MEET THE STAFF
DAVE SHARPES
LEAD PASTOR - Email
Dave tries to be fully present in whatever place and moment he is in, whether that is watching his favorite movie, biking, traveling, sport spectating, or speaking. Dave’s heart desires for “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” and to help others discover and live into their God-given potential.
Dave has been married to Carol McCollough Sharpes since 1984. Together they have Jonathan (attends Trevecca University in TN) and Hannah. Dave has historically been a Philadelphia Eagles fan, but confesses a recent temptation to "switch birds."
ANDY MCCLURE
PASTOR - STUDENT MINISTRIES - Email
Andy is a native Arizonan. The youngest of three children, he was raised in Mesa, AZ with his two sisters, Carrie and Marcie. In 2007 Andy married his smokin’ hot wife, Sydnee. They recently added a puppy named Riggins to their family.
His heart is to see students living in authentic community, reaching their potential, and maturing in their faith. His lovely wife Sydnee is his biggest encourager and support. He enjoys basketball, movies, movie making, dancing, and long walks on the beach.
BRYAN STARNER
PASTOR - CREATIVE ARTS - Email
Bryan is the father of four talented and beautiful girls, and husband of a lovely and gifted wife, Jana. Jana shares in his vocal gifting and can be spotted singing with him at various times. He is originally from Lancaster, OH and claims the Buckeyes as his favorite college team. Bryan enjoys working out, hiking, and mountain biking. He is a healthy eater, but enjoys a good pizza and savory sweets on occasion. He longs to see the body of Christ worshipping wholeheartedly; all the way from the Gatherings to day-to-day interactions with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.
CHAD JOHNSON
PASTOR - TELOS - Email
NebudCHADnezzar, and his wife Stephanie, welcomed their first child, Tyler Nathan, in July. Chad is very excited about football and being a father. He has already begun coaching Tyler on strategies and plays. He proudly leads and represents the anti-Buckeye regime, at CrossRoads. Chad also suffers from an addiction to movies, skittles, and MtDew. He has been known to instigate arguments and theological discussions, only to then leave the room. However he does not back down from the passions that God has laid on his heart, to see the hurting healed and the helpless helped.
CURT GENTRY
PASTOR - LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & THE MERCY PROJECT - Email
Curt’s favorite Bible verse is John 10:10, which reads “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life, and have it to the FULL!” Curt ain’t "skeered" to live life TO THE MAX! He’s been known to do a few crazy things, jumping out of a plane being one of them! Curt spent several years as a youth pastor before taking on his current role in the Mercy Project, and has a passion for living out the reality of scripture by raising up Godly leaders.
DANA SPAITE
PASTOR - CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES - Email
Dana Spaite joined the CrossRoads staff in July 2003. She has over 25 years experience ministering to children of all ages. Before coming to CrossRoads she served as Children's Pastor for 17 years at Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene.
She has her master's degree in education and prior to going into full-time ministry taught elementary and middle school for 16 years. In addition, she has served as AZ District Children's Director and has spoken at District and General conferences.
God has given Dana a passion for teaching children and seeing them grow in their relationship to Christ. Dana and her husband were married in 1979 and have two grown children, Rebecca and David.
ED DEAN
PASTOR - COMMUNITY & ADMINISTRATION - Email
Ed is just another Buckeye (by his own definition "a worthless nut") raised outside Cincinnati. He enjoys a good bowl of Cincinnati Chili, and Kansas City BBQ on occasion. He’s been married to Vickie since 1976, and will continue to be as long as she’ll have him. Their son, Kristopher attends College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. Their daughter Kelsey attends Chandler High School. Aruba is Ed’s vacation spot of choice, because it’s a great place to relax. He also finds National Parks points of interest.
Ed desires to be a part of a church that is going out and making a difference for the Kingdom by caring for and serving others. He hopes that during his time on staff, he can be a part of CrossRoads further development into just that. Ed wants his life to be one of which others will say, “He walked close to God, always trying to capture the heart of the Father.”
