Our Journey to Harbor Bible Church

We’re planting a church! Reading the previous sentence is a little surreal. It’s been quite a journey getting to this point. First off, I should probably share a little bit about who were are. Hi, my name is Ben Woolbright. My beautiful wife, Rebecca, and I are native Floridians. We are taking steps to plant Harbor Bible Church in the Lake Nona area in 2027!

Who We Are

Rebecca grew up in Merritt Island and moved to Oviedo to attend UCF. Upon graduating with a degree in Event Management and Communications, she moved back to the Space Coast and started a career at a local sports complex. I grew up in the Clermont area and then moved to North Florida to attend what is now the Baptist University of Florida. Once I completed my Bachelor’s Degree, I moved to North Carolina where I earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry and a Master of Theology in Preaching from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

After 10 years away, I moved back to Central Florida to be involved with church planting. While serving at various churches in both volunteer and part-time capacities, I also embarked on a miniature career as a Cast Member at Walt Disney World. As I reflect on this season, I am fully convinced that my work as a Cast Member was just as imperative in my preparation for church planting as seminary was. After nearly six years, I left Walt Disney World and became the Pastoral Resident at Trinity Church of Lake Nona, the church we have been attending since we were married in 2021.

Lake Nona has been home to Rebecca and I ever since we were married. Initially, this area made the most sense to us as it was halfway between Disney and her job at the time. However, over time, our lives have become rooted here. Not only have we developed deep friendships with numerous people, we are now anticipating the arrival of our first child (and church plant helper), a little boy named Elliot! He is due this July. Rebecca now works as an Executive Assistant at Pioneers, a global missions organization focusing on church planting among unreached people groups. Their United States Headquarters is based in Lake Nona.

We have grown very familiar with the obstacles, the idols, and the need in Lake Nona. We look forward to, what we hope and pray, turns into many years of fruitful ministry in this place.

How Can You Support Us?

There are a number of ways to support us. First, we covet your prayers. Without God, this effort will fail. We desire for Him to not only go before us, but to be the focal point of everything we do. Secondly, if you are interested in being part of the core team, please reach out! We will begin interest/vision meetings in September. Finally, if you would be interested in supporting us financially, we would be extremely grateful. Financial support will go a long way for us as start up expenses begin to pile up. I will periodically post more updates on the process and share needs as they arise. Please follow along with us on this journey!