Pastor Gary was raised on his family’s dairy farm near West Liberty, Ohio, learning from an early age the value of hard work. As a young man, he was in charge of the family fertilizer business. He figured he would continue on in the family business, but as it turned out, God had some very different plans for him, which were revealed to Gary after he was injured in a farm accident. With the support of his wife and three children, he began attending Cedarville University for seminary at age 28 and graduated four years later.

In 1991, Gary began Harvest Baptist Church in the basement of the Home Savings and Loan building in Wapakoneta, and it continued to grow and move to larger venues, including Wapakoneta Middle School, until the church building was constructed in 2001.

As senior pastor, Gary regularly delivers Sunday messages, goes on visitations and conducts marriages and funerals, among several other duties.

Gary has been married to his wife Joy for over 47 years and together they have three children, Shannon, Nicole and Abby, and seven grandchildren.

Gary has a passion for children’s and teen’s ministries, and it’s his hope that Harvest reaches as many as possible by touching families in the local and surrounding communities.

 Pastor Tony grew up in Hamler, Ohio, and graduated from Patrick Henry High School before earning a Bachelor’s in business administration at Cedarville University. He then worked in the nursing home industry for several years, serving as the administrator to Auglaize Acres and then executive director of Otterbein Cridersville.

While working at Auglaize Acres, Tony was introduced to Harvest when he met Pastor Gary, who invited him to attend. After regularly attending Harvest for about nine months, Tony was asked to lead the youth ministry. He then pursued some advanced career opportunities in the nursing home industry, but later came to find that this was not God’s plan for him. In 2000, Tony came on staff at Harvest as a full-time pastor.

Tony’s list of responsibilities at Harvest includes helping people become true disciples of Jesus, Preaching, Counseling,  and taking care of Harvest’s  business affairs.

Tony and his wife Kim have been married for over 30 years and have two adult daughters, Morgan, who is a teacher in Indiana and Alisha, who is married to Cameron and they have two children.

Pastor Scott was born and raised in the Wapakoneta area and graduated from Wapakoneta High School. His roots with Harvest run deep, as he started attending in 1991 after asking Jesus into his heart.

After being away several years pursuing his career in the construction industry, he returned to his hometown and came on to Harvest’s staff as a full-time pastor. He was asked to oversee Harvest’s small groups and Children’s programs.

Currently, Scott’s responsibilities at Harvest include running the children’s programs, including AWANA and children’s services on Sundays, and he is in charge of the church’s sports ministry. He also oversees any construction projects or additions to the church’s campus.
Scott and his wife Kelly have been married for over 28 years. They have two children, Sydney and Cal, and three grandchildren.

Scott has a passion for sports ministry, and he hopes to see Harvest continue to tell children and their families about Jesus in a competitive but fun way.

Jeremy grew up in Lima, Ohio where he graduated from Temple Christian High School. He joined his parents in a move to Indianapolis, Indiana to help a church plant, where he met his wife Carrie. He then joined the United States Air Force and served primarily in England as a Client Systems Technician. Jeremy and Carrie served as the Worship Directors at two military chapels during their 3 years overseas.
 
In 2022, they began feeling that God was pulling them back to the Lima area to be closer to family. While trying to find a home church, a friend invited them to Harvest and AWANA where the whole family felt immediately at home. 
 
Jeremy attended college through the Community College of the Air Force and then completed his bachelor’s degree in Business Management through Indiana Wesleyan University in 2024. 
 
Jeremy and his wife Carrie have six children, including two sets of twins!  They have a passion for homeschooling, music, travel, coffee, reading, and ministry. 
 
They want to impact the culture wherever they go and keep God at the focal point of every decision. They aim to see the unique gifts in others and hope to empower and train them to serve in the kingdom of God. 

Carolyn moved from Germany to Ohio in 1978.  She grew up in a country home just outside of Ada.  She met her husband, Brad, while in college.  They married in 1993 and in 1996 they bought a house in Brad's hometown, Wapakoneta.  They have a son, Tyler, who is a Process & Equipment Engineer at Honda.

Realizing the need for a church with a solid, biblical foundation,  Carolyn, Brad and Tyler started attending Harvest in 2004.  In 2008,  by God's grace and full support from Brad, Carolyn stepped out of her career field and entered the world of education, in order to be around more for Tyler.  After 14 years,  Carolyn felt God drawing her in a different direction  and joined the Harvest staff in 2022.

Aside from her family and pets, Carolyn's favorites include reading, the outdoors and football!