After 60 years, Harvest New Beginnings Church in Oswego remains committed to serving community

Harvest New Beginnings Church in Oswego got its beginning July 7, 1963.

That day, 105 people attended the church’s first worship service at Eastview School in Oswego. It was then known as Oswego Baptist Church.

The church was started in June 1963 as an outreach of Claim Street Baptist Church of Aurora. Like Oswego itself, Harvest New Beginnings Church has seen a tremendous amount of growth in its history.

“On any given weekend now, we probably have about 1,400 or so people who attend our worship services,” Executive Pastor Bill Maroney said.

Maroney and his family have been attending the church for 22 years. He has been on the church staff for 16 years.

“When we first attended the church, the first thing that caught our attention, which I think is true for a lot of people who come here, was the preaching,” Maroney said. “The preaching was very biblical, and we really loved that.”

In addition, his family appreciated the church’s welcoming attitude.

“It was really easy for us to say, ‘This is where we belong.’”

For much of his time as a staff member, Maroney had been the children’s pastor. He became executive pastor in May after the retirement of the church’s longtime executive pastor.

“This is an opportunity for me to assist the church with the day-to-day operations of the church, in particular, working with the rest of the team here and helping the staff to grow in their positions,.”

Before going into the ministry, Maroney was director of financial management at MetLife for 20 years.

In April 1992, the church was renamed Harvest Baptist Church. A few months later, work began on a new 4,700-square-foot building at its current location at 5315 Douglas Road in Oswego. In July 1993, the church’s congregation began worshipping in the building.

Since then, new buildings have been built and the campus has grown significantly. In 2010, the church’s name changed again to Harvest New Beginnings.

“This is a place of new beginnings for many people,” Maroney said.

Harvest New Beginnings offers a variety of programs for people of all ages.

“We have a thriving young adult group that does a great job of supporting each other,” Maroney said. “The church has become very much a place where people come and they feel comfortable and they can connect and there’s something there for everybody.”

The church also offers a biblical counseling ministry for both church members and whoever who might need counseling. The services are free.

The church also tries through its programming to reach out to neighborhood kids.

“We just had our vacation Bible school and had over 600 kids,” Maroney said. “That’s the highest number we’ve ever had.”

And the staff at Harvest New Beginnings continues to think of new ways to meet the needs of the community. Next month, the church will host its first sports and arts summer camp for kids entering first through sixth grades.

The camp will feature sports such as soccer, football and basketball, as well as crafts, photography and cooking.

“It’s a great way to reach out to local people who have kids who are interested in sports or arts,” Maroney said. “We’re just trying to discern how it is God wants us to connect with the people that He’s put right here around us, the community where he’s placed us.”

The church’s staff is constantly looking for ways to bring people together. In 2014, Don & June’s Cafe opened in the church.

Don and June Anderson were longtime members of the church who donated the original 19 acres of land for the church campus. The church now sits on 31 acres.

“We wanted to just, in some way, shape or form, kind of make them a more permanent part of this church,” Maroney said. “The cafe is an inexpensive way for people to have a nice coffee or whatever and sit down and fellowship together or have some quiet time.”

Profits from the cafe go toward the church’s mission work. Harvest Beginnings will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a variety of activities from July 14 to 16.

That includes a free concert by Christian band Vertical Worship at 7 p.m. July 14, a car, bike and tractor show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 15 and an outdoor worship service at 10 a.m. July 16 followed by food and games.

More information is available at Harvest New Beginnings’ website at www.atharvest.church.