Preston Hollow Church sits on Walnut Hill Lane in north Dallas, just down the street from Preston Hollow Elementary School and a short drive from the North Dallas Shared Ministries campus on Merrell Road. The congregation is one of the United Methodist churches in the Horizon Texas Conference, the regional body led by Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. From its location near the heart of the Preston Hollow neighborhood, the church gathers every Sunday morning for traditional worship and pours itself into a wide range of ministries that touch infants through senior adults, and neighbors in Dallas and far beyond.
Sunday Morning at 10:30
Worship at Preston Hollow happens on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. The service is described on the church's own materials as fun and casual for everyone, with no exceptions, while still carrying the structure and music of a traditional United Methodist liturgy. A chancel choir known as the Singers of Praise gathers in the Sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. to warm up before the service and sings for each Sunday gathering, as well as for special services across the church year. The service is livestreamed on both Facebook and YouTube for those who prefer to worship at home, and past sermons remain available through the same channels.
The church's stated mission is short and direct: "To love God and our neighbors and to grow every person into a passionate follower of Jesus Christ." That mission frames the work of every ministry at Preston Hollow, from the nursery through adult small groups. Visitors are welcomed with a simple invitation to come as they are.
Meet Pastor Tom Waitschies and the Pastoral Team
The senior pastor is Dr. Tom Waitschies, a native Texan who was born and raised in San Antonio and has lived in many parts of the state. Before answering a call to ministry, Tom served as a police officer in Houston and then worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in San Antonio, Midland, and finally Dallas. He came into the United Methodist Church through Highland Hills UMC, a predominantly African American congregation in the southern sector of Dallas, where he taught young adult Sunday School, sang in the choir, and served as president of the United Methodist Men's group.
Tom earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Texas at Dallas, then a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry with honors from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Over the course of his ministry he has served United Methodist churches in rural, suburban, and urban settings and has led mission trips to Brazil, Zimbabwe, and New Orleans. He writes a regular midweek reflection called Wednesday's Word, which is published online and shared with the congregation. In his time off he enjoys reading, movies, travel, and sitting on the patio.
Serving alongside Pastor Tom is Jim Gray, the church's Assistant Pastor (also called Associate Pastor). Jim was called to ministry at a young age and began his first role as Worship Pastor at a small church in Colorado while still a junior in college. That little congregation of nineteen grew to more than three thousand in weekly attendance over the next decade. Jim went on to serve as Executive Pastor at The Met Church in Dallas, where he helped guide explosive growth, and then joined Grace Community Church in Houston to lead the design and development of a ten-thousand-seat worship center. In 2004 he launched the Jim Gray Group, a ministry consulting and design firm that has served more than sixty churches nationwide.
Cody McAdoo is the church's Worship Director and also serves as the Wedding Coordinator. He graduated from California Baptist University and is described by the church as a dedicated worship leader who works to create an atmosphere where people can connect with their faith and experience God's presence. Courtney Y. Wilson leads the choir. She is in her eighth year of teaching middle school choir in the DFW metroplex, currently at Hays Middle School in Prosper ISD, and holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northwestern State University of Louisiana and a Master's in Music Education from SMU.
Supporting the ministry team are Mike Larsen, Director of Finance, and Maria Oakes, Office Manager. Semien Negash leads the church's Child Development Center and can be reached at the preschool's separate phone line.
The Music and Arts Ministry
Music holds a central place in the life of Preston Hollow Church. The Music and Arts Ministry offers several avenues for musicians and singers of every level to serve. The flagship ensemble is the Singers of Praise, the church's chancel choir, which rehearses every Wednesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary and gathers again at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings before worship. The choir sings for every Sunday service and for special services across the year, including the church's annual Christmas Concert.
A new Arts Ministry Team is forming to plan and execute community arts events, from concerts to gallery exhibitions. There is also a Children's Music Ministry Team being developed, recognizing that children learn and grow best when they can sing, play instruments, and create together. Anyone interested in joining the music ministry is invited to contact Cody McAdoo.
