By Starr Munro: Riverbend News
Live Oak Christian Church has welcomed with open arms a new pastor, Mark Hassler.
Hassler was born in Franklin County, Ohio in November of 1957. As a student he received his Bachelor's degree at Atlanta Christian College, his Master's degree at Cincinnati Christian Seminar School and his Doctoral studies at Candler School of Religion.
Pastor Hassler did not have the opportunity to grow up in a Christian home. Despite having parents who identified as both an atheist and an agnostic, he still found his way to Christ at the age of 16. As a teenager, he took part in a sailing explorer group and during one of their outings he and some of his friends met a young woman who was spending her evening reading the Bible. She didn't mind when they asked her about the gospel and answered their questions. It was because of that one young woman, that each of those boys became Christians. Today, they all work in service for the Lord either as ministers, singers or producers. Pastor Hassler tried to find her again several years later to tell her the impact she had on his life. But, he discovered she had been living with Leukemia and had entered the Kingdom of Heaven shortly after the evening they had met.
After preaching in Georgia for some time, he and his wife, Kay, moved to Live Oak a month ago and they are both looking forward to becoming a part of the community. Live Oak Christian Church is an independent Christian church, with a motto of "We are not the only Christians, but Christians only." The church is located at 1015 Ohio Ave. N, in Live Oak.