Community Harvest Church

Pastor Dan & Jeanie Burd
P.O. Box 176 - Daniels, WV  25832

Email Pastor Dan & Jeanie

Community Harvest Church WV

History & Personal Journey of Pastor Dan & Jeanie Burd 

 

Update 8/3/2009: I received this email from a man who had sat under Pastor Dan's preaching the past couple of weeks:

"Pastor Dan Burd has visited our church the past two weeks and the whole congregation has been blessed by his preaching of the gospel. He gave me a cd and I got the info from it about your church, and just thought I would visit your site. I wish that Pastor Burd would come and be our pastor, but he is wanting to start his own church in the Beckley area. I just know that the Lord speaks thru him and that the church will grow beyond bounds because of his preaching of God's word."

The Call
I have been the Sr. Pastor of Southern Baptist Churches since 1982. I attended a Southern Baptist College (Clear Creek Bible College: Pineville, Kentucky). My desire to worship God and my theological understanding led me to part with the S.B.C., and I became an Associate Pastor of Community Harvest Church. CHC worship and theology was exactly what I believed to be what God had put in my heart years ago. While at Community Harvest Church, God began preparing Jeanie and I for what is now know as Community Harvest Church WV. God used a message Pastor Duane Harney preached, entitled, “Sixteen Months Out Of The Will Of God,” to remind me of His call on my life, and the vision He put in my heart years ago. After a long period of seeking God, He spoke to me through the Scriptures (Luke 5:1-11) concerning Community Harvest Church WV.  I shared my heart with Pastor Duane Harney and asked his blessings on what Jeanie and I believe to be God’s direction, which he gave us.

The Job
As we began to make plans to move we received a phone call asking if Jeanie would be interested in a job opportunity. The only catch was that she had to leave immediately, six weeks before we had planned on moving. She accepted the job offer and went to West Virginia on March 17, 2009, before I was able to go. I was not going to be there until May 1, 2009. This was a difficult time for us both. We have never been away from each other for that length of time. However, we told the Lord we would make any sacrifice necessary to walk in His will.

The Move
Jeanie found a house to rent. Rental property in this area was at a premium, and very hard to find. The place we rented was in an area that I didn’t desire to go, but I remember telling the Lord I would go anywhere He provided. Jeanie was very excited about the house. It was what she was looking for. She was disappointed when she was told they rented it to another family. I told her that God would provide something nice for her. The next day she called very excited. The family that was to rent the house could not move in, so we got the house. Again, we see God’s hand in this transition. On April 30, 2009, we loaded up a Ryder truck and moved to WV. The amazing thing is we didn’t have the money to move. Our last Sunday at Community Harvest Church, people began to bless us with the finances we needed to move. Believe it or not, we moved for a total of only $302.50. We unloaded the truck on Friday, May 1, 2009.

Friday (May 1, 2009)
I took my son-in-law, Nate, and a friend, Bob, out to eat for helping us move. My daughter and her husband went with us. We went to “Dirty Ernie’s Rib Pit”. On the way in I met an old friend of mine (Mike Price). We talked a few minutes and went our ways. Remember his name; it will come into play on Tuesday.

Saturday  (May 2, 2009)
We spent the day getting the house ready. I called Jeana Floyanoy, who is the wife of the late Coach Floyanoy.  Coach Floyanoy was my son’s H.S. coach, and I was his assistant for four years. He is a well know coach throughout West Virginia. He passed away about sixteen months ago. I asked Jeana, his wife, if she would be open to setting up a foundation in his name, which would help kids who could not afford basketball camps, AAU, and other basketball related events. I also told her I would like to do this through our ministry and use it as an outreach. She was very excited and gave me her blessings to do so. You will see God’s hand in this on Monday’s log.

Sunday  (May 3, 2009)
Jeanie and I were invited by a close friend, Bill Canterbury, to go to a Baptist Church. Sunday evening I felt led to go to Pastor Tunstell’s church (a Pastor friend of mine). He invited me to play basketball on Tuesday nights with his church. He then asked if I had any members, and wanted me to bring a team over to play against his church team. I informed him that we didn’t have any people yet because we are in the beginning of the church planting process. He paused for a minute and said, “Why don’t you bring some guys over and play anyway, and you can use it as an outreach.” So, I invited six guys I knew. The only catch was they had to come to my Bible study when it started, and they all agreed. By the way, we beat Pastors Tunstell’s church. He invited us back next Tuesday, and said he would bring his A-Team. The guys all agreed. Do you see God’s hand? I do!