The America Virtual Choir
In addition to its in-house music ministry, Preston Hollow Church is the home base for a national project called the America Virtual Choir (also known as the America Sings Project). Conceived by Jim Gray as producer and Russ Rieger as artistic director, the project invites singers and instrumentalists from across the country to record their parts from home and submit them through WeTransfer. The resulting recordings are assembled into a single virtual performance.
The first effort produced a virtual rendition of "God Bless America." The second, the America Sings Project, was organized around a Marvin Gaspard arrangement of "America the Beautiful." Singers record their parts using headphones and a phone or tablet, ideally in a bright room with the camera at eye level and oriented horizontally, and identify themselves by name, voice section, and city or state before submitting. The orchestra side, which welcomes violinists, violists, cellists, bassists, trumpets, and trombones, has been scored to leave a twenty-measure a cappella choral section beginning at measure 41.
The project's chosen beneficiary is No Kid Hungry, a national campaign of the nonprofit Share Our Strength that works to ensure children who depend on school meals do not go hungry. Donations to the cause can be made by texting PHUMC to 77977.
Children and Family Ministry and Kidzone
Preston Hollow takes its work with children seriously and describes the Children's Ministry as a partnership with parents as they teach their children to KNOW God. Lessons, music, and crafts are designed to teach children who God is - His nature and attributes - and what He has done. Children are encouraged to study the Bible for themselves.
On any given Sunday morning the Preston Hollow Kids are found making crafts, playing games, learning about God, and having fun. The Kidzone program operates four overlapping goals. First, to provide a safe, secure, and loving environment where parents feel comfortable leaving their child. Second, to help each child understand the reality of Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit by bringing the stories of the Bible to life. Third, to aid each child in accepting Jesus Christ and developing a dynamic relationship with Him, and with one another. Fourth, to provide children the opportunity to participate in worship and ministry at a level fitting their age and stage of development.
Parents who want to know more about Children's Ministry can call the church office at (214) 363-4393.
The Child Development Center
The Child Development Center (CDC) is Preston Hollow's licensed weekday preschool, serving children from six months through Pre-K. The center operates Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is licensed by the Texas Health and Human Services Department. Its philosophy holds that God has created each individual and that each child is a unique, precious child of God, and the program is committed to providing an enriched environment in which children's creativity and curiosity are encouraged through a multitude of sensory experiences in a safe, supervised setting.
Programs are divided into five classrooms by age. The Infant Classroom serves children three to eighteen months, focusing on building trust, encouraging curiosity, and supporting developmental milestones. The Toddler Classroom serves children eighteen to twenty-four months, with attention to language development, motor skills, and social interaction. The Two-Year-Old Classroom encourages hands-on learning, creativity, and discovery. The Three-Year-Old Classroom (for children who are three by September 15) supports early literacy, problem-solving, and cooperative play. The Pre-K classroom helps children get ready for kindergarten through hands-on activities that build early reading, writing, math, and social skills.
In addition to classroom work, the CDC offers a music program, weekly chapel time with Bible stories and songs, age-appropriate Bible lessons, a STEM room for two- to four-year-olds, and a library. Parents' Night Out is offered every month from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at $30 per child and includes dinner and activities. Tuition for the 2025-26 school year ranges from $1,300 per month for Pre-K up to $1,665 per month for infants, with a non-refundable $350 registration and supply fee per child.
Semien Negash leads the center as CDC Director. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the CDC phone line is (214) 369-4630. The dedicated CDC email is cdc@umcprestonhollow.com.
Five Ways to Get Involved
Preston Hollow organizes its volunteer life around five ministry teams, each tied to a particular way of following Christ together.
The CONNECT Team
The CONNECT Ministry Team is responsible for extending a welcoming hand of grace to others and connecting people from all walks of life to God's love with radical hospitality. Openings include greeters, the Welcome Center, fellowship after worship every Sunday, and guest follow-up.
