IDENTITY
WHO WE ARE
We love Jesus and one another. Our heart is to see all people come to know the life-changing love of Jesus. He still saves, heals and makes lives whole.
Harvest Church is a place where you can encounter the God that loves you, grow from salvation to spiritual maturity, and be a part of what God is doing—both in our community and around the world.
Doctrine
What We Believe
HOLY BIBLE
The Holy Bible, and only the Bible, is the authoritative Word of God. It alone is the final authority in determining all doctrinal truths. In its original writing, it is inspired, infallible and inerrant.
II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:20-21; Proverbs 30:5; Romans 16:25-26
TRINITY
There is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and co-eternal.
I John 5:7; Genesis 1:26; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 9:6; Hebrews 3:7-11
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. On earth, Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. He is the only man ever to have lived a sinless life. He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross for mankind and thus, atoned for our sins through the shedding of His blood. He rose from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and will return again in power and glory.
John 1:1,14, 20:28; I Timothy 3:16; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:5-6; I Timothy 2:5
VIRGIN BIRTH
Jesus Christ was conceived by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity) in the virgin Mary’s womb; therefore, He is the Son of God.
Matthew 1:18, 25; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27-35
REGENERATION
For anyone to know God, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
John 6:44, 65; Matthew 19:28; Titus 3:5
REDEMPTION
Man was created good and upright, but by voluntary transgression he fell; his only hope of redemption is in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Gen. 1:26-31, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21
SALVATION
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ: His death, burial, and resurrection. Salvation is a gift from God, not a result of our good works or of any human efforts.
Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:8; Titus 3:5; Romans 10:9-10; Acts 16:31; Hebrews 9:22
REPENTANCE
Repentance is the commitment to turn away from sin in every area of our lives and to follow Christ, which allows us to receive His redemption and to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Thus, through repentance we receive forgiveness of sins and appropriate salvation.
Acts 2:21, 3:19; I John 1:9
SANCTIFICATION
Sanctification is the ongoing process of yielding to God’s Word and His Spirit in order to complete the development of Christ’s character in us. It is through the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God that the Christian is enabled to live a Godly life.
I Thessalonians 4:3, 5:23; II Corinthians 3:18, 6:14-18, II Thessalonians 2:1-3, Romans 8:29, 12:1-2, Hebrews 2:11
JESUS’ BLOOD
The Blood that Jesus Christ shed on the Cross of Calvary was sinless and is 100% sufficient to cleanse mankind of all sin. Jesus allowed Himself to be punished for both our sinfulness and our sins, enabling all those who believe to be free from the penalty of sin, which is death.
I John 1:7; Revelation 1:5, 5:9; Colossians 1:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23, 5:9; John 1:29
JESUS CHRIST INDWELLS ALL BELIEVERS
Christians are people who have invited the Lord Jesus Christ to come and live inside them by His Holy Spirit. They relinquish the authority of their lives over to him thus making Jesus the Lord of their life as well as Savior. They put their trust in what Jesus accomplished for them when He died, was buried, and rose again from the dead.
John 1:12; John 14:17, 23; John 15:4; Romans 8:11; Revelation 3:20
GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is manifested through a variety of spiritual gifts to build and sanctify the church, demonstrate the validity of the resurrection, and confirm the power of the Gospel. The Bible’s lists of these gifts are not necessarily exhaustive, and the gifts may occur in various combinations. All believers are commanded to earnestly desire the manifestation of the gifts in their lives. These gifts always operate in harmony with the Scriptures and should never be used in violation of Biblical parameters.
Hebrews 2:4; Romans 1:11, 12 :4-8; Ephesians 4:16; I Timothy 4:14; II Timothy 1:6-7; I Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-40; I Peter 4:10
BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
Given at Pentecost, it is the promise of the Father, sent by Jesus after His Ascension, to empower the Church to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth.
Joel 2:28-29; Matthew 3:11; Mark 16:17; Acts 1:5,2:1-4, 17, 38-39, 8:14-17, 10:38, 44-47, 11:15-17, 19:1-6
THE CHURCH
The church is the Body of Christ, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments for the fulfillment of Jesus’ Great Commission. Every person who is born of the Spirit is an integral part of the church as a member of the body of believers. There is a spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:22, 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:23; John 17:11, 20-23
HEALING OF THE SICK
Healing of the sick is illustrated in the life and ministry of Jesus, and included in the commission of Jesus to His disciples. It is given as a sign, which is to follow believers. It is also a part of Jesus’ work on the Cross and one of the gifts of the Spirit.
Psalm 103:2-3; Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 8:6-7; James 5:14-16; I Corinthians 12:9, 28; Romans 11:29
SACRAMENTS
Water Baptism: Following faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the new convert is commanded by the Word of God to be baptized in water in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 8:12, 36-38; 10:47-48
The Lord’s Supper: A unique time of communion in the presence of God when the elements of bread and grape juice (the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ) are taken in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.
Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 10:16, 11:23-25
Marriage: We believe marriage is defined in the Bible as a covenant, a sacred bond between one man and one woman, instituted by and publicly entered into before God.
Matthew 19:4-6
GOD’S WILL FOR PROVISION
It is the Father’s will for believers to become whole, healthy and successful in all areas of life. But because of the fall, many may not receive the full benefits of God’s will while on Earth. That fact, though, should never prevent all believers from seeking the full benefits of Christ’s provision in order to better serve others.
