A Beacon in Cherokee County
New Harvest Church of God sits along Boiling Springs Highway on the edge of Gaffney, South Carolina, a steady presence in Cherokee County since September 1992. Reverend Cecil Grant organized the congregation in a modest storefront in those early days. More than three decades later, the church describes itself as a large, multi-generational, diverse body that still reaches out to the surrounding community as "a place for you." Senior Pastor Robert Wells and his wife, Rhonda, have spent over 35 years in ministry in roles ranging from Ministers of Music and Youth Pastors to Senior Pastors and State Youth and Discipleship Directors. Today their work anchors a pastoral team that includes a Minister of Music, a Youth and Christian Education Pastor, a Children's Pastor, a Women's Ministry Director, and Children's Event Coordinators.
What the Church Believes
New Harvest Church of God holds to a classic Pentecostal statement of faith. The Bible is the inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God and the final authority for doctrine. There is one God, eternally existent in three co-equal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for humanity, rose again in a glorified body, and will physically return to establish His kingdom.
The church teaches that salvation is a gift received by grace through faith, not by human effort, and that believers are called to repent and follow Christ. Distinctively Pentecostal, New Harvest teaches that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father, that the initial evidence of being filled with the Spirit is speaking in other tongues, and that the gifts of the Spirit are still at work in the life of the church today. The church observes three ordinances: water baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; communion with bread and grape juice; and the washing of feet as Jesus washed the disciples' feet at the Last Supper.
The Mission and the Vision
The mission of New Harvest Church of God is to uphold and promote unwavering faith in God's timeless truths, rooted in the unchanging principles of Scripture. The congregation is dedicated to nurturing believers who embrace traditional values, foster spiritual growth, and demonstrate Christ's love through service. The vision is to be a beacon of light in a world that often drifts from eternal principles, a congregation that stands firm amid cultural shifts and offers refuge, healing, and restoration to people of every background.
Sundays on Boiling Springs Highway
The Sunday rhythm at New Harvest begins at 9:30 AM with Sunday School for every age. Morning Worship follows at 10:30 AM, when Children's Church gathers the youngest members in age-appropriate rooms while the rest of the congregation fills the sanctuary. Choir practice meets in the Main Sanctuary at 5:00 PM to prepare the music for the following Sunday, and an evening service gathers at 6:00 PM to close the day in prayer, worship, and preaching.
For students in grades 6 through 12, Harvest Students offers a Sunday school class at 9:30 AM in the Student Center and a Sunday evening Bible study that opens its doors at 5:30 PM and gets underway at 6:00 PM.
Wednesday Evenings
Midweek services take place on Wednesdays at 4:00 PM and 6:30 PM. The 6:30 PM hour is the hub of the week's family ministry. Harvest Kids runs Boys Club and Girls Club for grades 1 through 5 alongside the children's midweek gathering, while Harvest Students opens its doors at 6:00 PM for a service of worship and the Word that begins at 6:30 PM. The two children's programs and the student service share the same evening, giving families a way to worship, learn, and connect together.
Harvest Kids
Harvest Kids is led by Pastors Tyler and Leah DeShields along with Children's Event Coordinators Daniel and Kim Allen. On Sunday mornings, during the 10:30 AM worship service, children are divided by age: nursery for birth through age two, Junior Children's Church for ages three through five, and Children's Church for first through fifth graders. Wednesday evenings at 6:30 PM add Boys Club for first through fifth grade boys and Girls Club for first through fifth grade girls, divided by grade level.
Harvest Students
Harvest Students exists so that every young person knows they belong, feels empowered to grow, and is encouraged to become who God created them to be. Students find a Sunday morning class at 9:30 AM, a Bible study on Sunday evenings, and a Wednesday night service built around worship and the Word. The Student Center is the home base for this work, and Pastor Tyler DeShields shepherds the ministry alongside his role as Youth and Christian Education Pastor.
Harvest Worship
Music is central to life at New Harvest. Pastor Shaun Thompson, a Lee University graduate with 31 years of ministry experience, has served New Harvest as Minister of Music since January 2019. His vision is to worship God, lead believers, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ through anointed worship. The music ministry is committed to glorifying God, fostering spiritual growth, and building community through diverse musical expressions rooted in biblical truth. Choir practice gathers on Sundays at 5:00 PM in the Main Sanctuary, and worship teams serve in both Sunday services and the Wednesday evening gathering.
Worship Online, Giving, and a Place at the Table
For those unable to attend in person, services are livestreamed on YouTube. Online giving is set up through EasyTithe. A "First Time Guest" page on the church's web address invites newcomers to reach out by phone or email, and the parking lot opens up well before each Sunday service. From its first meeting in a Gaffney storefront in 1992 to its current multi-generational home on Boiling Springs Highway, New Harvest Church of God has remained rooted in Scripture, filled with the Spirit, and open to the people of Cherokee County.