Who We Are
The Planter - Ben Woolbright
Ben has experienced a broad spectrum of church models and worship styles in his life. He grew up in a traditional, "King James Only" context in Central Florida, completed a church planting internship with a house church network in one of the most unreached cities of the United States, and attended a program-driven megachurch during seminary. This exposure has led him to frequently ask the “why” questions regarding church structure, practices, and goals. He came to faith during his time at the Baptist University of Florida in Graceville, Florida, where he attained a Bachelor of Arts in Christian Studies. Following BUF, Ben attended Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry, as well as a Master of Theology in Preaching.
Following seminary, the Lord had more work to do in Ben and, to accomplish this, led him to an unexpected season as a Cast Member at Walt Disney World. Ben entered this season with great reluctance, as his desire was to be in full-time ministry. However, his time at Disney made a profound impact on him and he cherishes that time greatly. Practically, while seminary taught him about God, his time at Disney taught him about people. He learned how to connect with people, especially unbelievers, in a way that he never previously had. After six years as a Cast Member, God opened the doors for full-time ministry. After several years of attending Trinity Church of Lake Nona, and serving in both volunteer and part-time capacities, Ben became the Pastoral Resident at Trinity in January of 2025.
The Planting Family
Ben and Rebecca are both native Floridians. Ben grew up in the small town of Groveland, while Rebecca grew up in the coastal town of Merritt Island. They met at the end of 2019 and were married in April of 2021. Once they were married, they moved to Lake Nona. Over the past five years, they have established roots in the Lake Nona area. Rebecca is in her 4th year working at Pioneers, a global missions organization whose US Base is headquartered in Lake Nona. She serves as the Executive Assistant for the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2014 with a degree in Event Management and Mass Communications. She thrives in executing behind the scenes with administrative, organizational, and coordination tasks and looks forward to being able to serve the church, with excellence, in this way. They just welcomed their first child, a little boy named Elliot, this summer.
Why "Harbor Bible Church"?
The image of a harbor beautifully captures our heart's desire as a church. A harbor is a safe place vessels can enter to find peace, safety, and refuge from whatever storms they have previously faced. In the same way, we desire to be a church where people can find the hope, healing, and peace of Jesus Christ, regardless of whatever they have experienced in this fallen world.
However, a harbor is also a place of welcome. It is a place people enter into from the outside. Our community is projected to experience the most significant population growth in the Orlando area over the next two decades. We desire to welcome all those who move into our waters, invite them to put their anchor down with us, and settle in with us until it is time for them to raise their anchor and be sent out from us. As they do that, we will commit to faithfully preach the Bible and point them to Jesus.