Our Pastors Gary & Val
Natives of New England, Pastor Gary Cortese and his wife, Valarie, began their ministry in 1984 as volunteer prison chaplains; conducting Bible studies, church services, and providing counseling in various maximum security facilities. Pastor Gary also ministered to the inmates on death row at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Gary is a 1992 graduate of RHEMA Bible College in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He completed his pastoral internship in West Virginia with Trinity Covenant Church and contributed a weekly inspirational column in the county newspaper.
Gary and Valarie assumed the pastorate of Global
Harvest Church in 1996, an energetic congregation located in
northern Illinois committed to bringing change to the body of Christ
and the glorified Christ to the world. Pastor Cortese has a weekly
radio outreach in northern Illinois called, "Seeds of Faith"
designed to help encourage Christians of all denominations.
Pastor Gary and Valarie Cortese are the proud parents of four
beautiful girls and fully enjoy their Italian heritage.
In addition to full time
pastoral duties, Pastor Gary also
serves the community as a police and
fire chaplain. A recipient of a
Congressional Letter of Recognition and a member of the Federation
of Fire Chaplains, Pastor Gary’s presence serves as a source of
encouragement to the men and women in the emergency services and the
victims of tragedies. His arrival on scene helps augment the service
being provided to the community.
Chaplain Cortese is helping bridge the gap that sometimes exists
between the different agencies. He takes a prominent role in formal
Fire Department ceremonies including promotions and badge pinning of
new firefighters. As spiritual leader in the firehouse, Chaplain
Cortese provides a balance of faith and service for police officers
and firefighters, and is an advocate for helping other departments
start their own comprehensive Fire Service Chaplain program.
The extension arm of Global Harvest Church is Gary Cortese Ministries
and is summarized by Galatians 2:20 (The Distilled Bible) “I
consider myself as having died and now enjoying a second existence
which is simply Jesus using my body.” Pastor Gary’s passionate and
bold preaching is helping church leaders discover
a new normal for Christianity that translates into a new
demonstration of God’s love for the world.
Missionaries to the body of Christ, GCM is defining Christianity
according to the finished work of Christ. GCM is helping Christians
to live out of their new covenant, understand the new birth, and the
“Divine Process” of producing “sons of God.” The vision of GCM is to
serve as a network for leaders and local churches and to encourage building
“quality Christians” (not denominations) and to release them into the world to reveal the
heart of the Father; demonstrating the works of Christ while
promoting the unity of the faith (Eph. 4:13).
Contact Us
815-234-8032
Global Harvest Church PO Box 448, Byron, Illinois 61010