Reverend Kathleen Baskin-Ball, Senior Pastor

On June 17, 2001 we welcomed Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball to Suncreek UMC as Senior Pastor. Kathleen was born in Dallas and raised in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch area. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from North Texas State University in 1981 and her Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at SMU in 1986. She was ordained as Deacon and Probationary Member of the North Texas Conference in 1983 and as Elder and Full Member of the North Texas Conference in 1988.

Kathleen’s earlier positions in ministry include 3 years at Holy Covenant United Methodist Church in Carrollton, 2 years as Director of Youth Ministries and 1 year as Associate Pastor. She was also an Intern Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls for one year. She was appointed to serve as Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Denton for 4 years, where she worked extensively with youth and their families.

Kathleen was appointed as the founding Pastor of a new Hispanic ministry in West Dallas in 1989. She took an intensive 5-week Spanish course in Cuernavaca, Mexico to prepare for her appointment at Nueva Esperanza (New Hope) Fellowship. She served this bilingual church in a multi-ethnic, lower income, and inner-city neighborhood. They grew to a membership of 130 and were constituted as a United Methodist Church in April of 1994.

Kathleen was the highly respected Senior Pastor at Greenland Hills United Methodist Church from 1994 to 2001. The church is located in the eclectic Lower Greenville Avenue area of Dallas.  During her tenure, membership doubled in size and the budget increased over 2.5 times.  They completed extensive building renovations, including a beautiful transformation of the sanctuary. They grew from a limited part-time staff to a multiple-ministerial staff. Children and Youth Ministries flourished during Kathleen's 7-year tenure at Greenland Hills. The church became very active in hands-on missions work, including frequent adult and youth team mission trips.  Kathleen was the President of East Dallas Cooperative Parish and Chair of the Pastor’s Group of the Parish.

Kathleen has been recognized on a number of occasions for her dynamic preaching.  In late 2004, she preached at the North Texas Conference Clergy Retreat.  During 2005, she was one of the featured leaders and preachers for SpiLiRa, a Spiritual Life Rally for youth that was sponsored by the South Central Jurisdiction of the UMC and she taught part of a clergy leadership course provided by Texas Methodist Foundation.  Kathleen’s 2006 speaking and preaching engagements included, Perkins School of Youth Ministry, two youth retreats for the Texas Conference, events for the Goldsboro District of the North Carolina Conference, a youth mission retreat for the Central Texas Conference, a Sherman-McKinney District UMW Event, and two Texas Methodist Foundation clergy events.

In early 2007, Kathleen was scheduled to preach at youth events in the Southwest Texas and New Mexico Conferences.  A diagnosis of cancer prohibited her from participating in these events.  (See more information about this diagnosis below.)   In July 2007, she attended and preached at Youth 07, a national United Methodist youth event attended by about 7,500 youth that was held in Greensboro, NC. She also preached at a Sunday Evening service at Lovers Lane UMC in late July as part of their Excellence of Word and Worship series.

In January 2008, Kathleen preached at a youth event in Ocean City, MD attended by about 4,500 youth and at Perkins School of Youth Ministry. On February, she preached at the 2008 National Children's Ministry Forum. Kathleen led the North Texas Conference’s Clergy delegation to 2008 General Conference in April.  General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. Kathleen chaired the Ministry and Higher Education Legislative Committee at General Conference. She will lead the clergy delegation to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Dallas on July 15-19, 2008.   

Kathleen has held many youth ministry leadership positions beyond the local church. These include District Youth Coordinator, Conference Youth Coordinator, Teacher for the Youth Ministry Certification Course in Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. She also is a founder, teacher, and worship leader for the Annual Perkins School of Youth Ministry.

Kathleen has served on many North Texas Conference Committees including the Board of Trustees, Board of Ordained Ministries, Hispanic Commission, Task Force on the Status of Clergywomen, Task Force on Urban Ministry, Joint Review Committee, and Board of Church and Society. She has been on the Board of Directors of Wesley-Rankin Community Center. She was elected as an Alternate to Jurisdictional Conference in 1996, as first Alternate to General Conference in 2000, and as a Delegate to the General Conferences of 2004 and 2008.

Her election in June 2003 as a clergy delegate to General Conference marks the first time a woman serving a local church appointment was elected by the Conference.  In 2007, she became the first clergywoman elected to lead the conference's six-member clergy delegation. At the conclusion of 2004, she became the first woman serving as Senior Pastor of a Christian Church in the Dallas area to reach the 500 person average annual worship attendance mark.  Rev. Baskin-Ball was named Best Pastor in Collin County in the 2006 Reader’s Choice Awards sponsored by Star Community Newspapers.

