Josh Valdez was born in Shiprock, New Mexico. He spent his elementary years in Bloomfield before moving to Farmington. He is of Hispanic and Navajo descent. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Bible and a Master of Divinity from Bob Jones University. Josh’s desire is for the furthering of God’s kingdom through the equipping of God’s people. He is passionate about expository preaching, theological instruction and personal discipleship. He writes and contributes curriculum for the Institute of Biblical Leadership. He co-hosts a podcast, “Small Church, Big Impact” where he seeks to equip and encourage small churches.  Josh writes regularly about life, theology and ministry on his blog which can be read here.

Josh is married to Val, who sings on the church’s worship team and serves as an HGC Kids teacher. When not ministering at HGC, you’ll find Josh and Val brewing pour over coffee, reading, and taking their Border Collie, Java, and Australian Shepherd, Breve, for walks.

Ethan Quimby was born in Gallup, NM, and lived in Fort Defiance, AZ, Anaheim, CA, Rockledge, FL, and a number of other places before moving to Farmington, NM in 2005. He received his ministry training at Grace Hill Church, in Farmington, NM. Initially, Ethan was going to plant a church in Farmington, but ultimately teamed up with Josh at Higher Ground.

Ethan has a deep desire to see the lost in our area transformed through the power of the Gospel, and to see all Christians trained to follow Jesus. He longs to see all people become worshipers of Jesus, to see our broken world renewed by the hand of God.

Ethan is married to Gabby, who sings and plays violin on the HGC Worship Team.

Angela Tornatore was born in Aztec, NM, and has spent her whole life in the Four Corners area. She has worked in education, and has previously served in church ministry as a youth leader. Angela uses these skills to help in Children’s Ministry and strives to disciple children in God’s Word. Discipling children is Angela’s passion, and she works hard to provide HGC Kids with a strong biblical foundation, as well as equipping parents and volunteers to do the same.

In addition to her ministry at Higher Ground, Angela is a homemaker. She is married to Justin and spends time taking care of her two children Calvin and Louisa. She enjoys writing, crafting, and drinking coffee with friends.