Caleb Barrows serves as Lead Pastor and one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

Caleb grew up in central Ohio before attending Taylor University (2006-2010) to study International Missions. His dream to be a missionary, however, was shifted towards pastoral ministry and preaching, which landed him at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2011-2014). He worked for four years in Ohio and Michigan, helping start new churches before moving down to central Kansas in the fall of 2019. Caleb now lives in Lyons with his wife Nicole and two sons, Zion and Roman.

caleb@kingscrosslyons.org

Eric Wenzel serves as Executive Pastor and one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

Eric, his wife Risa, and their four kiddos—Theo, Louis, Mollie, and Jesse—call Sterling, Kansas, home. Before entering ministry, Eric spent several years as a high school educator. Today, he is grateful for the opportunity to serve and invest in the people of the community. As an Army brat growing up, he describes his hometown as "everywhere and nowhere all at once." And for a fun fact: Eric once had the opportunity to sing with For King & Country at one of their concerts.

eric@kingscrosslyons.org

Brent Clark serves as one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

brentclark_56@msn.com

Kole Farney serves as one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

Kole grew up South of Sterling and moved back to the area with his wife, Rachel, and two boys, Karter and Russell, in 2019 after a decade of ministry in the Kansas City metro area. Kole owns a lawn and landscaping business that serves Sterling and Lyons. Kole and his family started attending King's Cross in the summer of 2024 after an extended trip to different climates around the U.S. trying to find health relief for Rachel. Soon after arriving, Kole began preaching and teaching when needed. The church quickly became a welcome balm of gospel hope and clarity for them, and they are very thankful for this kindness from the Lord.

farneykole@gmail.com

Austin Mettling serves as one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

Austin met his wife and best friend, Jennifer Calderwood (from Ulysses, Kansas) while at Sterling College. They both graduated from Sterling College, got married the next day, and started grad school in Wichita a few weeks after. After grad school, they were delighted with the opportunity to move back to Sterling in July 2024 where they now raise 3 on-the-move boys (Elliot, Alder, and Simeon). They started attending King's Cross shortly after moving. Austin works in Hutchinson as a physical therapist and Jennifer works in Sterling and Lyons as a family physician. Austin enjoys anything outdoors (especially hunting and finshing), playing board games with his wife, playing with his sons, and dad jokes. He is an unashamed black coffee snob-Table Coffee Roasters is literally the best!-and is always looking for an excuse to brew another cup!

amettling1@gmail.com

Mel Schadler serves as one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

For his day job, Mel is a banker with People's Bank and Trust. He grew up in Hutchinson, KS, where he met his wife, Donna. Together they have two children, Emily and Ryan, and four grandchildren. Donna and Mel also lead the young married group with Sterling College.

melschadler@gmail.com

Scott Wells serves as one of the Elders at King's Cross Church.

Scott is a retired Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife, Tammy, moved to Sterling and began attending King's Cross in July 2024. Scott and Tammy have a daughter, two sons, and four grandchildren. Their daughter, Mikaela Couture (husband Brett), and oldest son Luke (wife Lexi), also attend King's Cross. Scott currently serves as a home group leader, and serves on the church's jail ministry team.

swells97@gmail.com

Kaitlyn (Red) Tawater serves as our Children’s Ministry Director. She oversees our CM volunteers and teaching our King’s Cross kids how to follow Jesus.

Kaitlyn Tawater, you may know her as Red, grew up in Houston, TX but has called Sterling him for many years now. She graduated Sterling College in 2020, and began her teaching career shortly after that. Red currently teaches special education in Lyons at Park Elementary. Fun fact: She loves Texas SO MUCH! You should ask her about it!  

Also she got engaged this past summer!

red@kingscrosslyons.org

Abi Walcher serves as our Children’s Ministry Coordinator.

abi@kingscrosslyons.org

Val serves as our Communications Manager. She helps with social media, sermon graphics, photography, podcast management, and email and text alerts.

Val grew up in Little River, Kansas, and came to know Christ at a very young age at a local 5-Day-Club. Val has a passion for making church media unique and impactful. Valerie has received two degrees from Sterling College; a BFA in Graphic Design, and a BA in writing and editing. At Sterling, she met her husband, Nilo and they were married in August of 2023. 

val@kingscrosslyons.org