Leadership

Justin & Freda Thomas

Senior Pastors

Justin and Freda Thomas have been married for 25 years, and they have three adult children.

Justin was born and raised in California and moved to Maryland in 1991, where he met Freda, his beloved wife. Justin graduated from Messiah Biblical Institute of Gaithersburg, MD, and Elim Bible Institute & College of Lima, NY. Pastor Justin is ordained through Elim Fellowship and has served as Lead Pastor of Harvest since 2007. His personal testimony is HERE.
 
Freda has lived in Maryland all her life. After many years of being “the pastor’s wife” and homeschooling mom, she came on staff as an associate pastor in 2016. She currently serves in the Executive Pastor role for Harvest and has a passion for counseling and coaching. Pastor Freda is ordained through Elim Fellowship.

Together they have lived in Frederick for many years and love it. Their life message is for all people to daily experience the person of Jesus Christ and offer His Heaven to others. They love the presence of God and are only blessed to follow Him.

Caroline McAllister

Associate Pastor

Caroline is a life-long resident of Frederick with deep roots in the community.  She and Dan have been married for 27 years and they have one son, Patrick.

Caroline & Dan have been active participants in the community of Harvest for 30+ years along with serving on the Senior Leadership Team for over seven years.  In fact, Caroline has served in so many positions at Harvest that it was a natural fit for her to step up as Directing Pastor during this time!

Caroline has also been ordained through Marie Brown Ministries (https://www.mariebrownministries.org) where she travels overseas ministering to the persecuted church alongside Marie.

With her many years of involvement in the church sphere and the business sphere in Frederick (she is a professional chef!), Caroline has a heart for working together with people and organizations to meet needs in our community. She says, “Connected hearts and hands build bridges and lift people up to their full potential in the Kingdom of God.”

Ethan & Jade Thomas

Youth Pastors & Media Managers

Ethan and Jade Thomas have been married for over two years and both have a Bachelor of Science in Theology. They have been involved in ministry for over five years.

Being the eldest of Justin and Freda’s kids, Ethan has grown up in Harvest and has a deep love for its congregation. He is an impactful preacher with a passion for healing and the Holy Spirit's power to transform lives.

Jade was born and raised in Southern California before moving to the East Coast to pursue her degree. Jade is a "people person" and loves to connect with others. She is passionate about all things worship and women's ministry.

As people who were greatly influenced by their own youth leaders growing up, they recognize the importance of youth ministry and want to see the younger generation love Jesus. Their goal is for people to know, love, and live like Jesus.

Patti Rountree

Children's Ministry Director

Patti is our Children's Pastor at Harvest. She was born in Missoula, MT, and raised in Washington State. She and her husband, Charlie, have 2 adult daughters and 5 grandchildren.

Patti is passionate about grounding children in the powerful Word of God, helping them find their identity in Jesus Christ, and introducing them to their guide on this earth: The Holy Spirit.  She believes that Kids Church has to be fun!  Patti, along with her team, provides games and activities that kids love to come back for.  Jesus is in the fun!

Patti loves a good road trip, cooking and baking, and anything having to do with spending time with her family!  She also loves finding and creating new Kids Church curriculums that provide some meat with the milk of the Word.

Kara Reynolds

Worship Leader/Director

Kara is our Worship Leader/Director here at Harvest. She grew up in Frederick, where she and her husband, Adam, raise their sons, Rowan and Sylas.

Kara's heart for Harvest is that it would be a reflection of how Jesus sees us as His bride! Through passionate, personal, and powerful worship, she leads us into fresh encounters with the Holy Spirit.

Kara loves watching movies, playing board games with friends, writing, and hanging out with her husband (as they enjoy navigating parenthood)..

James & Linda Horst

Head of Maintenance & Bookkeeper

Linda is our Bookkeeper and James is Head of Maintenance (among many other titles and tasks they carry well here at Harvest). They were both born in Hagerstown, MD, where they got married and raised their 3 adult children. Now they live in Frederick, where they frequently get to see their (11!) grandchildren.

James and Linda are passionate about seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus. Their heart of service and compassion towards our body of believers is felt every Sunday and throughout the week.

James and Linda love to go on adventures in their camper, thrift shop, and spend time together doing these things.

Leadership Team

Our church government is set up as the Senior Leadership Team, which is similar to Elders. 
Senior Leadership Team
- Justin and Freda Thomas
- Dan and Caroline McAllister
- Kevin and Mary Petersen

Affiliation

Harvest is joyfully affiliated with Elim Fellowship in Lima, NY. It all began in 1924 where Ivan Q Spencer heard the call of God for his life in the word "Revival". Since that day, Elim has sent thousands of missionaries and ministers around the world. Check out their vibrant history here.