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Daystar Evicted; Director Seeks New Location

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By LIZ BLEAU

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 21, 2008

GIBSONTON - Daystar Faith Center, a faith-based agency that helps the community's poor and homeless, is itself now homeless. It has been evicted from its space on the United Methodist Church grounds and is looking to relocate.

The United Methodist Church in Sun City Center is taking over operations of the Gibsonton church and making it a mission church so that it can keep its doors open.

The Rev. Warren Langer, pastor at the Sun City Center church, said it is becoming more difficult for smaller churches such as the Gibsonton one to keep going.

As part of its takeover, it asked Daystar to vacate the buildings it occupied across the street from the Gibsonton church, where it offered food and clothing to the poor and homeless and helped them with their needs.

Sue Sutko, director of Daystar, said the agency is looking for new space. This is not the first time the agency has sought to relocate. Earlier this year Daystar looked for alternative space after neighbors complained it was bringing an unwelcome element to their neighborhood. The agency did not relocate but did adjust its hours of operation to open after children had gone to school and to close earlier in the day.

In a letter to Daystar, Robert Masse, chairman of the Sun City Center mission board, indicated that part of the reason for the eviction was due, at least in part, to Daystar and its lack of response to supplying proof of insurance and other documents.

"We are truly sorry that it has come to this but you leave us no other choice," Masse wrote.

But Langer said Daystar was being asked to leave because the Sun City Center church plans to operate its own facility to help the poor and homeless.

"We felt that Gibsonton is one of the poorest areas that has a lot of human need and there is not a mission in south county addressing the urban poor," he said.

He pointed to several missions that help migrant farmers, but none dedicated to the urban poor.

"The vision we have for our mission is much larger than what is happening there now," Langer said. "We want to have GED and adult education classes there; a free health clinic for children and a cold night shelter.

"To make these things happen, we have to apply for grants, which require certain make-up of the board and quality of staff training," he said.

Also, Langer said, the property will be insured through the Methodist Church and programs operated there would need to be under the control of the church.

"We are very grateful for what Daystar has done, but we now need to have one group in control," Langer said.

He said he hopes that the help for the poor and homeless will continue at the site without any interruption.

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com.

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