ERIC ELKINS
DIRECTOR OF BUILDING AND GROUNDS - Email
"Double E" as he is affectionately called by his friends and coworkers, enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and exotic foods. He is a southern gentleman who believes in spending time with his family, sharing laughs with friends, and having fun in whatever he is doing. He and his wife Kimberly have two boys, Alex and Isaac. They are raising their sons to genuinely love others, and to view their world as a missions opportunity.
DR. FORREST & MARGE PERSHALL
PASTORS - COUNSELING - Email
Forrest and Marge have an inspiring story of how God brought marriage and healing to their lives. As a result of God's work in their own lives, and the healing that transpired, they are now able to help and encourage others who are experiencing difficulties in relationships and life in general. Forrest recently shared that "families and households of faith, some of the finest people, will fall for the lies and temptations of the Enemy." The Pershalls share the desire to help couples and families identify and combat the lies that Satan uses to lure and tempt us.
HEIDI SHIRLEY-HAWES
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - CREATIVE ARTS - Email
There are many things that get Heidi “fired up.” Among those are abuse and neglect of children, world hunger and social injustice. It is Heidi’s heart to speak out for those who do not have the strength or capacity to speak for themselves. She’s excited to know what God has planned for her future, and where in the world that leads.
In the meantime, Heidi spends time testing her theory that there are five items that can make any food better: chocolate, peanut butter, cheese, barbecue sauce or ranch. If one doesn’t work, one of the others should.
JEREMY THOMPSON
PASTOR - STUDENT MINISTRIES - Email
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Jeremy is originally from Rossville, GA, one of three boys. He met his wife Tera at Mt Vernon. They have been married for 8 years and have two adorable sons, Caleb and Cully. He enjoys reading, watching and playing sports, running and working out, and eating whatever Tera makes.
His music repetoire includes a varety of music, including David Crowder, DMB, U2, Starfield, Victor Wooten and Bob Marley. He and the boys always have a blend of Michael Jackson, the Broadway Lion King musical, and Beyonce playing. Cully loves to moonwalk! As far as movies go, he likes the Matrix movies, the Princess Diaries and Shawshank Redemption. He is currently reading The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard.
Jeremy's "Holy Discontent" is a form of Christianity that doesn’t affect every aspect of our lives. People that say they are Christian, yet live like everyone else all the time. He desires God's people to live a life that is undivided in their devotion to God. In fact, that's how he would like to be known, as a man whose life was devoted to God, wholly.
JONI CASTLE
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - STUDENT MINISTRIES & THE MERCY PROJECT - Email
Though Joni had always known who Jesus was, and had said He was a part of her life, her life didn’t look any different than her secular friends. One night during a youth revival she felt God tugging on her heart and tell her it was time to really make the commitment to His way of living. It was then, as a junior in high school, that Joni dedicated her life to the Lord.
As a result of her own story, Joni recognizes the teenage years to be a significant time in spiritual development. She wants to help teenagers lead a life through Christ and continue to follow Him.
JOSIAH OSLUND
PASTOR - CREATIVE ARTS - Email
Josiah enjoys being outdoors: hiking, riding his bike, watching movies, eating, and sleeping. He’s not a big fan of seafood, but will consume nearly anything else placed in front of him. This guitar-playing fiend is a friend to all, and is living his life in a way to ensure he is remembered as a compulsive risk taker, a loose cannon, and someone who loves Jesus with all of his heart.
JUDY NIST
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR - Email
Judy is the proud mother of three sons, Jeremy, Andy and Nick. She and her husband Randy have been married for over 21 years. Together, they support their sons in their educational pursuits, baseball and ping pong! As a family they enjoy vacationing to Hawaii, and traveling back to the Dakotas to spend time with family.
