Meet our staff:
Jeremy Ritch – Pastor
Jeremy grew up in Cleveland Ohio in a Hungarian Reformed Church. Though his mother and stepfather were Christians he was not raised with in the American Christian culture. He watched as his mother struggled to reach kids for Christ in a church that was not supportive to her ministry. Though he believed his mother had faith, Jeremy did not share it. He was a self proclaimed Christian-Agnostic until his conversion when he was eighteen. He then tried relentlessly to find acceptance amongst the Christian community with out much success. His lack of knowledge of the American church culture left him feeling alienated and disillusioned. Though hurting he felt a calling to ministry and found it first as a camp counselor at the Hungarian Reformed Youth Camp, then as part of a campus homeless ministry at Eastern University. After leaving college he went through a series of years of ups and downs in his personal and professional life. Then in 2000 Jeremy had a spiritual experience with God that he describes as his “Great Awakening”. Shortly after this experience, he would meet his wife Hannah and begin his life in full time ministry with Revolution Philly and eventually moving to Atlanta GA to work along side Jay Bakker as a pastor with Revolution Atlanta. While with Revolution. along with pastoral duties he became a very successful concert promoter working with the biggest bands in the secular and Christian underground. After three years with Revolution, Hannah and Jeremy returned to Philadelphia worn out and feeling disenfranchised. They would stay out of ministry for about three years during which time Jeremy co-founded the video company Floating Boy Media. In 2005 he felt the call back to ministry and was offered a position with the subculture outreach Hope For The Rejected as director of their band outreach and Hannah took a job with Paxton Ministries in Harrisburg PA. Though his time with Hope For The Rejected was short he built strong relationships with fellow ministers within the underground culture. Determined to stay in ministry he founded Hold Fast in 2006 along with Chris Tomlinson.
Since forming Hold Fast they have dealt with several changes and struggles but God has been faithful and Jeremy is moving forward with God’s plan for his ministry. You can read Jerem’ys blogs and find out more information about his various writing projects at www.jeremyritch.com. Jeremy is a writer who has written many articles, sermons and a few books. He also runs The Full Sleeve a Harrisburg based culture webzine along with being co-owner of Floating Boy Media in Philadelphia. He has an old school country project called Jeremy Ritch & The Cowards.
Hannah Ritch – Pastor
Hannah grew up in Harrisburg PA in a Christian home that was very grace oriented. Though she never has been one to rebel she has always gravitated towards those on the margins. Hannah grew up active in the Christian and secular hardcore and punk scenes. She has always had a heart for those within the subcultures, especially those who seem to not quite fit in. Growing up she saw so much pain with in her friends that she was led to go into ministry first with her church youth group. She then went on to Eastern University where she earned her degree in Youth Ministry. During her junior year she interned at a church near Eastern and started a ministry called Refuge. Shortly after she began she met Jeremy and the two started ministering to a group of teenagers that hungout on a corner in the wealthy suburb of Wayne PA. With in a few months they had met with Jay Bakker and Revolution and merged with them starting Revolution Philly. She would teach a weekly bible study and also help Jeremy with the shows they promoted in the area. Hannah felt that bands not only needed to be paid fairly but treated like family. So she would make a home cooked meal for every show and feed the bands and offer to help out in any other way she could. In 2002 Jeremy and Hannah were married by Jay Bakker in Wayne PA and shortly after moved to Atlanta to work for Revolution. During that year she would focus primarily on feeding bands at shows and building relationships with in the local hardcore scene. She also took a job at a coffee shop with some other Revolution staff and was able to build some strong relationships amongst the group of women that worked there.
After leaving Revolution in 2003 she felt burnt out and somewhat confused about God, ministry and where she belonged. She would take a job managing a coffee shop in Wayne PA where her ministry had begun three years earlier. Over the next few years she would focus on working and had little interest in ministry. Then in 2005 Jeremy and Hannah moved to Harrisburg where she began working at Paxton Ministries, a home for adults with mental illness, as their receptionist/activities assistant. With in two years she was promoted to activities director. She loves her job and feels it has made her more focused on ministry and service. Jeremy and her have also joined Harrisburg Brethren in Christ Church where Hannah is active in a small group. Recently she felt called back to doing ministry like she had at Revolution and has decided to join Hold Fast Ministries staff as a pastor.
Chris Tomlinson – Subculture Minister/Speaker
Chris grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and is the son of a Southern Baptist minister. He grew tired of the legalism he saw in the church and how it killed faith. He saw his own family get hurt by fellow Christians and thought there had to be a better way to follow Christ. Chris would try many different paths including professional bull riding, ranch worker, personal trainer, professional weight lifter and even played in a country band that once opened for Willie Nelson. His true call though was to the ministry. Over the past several years Chris has devoted his life to bringing the gospel of grace to those who would normally never set foot inside a church. His passion is to show a loving non religious side to Christianity that is free of legalism and judgment. He is a gifted speaker who has the ability to present the Gospel in a simplistic yet powerful way. He started a group in West Chester Pa called Tattooed Palm which reached out to local scene kids. They would merge with Hope For The Rejected which is where he met Jeremy. The two became fast friends and they decided to start Hold Fast Ministries. Chris grew up in the straight edge hardcore scene in Jacksonville and has since gravitated to the Rock-a-Billy and classic car culture in Central PA. He has a deep love for all things 1950’s and is planning to become a barber once he obtains his license. The plan is for Jeremy and Chris to open a 50’s Style Barber Shop in the area.
