Gary Barber

Lead Pastor

Gary loves encouraging people in their walk with Jesus. His life was transformed by God's perfect love, and he desires for others to experience the same. He has been shepherding The Oaks Church Family since it began in his home over 30 years ago.

Gary studied theology at Westmont College (B.A.), Fuller Seminary (M.A.), and global leadership at Alliance Theological Seminary (D.Min.). He enjoys the outdoors, traveling, meeting new people, and learning about different cultures. He and his wife, Lori, have four adult children and two grandchildren, and they are grateful to be part of the global Oaks family.

Lori Panici

Oaks Children's Center Pastor

This is where Lori surrendered her life to Jesus at age 31, and she has served at The Oaks for over 30 years, primarily in children's ministry. She is the founding director of Oaks Children's Center, where she pastors staff, children, and families. She loves decorating, writing, video editing, and sharing the gospel weekly in chapel. Lori cherishes time with her family and six grandchildren.

Nick Preston

Executive Pastor

Originally from England, Nick brings a rich background of ministry, education, and leadership. He serves behind the scenes, is part of the preaching team, and leads Bible studies. He holds a degree in Business Management and a Master's in Education from Point Loma Nazarene University.

Nick has served as a pastor, teacher, administrator, and restaurant manager in the U.S., Spain, and Central Asia. He currently teaches middle school English and was honored as Teacher of the Year for his district in 2023. Married to Kathi since 1997, they have three children-Landen, Logan, and Leigha. Nick loves traveling and once used saved-up miles to circle the globe in just one week-all in first class!

Bethany Rivera

Discipleship Pastor

Bethany oversees discipleship at The Oaks and loves helping people grow deeper in Christ and connect with God's family. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Westmont College and an M.A. in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care from Talbot Seminary. She is also trained as a Spiritual Director.

In her free time, Bethany enjoys reading, podcasts, thrift shopping, and exercising. She loves spending time with her husband, daughter, and cats.

Sam Varughese

Pastor, Oaks Indian International Church

Sam and his wife, Mini, pastor the Indian Church at The Oaks, serving a diverse community representing many languages and cultures. With over 27 years of ministry experience across several countries, they are passionate about prayer, teaching, and seeing lives transformed by the love of Christ. God has blessed them with a son, a daughter, and two grandchildren.

Kristina Ruch

Director of Worship & Media Communications

Kristina has been part of The Oaks her entire life. She grew up here, gave her life to the Lord here, and discovered her calling to worship ministry within this church family. Worship is more than something she does on a stage-it is a lifestyle rooted in daily surrender, obedience, and joy.

She faithfully serves in worship and media communications, helping create meaningful opportunities for people to encounter Jesus both in person and through digital platforms. As The Oaks prepares to launch Amplify, Kristina is excited to be part of a ministry focused on investing in the future of the church and empowering the next generation.

Outside of church, Kristina enjoys spending time with her cats, playing board games, making memories with friends and family, and sharing plenty of laughter-with just the right amount of sarcasm mixed in.

Nila Hogan

Director of Family Ministries

Nila has been part of The Oaks family for over 10 years and carries a deep passion for helping children, students, and families grow as Spirit-filled followers of Jesus. Alongside her husband, she is raising their five children within The Oaks community.

Nila is passionate about building intentional discipleship pathways that help children and students develop an authentic relationship with Jesus, while equipping parents with practical tools, encouragement, and biblical resources to lead their families in faith at home.

Guided by Philippians 4:8, her vision is to cultivate a family ministry culture rooted in biblical truth, relational connection, worship, and discipleship that empowers families to flourish both within the church and in everyday life.

Vern Singh

Director of Youth

Bio coming soon!

Oliver Ventura

Young Adults Leader

Bio coming soon!

Melissa Estrada

Office Manager, Finance & Women's Leader

Melissa grew up in Marquette, Michigan, before moving to Southern California in 1986 and then Bakersfield in 1995. She graduated from San Joaquin Valley College in 2003 with an A.S. in Clinical Administration and Medical Assisting.

