Pastor & Church Staff

Rev. Graham B. Glover is a native of Gainesville, FL. A graduate of Buchholz High School, Pastor Glover received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from the University of Florida. Afterwards, he went to work for his alma mater as a lobbyist, representing UF to the Florida Legislature. He began his studies at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO in 1998. While there, he spent a year studying at the Westfield House and Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. He completed his vicarage at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carbondale, IL. After receiving the Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary, Pastor Glover moved back to Gainesville to continue his graduate studies in Political Science at the University of Florida, where he received a Master of Arts degree. He was later called to be the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chiefland, FL. In January 2008, Pastor Glover joined the US Army as an Active Duty Chaplain, with assignments at Fort Stewart, Georgia; Schweinfurt, Germany; Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and at the Pentagon. Additionally, Chaplain Glover deployed to Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
Pastor Glover continues to serve as a chaplain in the US Army Reserve, where he remains assigned to the Office of the Chief of Chaplains at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. He also serves at the Chaplain Fellow to the Religious Freedom Institute in Washington, DC. He was installed as the Senior Pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church and School on August 7, 2022.
Pastor Glover's wife, Alison, is also a native of Gainesville, and they have two children: Hannah Grace and Graham, Jr. “Gray”.

In addition to leading the various musical endeavours of the church, he is the director of Capella Nova, Inc. (a Community Chorus in Gainesville, Fl.), an assistant conductor of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra, the Choirmaster of the Ocala Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and adjunct professor of voice and music theory at the College of Central Florida. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music Performance (Voice & Conducting) from Florida Southern College (Lakeland, Fl.) and the University of Florida. He remains an active performer, recently presenting recital programs for the Lake Wales Fine Arts Guild (A Night in Vienna), the Wilmington Concert Opera (Passing By...), and others. His compositions have been performed on major choral festivals and by significant regional/national ensembles in the United States and abroad. He is published exclusively by MusicSpoke." 

Daniel Schmitt pursued education and training as an EMT paramedic, working in both hospital and rescue settings until March 2024. Involved in youth ministry since 2008, Daniel began with Young Life and later became the youth leader at First Lutheran Church in Gainesville in 2015. Currently, Daniel serves as the youth leader and event and activities coordinator at Abiding Savior Lutheran.

Outside of professional and ministry roles, Daniel enjoys spending quality time with his family, including trips to the beach. He has two daughters, Jenna, who is four years old, and Jade, who is one year old. His spouse, Jessica, works as an administrative assistant for a preschool.

Additionally, Daniel is passionate about playing disc golf with friends and teaching CPR and lifeguarding.