History

Harvest Bible Chapel – Rolling Meadows:

In 1988 a small group of people began meeting in the northwest suburbs of Chicago to share their vision for a church that preached God’s Word boldly and to pray that God would raise up this kind of a church. 

Five months later they came in contact with James MacDonald, and after much prayer and discussion, James and his wife Kathy stepped out in faith and agreed to pastor this small group of people with a passion to plant a new church.

That church today has more than 10,000 attending on three campuses and is responsible for planting several churches in the Chicagoland area (Glen Ellyn in 2000 and Crystal Lake in 2001, Vernon Hills in 2002 and Rockford in 2003) in addition to about 22 other Harvest Bible Chapels in various places in the USA as well as Harvest churches in Canada - Barrie in 2001, Oakville in 2004, London in September 2006, Markham/York in 2006 and Muskoka in 2008. The Harvest Bible Fellowship was formed to facilitate church planting and to provide for a fellowship of existing churches. For more information visit www.harvestbiblefellowship.ca

Harvest Bible Chapel – London

  

God called a group of about 30 people together in the summer/fall of 1999 to begin to meet, pray and study the Scriptures in regard to a new church plant in London. After about six months of this seeking after God they launched SouthWest Community Church in March of 2000 commissioned by Wortley Church of London. God has graciously grown this small group during this time as many who used to be far from God are now followers of Him and many more have matured and grown in their love and devotion to Christ.

SouthWest started out renting Ashley Oaks Elementary School in White Oaks and in 2004 moved to Oakridge Secondary School as their growth continued.  Renting has worked well for us but we are constantly praying and looking forward to having our own building when God leads (likely a renovated warehouse) and hopefully this will be within the next few years.

In the late winter, early spring of 2006 God began to reveal His leading that SouthWest should transition to Harvest Bible Chapel of London. With the encouragement and blessing of the Harvest Fellowship and all other Harvest churches our Elders team transitioned SouthWest to Harvest London. 

In the summer of 2009, due to God's continued provision and growth of His church, Harvest London moved to Banting Secondary School.  

We rejoice every week as God has graciously led us and grown us since our transition to Harvest Bible Chapel of London.  God is at work doing a new thing among us, in us and through us and we can’t wait to see all He does in the months and years to come.