LIFESPRING STAFF
Anna Ellison
Connections Pastor
Beka Jackson
Family Pastor
Caleb Herrick
Worship Pastor
Grace Trinidad
Early Childhood Director
Jeff Duerler
Lead Pastor
John Calabrese
Executive Pastor
John Taylor
Facilities Director
Josh Bennett
Club45 Director
Kelly Smith
Communications Director
Kristy Kathman
Administrative and
Local Impact Partner Director
Robert Reese
Counseling Director
Marriage and Family Therapist
Seth Phelps
Student Pastor
Scott Janszen
Operations Director
Stefanie Brack
Elementary Children’s 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, and their 5 kids. 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 leading worship at LifeSpring since 2015. He and his wife, Kelsey, have been married since 2017 and have lived a few lifetimes since then—fostering a little girl who’s still part of their family story, and raising three biological children, including a set of energetic twins, who keep life loud and full.
A Bible nerd at heart, Caleb loves helping people uncover the richness of God’s Word and encounter Jesus in worship. When he’s not playing guitar and chasing kids, you’ll probably find him in a coffee shop with his beautiful wife and a cappuccino—still chasing kids, but at least better caffeinated.

Contact Caleb:
cherrick@lscommunity.org
Grace Trinidad
EARLY CHILDHOOD DIRECTOR
Grace has been on the LifeSpring Team for just over a year now! She is a lover of all things floral, chai lattes, baking, painting, and of course, Jesus! She is currently serving as the Early Childhood Director here at LifeSpring. 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, and they just welcomed their first baby in May 2025! As a little family they love exploring parks, coffee shops, new cities, & finding unique hobbies to enjoy together! She also 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
LEAD 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
EXECUTIVE PASTOR
John grew up in Cleveland (a reality that requires occasional grace from Bengals and Reds fans), but since moving to Harrison in 2009, he has put down deep roots and proudly calls this home. After serving as the student pastor and overseeing a variety of ministries over the years, John became Associate Pastor in 2015 and Executive Pastor in 2025. He is passionate about leading a Go & Be culture at LifeSpring—helping ordinary people live on mission and multiply disciples where they live, work, learn, and play.
A coach to his core, John loves developing leaders, fostering community partnerships, and seeing that “lightbulb moment” when someone realizes they own their faith and are called to share Jesus with others. Whether he’s in a school, on a sideline, at the Commons, or across the table with someone far from God, John believes everyday relationships are the frontlines of Gospel movement.
John is adventurous, competitive, and will play anything involving a ball or a stick. He also loves to travel—especially to Cozumel. If you spot a Go & Be Cozumel sticker, John is probably nearby with a taco in hand, claiming it’s all “research” for future mission trips. He and his wife, Angela, have three children (Cara, Ben, and Alicia) and now two grandsons, Ryder and Koltin.
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 is known for his warm smile and genuine love for people and Jesus. He serves as the Student Pastor at LifeSpring, where he is passionate about building meaningful connections with students and helping them grow in their faith. Seth has been part of the Harrison community his entire life, was homeschooled, and later attended Miami University. Outside of ministry, he enjoys playing pickleball, spending time with friends at Chipotle or Graeter’s Ice Cream, discovering new games, and sharing laughter wherever he goes. Seth is a valued member of the LifeSpring team, and if you haven’t met him yet, be sure to introduce yourself—you’ll be glad you did.
Contact Seth: sphelps@lscommunity.org