Renew Student Conference

Session 3 of 3 / March 21, 2026 Jon is the Student and Young Adult Pastor at Love of Christ Church in Bear, DE. Involved in youth ministry since his own teen years, he’s passionate about mentorship and helping young people follow Jesus. A worshiper and communicator, he brings energy and authenticity. He loves good conversation, music, and The Last Airbender tv series.

Session 2 of 3 / March 21, 2026 Mari has spent over 15 years in youth ministry as a volunteer, part-time, and full-time leader. She holds a BA from Hope International University and an MDiv from Fuller Seminary, has taught as an adjunct professor, and now equips youth workers worldwide through Download Youth Ministry. She’s married with two energetic kids who keep her laughing!

Session 1 of 3 / March 20, 2026 Jess is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Good Samaritan in Paoli, PA, and an area youth ministry network leader. She graduated from Eastern University with majors in Youth Ministry and Missions/ Anthropology. She served on the Standing Rock Reservation for a decade before returning home to mentor students where her calling began.

3 of 3, March 9, 2024 Rev. Garcia is the Founder and Executive Director of The Philadelphia Project and Pastor of Roxborough Church. His wife, Michelle, serves with him in his ministries. They have four children; Isaiah, Nathan, Thomas, and Cadence.

2 of 3, March 9, 2024 Vanessa is a teacher in the UrbanPromise Academy. Her 15 years with UrbanPromise began as a summer intern, during which she was thrilled with the opportunity to serve God and the children He loves so much. Her husband, James, is the Programming Director for the children and youth programs at UrbanPromise.

1 of 3, March 8, 2024 Danny Kwon, Ph. D., is an author, speaker, and the Senior Director of Youth Ministry Content and Cross Cultural Initiatives for Rooted Ministry. Before joining Rooted, he served as the Youth and Family Pastor at Yuong Sang Church, a bicultural, bilingual Korean-American congregation outside Philadelphia for 29 years. Danny and his wife Monica have three children.

3 of 3; Derrick Parks, founding and lead pastor of Epiphany Church of Wilmington, concludes our conference's theme of "This is Your Year" with his message, "Go Far, Not Fast."

2 of 3; Todd Pearage, a 26 year youth ministry veteran, now a Field Shepherd with Standing Stone Ministry, continues our conference's theme of "This is Your Year" with his message, "All In."

1 of 3; Sara Boninu, Willowdale Chapel's youth pastor, kicks off our conference's theme of "This is Your Year" with her message, "A Vision Worth Running For."

Katy Hayes, a nurse and youth leader, leads the breakout, Anxiety: The Struggle is Real.  Can I be a Christian and still struggle with anxiety? It's time to start talking about it! This breakout will be an interactive session that discusses anxiety and faith. It will provide personal stories, data based off of studies, as well as biblical perspective and examples from God's Word.

Kim Biasotto, an author, speaker and youth leader, leads the breakout, When in Doubt. Because of the interaction of this breakout, the audio is a little more challenging than others.  Is God real? Is He good? Does He love me even when terrible things happen? Join in the discussion as we look at what causes us to doubt our faith and what we can do about it.

Pastor Todd Johnson, a former youth pastor and the current pastor over small groups at Brandywine Valley Baptist Church, leads a breakout on the Power of Small Groups.  We were designed by God to live in community. But often we isolate ourselves and miss out on the blessings of biblical fellowship. This breakout session will explore the amazing power that lies within community small groups. W...

4 of 4; DaQuan Gibson, the lead pastor from Redemption Church, wraps up the 2019 Renew Student Conference theme of 'Gifted and Called.'

3 of 4; Jennifer Burris, a youth leader from Brandywine Valley Baptist Church, continues the 2019 Renew Student Conference theme of 'Gifted and Called.'

2 of 4; Susan Goodenough, White Clay Creek Church's youth pastor, continues the 2019 Renew Student Conference theme of 'Gifted and Called.'

1 of 4; Chris Morris, Ogletown Baptist's youth pastor, kicks off the 2019 Renew Student Conference theme of 'Gifted and Called.'