Monday  (May 4, 2009)
Went to the mall (Yes, we have a mall). Went in the Verizon store to change my phone over because Cincinnati Bell doesn’t have service here. While waiting, an old acquaintance, Mr. Nickels, came by and yelled out my name. I explained what I was doing back in WV, and he got excited. I coached his son, Chris, in H.S. Coach Floyanoy was his head coach. I told him about the new church start, and about the foundation we are going to set up. He got very excited because, as it turns out, his son, Chris, now works for an organization who finds grants for churches and non-profit organizations. It gets better. His son plays for the semi-pro basketball team in Beckley. Another boy, Joey Priest, who I also coached, is on the team. It gets better. Joey’s mom, who I also know well, owns the team!  Mr. Nickels says he will have them help sponsor the foundation and will get his son involved in helping our church with grants! Do you see God’s hand?

Tuesday  (May 5, 2009)
The Lord told me to go to the Church of God in Hilltop. I met the Pastor in passing a long time ago. He started this church 30 years ago and now has a school and a great ministry. I didn’t know what I would say or if I could even see him. I told the secretary I would like to make an appointment to see the Pastor. She asked what it concerned and I said, “I’m a new Pastor in the area, and I would like to speak with him.” She told him and he immediately dropped what he was doing to see me. I introduced myself and, amazingly, he remembered me. I told him what I was doing in the area and asked if I could have use of his gym for camps and basketball workouts. I offered my assistance to help him any way I could in exchange for use of the gym. He spent two hours encouraging me! He opened a door of opportunity for me to teach Bible classes in their school on a part-time basis. He also wants me to consider coaching their H.S. basketball team. As we were talking, his Youth Pastor came into his office. The Youth Pastor said to me, “I know you from somewhere.” I told him we met a few months earlier when I was visiting. I told him I came to the gym to watch their league games because I new some of the guys who played there. At the time I was using the opportunity to let my friends know I was moving back to start a church (Planting Seeds). But God was working even beyond that. The Youth Pastor said, “I remember. You’re friends with Mike Price” (remember that name?). He said, “Mike said you were a great basketball player.” Remember, the Pastor is listening to this entire conversation. When the Youth Pastor left, the Pastor says, “So you know Mike Price?” I explained to the Pastor how Mike Price and I knew each other. All of a sudden you could sense that the Pastor had this confidence in me. It’s as if God gave me a little extra favor with him. I’m not sure what God is going to do with all of this, but I am sure He’s doing something. Do you see the favor and opportunity God has blessed me with so far? And in just a few days.  More to come!

Update 5/12/09
God is continually working on our behalf. We visited different ministries on Wednesday and Sunday am and pm services. We have been very spoiled at CHC . I won’t mention the church names I attended Wednesday for obvious reasons. I walked in at 6:55 and their service started at 7pm. No one was at the door to greet me. I stood around for a while to see if anyone would introduce themselves to me, and to my surprise no one did. This church runs about 325 according to the Pastor. So, I decided to set down in a place that I would be noticed hoping that someone would welcome me and introduce themselves to me. Well, that didn’t happen. After a while, as service began, an older gentleman shook my hand and welcomed me. The praise and worship was good. After the service I stood around hoping to get to know someone. The only person that talked to me was a young man who asked if I played softball. When I responded by saying I wasn’t interested in playing softball he immediately walked away LOL. I was greeted well by the other ministries but the worship was less than what we desire. We left with a good word, but empty in our worship experience.

 

Thank God for Alex and Bill and all who are part of greeting at CHC . You will never know how much it means to a guest. Keep up that great ministry. Joyce, you and the praise team are missed very much. Jeanie and I listen to CHC cd every day to worship. I have decided before we go out to worship we will worship from the cd. What an amazing testimony to CHC . Pray that God will establish the same here. I want people to be spoiled here like we were there!

 

Also pray for Jeanie and I financially. Jeanie’s company closed their doors. As of 5/12/09 she is unemployed. Our faith is strong and we will overcome. We knew there would be a series of challenges. Any ministry God is in will be challenging. This is nothing more than a Red Sea experience. We are facing the Red Sea and waiting on God to speak to that sea, so we can walk through the miracle PTL. God spoke to me this morning ( 5/12/09 ) from Luke 18:1-8 concerning this PTL.

