Staff
Senior Pastor : Pastor Paul Mitchell
At the age of 26 I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and life at a church my wife had been attending all of her life. The Lord took my life by storm and I became involved in the outreach program, and bus ministry program of my church. I also became a Sunday School Teacher. A few years later my Pastor asked me to head up the church bus ministry program, and I was granted a Lay Ministers License. At the same time I was being called on to preach in various settings. It was at one such engagement that the Lord laid the burden on my heart to launch a summer camping program for underprivileged kids that would be known as "Bus Camp." In 1985 I enrolled as a full time student at United Wesleyan College in Allentown PA. While there I was asked to serve as an Assistant Pastor at a small rural church in the Poconos. 1989 was a big year for me as I had been appointed to my first solo pastorate in DuBois Pa. Three months later I graduated from United Wesleyan with a Bachelors Degree in Pastoral Ministry and Christian Education. In November I was Ordained. In that same year Bus Camp was re-organized under a new name with a broader scope. The new camp was named Y.E.S. Camp. Y.E.S. stands for Youth Experiencing Salvation. In 2001 after serving for 10 years at my second solo assignment, I felt the call of God to pioneer a brand new non-denominational church. God has blessed The River Of Life Christian Fellowship, and I count it an honor to serve as her Senior Pastor.
Of all the areas of my life that God has blessed, none is greater that the gift of the love of my life, my beautiful wife of 33 years, Shirley. Together we have raised 4 beautiful children. Then a few years ago God sent a young lady to our home in need of a family. She has kind of adopted us, and we have welcomed her as one of our own. All together we have the joy of 10 grandchildren.
Pastor Of Visitation: Pastor Dave Owens
I am married to my wife Pat. I have 2 children, Megan and Adam and have 3 grandkids, Anna, Evan, and Mikayla. I came to the Lord in November of 1976, in a small church in WVA.
It took sometime before I would let the Lord have his way. I had to let go of a lot of things. The Lord moved my family to Bentleyville, PA in 1993. This is when I first got to meet Pastor Paul Mitchell.
Upon the start of the River Of Life Christian Fellowship, I became a Lay Minister, later to become a Commissioned Minister. On November 23, 2008, I became an Ordained Elder.
Part of my Ministry is visitations, hospitals, personal care homes, and family homes.
I have been blessed by the Lord by doing His will.
Pastor Of Discipleship: Pastor Jason Franks
I originally accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior in 1991. I was 17 at the time and getting ready to join the Military which I did in February of 1992. I spent the next 10 years in the Army traveling between duty stations. After those 10 years I was medically retired from the Army in which my family and I moved to Ellsworth PA. Over the next few years after attending many different churches we finally found a church we called home, the River Of Life Christian Fellowship. In 2010, I felt the call of God to the ministry. I now serve as an Assistant Pastor at the River Of Life Christian Fellowship.
I have had many blessings in my life, the greatest one is my very beautiful and lovely wife, Missi, of 16 years. Together we have been blessed with a fantastic son, Dalton.
Youth Pastor : Pastor Joe Lukich
I started off as a child, raised in a Catholic household where I personally did not feel much of a connect with my Christian Faith. It wasn't until I went to a Christian Camp, Y.E.S. Camp, until I really felt my calling to the Ministry. At this camp, they hit us with a lot of fun, games, and food, and then they snuck Jesus in the backdoor. Since then, I've always tried to use that approach when Ministering to Youth. Show them that as a Christian you don't have to live a dull and boring life, but a life of fun, humor, and excitement. That Christ wants us to enjoy life, to live it to its fullest, that he wants us to aim high, go after our dreams, and in doing so, we give him all the glory.
I've been in the Youth Ministry for nearly 10 years now and I'm currently enroll...ed at Liberty University obtaining my degree in Bachelors of Religion, with a minor in Christian Counseling. I've learned that with Youth, you don't reach to them from a pulpit or from a Bible lesson. Rather, you do that while eating pizza, or at a Lock-In, or at an Amusement Park. I'm definitely a kid at heart, and it certainly helps when trying to connect with kids. There is nothing more in my life that I feel more passionate about than showing kids that there is a purpose for their lives, that there is a reason for their existence. That life just isn't about how many friends you have, how big your Facebook page is, how popular you are at school, how good you look, how great you are at sports, but life is about the moments we share with each other, and the relationships we form. The most important being with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 4:12, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity."
Womens Minister : Deb Sutch
I am known as a cradle Christian, which means I was born into the church and have always gone since day one. Over my time, I have been blessed with many good Pastors. However three really stand out in my life and with my growth. The first Pastor that helped shape me in the beginning was Rev Richie. He was instrumental in growing my faith in the early stages of my life. My life took several turns and on Easter Sunday of 1993, I rededicated my life to Christ, my Savior. This is where my life saving Pastor, Pastor George comes in. Without Pastor George, I have no idea where I would be right now.
I lost my Dad in 1996. This was a tremendous blow in my life. After this I moved back to Pennsylvania with my two Children, Jenn and Brandon. We continued to attend church and one day Jenn and I decided to go check out the "Little chucrh on the hill". We have been going there ever since. This is where the third Pastor enters in, Pastor Paul Mitchell. Pastor Mitchell has helped my faith and my service to the Lord blossom. It is at this church where I entered the Ministry and in November became a Lay Minister. In January of 2012, I will officially become a Pastor in the Church and will be serving as the Pastor of the Women.
I am married to Wayne Sutch and have been blessed with 2 wonderful children, Jenn and Brandon. I also have been blessed to have Lau Delcroix, and exchange student, who is and will always be a part of our lives. We have also been blessed with Tom Higgs, who God has blessed my Jenn with as a God loving and wonderful partner. God has blessed my life amazingly!