In 2008, Kathleen began serving as Chair of the North Texas Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Kathleen's recent leadership positions include Chair of the Conference Clergy Retreat Committee (1998 - 2004), Co-Director and Camp Pastor for SEEK Camp (Summer Events for Exceptional Kampers) which serves children, youth, and young adults with disabilities, Chair of a Conference committee that focuses on revitalizing medium size churches (2003-2006). Chair of the Probationary Membership Committee of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry (2004-2007), Secretary of the Dallas Northeast District Committee on Ministry (2002-2007).

She is a Professor of Preaching in the North Texas Conference Licensing School for Local Pastors. She also serves on the Task Force to Implement the African-American Plan for the North Texas Conference, the North Texas Conference Task Force on Clergy Effectiveness, and the Board of Directors of the Texas Methodist Foundation Institute for Clergy and Congregational Excellence (2006-date).  She has played an active role in mentoring persons that are pursuing ordained ministry. This includes serving as a Mentor Pastor with Perkins School of Theology since 1988.

Kathleen’s mission’s activities have included leading many mission trips in the U.S. and around the world. She has participated in continuing education seminars and mission activities in Mexico, El Salvador, South Africa, and the Czech and Slovak Republics. She has led many teams to Mexico.  She co-led Suncreek's first adult and youth mission trips to Juarez, Mexico to build homes for impoverished families.

In Allen, Texas, Kathleen is part of the Attending Clergy Group for Presbyterian Hospital of Allen.  She has worked with the Allen Clergy Association, including preaching at a community Lenten worship service. Kathleen is a dedicated member of the Allen Sunrise Rotary Club.

Kathleen is married to Bill D. Ball, Jr., and they have one child, Skyler.  Kathleen has a large extended family of siblings, nieces, nephews, and Godchildren, and lists her hobbies as softball, eating lobster, traveling, playing guitar, listening to music, and reading.

What a joy it is to have Kathleen as our Senior Pastor!  She is an extraordinarily gifted person. Her preaching moves your mind and heart.  She has an infectious loving spirit that permeates the church.  Her wisdom and attentive listening offers comfort during times of pain and loss.  Her strong faith helps move us to take bold action to live out our faith in the world.  We are blessed!

Kathleen regularly wrote a column for Allen Magazine know as The Last Word.  Click the links below to view some of these articles.

                Teaching Our Child To Say BOO! - Oct/Nov 05

                It is in the Giving that there is Healing - Dec/Jan 05

Click here to listen to some of Kathleen's Recent Sermons.

Click here for a recent news article about about Kathleen's serving as the Hopkins Lecturer at First United Methodist Church of Denton.

Rev. Holly Gotelli serves as Associate Pastor and Minister with Adults at Suncreek UMC.  Holly was certified as a Candidate for Ordained Ministry by the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church in 2002.  She is currently attending Perkins School of Theology.  In June, 2005, Holly was appointed by Bishop Moncure as a Licensed Local Pastor to Suncreek UMC.

At Suncreek, Holly’s responsibilities include pastoral care, worship leadership, and oversight of all adult ministries.  She also serves as staff liaison to the Evangelism Committee.  Beginning in January, 2006, she will also serve as staff liaison to the Committee on Church and Society.

Before coming to Suncreek in 1998, Holly and her family lived in Colorado, where they were active members of St. Andrew United Methodist church in Littleton. While at Suncreek, Holly has served on the Adult Ministries, Worship, and Staff-Parish Relations Committees, and served as vice-chair and chair of the Administrative Board of the church. She and her husband, Trip, started the Wesley Sunday School class in 1999.

Holly grew up in Richardson and graduated from Richardson High School. She received a B.A. in Journalism from Texas Tech University, and a J.D. from Texas Tech Law School. She became a member of the Texas Bar in 1990, and practiced law with two Dallas law firms in the 1990's. 

Holly and Trip met at Tech and have been married since 1987. They are blessed with two wonderful children – Andy and Ellen. When she doesn't have her nose in a book, Holly enjoys jazz music, cooking Italian food, and running.

Steve Wagner, Business Administrator

Steve and his wife Lori moved from Nappanee, Indiana to join our staff in May 2007.  He is responsible for the business affairs of the church.  For the past 21 years, he was president of his family’s furniture store and oversaw significant growth in sales and personnel.  Also, he was an Adjunct Professor at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana, where he taught Organizational Management.  Steve has an associate degree in Biblical Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bethel College.  He earned a Master of Arts in Theological Studies with a concentration in Church History from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.  Asbury is associated with the United Methodist Church. 

Before arriving here at Suncreek, Steve served in various lay roles for his church.  But he felt a strong call to seek out a church who could utilize his business experience more fully.  Steve works closely with the Trustees, the Finance Committee, Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and the Technology Committee.