Dave Reiss 2007 Resume

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected] OBJECTIVE

I seek a ministry position where I can use my gifts and talents to help develop authentic faith in youth and/or young adults.

EXPERIENCE

2007 – Present Wesley United Methodist Church Colonial Heights, VA DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRIES  Developed Sunday school and weekly meetings for middle and high school students  Planned and implemented various youth programs  Developed relationships with students and encouraged volunteers to do likewise  Gave sermons in church services when needed 2003 - 2006 Christ Community Church Richmond, VA PASTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRY  Developed Sunday school and weekly meetings for middle and high school students  Trained and coordinated adult and student leaders  Planned and implemented various youth events including camps and mission trips  Developed relationships with students and encouraged volunteers to do likewise  Gave sermons in church services when needed 2000 - 2003 Educational Services International Budapest, Hungary MISSIONARY TEAM MEMBER  Taught ESL and Literature in a Hungarian public high school  Developed and implemented weekly English clubs to extend relationships with students Country Director (2002-2003) • Directed the preparation of new teachers heading to Hungary • Supervised and assisted a team of country administrators • Served as primary liaison between ESI headquarters, its teachers, and Hungarian schools Country Administrator (2001-2002) Team Administrator (2000-2001) 1997 - 2000 Glendale Presbyterian Church Glendale, CA VOLUNTEER MIDDLE SCHOOL LEADER  Developed relationships with middle school youth and their families  Assisted in the planning of Sunday school, mid-week events, and other activities  Served as Interim Middle School Director, Summer 1999

EDUCATION

1993 – 1997 Eastern University  B.A., Communications  American Studies Program, participant  Los Angeles Film Studies Center, participant

St. Davids, PA

2003.2007 Youth Ministry Training  Attended the National Youth Workers Convention for 4 years  Attended The Core, a one day training event in 2005 and 2007

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected] SKILLS

Puppetry and Acting – performing, directing, and writing skits Computer Skills - Layout of flyers, advertisements and web pages; editing videos; Designing logos for youth events and t-shirts; Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet, E-mail

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected] DAVE’S BIOGRAPHY I am a 31 year old man who longs to serve God by loving students and helping them experience Christ in their lives. I grew up in the northeast suburbs of Philadelphia. My parents separated when I was only two years old. My mother had custody of us. We were a poor family who survived on welfare checks and the support of our local church. We actively attended a local Baptist church, which quickly became our primary social circle. As a teenager, this church's youth program became a place for me to build close friendships. One of my greatest experiences of that youth group was being a part of their puppetry team, and being ministered to by the adults who led us. After high school, I attended Eastern University, where I majored in Communications with an emphasis in radio television, and film. Although my education in the classroom was important, much of my spiritual development occurred when I was part of a traveling drama ministry. My participation with this group taught me the value of Christian community, friendship, and accountability. Following college, I moved to Los Angeles and attended Glendale Presbyterian Church, where I felt called to become an active volunteer in their Middle School Ministry. In serving the students and their families at GPC, I realized God was calling me to pursue youth ministry full-time. Unlike what most people would consider the logical first step toward that goal, God led me into the mission field. In 2000, I was encouraged by a good friend to apply to Educational Services International, a mission organization that sends conversational English teachers to countries around the globe. For three years, I taught in Budapest, Hungary at a public high school. Those three years were some of the most influential of my life. Beyond living, working cross-culturally, and striving to be a witness for Christ, I met my wife, Dawn, who was also a teacher with ESI. In 2003, we returned to America and were married. We settled in Richmond, VA to begin our new lives together. I began serving as the Pastor of Youth Ministries at Christ Community Church, a body of about 100 believers. I began building the ministry from the ground up. In that time at CCC, I matured in the areas of training volunteer leaders, preparing camps, retreats, and events (in addition to Wednesday night meetings and Sunday school), and forming healthy, respectful relationships with parents. 2006 was an exciting year for my family. In February we welcomed out daughter, Lucy Beth, into our family. She has been a constant source of joy for us. In the summer we felt that God began to call us to serve elsewhere, so we began to apply to churches all around the country. It was a long, stressful process. In February 2007, I became the Director of Youth Ministries at Wesley United Methodist Church. We are excited to announce that our next child, a son, will be born in July. We are so excited to see our family growing and continue to pray that God will give us the grace and wisdom to raise our children to have an authentic love and faith in Jesus Christ.

