H15 Teen Center Ministries marks 10 years in downtown Millersburg

H15 Teen Center Ministries spent its first decade turning a set of downtown Millersburg buildings into a visible place for local teens, a project shaped by Andy Schafer, Tammy Schafer and the community around them. What began as a vision for a safe place where teenagers could have fun, work, learn and find shelter became a downtown institution at 34 E. Jackson St., in the heart of Holmes County’s village center.

The ministry’s roots go back to May 2015, when H15 got the keys to the building it was working in and began renovation. Much of the labor came from volunteers from the community, including teens from church youth groups. Many materials were donated, and the rest came through financial gifts, giving the project a slow, hands-on buildout that depended on local help as much as on the Schafers’ persistence.

Andy Schafer said in 2017 that he wanted to create a youth center after seeing teens who were struggling and needed help. By September 2018, the vision was close to becoming a reality after more than 2 1/2 years of work. The ministry’s name, H15, comes from Habakkuk 1:5, tying the center’s identity to the Schafer family’s faith as the downtown project took shape.

The footprint grew in a major way in January 2023, when Downtown Enterprises sold 24, 34 and 44 E. Jackson St. to H15 Ministries for $180,000. That purchase consolidated a larger stretch of property along East Jackson Street and marked another step in the center’s long-term presence in historic downtown Millersburg.

Even after the buildings were in place, the work did not stop. A February 2025 event listing showed H15 still raising money for general operations and renovations, and the ministry also hosted a fundraising dinner that year. That continued fundraising reflects the same pattern that defined the first decade: volunteer labor, donated supplies, and ongoing community support keeping the center active.

For Millersburg, H15’s first 10 years say as much about the town’s needs as they do about one ministry’s endurance. The center has become part of the daily life of downtown, a place where local teens can gather and a block of East Jackson Street stays in use because a family and a network of supporters kept showing up through setbacks, rebuilding and progress.