The River - Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry

The River Youth Ministry is made up of teenagers and young adults, grades 7 and up (late teens/early twenties). It is our desire that each student involved in The River Youth Ministry take the scripture from Ecclesiastes 12:1 literally in which they are challenged to "remember their Creator in the days of their youth."

It has been noted and proven that 85% of those people who come to know Jesus personally, do so before their 18th birthday. It has also been noted that only 4% of this generation (people born

between the years 1977-1996) will ever come to know Christ. If our future leaders are now teenagers, and both of these statistics are true, then the church has a lot of work to do with today's teens. This is the reason for the commitment The River has made to today's youth.

We are here to reach the lost youth of our community with the gospel of Jesus Christ through love, kindness, appreciation, and compassion, to help them grow in their faith, and to connect them with other teenagers in our church, challenging them to serve other and honor God with their lives.

The River Youth Ministry's Vision:

To bring teens to Christ
To let those who are Christians know who they are in Christ. They are a royal priesthood and a chosen generation.
To teachy them that they are empowered with the Holy Spirit who enables them to have power over sin.
They do not need to give into the lie that they are going to mess up.
To teach them that there is a grace when they do, but grace is not license to sin.
To teach them that they can be pure in this society: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
To equip them to share the Gospel with their friends with love and actions.

Our goal is not to entertain the teens, but to help them grow in their relationship with Christ. We do have fellowship once a month through cleaning the church and hanging out at Jack and Betsy's house. We have church camp in the summer at the river with boating and camping.

Our leadership team is Jack and Betsy Schumacher. They are qualified leaders that take the challenge of making disciples seriously. Our mission is more than just words, it's a way of life. Through God's grace we truly are changing the world, on teenager at a time, living under His blood.

Youth Ministry Leaders: Jack and Betsy Schumacher
	Jack and Betsy Schumacher have been married since 1992. Jack was raised in the Canal Winchester area and Betsy was raised in Lancaster. They met at Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster. They have 3 children whom they home school: Makaila, J.B., and Gabriella. They live in Lancaster, Ohio in the house that Jack built. While at Fairfield Christian Church, they both felt a call to minister to teenagers. Jack began helping with the youth in 1989 and Betsy began in 1991. As they felt God moving them to a deeper level in Him, they started to attend The River in 2000. As a result of their love for teens, they became the

youth pastors in 2001. They now have become the spiritual parents to many young men and young women who are striving to fulfill the call of God on their lives.