Our History:

The Jeremiah Project was founded in 1997 by three Youth Pastors: Todd Freneaux, the Rev. Abi Foerster, and Barbara Russell.  All felt there was a tremendous need for a Christ-centered mission trip experience designed specifically for middle school students. Selecting Jeremiah 1:7 as the foundational scripture, the Jeremiah Project was born.  


In recent years, JP has embraced ministry to high school students, most notably in 2015 with the launch of
LEAD Four:Twelve.  This leadership development experience has been highly successful in helping students understand Biblical leadership principles, and growing into the leaders God desires to advance his kingdom. 


JP continued to offer ministry opportunities for high school students with the creation of a high school work camp experience in 2019 as well as offering combined middle school/high school mission trips.


Our Mission:

"Transforming lives for Christ through student mission, ministry, and leadership development."

But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a youth,' because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak." - Jeremiah 1:7 (NAS) 


The first Jeremiah Project work camp, based in Winchester, Virginia, was held in the summer of 1998 with nine churches participating. The two work weeks were, in a word, INCREDIBLE! As we prepared for our second summer of mission work in 1999, we were overwhelmed with the response from churches wanting to bring their junior high students. JP opened a second ministry site in Romney, WV in the summer of 2003, and a third ministry site in Richmond, VA in 2011. The Richmond location provides an urban mission experience and is offered every other year.


In 2001, we added a spiritual growth weekend called Fan the Flame. Over the years, that weekend grew and morphed into what is now known as our JOURNEY junior high weekend. Each March, 400+ students gather at Rockbridge Alum Springs for an amazing weekend of fellowship, teaching, worship, and a ton of fun!  


Although JP began as a middle school only ministry, in 2014 we felt God leading us in a new direction and stepped out in faith by creating a new leadership development experience for high school freshmen called, LEAD Four:Twelve.  This one-year experience begins in the spring of their freshman year and concludes in the spring of their sophomore year.  Our first LEAD cohort launched in 2015.


After the success of our high school ministry, LEAD Four:Twelve, we began praying and discerning about whether we should offer a work camp experience for high school students.  We hosted our very first high school work camp experience in 2019!


As JP develops this commitment to high school work camps, we recognize the importance of not spreading ourselves too thin and compromising our ministry to middle school students. To that end, we hired a Student Ministry Consultant to develop our high school work camps, assist with the LAUNCH Student Conference, and to oversee our LEAD Four:Twelve ministry.  This will allow the Executive Director, Todd Freneaux, to continue to oversee the JP ministry while keeping his focus specifically on middle school work camps and the JOURNEY middle school weekend.