Harvest Community Church really has its beginning nearly two decades ago. Over the past 15-20 years, we know of people who have prayed that God would bring an evangelical church to Winsted. God heard those prayers, and here is how that prayer was answered:

Back in 2002, a couple of families in Winsted, Minnesota wanted to start a new church in their community. With the encouragement of a young church plant in Montrose, Celebration Community Church, these few families decided to begin meeting together as a Bible Study until the Evangelical Free Church of Minnesota found a pastor who would be a good match for this group of people.

In February of 2003, Pastor Tom and Elaine Starkjohn were led by God to join these families in planting a church in Winsted. He and family moved to Winsted in May of that year. Then, in September Pastor Tom and Elaine with 13 people from the Winsted area began "core group training." This was a six month process where together we examined the Bible to see what the church is really supposed to be doing. We spend a lot of time in prayer and thinking how we could best function as the church in Winsted. Together we decided our purpose, how we would reach out to new people who didn't know Jesus, and how we would become more like Christ together.

In March of 2004, we began meeting together for public worship. For a few weeks we met at the office of Recovery Resources of Winsted, and since then we have been meeting in the Elementary School gymnasium of Winsted.