GROVE CITY — Michael and Carol Frey are creating a ministry that allows couples to not only reach out to the community, but to each other.

The two have been members of Fellowship Community Church since 1998 and are both natives of Dayton, Ohio. When they moved to Grove City as a young couple, the Freys didn't have the option of calling their parents for help with their children or any crisis.

That is why Michael Frey decided to head up Life 2.8, a ministry that targets young people and provides a venue for mature couples to help and mentor those in their 20s and 30s.

Life 2.8 got its name from a Bible verse, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, which states, "We love you so much that we were not only delighted to share with you the gospel of God, but our lives as well."

"The verse does a good job of very quickly capturing why our group exists," Frey said. "It is the idea of sharing life together, and then also doing what we are called to do as believers: sharing the good news of the Gospel."

Each Sunday at 9 a.m., more than 20 members of the group gather in the church's educational building on North Broad Street for an adult Sunday school session and discussion. Life 2.8 also has monthly social gatherings that are geared toward providing a type of community service. For their first event in December, the group wrapped Christmas presents for foster children.

In addition to reaching out to neighbors and coworkers to take part in the service projects, Frey said, Life 2.8 brings in more experienced couples with adult children who can lend a helping hand to those just starting families.

"When you have young couples that are in their first years of marriage, that brings unique situations," Frey said. "You have families that are starting with young children, or children in their early teens, and they have similar questions and life issues."

Frey said the church found a need for such a ministry after moving from Mercer to Grove City more than a year ago. After the move, the church saw an increase in younger couples and families in its congregation.

With the new ministry, couples like Leann and Ed Smith can offer help. The Smiths have three adult children, all of whom have moved away from Grove City.

"We are at a very different stage of life and we have seen and experienced a lot of things — and that experience can be of value," Leann Smith said. "But I think we will learn just as much from the younger couples."

Eric Hancox and his wife, Laura, have an 11-month old son, Sattler, and have been looking for an outlet to meet new friends in the community.

"I think the initial reason we got involved is looking to develop a sense of community with the church," Hancox said. "People our age tend to be more isolated than older generations — it's more about texting or e-mailing — so it was interesting to us with the idea of getting younger people out there and out into the community, reaching people for Christ."

Hancox said the Smiths hosted a dinner last month, and that it gave the young couple a sense of connection with the community that they may not have felt before. Hancox said he and his wife look up to Smiths, and can learn important lessons from their experiences.

"I have been involved with Leann in a few activities before and I admire the way she balances everything," Hancox said.

"She has an ability to make instant connections with others, and we are trying to develop that ourselves."

While the Life 2.8 ministry continues to develop its vision and future projects, Hancox said he thinks it will have a great impact on his marriage.

"It will unite us in a common purpose," he said.

"Raising our son has done that, and I am hoping we can take that and turn it out to the community."

Frey said in the coming months, members of Life 2.8 will approach schools, the library and nursing homes to help them develop service projects.

"To have that shared life experience as a common ground for us to gather around, really helps in forming community," Frey said. "And when I think of what our group exists to do, it exists to form relationships so we can share our lives."

Frey said the ministry is especially important in that it targets a group of people who see many challenges that can become distracting to their faith.

"During the 20s and 30s demographic, life gets really busy, and you are working on your relationship, your career and then you have children, and it's easy to push that spiritual part of your life to the side," Frey said.

"My hope is ... we can demonstrate that God created us to be spiritual and there is significance to that — and a benefit. So I hope our neighboring community is a different place because we are not sitting off to the side saying, 'Come over here and look.' We are showing how Jesus has changed our lives."

For information about the group and its upcoming events, call 724-458-0303.