Josh Carman
Incoming Lead Pastor
Josh joined our staff in May of 2024 as our Incoming Lead Pastor. Josh was a minister in the Southern California area for nearly 15 years. Originally from the Philippines, he majored in Biblical Studies at Hope International University. He then went on to attend Pepperdine University and Fuller Seminary graduating with an MA in Theology. He is married to his wife Angelica since 2015 and they have two amazing kiddos, Sophia and Joshua Jr.
Matt VanGent
Executive Pastor
Matt has been on staff at CrossWinds since 2019, moving to the Bay Area from Southern California. He studied youth ministry and biblical studies at Azusa Pacific University, then went on to get a Master's of Theology from Fuller Seminary. As Executive Pastor, Matt is passionate about supporting and equipping the CrossWinds staff to faithfully serve the church and the community. He has been married to Erin since 2010 and they have two young daughters, Ellie and Kenzie.
mvangent@crosswindschurch.org
Andrea Coli
Teaching Pastor
Andrea joined the CrossWinds staff in 2009 and has thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of using her gifts alongside some of the most loving, creative, dedicated people she’s ever met. She earned her Masters Degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, and has been leading ministries for over 25 years. Andrea is the Executive Director for Lead Bold, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping and empowering women in ministry; she also serves on the teaching team for Preacher Chicks United, an incubator for women of color to cultivate their gifts of preaching and teaching. She is frequently invited to speak for other ministries, churches, and conference centers, and embraces any chance she gets to speak life and love to anyone who happens to be listening. Prior to living in the Bay Area, Andrea and her husband Chris lived in Las Vegas where she was a cast member in an all-improvised show with The Second City. She wrote a book all about it called Scriptless: What I Learned About God on the Las Vegas Strip. She is a dynamic teacher, a reluctant writer, a funny friend and mom to two awesome girls.
acoli@crosswindschurch.org
derek walker
WORSHIP & COMMUNICATIONS pastor
Derek joined the Crosswinds staff in 2017, and is passionate about seeing people connect with God through music. Him and his wife, Amy, live in Livermore with their two little girls, Atley and Emerson. Derek works closely with our team of volunteer musicians and creatives to help make worship at CrossWinds an experience that attracts and inspires. In his spare time, Derek loves collecting vintage LPs, good black coffee, the Grateful Dead, and being outdoors.
dwalker@crosswindschurch.org
SOFIA ACERO
CREATIVE ARTS PASTOR
Sofia was originally born in Northern California, however, her upbringing was in Orlando, Florida. She has a knack for living around large bodies of water and considers herself a coastal baby. Recently she has moved back to her roots from Southern California where she called home the past 8 years.
She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theology from Epic Bible College in Sacramento and minored in kinesiology. She has had the honor of working in full-time ministry for over a decade for multiple houses and hearts, from overseeing missions to youth, young adults, worship. Called into full-time ministry at age 18, she has been relentless in her pursuit to see hearts and lives fully restored and healed through passionate worship, building of teams, speaking God’s truth, and gathering community. It’s been said that the first time you meet her, you’ll feel like you’ve known each other for years. Also, coffee is one of her love languages!
sacero@crosswindschurch.org
SARAH holstra
Counseling PASTOR
Sarah had been a Southern California native and worked in churches in Los Angeles until moving up here to Livermore and joining CrossWinds staff in 2019. She has a bachelor's degree in youth ministry and a master's degree in counseling ministry, and loves deep conversation and listening well.
She's an avid reader who always has at least one book in her purse, loves dogs and running, and could eat pizza for every meal. She loves people, connecting over good coffee and great conversations, and never tires of reminding her community about the abundance of God's grace.
Sarah met her husband, Zac, at CrossWinds in 2019, they were married during COVID in 2020, and currently live in Pleasanton with their adorable dog Charlie.
sholstra@crosswindschurch.org
Zac Holstra
Student Ministries Pastor
Zac grew up in Dicovery Bay going to church, wakeboarding, and playing every water sport imaginable. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2011 with a degree in Philosophy. He felt called to ministry when he was 25 years old, after falling in love with how philosophy helped him to see God. Zac began to work in ministry with the hope of showing the same truth about God to students. He is married to Sarah and they have a dog named Charlie. Zac is a passionate 49ers fan and during the pandemic has become quite good at playing Minecraft.