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected] DAVE’S PHILOSOPHY ON YOUTH MINISTRY I have been ministering to youth for ten years, and I have learned many things from my successes and failures. From my experience, I feel that there are three essential elements to maintaining a lifetransforming youth ministry: a committed community of adults, Christ-centered programs, and loving relationships with students. I know from experience that youth ministry not only affects students in a powerful way; the adults who volunteer in youth ministry are equally affected. I was beginning to climb my way up the Hollywood ladder when I started volunteering with my church’s youth ministry. As I interacted with the students and formed close friendships with the other leaders, I realized that God was calling me out of my pursuits of fame and fortune and into the lives of students. Recently, I have been reading through Mark Yaconelli’s Contemplative Youth Ministry. He has helped me understand and better articulate the desire I have for community in youth ministry. This is something I long for. Yaconelli writes, “When we minister with youth together, we share the burdens of ministry…We're also able to better discern and follow the movement of the Holy Spirit. We need to minister in community so we can become real, so we can touch the ground and be reminded of our frailty. It is neither healthy nor biblical to minister without a group of people who can listen to our doubts, point out our shortcomings, and remind us of our belovedness” (144-145) Forming a beloved community is an essential part of youth ministry. Youth leadership is not about having adults act simply as chaperones, it’s about finding people who are called to students and each other. It is about changing the lives of the adults as much as it is the students. This beloved community is called to engage with students in Christ-centered programs where the presence of Jesus is practiced. True ministry is happening during every programmatic event. Programs, whether it is Sunday school, small groups, mission trips, movie nights, or even paintball trips, are essential in students’ Christian development. It is during these events that students are led into the presence of Jesus, taught the gospel, challenged to live out their faith, taught to serve God and others, and belong to a safe community. During this time, leaders are forming bonds with the students that move beyond the scheduled events. One of my favorite parts of youth ministry is the chance to form loving relationships with students. As we form bonds with students, it gives us opportunities to speak the love of Christ into their lives. Many people enter youth ministry and expect themselves to know all the students intimately and be able to meet all of their needs. This is unhealthy and ultimately ineffective. It is my view that to be most effective, each youth ministry leader should identify a few students that God has placed on their hearts and start forming relationships with those students. This opens the door to further possibilities for ministry. As a youth minister, my hope is to form and cultivate a beloved community of adults. Working inside this community, we will create and implement programs that teach students about Jesus. Throughout all of this, I will model healthy relationships with students and encourage others to do likewise.

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected] REFERENCES: Friend Wells - Senior Pastor, Christ Community Church Years known: 4 Address: 827 E. Parham Road, Suite 6 Phone: 804-515-5990 Richmond, VA 23227 e-mail: [email protected] Carl Twigg - Youth Leader/Elder, Christ Community Church Years known: 4 Address: 120 Walnut Lane Phone: 804-697-2732 King William, VA 23063 e-mail: [email protected] David Yarger - Worship Pastor, Christ Community Church Years known: 3 Address: 827 E. Parham Road, Suite 6 Phone: 804-515-5990 Richmond, VA 23227 e-mail: [email protected] Rob Thompson –Volunteer Youth Leader, Christ Community Church Years known: 3 Address: 4651-H Four Seasons Terr Phone: 804-239-3519 Glen Allen, VA 23060 e-mail: [email protected] Carice Blazo - Central Europe Director, Educational Services International Years known: 7 Address: 444 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 200 Phone: 1-626-294-9400 Arcadia, CA 91006 e-mail: [email protected] Steve Lachonas - Friend/Ministry Partner, Glendale Presbyterian Church Years known: 9 Address: 75 Colbourne Crescent Phone: 519-940-8387 Orangeville, ON L9W5A9 e-mail: [email protected] CANADA Cheryl Williamson - Puppet Team Leader, Langhorne Terrace Ministries Years known: 31 Address: 34 Hybrid Road Phone: 215-943-3942 Levittown, PA 19056 e-mail: [email protected] Jim Bell - Family Friend Years known: 31 Address: 109 Birch Drive, Levittown, PA 19054

Phone: 215-945-9417 mail: [email protected]

DAVID ANDREW REISS

15905 Dockside Ct. Chester, VA

23831 (804) 502-1554 [email protected]