Pastor George Gasperson Christ Community Church
Rev. Jonathan Frusti grace lutheran church
Pastor George Gasperson is a North Carolina native, and has been with Christ Community Church since 2009. He was called into ministry 12 years ago following a career as a Physician Assistant in Orthopedics. George is passionate about understanding the culture and making the Gospel relevant to today’s generation. He is an avid cyclist and enjoys fishing, boating, and rooting for the Tar Heels.
Rev. Jonathan Frusti entered the full time ministry in 1980, serving first as a pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Pipestone Minnesota, followed by a ministry spanning 25 years as an active duty Navy Chaplain. Following his retirement from military chaplaincy in 2009, Pastor Frusti accepted the call to serve as Senior Pastor of Grace Lutheran in Winter Haven. He is now in his second year at Grace.
Personal Challenge: These are certainly challenging times, and a personal challenge for me is to help people view the circumstances of their lives in terms of Christ and eternity. Our society isn’t welcoming to the element of faith, and without faith, we are left to cope with hardships and interpret disappointment in the absence of hope. I want to help people understand that we don’t have to come up with the answers to life: Christ is the answer.
Unforgettable Ministry Experience: Over 30 years of active ministry have provided many unforgettable experiences. Nonetheless, my most unforgettable are those associated with my ministry to Sailors, Marines, and other members of our military community. I will never forget our Service members’ dedication nor the sacrifices they make on our nation’s behalf. Being transported by helicopter from ship to ship to conduct worship services during deployments was a particularly memorable experience.
Effective Outreach: I believe most people are interested in hearing about Christ, but they don’t share the same interest in going to church. Don’t get me wrong; church is essential. But it’s time we stop expecting people to have to come to church in order to be introduced to Christ. Effective outreach happens when Christians take the Gospel out to where people are. That seems to be the way Jesus operated. Greatest need of the church as a whole: It’s my opinion that Christian churches have lost their sense of interconnectedness, and as a result we have lost the power that comes from unity. Now believe me, I get the reasons why there are denominations, but it often feels like we’re more concerned with “our tribe” of Christianity than reaching a lost and dying world. I happen to think that Christians share many more similarities than differences, and I wonder what we could accomplish for God if we concentrated on working more closely together. Advice for the Future: My advice would be that it is never too late to follow Christ and change the trajectory of your life. It is so easy to make bad choices that lead to guilt, condemnation, and broken relationships. Once that happens, we start believing that Christ has given up on us. But nothing is farther from the truth. No matter where you’ve been or what you’ve done, Christ loves you and will forgive you. It’s not too late.
Effective Outreach: Effective outreach is based on building relationships. It begins at the point of understanding that God cares – cares enough to have sent His one and only Son Jesus. It views the person being reached through the eyes of a God who loves them and upholds each person’s worth and human dignity. It builds on the foundation of a Christ-like service and meets each person at the point of his or her own need. Effective outreach intentionally invites people into an exploration of God’s love and upholds and honors Christ as the source of its care. Greatest Need of the Church as a Whole: The greatest need of the Church as a whole is to remain faithful to the God who is its head. Its purpose is to reach the world with the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ and to serve as God’s faithful instrument - to love as it has been loved and to care as it has been cared for. Advice for the Future: Prepare for it. Approach it with the assurance that God will not lose interest in His creation nor will He abandon it. Each of us is the object of God’s love and concern and we can approach the future in the confidence that our faith can overcome fear and that God can meet its every challenge. FOCUS Magazine winter haven april 2011
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