Di Sabatino takes the helm at Kerr Street Ministries
At 6'2" with dark hair, deep set eyes and broad shoulders, David Di Sabatino could be an imposing - even intimidating - figure. But he's not. Spend an hour in his presence and you come away with the distinct impression of a tender hearted but earnest man who's found his purpose and knows it.
He feels called to serve. So it speaks well of the wisdom of the board of Kerr Street Ministries (KSM) in Oakville, Ontario that they pursued him recently, installing the 41-year-old as executive director to oversee the agency in its provision of holistic support and care to low-income residents in the area.
The fact that there are low-income families in this bedroom community of Toronto may surprise; the most recent municipal data indicates the average household income here is estimated at $126,757 - well above the Ontario average of $77,967. But according to KSM literature there are some 13,000 people in Oakville who live below the poverty line. KSM helps and gives hope to more than 5,000 of them each year.
Only two weeks into the job, Di Sabatino rhymes off his mandate. "To communicate the vision. To move it forward. To bring leadership to our staff and volunteers and to bring the community alongside." And as he provides a walking tour of the beautiful facility he now leads, it's clear he's already working on the "communicating the vision" part.
According to its mission statement, KSM is called to transform lives and to provide "relief for the present and hope for the future." Whether it's through after school and youth programs, community meals or summer camps for kids, everything about KSM and the brand new, 20,000 square-foot building that houses its ministries says relief and hope.
From the tiny chapel with the colourful stained glass windows and handful of pews offering solace, to the large, second floor patio where humble wooden planters spill over with tomato plants; from the three music practice rooms filled with donated instruments for children and teens to the huge, gleaming, fully equipped kitchen and enormous food bank, it's no accident this place has been christened "The Dream Centre."
Dream come true
In a way, it also represents a dream come true for Di Sabatino.
"You have to be careful what you pray for," he smiles, eyes crinkling as he relates the story of how he has come to the place of directing this organization after years as a church planter and pastor, most recently at Liberty International Church in Toronto. "I prayed, 'give me the ability to reach out to those who are influential, in order to help those who are not.'"
Di Sabatino grew up in an Italian immigrant family. His parents were devout Pentecostals who raised him with the values of hard work, hospitality, family and friends. "I want to reach out to those who don't know the church world," he says, "to those who don't have the sorts of advantages that I had growing up."
He believes that by involving those outside the church in serving, their lives can also be transformed, first through horizontal relationships with their fellow citizens, then through vertical relationship with God.
He tells of a local woman who approached him saying she had realized she didn't "really need" her monthly clothing budget of $1,000 and would like to donate it to the ministry. "Resources are valuable," he says. "I want to make sure that any person who makes an investment in this ministry receives a harvest."
To Di Sabatino, success is all about "seeing lives transformed." Early indications are he's likely to see more than a few of those at KSM.
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