 

Well, I have things for the ministry I need to do. God Bless all of you. Please pray for us!

Update: May 22, 2009
Although Jeanie’s place of employment closed and left her unemployed, we are thankful for the short time she had to work here. She has signed up for unemployment, which is still pending. We have no idea how God plans on meeting our needs, but we are confident in His calling and leading. We know God is the source of all our needs, and He has unlimited resources for His ministry to continue. You know, it’s amazing how God meets our needs! Do you remember my testimony of how God spoke to me concerning Jeanie’s job loss from Luke 18? Well, the Lord didn’t take long to let us know He was working on our behalf. I received an email (I believe it was 2 days after I read Luke 18) from a Pastor stating they were going to send a check in the near future (PTL). Just yesterday we received a gift from the “Harvesters Class” at CHC, and from an individual. It was exactly what we needed, when we needed it (PTL)! I thank God for those Harvesters, and that individual, and others who helped during our transition as well.

This past week I was a little frustrated because I have not started a Bible study yet. I ask the Lord what I needed to do. I told the Lord I want to be busy doing the things I need to do, but sometimes I find myself not knowing what to do. Sometimes I think I’m busy doing something just to be busy. So, the Lord prompted me to read James. WOW! What a word. In short, the Lord spoke to me concerning patience and faith. Please pray for my patience and faith.

I have continued to visit more ministries. I can see why God sent us here to plant this ministry. I have met a Pastor that has helped introduce me to key people in the community. He has been a blessing in this area.

Praise report! Most of you have been praying for my son. He called and told me he wanted to go to church at CHC with my daughter this coming Sunday. Pray that he will!

We are also in the process of obtaining our 501c3. Please pray the process goes well.

Update 6/14/09
I know it’s been a while since the last update. I was scheduled to speak at CHC on 6/7/09. What I wanted to use as an illustration for my message was part of my new update. I didn’t want to take away the impact it would have. Thank you for your patience!

God has done an amazing work in the area of healing and reconciliation. For those who remember our testimony concerning the reason we left WV will appreciate this series of events. As I was trying to understand and make sense of what God is doing with Jeanie and I, God was preparing us for an amazing experience. Three weeks ago, as we were preparing to go to church, I was listening to Charles Stanley preach on forgiveness. He said the same things I’ve said or heard before. The Lord spoke to my heart and reminded me that there was unfinished business concerning the ministry I left in WV. We left under less than desirable circumstances. God spoke to me and said… “Before you can be successful in this new ministry, you must deal with these unresolved issues concerning the leaders of that ministry”. I told the Lord if I could get an audience with these leaders I would seek reconciliation. We went to church that morning at the Family Worship Center in Beckley (They run about 1000). As we began to worship, we noticed a couple about three rows in front of us that looked familiar. It was amazing; it was the leader and his wife that spearheaded the attack on our ministry. The very one who started the whole mess, who caused us to leave WV. After the service, I waited on him and his wife to come by us. They seemed glad to see us and we made small talk. As they started to leave I grabbed them by the arm and said “I have some things I need to say to you two”. I told them that when they treated my family the way they did, I harbored some ill feelings toward them for about six months until God dealt with my heart, and I needed their forgiveness concerning these past feelings. I also wanted them to know that I haven’t harbored those feelings for all these years. An amazing thing happened. He hugged my neck and began to cry. He told me that he and the church owed me and my family an apology. He said, “We were wrong in our treatment of you and your family,” and asked me to forgive him! It gets better! As we were leaving, I saw another couple who was part of that staff! I stopped them and shared the same thing with them. They to hugged me and cried, and asked me to forgive them (repeating what the other man had said). That following Saturday I was at a basketball tournament that I really tried to get out of. As I walked in I heard someone say, “Pastor Dan!” Wow, would you believe it, another staff member. Well you know what I did, and yes he too embraced me with tears and asked if I would forgive him. God’s Grace is Amazing!!!!!

I said all that to say this. I believe God is putting things in order for our ministry to be successful. I picture our ministry as a puzzle. God is putting each piece in its place. You know the hardest part of putting a puzzle together is those outer edges. Then it seems to move rather quickly from that point. I believe God is putting those outer pieces together and in time this ministry will gain momentum.

I have much more to say, but time will not allow me. I will post another update at the end of the week. We really need your prayers as we are facing some challenges. I will share some in my next update.

God bless you, and we love all of you!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support!