LIFESPRING STAFF
Anna Ellison
Connections Pastor
Beka Jackson
Family Pastor
Caleb Herrick
Worship Pastor
Grace Trinidad
Children’s Ministry Resident
Jeff Duerler
Senior Pastor
John Calabrese
Associate Pastor
John Taylor
Facilities Director
Josh Bennett
Elementary Director
Kelly Smith
Digital Media Manager
Kristy Kathman
Office Administrator
Robert Reese
Associate Pastor
Seth Phelps
Student Pastor
Scott Janszen
Operations Director
Ken McLean
Facility Maintenance
Doug Vaught
Facility Maintenance
LifeSpring is led by a group of elders to lead the congregation to accomplish its mission. LifeSpring elders are first proven as ministry leaders and then assume the additional responsibility of overseeing and shepherding the congregation. The elders are nominated on the basis of biblical qualifications including spiritual maturity, character, and leadership, and they are affirmed by the church annually to serve one-year terms.
LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY
More than 100 leaders devote countless hours with hundreds of volunteers in more than a dozen ministries, all with one heartbeat and for one driving reason - His name is Jesus, and He is the spark and prize of every sacrificial servant at LifeSpring.
Anna Ellison
CONNECTIONS PASTOR
Anna has been on staff at LifeSpring since July 2022. She has been married to her husband Richard since 2014 and she loves having fun all around Cincinnati with her kids!
Anna loves building stronger connections between her two favorite things—Jesus and people. She is passionate about making disciples and helping others do the same. Anna also enjoys art, beaches, and iced coffee!
Contact Anna: aellison@lscommunity.org
Beka Jackson
FAMILY PASTOR
Beka grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and came to Cincinnati for college. After traveling around the midwest for several years, they moved back to the area for round 2. She’s crazy about her husband of 25 years, Bobby. They’ve had so much fun raising 5 (bio) kids and currently one foster daughter. Family time is super precious to her.
Beka gets excited when she can encourage those around her through God’s Word, His character, and His love. She especially loves to help kids and families connect with Jesus and His plans for them.
A perfect day off for Beka would include exploring in the woods, getting lost in a good book, creating something new, and spending time with her people.
Contact Beka:
bjackson@lscommunity.org
Caleb Herrick
WORSHIP PASTOR
Caleb has been with LifeSpring leading worship since 2015. He has been happily married to his wife Kelsey since 2017. Together they are foster parents and also have biological twins.
Caleb is a self-identified Bible nerd with a desire for seeing people come to a deeper understanding of the richness of God's Word, and He has a deep passion for helping our community engage in life-altering worship of King Jesus. He also loves spending a quiet morning working or reading at a local coffee shop and sipping on a nice cappuccino.
Contact Caleb:
cherrick@lscommunity.org
Grace Trinidad
Children’s Ministry Resident
Grace is the newest addition to the LifeSpring Team! She is a lover of all things floral, chai lattes, baking, painting, and of course, Jesus! She is currently serving here at LifeSpring as the Children’s Ministry Resident. Before stepping into this position, she spent her days teaching little hearts & minds about the Lord at Lionheart Children’s Academy. Grace is married to her high school sweetheart, Colten. Together, they love exploring coffee shops, new cities, & finding unique hobbies to enjoy! She has a beloved women’s ministry called Garden’s of Grace & loves pouring into women of all ages and showering them in the Word of God.
She cannot wait to meet your family and little ones and be a part of their discipleship journey with Jesus!
Contact Grace:
gtrinidad@lscommunity.org
Jeff Duerler
SENIOR PASTOR
Jeff loves to get off the beaten path to explore something new. When he was in high school, he thought Christianity was just for kids and elderly women, but when he encountered the real Jesus, everything changed. His calling is to help others trust and follow the real King Jesus who calls us to brave, adventurous, abundant living. He is passionate about mobilizing others to join God in restoring a broken world.
Jeff grew up in the Dayton area but was born in Indonesia (his parents were medical missionaries). He and Julie, his wife, came to Cincinnati for Jeff's Ph.D. studies. Jeff and Julie are blessed to have two precious daughters, Kayla and Rachel. In 2018, at the age of 16, Kayla was in a fatal automobile accident. This created a Jesus earthquake that is bringing countless people to Christ. You can read about Kayla's legacy in She Had No Regrets: the Life of a Girl Who Knew Who She Was.
Contact Jeff: jduerler@lscommunity.org
John Calabrese
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
John grew up in Cleveland, but don't hold that against him, he is now firmly planted in Harrison and calls this home. Since moving to Harrison in 2009, John has served all over at LifeSpring and became Associate Pastor in April of 2015. He is a coach to his very core. When he is not in the schools, he is out in our community fostering relationships with business leaders, other churches and families. John's favorite moment in ministry is when someone "gets it" and understands that they own their faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ is to be shared with others.
John likes to get out and play anything with a ball or stick. He is adventurous fun and loves to spend time with his family. He and his wife Angela have two children together, Cara and Ben. He also has a daughter Alicia and a grandson that live in the Cleveland area.
Contact John: jcalabrese@lscommunity.org
Josh has been a part of LifeSpring leadership since 2011 in a volunteer role. He joined the team as a staff member in 2022. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Jamie, since 2000 and they have five children.
Josh is a big kid at heart, which is why serving in Kid’s Ministry comes so naturally to him. He loves to creatively share Jesus with kids and equip them to become disciples that make disciples, even at a young age. In his free time, Josh enjoys art, music, sports of all sorts and spending quality time with his family and friends.
Contact Josh: jbennett@lscommunity.org
Robert Reese
ASSOCIATE PASTOR
Bob, or Robert for long, is a lover of all things Jesus. He has been married to his wife, Lauren, since 2013 and has an ever-increasing number of children. He loves to read, be outside, and listen to God, nature, music, and people. Robert is also a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice. He has been an associate pastor at LifeSpring since 2018.
Contact Robert: rreese@lscommunity.org
Seth Phelps
STUDENT PASTOR
Seth, known for his friendly smile and love for people and Jesus, is the student pastor at LifeSpring. Seth was born and raised in the Harrison area, was homeschooled, and went on to Miami University. When Seth is not connecting with students, you can find Seth playing pickleball, meeting friends at Raising Canes or Crumbl Cookie, enjoying a new game, or making someone laugh. He loves cheesecake, celebrating his birthday on June 1st, and baking. Seth is a great addition to LifeSpring and if you haven’t met him yet, go say “hi”. You won’t regret it.
Contact Seth: sphelps@lscommunity.org