She began attending The Oaks in 2008 and joined the staff in 2012. She completed The Alliance's Empower, Engage, and Proclaim discipleship journey in 2022, serves on the worship team, helps prepare meals for community lunches, and serves on the Alliance Women's Ministry leadership team.

Married since 2015, Melissa treasures her family life, which includes four beloved puppies. She enjoys the beach and the mountains, cooking, baking, and a wide variety of music.

Kevin Ormonde

Men's Leader

Kevin is a leader in the Influencers ministry, where he is passionate about mentoring men to become intimate followers of Jesus Christ through discipleship, biblical teaching, and authentic relationships. He also serves on the church worship team.

Kevin has been happily married to his wonderful wife, Debbie, for many years. Outside of ministry, he is an avid cyclist who loves the challenge and adventure of long-distance riding.

Donna Escobar

Pastoral Care & Community Lunch Leader

Bio coming soon!

Gene Sorensen

Technical Advisor

Gene combines his passion for Bible study and technology as tech advisor and director of the Oaks tech team. He also serves on missions, the pastor's admin team, and as an elder. He gave his life to Jesus at a Billy Graham crusade when he was 17.

His background includes studies at the University of Washington, service as an Air Force intelligence officer, Bible college, and 25 years in the software industry. Outside church, Gene enjoys studying the Bible, reading history, walking his dog, and working with computers.

Steve Rowland

Finance Manager & Treasurer

Steve has been a member of The Oaks since 2007 and serves as the church Treasurer, overseeing facilities and operations. He and his wife, Diane, have three children and six grandchildren.

A graduate of San Diego State University with a degree in Social Sciences, Steve spent 37 years in claims management with Farmers Insurance, leading commercial claims operations. He also umpired college baseball for 22 years. Now retired, Steve enjoys traveling with Diane to visit their kids and grandkids in Morro Bay and Washington.

Jyn Tabbytosavit

Oaks Children's Center Site Director

Originally from Cebu, Philippines, Jyn has called Bakersfield home for 16 years. She has been part of The Oaks for eight years and loves working with children at the Oaks Children's Center. She also enjoys photographing church events, traveling, and roller coasters with her family.

Bob Murray

Celebrate Recovery Leader

Bob co-leads Celebrate Recovery at The Oaks, helping people overcome challenges through Biblical principles and the 12 steps. Saved and baptized in 2017, he has been part of the ministry since 2018.

Bob is 33 years sober, active in other Oaks ministries, and loves serving God, his church, and the recovery community. He works as a realtor, enjoys yoga, golf, learning Spanish, and looks forward to retirement.

Kat Garzelli

Celebrate Recovery Leader

Kat co-leads Celebrate Recovery alongside Bob and loves helping others find freedom in Christ. She has been part of The Oaks for three years and is deeply grateful for the community here.

Outside of church, Kat enjoys time with family-especially her role as "Mimi" (grandmother)-as well as reading, serving others, and experimenting with healthy cooking.

Fani Villanueva

ESL Coordinator

Fani serves as ESL Coordinator at The Oaks, where she has been a member for over two years. She is passionate about serving others and loves spending time with her husband and three young adult children.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, crocheting sea creatures, and discovering new hobbies. One of her dreams is to swim with sharks!

Janet Cerda

ESL Coordinator

Bio coming soon!

Melissa Guardiola

Custodial

Melissa has been part of The Oaks Community Church for the past five years and is actively involved with Alliance Kids. She loves serving in the nursery and has a heart to help wherever there is a need-whether it's Vacation Bible School, Celebrate Recovery, or other church events.

A proud mom of five, Melissa is deeply thankful to the Lord for all He has done in her life. She also serves on the custodial team for The Oaks Children's Center and takes joy in creating a clean, welcoming environment for families and children.