ABOUT
HISTORY
Impact Campus Fellowship started in 2001 when a small group of students from Jamestown High School wanted to start a Christian Club at their School. They met with their Youth Pastor, Rev. Dan Soderberg, who brought up the idea with some other Youth Pastors in the Jamestown area. They invited the Superintendent, Mr. James Coffman, to a meeting to discuss the idea of this club. At that meeting, the Superintendent invited them to serve on a sub-committee of their School Board to draft two policies; one a policy on character formation, and, the other, a policy on religion in the schools. After nine months, this sub-committee drafted a policy on religion for the Jamestown Public School District. A student-led, interdenominational club named, “Impact,” was approved by the Jamestown Board of Education in March of 2001.
It was agreed that Impact was to be an interdenominational club involving students from ALL church backgrounds including: Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic or no church background at all, and that it would be student-led. There would be "Volunteer Advisors" who would provide guidance, but students were to lead the Impact meetings.
Since its beginning, Impact has had a Board of Directors that oversees Impact activities, the Executive Director, and the finances associated with ICF. Impact is a non-for-profit organization with its own 501c3 number, and receives no funding from the Public Schools. Impact started in the Fall of 2001 at Jamestown High School with a dozen students. By the end of that year, 60-80 students were involved at JHS. Since then, Impact CF has grown to have chapters in 21 High School chapters and 7 Middle School chapters in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Warren and Erie counties. In 2016-17 approximately 1,200 students were active in Impact clubs in these schools.
Our Vision is to:
Build Genuine Friendships
Engage Students & Faculty with the Good news of God's love
Grow Together as Followers of Jesus
Develop Servant-Leaders who can Transform the World
Our Purpose is:
to Glorify God by building a fellowship through which we can
grow together as followers of God and Impact our campus with the
Good News of God’s love that is found in Jesus Christ.
Our Core Values:
1. We believe that all people are created in God's image and are to be loved and respected.
2. We believe in one God existing in three persons: Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
3. We believe in the entire trustworthiness & authority of the Scriptures.
4. We believe in salvation by grace only through Faith in Jesus Christ.
5. We affirm the Apostles’ Creed as a good summation of our faith
Executive Director,
Jon Meyer:
Rev. Jon Meyer is the Executive Director of Impact Campus Fellowship. Jon earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Psychology from Union University and a Master of Divinity degree from North Park Theological Seminary. For the past 3 years he has served as the Director of Elementary ministries for Impact before taking on the role of Executive Director in the summer of 2023. Jon also serves as Family Pastor at Hillcrest Church in Jamestown. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church and has served churches in Port Allegany and Scandia, Pennsylvania, Hudson, Ohio and Jamestown, New York. Jon and his wife, Heather, have four children.
Director of Middle & High School Ministries, Steven Atwater
Steve Atwater is a veteran Youth Worker of over 30 years. Growing up on a dairy farm in Barker New York, Steve was pursuing Electrical Engineering at Alfred State, when God called him into Youth Ministry. This was chain of events that came from an urging from his own youth pastor at the time, to commit to reading through the Bible in a year. From there he transferred to Cairn University and graduated with a B.S. in Theology and a minor in Youth Ministry. It is also where he met the love of his life, Stephanie. Steve has served in local church settings in NJ, NY, OH, & PA. As his position with Impact is part time, he also runs a home remodeling and e-commerce business. If he’s not working you’ll find him tinkering on a vehicle in his garage or playing catch with his dog Dakota.
Director of Administration & Fund Development Daniel Soderberg:
Rev. Daniel Soderberg founded Impact Campus Fellowship in 2001 with a dozen students at Jamestown High School. Impact has grown to include many other schools involving over a thousand students in our region. Pastor Dan earned his Bachelor degree from Toccoa Fall College and his Master's degree in Theological Studies from North Park Theological Seminary. Dan was on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 17 years, and has been involved with campus ministry all of his life. Dan is an Ordained Pastor. He and his wife, Karen, have three adult children and many grandchildren.