We are in the process of calling a new pastor to Emmanuel, and this process takes at least a year. Meanwhile, Rev. Dr. Whitney Wilkinson Arreche is our Transitional Pastor. Right now the Pastor Nominating Committee is evaluating applicants for the position. See this page to see how the process works.
Reverend Dr. Whitney Wilkinson Arreche
Rev. Dr. Whitney Wilkinson Arreche began as our Transitional Pastor in March of 2023. Whitney received her Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University in 2003, her Master of Divinity degree from Columbia Theological Seminary in 2008, and her Doctor of Theology degree from Duke University in December of 2022. Her dissertation centered around questions of race, theology, money, and language of reconciliation.
Whitney has been an ordained Presbyterian minister for fourteen years, and an ordained ruling elder for twenty-four years. She has served as a solo pastor in rural North Carolina and as a mission associate in Belfast, Northern Ireland. She serves as the chairperson of the Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly Committee for Ecumenical and Interfaith Engagement (GACEIR), and on the Faith and Order Convening Table of the National Council of Churches.
Whitney has written for the Christian Century, Political Theology Network, and
the Presbyterian Outlook. She was a contributing author to Liberating Church: A 21st Century Hush Harbor Manifesto, a book that celebrates the brave Christianity embodied by enslaved Africans in the United States during slavery. She is part of a cohort for the Fellowship for Protestant Ethics, a collaboration of pastors, scholars, and activists. She is a scholar, a writer, a seeker, and a teacher, but mostly, she is a pastor with a heart for deep connection, deep thinking, and deep care of all of God’s children. She lives in McKinney with her spouse Carlos and their dog, Otter. She finds joy in cooking, painting, barre classes, and drinking entirely too much coffee. She, like Emmanuel, is small but mighty. You can learn more about Whitney at whitneywilkinsonarreche.com .
Brittney Axton, Music Director
Jessica Pereira, Office Administrator
Becky Baker, Financial Administrator
Becky was born and raised in Fort Worth. She was raised by her grandparents and attended Ridglea Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth.
She and her late husband were married for 24 years and had 2 children together, adopted another and she gained 2 stepchildren when she married. Becky has 9 grandchildren and her favorite title is Nana! She is a self-taught artist and it continues to be the love and joy of her life. Becky formerly owned a business for 19 yrs and is now semi-retired and has a bookkeeping background while working at other companies. Becky is in the church office Monday through Thursday, from 11:00am – 2:30pm.