by Vicki Biggs

“Jelly Beans and Jesus.” “Skate, Scoot and Walk.” “Candy Cane Lane.” “Community Movie Night.” That’s what you get when you combine a paved parking lot and an active, engaged congregation: creative fellowship opportunities and awesome community outreach.

Purposely creating places for people to connect is a hallmark of Dr. Daniel Prugh’s ministry at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Tampa, Fla. Capitalizing on a key asset of his congregation’s campus — a large parking lot in the land-cramped Sunshine State — provides a perfect setting for bringing people together in Christ.

“There is a great spirit among the people of the church and school at Holy Trinity,” Prugh said. “They like being here, and they like bringing others here, too.”

Outdoor Easter celebrations like “Jelly Beans and Jesus,” Christmas parties like “Candy Cane Lane” and other events like “Skate, Scoot and Walk” — when the parking lot is transformed into a rink for roller skating and riding scooters — or movie nights where guests enjoy a show under the stars, serve not only to bring the church and school families together but also provide a way for parishioners to invite new friends and neighbors to join in and be introduced to the vibrant ministry taking place at Holy Trinity.

Prugh has performed 50 Baptisms since November 2020 — all for individuals connected to the church and school. “We are actively seeking to connect our school families to the church and provide a clear pathway to membership,” he said.

The great sense of community among his congregation members plays a huge role. “When Jesus is at the center of community, people experience Him,” he said.

Holy Trinity’s membership has continued to grow over the past 10 years, and the school’s enrollment has doubled. Prugh sees the school as playing a key role in the congregation’s growth. From where he sits, he believes people are finding a renewed sense of value in parochial education. “The school grew significantly during the pandemic and we have more applications for school enrollment than we have space,” he said. 

The school’s increasing need for space was met in a most providential way.

The school expansion team looked all over South Tampa for rental space. They found a suitable location. It took eight months to put the plan together, but then it fell through.

So, back to the drawing board they went. A month later, a property adjacent to the church and school — right next door! — became available. Amid negotiations last fall, Hurricane Ian struck and brought down the fence between Holy Trinity and the adjacent property. The sale closed this past February.

Holy Trinity’s school currently serves children ages 2 through fifth grade. With the additional space, a sixth grade will be added during the 2023-24 academic year, a seventh grade the following year and an eighth grade the year after that.  

Prugh earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) at Concordia Seminary in 2008 and completed a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in March 2023. He was raised in a Lutheran family. His father was a dentist, descended from a line of medical practitioners; his mother was a homemaker whose family had a history of military service. They faithfully attended church but Prugh never thought of being a pastor until he was in college.

In his freshman year at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., Prugh met Rev. Paul Henrickson, the campus chaplain, and he quickly came to know that he wanted to do what Henrickson did. “He communicated Jesus in remarkable ways,” recalled Prugh. “He set a wonderful example.”

With a bachelor’s degree in religion and a minor in elementary education under his belt, Prugh’s sights were set on Concordia Seminary, but not just yet. He wanted a gap year. So, with the encouragement of Roanoke College Professor Dr. Paul Hinlicky, Prugh served a year-long assignment through The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod as a missionary in Tisovec, Slovakia. His assignment included teaching religion and English to middle school and high school students, all while preparing to enter the Seminary.

“Because I had worked for a year after college, I mistakenly identified myself as ‘second career’ when I filled out my Seminary application,” Prugh said. Thus, at the age of 23, he was placed in Metzger Hall, then home not only to second-career students but also international students. “That was a wonderful opportunity,” he said. “Because of my experience in Slovakia, the world was a lot larger for me and I had seen firsthand how God is working in powerful ways around the world. I was glad to do all I could to help the students from overseas assimilate.”

Today in Florida, Prugh is grateful for the path his ministry has taken and for the experiences along the way. He met his wife, Jennifer, in church as a seminarian in England. He studied at Westfield House in Cambridge as part of Concordia Seminary’s International Seminary Exchange Program. Jennifer was in Cambridge as part of her own study abroad program with Valparaiso University.

Jennifer and the couple’s two children, Aaron (9) and Anna (7), join in Prugh’s commitment to the intentional cultivation of community as a demonstration of God’s love for His people. Prugh’s call to Holy Trinity was in 2020 and as they contemplated the call, Prugh said, “I trusted God and He has provided abundantly for us. My wife and children are thriving here. And I believe God has gifted me to draw people together and build stronger faith communities. Being here is what God has called me to do.”

Vicki Biggs is senior vice president of Seminary Advancement and chief communications officer at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.