ABOUT
DANIEL SODERBERG:
Rev. Daniel Soderberg, is the Executive Director of Impact Campus Fellowship. Dan, who founded Impact CF in 2001, earned his Bachelor's degree from Toccoa Fall College and his Master's degree in Theological Studies and Christian Ministry from North Park University. Dan, on staff with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for 17 years, has been actively involved with campus groups for all of his adult life. Dan is an Ordained Pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church and has served churches in Scandia Pennsylvania and Jamestown, New York. He and his wife, Karen, have four adult children.
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: