The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Local business, organizations raise awareness on sex trafficking

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In the ongoing fight against human trafficking, several local businesses and organizations have stepped up to raise awareness on the issue.

Fifteen groups, mostly in Pasco County, have been declared “Trafficking Free Zones,” by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, a nonprofit group based in Tampa:

  • Magnolia Plastic Surgery Center
  • NOW SC Press
  • Design & Construction Innovations
  • Paperjacket
  • Searchwurx
  • Next Machine
  • Pasco Economic Development Council
  • We Love Logos
  • Martinez Law
  • North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce
  • Florida Hospital Center Ice
  • CU Engage
  • Berkeley Search Associates
  • Impact Church
  • Hope Church

To earn the designation, the various groups issued a proclamation stating their organization’s commitment to stand against human sex trafficking; provided awareness training to all employees on human trafficking; and, created a “zero tolerance” handbook policy for employees that engage in sex buying or human trafficking.

The U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking has declared several local businesses and organizations ‘Trafficking Free Zones,’ for taking steps to raise awareness on the issue of human sex trafficking. (Courtesy of U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking)

“A business has a certain sphere of influence over the folks they engage with, especially their employee population,” Geoff Rogers, the chief executive officer of the institute against human trafficking said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“The communities where we’ve seen the fight against sex trafficking be most successful are those who have the entire community running after it at the same time,” he explained.

The institute against human trafficking is urging more organizations to participate in the program, which is free.

“Apathy is one of the biggest problems that we face, so we’ve been very focused on how do we get people involved and what can they do,” Rogers said.

The institute’s Trafficking Free Zone program launched in May.

The program establishes a holistic approach – a multisector partnership involving law enforcement, government, businesses, schools and community-based organizations — to try and reduce the demand for sex trafficking.

It also focuses on arresting and prosecuting sex buyers instead of those who are being sold, and educating community members on sex trafficking and implementing other demand reduction techniques, like offering resources for victims, as well as those struggling with sex and/or porn addiction.

Tampa-based U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking works to end human trafficking in the United States through prevention, rescue of victims, combating demand, and providing safe refuge for the restoration of survivors.

Rogers said those techniques are proven practices that have been used across the country. “With all these different sectors of society firing away at the sex trafficking problem, that’s when we begin to see the bottom drop out of demand and real substantive changes and improvement be made in the fight against trafficking within that community.”

Also, through the Trafficking Free Zone program, the institute has partnered with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office on a cyber sting operation that attacks the demand-side of sex trafficking by targeting and identifying online sex buyers through the use of intercept bots. That initiative has been underway since July.

Human sex trafficking has been under the microscope in Florida for some time.

The state has consistently ranked third in the number of cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, behind only California and Texas.

Tampa Bay usually ranks fourth in the state for the number of such calls.

Officials have said the region’s attraction as a tourism destination, along with having international airports and deep-water seaports, increases the likelihood for human sex trafficking. Hosting large sporting events and conventions also lends to the problem.

Pasco County officials have worked to address the issue locally.

In 2014, Pasco County Commissioners formed the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking to promote public awareness about human trafficking, create educational programming opportunities and advocate for strategies to aid survivors of human trafficking.

That commission helped pass an ordinance in 2016 that mandates signage raising awareness of human trafficking to be posted in the restrooms and dressing rooms of sexually oriented businesses, such as adult entertainment establishments and unlicensed massage services.

It also trained more than 3,000 members of the community on human trafficking through its community awareness presentations.

“In many respects, Pasco County is one of the leading counties in the state of Florida in the fight against sex trafficking,” Rogers said.

For information, visit TraffickingFreeZone.com.

Published September 5, 2018

San Antonio Farmers Market makes its return

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The San Antonio Farmers Market is making its return, for its second year, beginning on Sept. 8.

The event runs on the second Saturday of the month, from September through May, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio.

The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Antonio.

The market features vendors who set up around the park, offering a variety of products, including jams and jellies, honey, produce, jewelry and quilts.

San Antonio Rotary Club’s Terrie Grissom, left, and Winnie Burke are helping to host the San Antonio Farmers Market. Now in its second year, the monthly event begins this year on Sept. 8. (Brian Fernandes)

One highlight this year will be live music by the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society.

Those wishing to donate blood also will be able to do so, at OneBlood’s Big Red Bus that will be parked at the site to accept donations. Donors will receive both a free T-shirt and a checkup.

Mr. Jim’s hot dog stand is returning to the market this year.

A table also will be set up for kids to give them a chance to create a craft, at no charge. A Rotary Club member will oversee that activity.

“That’s a part of doing what we can for kids,” said Terrie Grissom, treasurer of San Antonio’s Rotary Club. “We are very much a community-focused club, serving the San Antonio area the best we can.”

The park has a playground for children and numerous picnic tables for dining.

In addition to exploring the vendors, patrons are welcome to volunteer their voices for singing performances.

The event is free of charge, and pets are welcome, too.

Proceeds benefit causes supported by the Rotary Club of San Antonio. The club supports scholarships for students and donates food bags to the San Antonio Elementary School, among other things.

“One main thing is to try and improve education and the life of people,” said Winnie Burke, chairwoman of the Rotary Club.

Club members also will be on hand to help vendors set up tents.

San Antonio Farmers Market
Where: San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., in San Antonio
When: The second Saturday of the month, September through May, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Details: The event will hold various vendors, food, live music and a blood drive. Pets are welcome, too.
Info: Contact Winnie Burke at (352) 437-5161 or .

Published September 5, 2018

Wesley Chapel church aims to extend God’s grace to others

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If there’s one thing that Jeff Olsen, pastor of Grace Community Church, knows for certain it’s this — the church that he leads is physical proof that God is “able to do exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all that we ask or imagine.”

Indeed, that’s part of a Bible verse that Olsen said summarizes the church’s entire quest to build a permanent home at 7107 Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel.

Jeff Olsen, pastor of Grace Community Church, said the building project has been blessed abundantly. He estimates that volunteers completed 50 percent of the labor, saving the church between $500,000 and $600,000. (B.C. Manion)

“This project was beyond us. It took more resources, more help, more finances than we could do on our own. But, we’re doing it because we want to reach beyond ourself to others — a church that’s for others,” Olsen said.

The church moved into its new home in July, but is hosting its grand opening celebration on Sept. 9, with services planned at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., a free barbecue lunch at noon and a pizza night for its teen ministry starting at 6 p.m.

Olsen describes the church as a contemporary church, with some traditional elements.

“We’re a Good News church, not just good advice. The good news is that God loves you,” Olsen said, and that’s the central message of its ministry.

Building the 7,760-square-foot church required an army of volunteers, and, Olsen said, adding that by God’s grace, they showed up.

The property was acquired in 2014, the plans were done in 2015, the site preparations were completed in 2016. The ground-breaking service was on July 1, 2017.

“In most churches, a traditional groundbreaking is some gold shovels, a couple of pictures and everyone walks away. That was not this project,” Olsen said.

Volunteers from Carpenters for Christ help to build Grace Community Church in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of Grace Community Church)

“We dug all of the footers on groundbreaking day. We had dozens of volunteers over the Fourth of July weekend. One of the church members had an excavator. Others brought shovels,” he said.

It took about 50 volunteers about six weeks to complete the footers, rebar and concrete forms, the pastor said.

Over the course of the entire project, about 250 volunteers pitched in, doing everything they were allowed and able to do, the pastor said.

He estimated that the volunteers completed about 50 percent of the labor on the project, saving the church between $500,000 and $600,000.

“We didn’t do mechanical, electrical, plumbing or even erection of the steel structure,” Olsen said.

Besides a core group of church volunteers, other helpers came from far and wide.

Crews from Carpenters for Christ, based in Auburn, Alabama, showed up twice to help.

Other groups of volunteers came from Minnesota and Pennsylvania.

A group of pastors helped. Boy Scout Troop 177 helped. And, a volunteer crew chief came down from Connecticut to provide guidance to volunteers from early January through late March, Olsen said.

“So many people did so much,” Olsen said.

Robert Whorley used an excavator to help dig footers.

“Just when we’d done all we thought we were able to do, somebody else would come, (and) somebody else was able to come – until it was finished.

“It was exciting. It was tiring. It was wonderful to see that God could do something beyond what we asked or imagined. What a joy to be part of something like that,” Olsen said.

The church building features a foyer that can be used for small gatherings, a sanctuary that can accommodate 200, a preschool classroom, the pastor’s office and other rooms.

Olsen’s wife, Heather, oversees the preschool that began operations in August.

“When I think of Grace Community, I think of a community of people who come from diverse backgrounds, but are committed to building a better community by God’s grace.

“We are not here trying to convince anybody that our church is more amazing than anybody else’s in town,” Olsen said.

“We’ve seen an amazing God do something amazing things, and we believe he can do that in their lives.

“There’s a tendency, right now in churches, on sermons that are success-based and that are good advice.

“We are a Good News church. We declare the historical Christian faith, God’s love. The gospel is central. Grace is what we are about.

“You can come here weary or broken and find help or find hope, find people who care,” Olsen said.

As the church moves forward, it intends to look for ways to extend God’s grace to others, through a variety of programs at the church and through outreach ministries.

And, while the church celebrates its grand opening, it also has plenty of space to accommodate future growth.

When that might happen isn’t yet clear, Olsen said.

That’s a matter of “God’s timing,” the pastor said.

Grace Community Church grand opening
When: Sept. 9, with services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., followed by a free barbecue lunch at noon. The Walk Student Ministries, for teenagers, will kick off its fall season with a pizza party from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: 7107 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel
Info: Visit ExploreGrace.com, or call (813) 994-9363.

Published September 5, 2018

Townhomes approved off Willow Bend Parkway

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning to allow a townhome development on the north side of Willow Bend Parkway, about a half-mile east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, in Lutz.

The rezoning allows up to 70 units.

Technically, the new zoning classification would allow apartments, said Denise B. Hernandez, zoning administrator/special projects manager for Pasco County.

However, that won’t occur in this case because, Hernandez said, “the applicant is proposing single-family attached homes that will be on fee-simple lots,” and “the applicant has agreed to record a deed restriction on the property for that to be the only principal permitted use on the property.”

The zoning change will not take effect until that deed restriction is recorded, the zoning administrator said.

Two area residents spoke against the request.

They cited concerns about adding traffic to Willow Bend Parkway, which they said already has so much traffic that it’s hard to get onto or off of the road.

They also objected to allowing townhomes to be built in an area where the predominant development pattern is single-family homes on single lots.

Commissioner Mike Moore said he’d heard from opponents to the project, but said they thought that apartments were being proposed on the site. He said he would have opposed apartments.

Michael Horner, a planning and land use consultant, represented the applicant, Dorothy Dahm Bard Trust, and the contract purchaser, Town Homes of Willow Bend LLC.

“My client wants to build high-end, single-family attached townhomes. These are three-bedroom, two-bath, two-story, 2,000 square feet, high-end furnishing,” Horner told commissioners.

The site has fragmented wetlands, providing the ideal opportunity to have clustered single-family homes with individual views of the wetlands, Horner said. The townhomes are expected to start at $300,000.

“They want views. They want the double-car garage. They want the tray ceilings. They want the quartz countertops,” Horner told commissioners. “They do not want to cut grass, maintain lots, on the weekend.”

Moore noted that the current zoning allows 70 homes to be built, and the rezoning will allow 70 townhomes. “It’s a wash,” he said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, agreed, noting the rezoning is not “a big change.”

Starkey made a motion for approval, which carried unanimously.

Published September 5, 2018

They jam on ukuleles — making music and new friends

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Bob Grindey provides vocals, as his wife, Gayle Grindey, strums her ukulele at the jam. Kent Linder of Carrollwood, far left, plays along as members jam on the back porch of the restaurant. (Fred Bellet)

You don’t have to be a skilled ukulele player, or a professional singer, to take part in the Ukulele Club that meets twice a month at Ukulele Brand’s restaurant, at 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Just bring your ukulele, your music stand and a singing voice to join in the jams on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

First-time players are welcome to join the club, which is a mix of seasoned ukulele players and newbies. Those who know the ropes help those who are just learning the instrument.

A recent jam brought together players of all experience levels, coming from Lutz, Odessa, Land O’ Lakes, Carrollwood, Hudson, Wesley Chapel and Dade City.

To find out more about the club, email Dennis Pashouk at .

Bob Register, left, of Wesley Chapel, along with Bruce Brand, center, (whose father, Ben, started up the business) read the music charts with Jeri Shafford, of Lutz, as they play another selection during a recent jam session.
Jean Trawatha, of Lutz, has no trouble playing along, as she and other club members make their way through the play list.
It may look like a matchup of dueling ukuleles, but all 20 members of the Ukulele Club are in harmony, as they play a piece by Bob Dylan.

Proposed rezoning for Ballantrae office park raises questions

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The Pasco County Commission has continued a request to rezone the Ballantrae Professional Center until Sept. 17, to sort out issues relating to the center’s current uses, the proposed zoning and who has authority to request the proposed zoning.

The center, on the south side of State Road 54 at the intersection of Hunting Bow Circle, in Lutz, is currently zoned as a PO-1 Professional Office District.

The request, by the Ballantrae Center Owners Association, is to change the designation to a PO-2 Professional Office District, which allows a wider array of uses, said Denise B. Hernandez, zoning administrator/special project manager for the county.

The county planning department and the Planning Commission recommended approval of the rezoning.

However, during the County Commission’s public hearing on Aug. 21, an owner of a condo office building within the development objected to the proposed rezoning.

And, that objection prompted a reaction from Commissioner Mike Moore.

“He owns the building. That’s not what he bought into. That’s not what he purchased. Who am I to tell him that he’s got to change his zoning for something he doesn’t want. I’m not going to back this,” Moore added.

Hernandez said the rezoning request is aimed at bringing uses on the property into conformance with PO2.

“Going PO2 allows them to do every single use in PO1 and then add some additional uses, including private schools, post office, government buildings, barbershop, beauty salons, flower shops, those type of things,” she explained.

A number of current uses on the property already fall under the PO2 designation, she added.

“We think it’s consistent with the character of the area, the existing area, and we’re recommending approval of the zoning amendment,” Hernandez said.

However, there is confusion over who has the authority to request the rezoning, and also about the site’s current zoning.

The office park is condo-platted.

A real estate agent working on a parcel came in and told the county that the development needed to be PO2 because there are PO2 uses there, Hernandez said.

Stacie Mixon, speaking on behalf of the management company for the office development, said “this property, in essence, was originally a PO1, then it was changed to a PO2 years ago.

“If you looked at the property appraiser’s website, all of these properties are zoned PO2 according to the website.

“One of the builders went to build and they were told by building permitting that it’s PO1,” Mixon said.

“A lot of the owners purchased under the assumption that it’s PO2,” she said. “Tenants are in there that are supposed to be in PO2.

“Now, we’re at a standstill,” Mixon said.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said the issue wouldn’t be before the County Commission if the current zoning wasn’t PO1.

“The property appraiser is not the one who is in charge of zoning,” Steinsnyder said. “This board is.”

At one point, a portion of the office development was temporarily zoned PO2, with explicit provision that the zoning was temporary and was exclusively for Imagine Charter School, Hernandez said. That zoning was initially granted in 2008 and expired in 2012.

Imagine Charter School now has a permanent location on Sunlake Boulevard.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey asked whether an individual office condo building owner could decide if they want PO1 or PO2.

“We don’t want to shut down all of those businesses,” Starkey said.

Mixon said owners in the office park voted on whether to seek a rezoning to a PO2 and the majority agreed, but she did not have specific information about the vote at the public hearing.

Steinsnyder recommended continuing the hearing until Sept. 17.

“Without looking at the condominium documents, I don’t know who the legal authority to rezone this property really would be,” Steinsnyder said.

By delaying the vote, county staff will have a chance to get additional information from the opponent to the rezoning and from the applicants, commissioners said in voting for the delay.

Published September 5, 2018

Bexley borrow pit gains approval

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a request for a borrow pit to provide fill dirt for use at Bexley by Newland Communities, a master-planned community, off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

The development sought approval to operate the borrow to provide up to 1 million cubic yards of sand and dirt to be excavated and hauled over a period of four years.

The borrow pit will be reclaimed after the dirt hauling is completed.

The infill dirt will be used for internal uses at Bexley, but some of will need to be trucked across Tower Road, which is used by the public.

The borrow pit site is south of Tower Road, west of Sunlake Boulevard, and about half-mile east of Ballantrae Boulevard.

The borrow pit’s operating hours will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will not operate on Sundays or holidays.

The Pasco County Planning Commission recommended approval of the request, and the County Commission approved it on its consent agenda, meaning there was no discussion of the item, at its Aug. 21 meeting.

Approval also is required from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, also known as Swiftmud.

Published September 5, 2018

Sign up for lifelong learning

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September is Library Card Signup Month, a time when the American Library Association and libraries nationwide remind parents, caregivers and students that signing up for a library card can be the first step toward academic achievement and lifelong learning.

And, now is an especially good time to get a Pasco County library card as the library launches new services for residents.

The Pasco County Library System now has four new offerings, including two streaming media services, as well as wireless printing and Wi-Fi hotspots.

“We’re excited to continue to offer our patrons these premier streaming media services,” Bob Harrison, public communications specialist for the libraries, said in a news release.

New services include:

  • Freegal: free music service offering access to more than 15 million songs. Users can download up to three songs per week, free of charge, and stream up to three hours of music per day.
  • Kanopy: streaming movie service offering more than 30,000 feature films, independent films, foreign cinema, documentaries and kids’ movies. Movies also can be streamed at no cost.
  • Wireless printing and print-from-anywhere: Print from smartphones and tablets, or from a home computer or laptop. The cost is 10 cents per page for black-and-white, or 25 cents per page for color.
  • Internet-on-the-Go: Borrow a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to three weeks. The 4G LTE device is easy to set up, and can connect multiple devices, including laptops, gaming consoles and more.

All library services are available at no cost with a Pasco County library card, free at any branch.

Published September 5, 2018

A vision with a purpose

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Keep Pasco Beautiful has been named the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Non-Profit for 2018.

The award honors Keep Pasco Beautiful’s continuous efforts to engage the community in litter and waste reduction, while encouraging beautification.

(Courtesy of Pasco County)

“Our organization does amazing things in the community thanks to the dedication of our volunteers and partners who share our vision and passion,” Kristen King, coordinator of Keep Pasco Beautiful,, said in a news release.

“We appreciate the Chamber’s recognition and support,” King added.

Keep Pasco Beautiful coordinates and develops a variety of annual local-level beautification and cleanup events, often with ties to national efforts, including: Coastal Cleanup (led by The Ocean Conservancy), Great American Cleanup, Earth Day, and the Pasco Upcycle and Art Festival.

This year, Keep Pasco Beautiful is promoting the importance of trees while hosting a sapling giveaway in partnership with the Rotary Club of New Port Richey and the City of New Port Richey.

The organization also brightened the landscape at Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, planting nine trees with the help of Sunlake Key Club volunteers and Covanta Pasco’s sponsorship.

Keep Pasco Beautiful was founded in 1992 and continues its mission with a small, but dedicated, team.

For information, visit KeepPascoBeautiful.org.

Published September 5, 2018

‘My job is to care for everybody,’ local pastor says

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Sometimes Jordan Kassabaum does a double-take when someone calls him “pastor.”

“I’m just not used to it,” said the 27-year-old pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes. “It seems surreal when I’m standing in front of a congregation.”

Kassabaum, a native of Dade City, was named pastor of the Land O’ Lakes church on July 1.

Jordan Kassabaum, pastor at the First United Methodist Church in Land O’ Lakes, wants his church to be an inviting place that cares for everyone. (Brian Fernandes)

He is gradually getting to know his new congregation.

“I’m astounded at just how many gifted people are here,” said Kassabaum, who leads a church established in 1959. “My staff are amazing.”

Currently, membership stands at around 200. Kassabaum would like to see that number grow.

The church leader said his title isn’t the important thing — and he doesn’t mind when members of his congregation call him by his first name.

It’s that casual approach he’d like to share with people outside of the church, as well, he said.

For instance, in the past, he has participated in such events as ‘Beer and Hymns,’ where folks gather in a brewery or bar to sing classic church songs. He’s also taken part in ‘Pints and Parables’ which entails sharing drinks while taking part in bible study.

Those are some ways that Kassabaum has tried to break down stereotypes about church, and show it in a new and refreshing light.

“My job is to care for everybody,” he said. “Most of my friends are actually not deeply religious people.”

Early beginnings
Kassabaum was born in Dade City, and grew up there, graduating from Pasco High School.

“I loved it,” Kassabaum said. “When you’re growing up in a place like that, it can seem very restricting. You can’t wait to get out, and you really don’t appreciate that quiet kind of life until you go off and see the rest of the world. Now there’s a certain kind of attraction to it.”

He came from a musical household. His father played the saxophone and his mother played the flute. That influenced him to join the high school band and to play the saxophone.

He enjoyed performing so much that he contemplated it as a career, but he decided not to pursue that because he didn’t want to turn something he loved into a chore.

Kassabaum said he didn’t grow up in a religious home.

On several occasions, he attended a Baptist church that his grandfather had helped to build, but he was not immersed in church life, nor obligated to hold any religious beliefs.

“My parents wanted me to make decisions for myself,” he said. “They didn’t want to impose anything on me.”

In school, he excelled in science and biology, and had a desire to help people in need. That motivated him to look toward a medical career.

Finding meaning in tragedy
Although his desire to help others sparked an interest in medicine, it was his father’s illness that compelled him in that direction. He was just 15 when his father died from brain cancer.

“That really set me on a path towards being just a doctor,” he recounted.

As he was coping with the loss of his father, he began questioning life in general.

It was then that a friend invited him to the First United Methodist Church of Dade City.

“I asked a lot of these tough questions,” Kassabaum recalled. “Is God real? Does God love me? Why do we suffer?”

The church and its congregation provided a place of refuge and solace.

When the pastor describes his spiritual journey to others, he said, he often describes it as both a moment of epiphany, as well as a gradual process.

The transitions he went through, he said, were “fundamental experiences.”

“I was lucky enough to be in a space where there were people who loved and cared about me. Who didn’t seek to fix me,” he said.

As he acquainted himself with the congregation — through bible studies and discussions —  he realized that he wanted to remain within the Methodist denomination.

Leadership skills through academics
Kassabaum’s desire to become a doctor took a turn as he began to feel that evangelism was his true calling.

“I don’t think anybody goes into ministry without having a sense of call,” said the pastor. “A sense that God has placed a task for you to complete.”

With that in mind, he enrolled at the University of Florida in 2009. He graduated four years later with a double major in religion and classical civilization.

In 2013, Kassabaum moved to Connecticut to continue studies at Yale Divinity School.

“It was interesting to be exposed to all sorts of different people and different ways of thinking,” said the pastor about Yale’s diversity.

He graduated in 2016 with a Master of Divinity, a standard degree which qualifies a minister to go through an ordination process.

He then returned to Florida, where he worked for two years as a missions intern and adult ministry coordinator.

New and present chapter
Now, he envisions his Land O’ Lakes church becoming a place which is filled with individuals ministering to others with their own unique set of gifts — gifts that not only contribute to the church, but to the community at large.

He already has seen their talents through Sunday school teaching, as well as mission and relief work.

Working with those within the church and inviting others to join, the pastor hopes that one day his congregation will mirror its community — diverse in age groups and ethnicities.

Bob Swan, the church’s facilities manager and a member for 25 years, said “Pastor Kassabaum has brought a wealth of new ideas, and it’s just been great.”

Kassabaum knows that leading a church is not a one-man job, and he’s grateful for his staff and congregation, who have rallied around to help.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my experience here,” the pastor said of his new home church. “I knew this was where God wanted me to be.”

Published August 29, 2018