Youth Group
At Heartland, we aim to shepherd and disciple our students into the likeness of Jesus. We hope to allow our students to enter an environment that frees them from thinking they must provide the right answers. Heartland is committed to equipping students to “play” in the gospel through Bible exposition, prayer, worship, community life, and lots of fun! We will equip you to reflect His image, embody the hope and power of the gospel, and sacrificially offer your service to Jesus and on behalf of our students.
See You at
Y@H!
Frequently Asked...
01.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL NIGHT AT YOUTH GROUP LIKE?
Heartland students (6th-12th grade) gather together on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Gathering Area. Our time consists of a game or ice breaker, worship, a message, and guys and girls small groups. We would love to have you join us!
02.
ARE JR. HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TOGETHER?
Yes, All of our students begin the time together, then break into small groups according to grade.
03.
WHO LEADS STUDENT MINISTRIES?
Our Director of Youth and Outreach, Jeremy Houser, leads our students with a group of volunteer youth leaders.
04.
WHO DO I ASK IF I HAVE MORE QUESTIONS?
Our Youth director Jeremy wants to hear from you and help however he can at youth@heartlandpca.org
We invite ALL 6th-12th Graders to join us as we discover God’s Peace, Presence, Hope, and Joy within a vibrant, fun-filled community. Our commitment stems from our understanding of who Jesus is, his past actions, his ongoing works, and his future plans for us all.
Meet The Team
Hi, my name is Jeremy Houser, I'm originally from Central Kansas near Salina but have lived in Western Kansas near Colorado for the past 5 years. I absolutely love being outside and doing anything physically taxing, if I was an animal I would be a draft horse! I love Jesus because he called me out of the darkness into light and saved me for a purpose. Part of that purpose is getting to serve with the youth and help them bring cohesiveness to what they know about Jesus and the Bible! Something interesting most people don't know about me, I am still driving my first vehicle that I bought 20 years ago!
Jeremy Hauser - Dir Youth & Outreach
Ben, Kristin & Thomas Jones
Hi, we are Ben and Kristen Jones. Originally from the great state of Texas we started our foreign assignment in Wichita about 4 years ago. All jokes aside, Ben works for Spirit which brought us up here, and Kristen is a teacher and educational consultant. We were married two and a half years ago in Heartland’s sanctuary. Having joined a PCA (Presbyterian Church of America) church in college, Heartland was the first church we visited upon moving to Wichita. We loved it’s focus on community and discipleship and have been here ever since. We love being outside either disc golfing (Ben) or gardening and chicken keeping (Kristen). We love Jesus because He first loved us by dying and saving us from our sinfulness and giving us truth and purpose in Him. We decided to volunteer in youth ministry because we have both had youth leaders who made significant impacts in our lives and we want to be a strong example to the next generation.
Fun fact, in college Ben ate Jesus Chicken (Chick-fil-a) for two meals a day for an entire week. Fun fact number two, Kristen has been to over 30 countries around the world.
Hi, my name is Claire Weber, I’m originally from Derby Kansas and have lived in Kansas my whole life! I love playing volleyball when it’s nice out and love spending time with friends! I love Jesus because he’s always been my protector, comforter and continues to grow me in a way to be a light to others. Getting to be part of the youth group has been something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time because I really want to help this group of students learn to be more Christlike and learn how to walk in a way that glorifies the Lord! Something that people may not know about me is that I prefer cleaning a moldy fridge over any other basic cleaning job.
Claire Weber
Hailey Smith
Hi, my name is Hailey Smith. I have lived in Wichita since I was 5 and have been at Heartland for around 2 years now. I love doing anything artistic or performing arts related, especially ice skating, swing dancing, embroidery, and watercolor painting. The Lord’s grace has sustained me through every hardship and joy, and I am grateful to know His mercies. I love getting to be involved in youth group and witness how God is transforming the lives of the students at Heartland. What a joy it is to praise God in the different stages of life. Something interesting that most people do not know about me is that while I have a pretty calm demeanor, I am extremely competitive in board games.
Hi! I'm Nicholas Lu. I'm from Virginia, but I moved out to Kansas last year to follow God's call for me to pursue a career in engineering in Wichita. History and cooking are two of my great loves, and I find particular joy in exploring their intersection by finding recipes or dishes from the past and recreating them in my kitchen. (Ask me what I think about ancient Roman condiments!) I found that I loved working with youth when I taught at a math learning center, and now I want to share the joy and peace that Christ gives to those that love and follow him. One fun fact about me is that I also studied astronomy in college and used to work as a telescope operator at an observatory!
Nicholas Lu
Martin & Faith Schilling
Hi, we are Martin and Faith Schilling. Both originally from the southeastern part of the country, we moved to the Wichita area in 2022 and started attending Heartland shortly thereafter. Martin is an aircraft maintainer for the US Air Force and Faith is a sign language interpreter. We were blessed to both grow up in Bible-believing households, and are grateful to have never known a life without Christ! We enjoy interacting with the youth and seeing how God is working in their lives.
Fun Fact about Martin: Martin used to collect shark teeth and has a collection of a little over 4,591.
Fun Fact about Faith: Faith considers herself a total book nerd and typically reads 100+ books a year!
John O'Leary
Hi, my name is John O'Leary. I'm originally from the great state of Iowa and have lived in Wichita since 2021. I am currently stationed here at McConnell Air Force Base where I work as a Security Forces Specialist. I started attending Heartland in October of 2023 and officially joined in the spring of 2024. I have worked with youth in various capacities since I was in high school. I started working with my church's AWANA program as a freshman and expanded to various local VBS's, Christian after school programs, and even a youth detention / incarceration ministry that I assisted in for almost 5 years. In my free time I love to play sports, and I also participate in competitive shooting. I originally went to college for Elementary Education, and even though God had other plans for my career path, He has graciously allowed me to combine my love of teaching with my love for God in the form of a youth leader, bringing up the next generation in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. A fun fact about me is that I come from a big family. I have 5 siblings, and between them I have 23 nieces and nephews ...and counting.