Spiritual: John 3:3-11; II Corinthians 5:17-21; Romans 10:9-10
Mental and Emotional: II Timothy 1:7, 2:11; Philippians 4:7-8; Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3
Physical: Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; I Peter 2:24
Financial: Joshua 1:8; Malachi 3:10-11; Luke 6:38; II Corinthians 9:6-10; Deuteronomy 28:1-14; Psalm 34:10, 84:11; Philippians 4:19
HEAVEN
Heaven is the eternal dwelling place for all believers in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:3, 12, 20, 6:20, 19:21, 25:34; John 17:24; II Corinthians 5:1; Hebrews 11:16; I Peter 1:4
RESURRECTION
Jesus Christ was physically resurrected from the dead in a glorified body three days after His death on the cross. In addition, both the saved and the lost will be resurrected; they that are saved to the resurrection of life and they that are lost to the resurrection of eternal damnation.
Luke 24:16, 36, 39; John 2:19-21, 20:26-28, 21:4; Acts 24:15; I Corinthians 15:42, 44; Philippians 1:21-23, 3:21
HELL
After living one life on earth, the unbelievers will be judged by God and sent to Hell where they will be eternally tormented with the Devil and the Fallen Angels.
Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-48; Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 14:9-11, 20:12-15, 21:8
SECOND COMING
Jesus Christ will physically and visibly return to earth for the second time to establish His Kingdom. This will occur at a date undisclosed by the Scriptures.
Matthew 24:30, 26:63-64; Acts 1:9-11; I Thessalonians 4:15-17; II Thessalonians 1:7-8; Revelation 1:7
Leadership
Our Team
Gathered from all over the country, equipped with diverse skill sets and servants’ hearts, our leadership team prays and ministers to see “on earth as it is in heaven.”
Rob & Christina Russo
Lead Pastors
Experience
Pastor Rob is a graduate of the Journey of Believers Discipleship program and is licensed and ordained through Overland Missions. Before becoming the senior pastor of Harvest Church, Pastor Rob was on staff as an associate pastor of Calvary Church in Inverness, Florida. He has also taught fifteen years in the Citrus County School system as a middle/high school teacher and coach. He is the author of the Fishers of Men discipleship program and has served extensively in youth and adult discipleship, world missions, and itinerant ministry. He and his wife Christina are originally from upstate New York but now reside with their four children in Citrus County, Florida.
Brett & Norma Pullen
Associate Pastors
Experience
Associate Pastors Brett & Norma Pullen are Florida transplants having moved to Citrus County from New Jersey in December, 1994. They have been blessed with six children, all of whom are married, and LOTS of grandchildren.
They spent many years being self-employed (Brett a handyman and Norma with child care) before joining the team at Harvest Church in January 2022 taking on roles in the areas of prayer, care and worship. They desire to love on people, edify and encourage the body of Christ, pray for those in need, see Jesus lifted high and God be glorified.
They are ordained through Harvest Church and find joy in serving with the Harvest team.
Dave Vega
Student Ministry Pastor
Experience
Dave Vega was born in El Paso, TX, David Vega and his wife, Jett, moved to Citrus Springs in 2016 after serving five years working with South Asian immigrants and refugees in Denver, Colorado. David and Jett, and have served as missionaries with Global Outreach Foundation since 2015. Over the past two decades, David gained experience in campus, young adult, outreach, children’s, youth, and dramatic ministries, and he is the founder of the “Resurrection Wrestling” action-drama ministry at AIM Youth. David and Jett are both ordained through Harvest Church.
Jett Vega
Discipleship & Worship Pastor
Experience
Jett Vega and her husband David, came to Citrus County in 2016 to lead AIM Youth Ministry after serving five years among South Asian immigrants and refugees in Denver, Colorado. Originally from El Paso, TX, Jett has worked extensively in youth, children’s, drama, media, worship, and young adult ministries. She led a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ in Arizona and completed a B.F.A. in Film/Theater/Television at the University of Colorado Denver, after which she worked in the film industry for over twelve years. She and Dave have served as missionaries with Global Outreach Foundation since 2015. Jett also serves a dual role at Harvest as one of our worship leaders. Both David and Jett are ordained through Harvest Church.
Brian & Patience Cavanaugh
Children Pastors
Experience
Originally from Harmony, Pennsylvania, Brian Cavanaugh has a BSBA degree in Business & Marketing from Robert Morris University. For 15 years, Brian has owned his own small business in Citrus County while serving in children’s and youth ministries since 2007. Brian has also served as a Financial Peace Coordinator since 2008, helping hundreds of families get out of debt and take control of their finances by applying practical, Biblical principles.
Along with his wife Patience, they lead our Adventure Kids classes with fun and innovative lessons that open the door to a deeper relationship with Jesus for our families.
Reis Colgan
Adventure Kids Cordinator
Experience
Reis loves to teach the Word of God to Harvest Adventure Kids. He is committed to helping lay down the foundation for a lifelong walk with Jesus. As Proverbs 22:6 declares, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it”. Reis graduated from Rhode Island College with a BA Degree in Secondary Education with a minor in History. He has extensive experience teaching both primary and special education classes, while also serving in administration in the public school system. He is excited to serve the families of Citrus County at Harvest Church. Reis and his wife Britanny reside locally with their three children.
Andrew McKinley
Technical Director
Experience
Andrew was born and raised in Citrus County and has degrees in Cultural Anthropology, Archaeology, and History from the University of West Florida. He faithfully serves as Harvest Church’s technical director alongside his wife Madison.