In her free time, Judy enjoys cross-stitching, reading, and talking over lunch with friends. In fact, if Judy could recommend a book to a friend, she would suggest Time to Dance by Karen Kingsbury. "It serves as a good reminder that we all need to take time to remember why we are the way we are and the moments that make us who we are in Christ."
KAREN GALANT
DIRECTOR - NURSERY - Email
Karen is the personification of her name. She is a very caring person. She cares for the babies who are brought to CrossRoads, the volunteers who work under her supervision, and even has a job caring for the elderly in addition to her job as Nursery Coordinator. Her heart is sensitive to the elderly not being properly cared for and/or forgotten. She is doing her part to make sure that does not happen.
Karen lives a life of prayer and dependence on God. Many life situations have helped her develop these habits. She cites Joshua 22:65b “to love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him, and to serve him with all of your heart and your soul,” and Proverbs 3:5-6 “trust the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding (especially when difficulties arise), acknowledge him in all your ways, and believe in His promise of directing your path” as the scripture that helps her stay focused.
MEGAN RABER
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES Email
Megan was born in rural Auburn, Indiana. She met her husband, Cameron, while attending Point Loma. When Cameron proposed, Megan moved to AZ, planned their wedding, finished her elementary education degree, and completed her student teaching. She and Cameron are happily married with one daughter, Marissa.
Megan has worked in various areas of the church office over the course of the last 4 years. She and Cameron have helped start and lead the Couples Cafe class, served at Tempe Homeless Outreach, assisted with Royal Family Kids Camp, and been on a work and witness mission team to Tanzania, Africa. Megan desires to help the hurting and poor of the world. Her heart bleeds for the orphaned and widowed - the ones that Jesus calls us to help.
SCOTT SHEPHERD
CUSTODIAN - Email
Scott's life is a testament to the love that God has for each one of us. Scott realized his need for a Saviour through a mentor and friend, Jerry Kelch. If you ask him now, he'll tell you a story of a man pursued by God to the point where God was the only thing he hadn't tried, but the one and only thing that fulfilled his needs and ended his wanderings.
An avid hockey and NASCAR fan, Scott will join you for Mexican food and a movie at the first request.
STEPHANIE HATLESTAD
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT - Email
Stephanie graduated from ASU in December with a Bachelors in Non-profit Organization Administration and Sociology. Her degree and her time working here at CrossRoads are evidence that her heart hurts with those who are struggling. As a result, she wants God to use her time, talents and life to help meet the needs of others.
The scripture verse that Stephanie has been focusing on recently, reflects her understanding of struggle, and how God works in and through the things that we deal with. Ecclesiastes 7:8 reads, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” This verse is a constant reminder in times of struggle that God is always in control. He always has a plan and purpose for everything we go through. We just have to be patient.
STEPHANIE JOHNSON
PASTOR - CHILDREN'S MINISTRIES - Email
Stephanie has a heart for children and their families. Her passion is to see young people grow spiritually and take their relationship with God to a new level. Her husband Chad is her biggest support as they have been involved in ministry together.
Stephanie just completed her Master's degree in Christian Education through NNU. She, and her husband Chad, welcomed their first child, Tyler Nathan, in July. She is currently enjoying the adventures and learning experiences of motherhood. She and Chad enjoy outdoor activities, sports, relaxing, and being with friends.
WIL SPAITE
PASTOR - MEN'S MINISTRY - Email
"Pastor Wil" has a genuine passion for people to know Jesus and a good game of golf. He's dedicated his life to encouraging others to follow Jesus.
Pastor Wil has many cherished memories of his time in ministry, from the churches he has helped construct on other continents, to men he is still in contact with from youth groups he led many years ago. Currently he facilitates Men's Fraternity, a men's ministry here at CrossRoads, as well as coordinates the welcoming ministries. He also enjoys spending time with his lifetime love, Pollie. Together they have 3 grown children: Dave, Dan and Judi.
