The Harvest Raise

In a Lutheran parish, the Lord gathers His people through every season—through change and conflict, through loss and renewal, always by His Word.

In Bradbury, Illinois, Zion Lutheran stands at a turning point. After forty-two years of faithful service, Arlene Scheinberg announces her retirement, leaving behind a congregation that has relied on her sharp eye, steady presence, and deep knowledge of parish life. For Pastor Fletcher and the people of Zion, her departure raises anxious questions about what comes next.

Yet the life of the Church continues. Old conflicts resurface, new tensions arise, and the daily work of caring for one another presses on—from voters’ meetings and fellowship gatherings to the quiet burdens carried into the Divine Service. In homes and fields, at ballgames and in the nave, God’s people wrestle with pride, forgiveness, vocation, and the call to love their neighbors.

In The Harvest Raise, you will:

• Enter parish life shaped by the liturgy, the Church Year, and the steady cadence of Word and Sacrament
• See how the Lord works through ordinary callings, even amid conflict and change
• Witness struggles with forgiveness, identity, and belonging brought before Christ
• Be reminded that the Church endures not by human strength, but by the Lord’s sustaining mercy

Following House of Living Stones and The Choir Immortal, Katie Schuermann brings the story of Zion Lutheran to a close with a tender and unvarnished portrait of congregational life. Here, amid disagreement and transition, the Lord continues His work—gathering His people, forgiving their sins, and raising up a harvest in His time.