DAVID ANDREW REISS 3024 Pinehurst Rd.

Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 502-1554 youthcrews@cccefc.org

OBJECTIVE I seek a Pastor of Youth Ministries position in a community-based church with

sound doctrine in both word and action.

EXPERIENCE 2003 - Present 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
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)

2000 - 2003 Trefort Agoston SZKI Budapest, Hungary

ENGLISH TEACHER
! Taught ESL and Literature in a Hungarian public high school
! Developed and implemented weekly English clubs to extend relationships with
students

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 St. Davids, PA

! B.A., Communications
! American Studies Program, participant
! Los Angeles Film Studies Center, participant

SKILLS Puppetry – performance, direction, scripting, and design

Acting – performance, direction, and scripting
Video – direction and editing of promotional and highlight videos
Film – facilitation of Biblically-centered discussions with youth
Layout– editing of newspapers, flyers, and advertisements
Graphic Design – creation of logos and t-shirts for youth events
Computer – Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet, E-mail, and basic web design
DAVID ANDREW REISS 3024 Pinehurst Rd. Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 502-1554 youthcrews@cccefc.org

DAVE’S BIOGRAPHY

I am a 30 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. It has been a great opportunity to grow and develop my skills in youth ministry, as I
was their first youth pastor. I began building the ministry from the ground up. In that time at CCC, I
have 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. In the midst of this, my paramount goal has been to spend time with and love on students. It is
with a sad yet excited heart, and a desire to follow God’s leading that we are now stepping out in faith
and searching for a new church to call our home.
DAVID ANDREW REISS 3024 Pinehurst Rd. Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 502-1554 youthcrews@cccefc.org

DAVE’S PHILOSOPHY ON YOUTH MINISTRY

I have been ministering to youth for nine 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 life-
transforming 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 adult
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 3024 Pinehurst Rd. Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 502-1554 youthcrews@cccefc.org

REFERENCES:

Friend Wells - Senior Pastor, Christ Community Church

Years known: 3
Address: 827 E. Parham Road, Suite 6 Phone: 804-515-5990
Richmond, VA 23226 e-mail: pastorfriend@cccefc.org

Carl Twigg - Youth Leader/Elder, Christ Community Church

Years known: 3
Address: 120 Walnut Lane Phone: 804-697-2732
King William, VA 23063 e-mail: Carl.Twigg@rich.frb.org

Carice Blazo - Central Europe Director, Educational Services International

Years known: 6
Address: 444 E. Huntington Drive, Suite 200 Phone: 1-626-294-9400
Arcadia, CA 91006 e-mail: cblazo@esimail.org

Steve Lachonas - Friend/Ministry Partner, Glendale Presbyterian Church

Years known: 8
Address: 75 Colbourne Crescent Phone: 519-940-8387
Orangeville, ON L9W5A9 e-mail: grubb21_@hotmail.com
CANADA

Cheryl Williamson - Puppet Team Leader, Langhorne Terrace Ministries

Years known: 30
Address: 34 Hybrid Road Phone: 215-943-3942
Levittown, PA 19056 e-mail: thepuppetqueen@verizon.net

Jim Bell - Family Friend

Years known: 30
Address: 109 Birch Drive, Phone: 215-945-9417
Levittown, PA 19054 mail: jim.bell@passporthealth.com
DAVID ANDREW REISS 3024 Pinehurst Rd. Richmond, VA 23228
(804) 502-1554 youthcrews@cccefc.org

Dave A.Reiss Dawn, Dave and Lucy Reiss

Dave and Lucy Reiss Dawn, Lucy and Dave Reiss

Slovakia Team 2005 Dave and students in DC