Trinity Springs and Live Oaks Community Church share more than a campus near The Villages® active adult community. They share a history rooted in a common mission: serving older adults through faith, community, and care. Here’s how that partnership began and why it continues to make an impact today.
A Church Born from a Need in The Villages®
The story began with the creation of Live Oaks Church in The Villages®. While Evangelical Free churches existed north and south of the area, none served residents of The Villages® directly, and two couples led the charge to change that.
They prayed and reached out to Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) leaders for guidance and welcomed Encore Ministries’ Pastor Chris Holck and his wife, Kathleen, as consultants. The Holcks believed that retirement wasn’t the end of purpose and wanted to serve older adults in that stage of life, so they worked together to launch Live Oaks Church in February 2012.
“We went there to start a church for the ‘young old,’ and The Villages® became my laboratory,” says Chris, whose mantra of “If you’re not dead, you’re not done” became foundational to the church’s identity.
How Trinity Springs and Live Oaks Became Partners
The church quickly gained momentum. What began as a small church plant grew into a thriving congregation focused on helping older adults live with purpose and remain engaged in ministry.
As Live Oaks grew, its leaders were looking for a long-term home. Chris saw it as an opportunity to partner with a nonprofit, faith-based senior living organization to better serve older adults in and around The Villages®. He had met Elim Care CEO Bob Dahl through his work with the EFCA and approached him with an idea: Elim Care could purchase land, build a senior living community on a portion of it, and sell a portion of it to Live Oaks.
The idea of working with a church intrigued Bob and the Elim Care board of directors.
“We had been talking about it for some time: How we can better partner with churches,” Bob says. “We were interested in growing our footprint if we could work with churches to do it, we would give serious exploration to it.”
Bob and members of the Elim Care board of directors were impressed as they visited and researched The Villages®.
“The Villages® was very attractive,” Bob says. “The market was huge there. We did a market study and the demand for services came back really strong.”
Through many conversations, site visits, and planning, Bob, Chris, and their boards discovered they shared a common mission.
“From the beginning, the Elim board and Bob and myself and my board felt a very close bond, and it made it quite obvious we could work together as one heart and mind,” Chris says. “It wasn’t just a financial decision. It was a missional decision, and our hearts were linked on the mission.”
With that mission in mind, Elim Care purchased 25 acres and sold a portion of it to Live Oaks. The arrangement helped a young church secure property it otherwise could not have purchased on its own and paved the way for both ministries to establish a long-term presence in The Villages® area.
Faith-Based Senior Living Near The Villages®
Just as Live Oaks had become the only Evangelical Free church in The Villages®, Trinity Springs became the only known nonprofit, faith-based senior living community in The Villages® area when it opened in 2019.
“There is no lack of continuing care communities,” Chris says. “What I love, the impact is that Trinity Springs is the only faith-based one, the only one with a chaplain.”
Bob emphasizes that differentiator, as well.
“Trinity Springs is committed to the spiritual health of the residents, in addition to their physical and psychological health,” Bob says.
That mission remains one of the most meaningful outcomes of the partnership.
“A mission-based focus with the church was the thing that really made it different and that I am most proud of today,” Bob says.
Partnership in Action
The relationship between Trinity Springs and Live Oaks was meant to be symbiotic from the beginning.
“The intent was Live Oaks would be part of our ministry in terms of volunteerism, and support of the chaplain program, and support of the residents,” Bob says.
That intent has become a reality, with between 70 and 80 Live Oaks members volunteering to serve at Trinity Springs regularly. According to Trinity Springs Chaplain Chuck Tabor, volunteers serve in nearly every aspect of community life, from special events and Christmas decorating to concerts, and transportation to worship services.
One of the most meaningful ways volunteers show up is simply being present for Trinity Springs residents.
“The desire is that no one is alone,” Chris says.
The Partnership Today
A lot has changed since Elim Care and Live Oaks partnered together. Elim Care merged with Augustana Care to become Cassia. Bob retired as Cassia’s CEO in 2025. Chris has retired from full-time ministry and is now pastor emeritus at Live Oaks.
One thing has not changed, as Live Oaks and Trinity Springs continue to make an impact. Chris believes the sum of the two entities has become greater than the parts.
“Two plus two equaled at least five when we were able to work together to establish a campus in The Villages® area that is a beacon of hope and light here.”
More than a decade after Live Oaks Church was founded, the partnership between the church and Trinity Springs continues to demonstrate what’s possible when organizations unite around a shared mission. Together, they continue to provide care, community, spiritual support, and meaningful connections for older adults in and around The Villages®.
To learn more about assisted living, memory care, and life at Trinity Springs, connect with our team today.