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Faith Lutheran Church at 211 Easton Drive sold its nearly one-acre property and 17,278-square-foot building to the Susan Echarte Revocable Trust, for $1.485 million. Completed in 1984, the church campus was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright protégé Nils M. Schweizer.
Local philanthropist-entrepreneurs Arturo and Susan Echarte, acquired the property as part of their charitable support of Hope House Florida, a Christian nonprofit formerly based in Bartow that serves young mothers and their children.
The trust will lease the former church building, which it acquired May 8, to Hope House Florida for one dollar a month, Susan Echarte told LkldNow.
Tomasa Villaronga, a licensed mental health counselor who was named executive director of Hope House Florida in April, said the new space will “significantly expand” the nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission.
“We look forward to providing teen moms in our community with a program that provides resources and support services that promote stability, self-sufficiency, and hope,” she said.
Faith Lutheran Church, an affiliate of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, averages about 40 attendees, according to a church spokesperson.
On April 5, the congregation met to consider the sale and approved it in a near-unanimous vote, with one member opposed, according to records filed with the county appraiser’s office.
The sale also resulted in the closure of the Circle Thrift Store, which had been housed at a 1,000-square-foot “flex space” of the former Faith Lutheran Church.
The congregation is currently looking for a worship space, a church spokesperson said.
Craig Morby, senior advisor at Saunders Real Estate, which brokered the sale of the church property, wrote in a Facebook post, “As one chapter closes, a new organization steps in to honor the property’s rich history and carry its legacy into the future.”
From residential shelter to resource center
Until this year, Hope House had been a residential shelter for first-time expectant mothers and their children.
The ministry previously operated from a historic Bartow home, purchased for $551,000 in April 2022. Notably, that house served as a filming location for the coming-of-age movie “My Girl.” Last year, eight first-time mothers and several infants lived at Hope House, according to the nonprofit.
That property is now back on the market, listed at $995,000 from Saunders Real Estate.
Villaronga said that all net proceeds from the sale will go toward operating costs for Hope House Florida – “meaning we are reaping a long-term benefit” from the investment of past supporters.
Under new management and with its new home in Lakeland undergoing renovations, the ministry model of Hope House Florida will change significantly from its previous iteration in Bartow.
This year, the Florida nonprofit became an official affiliate of Hope House National, which says it has 20 years’ experience helping teen mothers through free self-sufficiency programs.
While its community-building and spiritual formation aspects will remain, Hope House Florida does not intend to be a residential services provider moving forward. It will become a “community hub for ministry,” Villaronga said.
Once the resource center opens, Hope House Florida plans to assist dozens of teen and young-adult moms, ages 15 to 24. The group will offer classes on “parenting, life skills, mental health support, GED, college and career readiness,” states its website.
‘Unexpected detour’ for nonprofit
Founded in 2019 as His Hope House Corporation, the nonprofit made headlines last year following the arrest of former Executive Director Tara Johnson.
On October 29, 2025, Johnson was charged with distributing digital sexually explicit images of a man without his permission. Investigators said Johnson and her friend, Kristina Taylor, sent explicit images of Taylor’s former boyfriend to his current girlfriend.
According to a Hope House spokesperson, Johnson resigned the same day she was charged.
Villaronga described media coverage surrounding the case as “an unexpected detour our organization faced at the end of last year.”
She added, “God has been faithful, and supporters have remained as steadfast as ever in meeting the needs of teen moms in our community.”
A community grand opening event is targeted for the fall, at a date to be announced.
Villaronga emphasized the nonprofit is already connected to several young women excited to enroll. “This new space will secure our future as we continue to provide a pathway to self-sufficiency for teen moms,” she said.
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