Pastor

Chris Peters

Prior to launching Cross Creek Church, PCA, in 2009, Chris ministered to the Birmingham community for seven years on the pastoral staff of Covenant Presbyterian Church. He has lived in Pennsylvania, Chicago, and St. Louis. He and his wife, Patience, an Alabama native, have four sons. Chris is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Covenant Theological Seminary, also in St. Louis, and has his PhD. in Southern Religious History from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. In addition to his regular pastoral responsibilities, Chris visits pastors in Asia to invest in their theological training, seeks to impact the next generation as an Adjunct Asst Professor of History at Samford University, participates in the Regional Vision Team for the Alabama Church Planting Network, and mentors future pastors training at Beeson Divinity School. Contact Chris

Directors of Music and Worship

Monroe Family

William & Alicia Monroe

William and Alicia lead worship music at Cross Creek. They have have four crazy kids. William has a PhD in Computer Engineering and is the Vice President for Data Science at Analytical AI. Alicia received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from Baylor and homeschools their children. William and Alicia were youth leaders at One Ancient Hope Church in Iowa City, IA, before they moved to Birmingham, AL. William has been involved in music ministry over 15 years, starting with his time as a student in RUF at the University of Iowa. They enjoy outdoor activities as a family such as hiking, gardening and backyard play with their two dogs Winnie and Dak. Contact William & Alicia

Director of Adult Groups

Jason Tucker

Jason Tucker

Jason grew up in southwest Alabama where he earned his undergrad in Elementary Education from the University of West Alabama. After moving to Hoover in 1995 and teaching 6th grade for seven years at Briarwood Christian School, Jason then moved to St. Louis where he completed his Masters of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary. After returning to Birmingham he served for 10 years in pastoral ministry roles both as an assistant and a senior pastor. Jason currently serves as an Engagement Leader with Thrivent Financial serving to foster relationships with churches and non-profits throughout central and north Alabama as well as central Tennessee. He has four children, two of whom attend Hoover City Schools, with the oldest two enrolled at Auburn University. His "happy place" would be with his kids, either in the woods, at the lake, or on the beach, preferably cooking something tasty over a live bed of coals. Contact Jason

Director of Youth and Congregational Ministries

Derek Dougherty

Derek grew up as a missionary kid in multiple countries, but if he were to call any place home it would be Birmingham. Along with his wife Laura and their two kids they served as missionaries with Mission to the World in Cusco, Peru for six years where they were primarily involved in church planting ministry. Before moving to Peru, Derek served as the worship leader at Cross Creek. He received his undergrad in Music Ministry from Bryan College and is currently pursuing a Masters in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership. Derek and Laura continue to work at MTW helping to train and prepare missionaries. Besides a good jam session, one of Derek’s favorite things to do is to play sports. It could be as laid back as a game of cornhole or an intense two-player sand volleyball game. Contact Derek

Director of Children's Ministry and Nursery

Shawndee Lovoy

Shawndee and her family have been members of Cross Creek Church since almost the beginning. Her husband, Jason, also serves as a Deacon. They have two college-age children and two high schoolers. Their children are all very involved in their schools and many activities. As a family, they love to go to the lake, travel, camping, and hiking. They also love to be with their extended family and take trips to the beach or to the mountains. One interesting fact about Jason and Shawndee: in the first 6 months of marriage they lived on an RV and traveled to almost all 50 states with a ministry called First Priority! It was quite an adventurous beginning to their lives as a couple! Contact Shawndee

Nursery Staff

Liz Getz

Liz grew up in Auburn, AL and graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management. During college she worked in the church nursery of the Presbyterian church she attended growing up. Since moving to Birmingham, she has spent over 20 years working in Human Resources in the healthcare industry. After working with mostly senior citizens during the week she enjoys caring for the babies and toddlers in the nursery on Sundays. She has been an active member of Cross Creek for 13 years serving in many areas of the church including hospitality, teaching Sunday School and in the nursery. Her hobbies include being a huge animal lover, Friday night dinner with friends and traveling to New Kids on the Block concerts. She enjoys spending time with her family in Auburn and visiting with her two nieces and nephew in Connecticut as often as she can. Contact Liz

High School Leader

Ben Halbrooks

Ben Halbrooks

Ben grew up in Birmingham before moving to Memphis and graduating from Rhodes College in 2007. Since then, he’s worked in both full-time apologetics ministry and youth ministry for more than a decade. Ben currently works as an Art Director, and he and his wife Whitney are blessed with triplet girls and a boy. If you encounter Ben in the wild, he may be doing one or more of the following activities: filming, board gaming, hiking, reading, listening to podcasts, and/or playing the kazoo. Contact Ben

High School Girls Leader

Katie Newton

Katie Newton

Katie grew up in Columbus, GA before moving to Birmingham and graduating from Samford University in 2020. Since then, Katie has worked as a teacher for children with special needs, worked as a caseworker for Lifeline Children's Services's India Adoption Program, and began pursuing her Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama. Katie has been working with the YoungLife ministry in Vestavia, AL and the Cross Creek Youth since 2018 and continues to serve students from the Vestavia and Hoover areas. On the weekends, Katie can be found drinking coffee, hiking, rock climbing and road tripping with friends! Contact Katie

Middle School Boys Leader

Garrett Adams

Garrett Adams

Garrett was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from UAB in 2021 with an undergraduate degree in communications and recently got his master's in Family Studies at Amberton University. He has had the wonderful opportunity to serve in student ministry for over 7 years. His two main passions in life are building relationships with people and serving others in a similar way that Jesus did in his ministry. If he isn't serving in church, in his free time he's hanging out with friends, climbing, exercising, and enjoying a good cup of coffee! Contact Garrett

Middle School Girls Leader

Marjorie Hay

Marjorie Hay

Marjorie participated in our youth ministry when she was in High School and after graduating from college she has moved back to Birmingham and is excited about pouring back into students at Cross Creek. Contact Marjorie

Director of Communications

Kayla Holsomback

Kayla grew up nearby in Helena, AL. She attended UAB and received a Bachelor of Arts in Music. She and her husband Eric are members of Red Mountain Church. In her spare time she likes reading, working out, listening to music, and hanging out with her dog, Bear. You can typically find her drinking multiple cups of green tea a day. When they get a chance to go out of town, she and Eric love traveling to the mountains and hiking (particularly in Bend, OR and Asheville, NC). Contact Kayla