The WORSHIP Team
The WORSHIP Ministry Team plans and leads worship, with a stated conviction that worship should be active, engaging, and participatory. Opportunities include joining the worship team, ushering, reading scripture, leading children's time, singing in the choir, or playing an instrument.
The GROW Team
The GROW Ministry Team focuses on intentionally developing faith and spirituality. The church offers several small group options, including UMC Women, New Dimensions Sunday School, and opportunities to lead or help start a new small group.
The SERVE Team
The SERVE Ministry Team lives out the church's commitment to risk-taking mission in the local and global neighborhood. Volunteers serve alongside North Dallas Shared Ministries, partner with Preston Hollow Elementary School, host a Teacher Thanksgiving Luncheon, sponsor Angel Tree families, host Breakfast with Santa, run an Undie Sunday, collect back-to-school supplies and backpacks, and operate the annual Pumpkin Patch.
The GIVE Team
The GIVE Ministry Team stewards the church's financial generosity. Opportunities include helping with the stewardship campaign and contributing to the Permanent Endowment.
Mission and Outreach Beyond the Walls
Outreach is woven into the identity of Preston Hollow Church. Each year the congregation partners with Rise Against Hunger to package ten thousand meals that are shipped to families in need around the world; the most recent shipment was sent to Burundi, where the Global Hunger Index has assessed an alarming level of food insecurity. The church also partners with North Dallas Shared Ministries, a cooperative effort of fifty-two congregations that delivers assistance to Dallas' poorest individuals and families.
The church has adopted its next-door neighbor, Preston Hollow Elementary School. The congregation supplies underwear to the school nurse's office through an Undie Sunday worship service project, serves a Thanksgiving luncheon to the teachers in appreciation for their work, sponsors about fifty children each year as Angel Tree families with Christmas presents, and secretly distributes the presents to the parents during Breakfast with Santa while the children listen to Santa tell a story.
Each fall, from September through October, the church unloads two semi-truck loads of pumpkins on its front lawn and opens the Pumpkin Patch to the community. The pumpkins come from the same farm that supplies the Dallas Arboretum, and dozens of varieties are available, including some that visitors have likely never seen. Funds raised benefit Preston Hollow Elementary School, Kids Hope USA, The Birthday Party Project, and other mission projects.
The church has also been instrumental in establishing the Reset Room at Rowlett High School, a cozy space designed to give at-risk students a place to breathe and collect themselves when the burdens of daily life become too much to bear. Several local news stations have featured the project.
Weddings at Preston Hollow
Preston Hollow Church hosts weddings for both members and non-members from the community. The wedding policies describe the ceremony as one of the most sacred rituals of the church and as a worship experience first and foremost, not primarily a social event. Two persons pledge themselves to one another with the blessings of God and are united by God in holy wedlock. The church asks couples who are interested to contact Cody McAdoo to arrange a tour of the space. A detailed wedding policies PDF is available for download.
Giving and Communications
Members and supporters of Preston Hollow give through their prayers, presence, gifts, and service. Online giving is available through the church's Pushpay platform, and donations can also be made by texting PHUMC to 77977. Checks and money orders may be mailed to the church's Walnut Hill Lane address.
The church maintains an active presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where Sunday worship is livestreamed. Visitors and members can sign up for text alerts by texting PHUMC to 97000 with their name and email address, and they can submit prayer requests online at any time.
Midweek Reflection: Wednesday's Word
One of the defining rhythms of Preston Hollow Church is Wednesday's Word, a weekly written reflection from Pastor Tom that has now grown to more than three hundred entries. The reflections move through the church calendar and current events, engaging everything from Labor Day and 9/11 to Holy Week, Pride Month, Lent, and Advent. Recent posts have reflected on the preciousness of time, the calling of teachers at the start of a new school year, the turbulent political season, the Sunday morning gathering of a Dallas Symphony Orchestra young strings camp and a confirmation class from Umphress Road United Methodist Church, and the ongoing struggle for the rights of marginalized communities.
Through it all, Wednesday's Word invites the congregation into a steady practice of taking the long view, looking to scripture, and considering what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the present moment.