others.
Food Pantry and Rock Rec Center: Beyond the Walls
Harvest believes the church extends beyond Sunday morning, and two community-facing ministries lead the way. The Harvest Food Pantry distributes food on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon in the Food Pantry Building on the campus. It serves residents of Luzerne County who can show proof of address and self-declare need. The pantry receives the bulk of its food from the Weinberg Regional Food Bank.
The Rock Rec Sports Complex is a gymnasium and kitchen facility operated by Harvest Church for soccer, basketball, and volleyball practices, as well as games and tournaments. Local athletic associations and other groups can rent the gym by the hour, and the kitchen is available for birthday parties and events. Coming additions include weight facility memberships for church partners and the wider community, plus Open Gym Nights.
What Harvest Believes
Harvest's statement of faith centers on a handful of core convictions. The church teaches that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin, rose again after three days, ascended into Heaven, and will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible is described as God's Word, inspired and without error, and the supreme source of truth for belief and living.
Salvation is taught as a gift from God received by faith in Jesus Christ rather than earned by good works. Because of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross, Harvest teaches that people can experience the healing power of God in body, soul, and emotions. The Holy Spirit is described as equal with the Father and the Son, living in every Christian at salvation, guiding believers into truth, and producing spiritual fruit in the life of the believer.
Leadership and Mission
Ray Petts serves as Lead Pastor, with Linda Sapack as Discipleship and Deliverance Pastor and Jennifer Farrell as Children's Director. The mission of the church is summarized in four movements: connecting people to God, to each other, to ministry, and to the world. The vision frames it further: encountering God, finding purpose, and transforming the world together.
Harvest welcomes visitors, newcomers, and the simply curious. Office hours run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the office is closed on Thursdays. Giving can be done in person on Sundays, online, by Venmo, or by texting GIVE plus the dollar amount to the church's text-giving number.