MEET THE TEAM

Family photo of Pastors Doug and Stephanie Garasic, and their three, red-headed boys as a cutout on a white background with illustrative accents. All are smiling widely.

OUR FOUNDING PASTORS

Doug + Stephanie Garasic

Both Doug and Stephanie grew up in the Mahoning Valley, and after moving to Columbus for a year, they felt strongly that God was calling them to plant a church to inspire this community to believe for a new possible.

In 2011, they started "The Movement" with 14 people in an office building in Vienna, OH. Since then, Doug and Stephanie have experienced God's faithfulness through every season as the church has grown.

In 2018, they decided to change the name of the church to bring more clarity to its vision and mission. Instead of being a movement that could come or go, Rust City Church is committed to being a beacon of hope in the heart of the Rust Belt.

PD + Steph will always be the founding pastors of Rust City; we are grateful for the sacrifices they made to start this church. They are once again modeling a life of obedience to the Lord by stepping into the role of lead pastors at their pastor’s church The Father’s House in Rochester, NY.

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OUR LEAD PASTORS

WES + ASHLEY WASHINGTON

Pastor Wes first came to Rust City Church in 2018 and his life was never the same. He rededicated his life to Jesus, began serving on the Parking Team, and felt a call to ministry. His story is a model of “start where you are.” During his time at Rust City College (the ministry training school we had), Wes led the parking team, grew our youth ministry, served in outreach, and so much more.

Fun Fact: Wes and Ashley got engaged on stage at our Niles Campus!

When he graduated in 2020, Wes served as a men’s pastor for a year, until he and Ashley decided to move to Butler, PA (where Ashley grew up) to be closer to their families. Wes is originally from Pittsburgh (yes, he’s a Steelers fan; it’s okay). While living in Butler, they had the opportunity to serve a church campus that was about to close and ended up growing it into a thriving community within a year!

That experience helped prepare them for the opportunity to once again serve Rust City Church as the lead pastors in 2025.