PTC Welcomes New Executive Director, Holly Gaskill Bandel
PRESS RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026
Veteran United Methodist pastor and longtime public education advocate to lead statewide organization as founder Rev. Charles Foster Johnson expands the ministry nationally.
Fort Worth, TX - Pastors for Texas Children (PTC) today announced the appointment of Rev. Holly Gaskill Bandel as its new Executive Director, bringing more than 25 years of pastoral leadership, nonprofit experience and community engagement to the statewide organization dedicated to supporting Texas public schools, educators and children.
Bandel has been involved with Pastors for Texas Children since 2018 and has extensive experience building partnerships between churches, public schools and communities. Her ministry has consistently emphasized service beyond the walls of the church, particularly in public education, poverty, housing, homelessness and other issues affecting children and families.
Johnson said Bandel is well positioned to lead the Texas organization into its next chapter.
“Holly understands both the church and the public school classroom, and she knows how powerful it can be when people of faith come together in support of children and their neighborhood schools,” Johnson said. “She is a gifted pastor, a proven leader and a passionate advocate for public education. I am thrilled to have her lead Pastors for Texas Children.”
Bandel currently serves as pastor of First United Methodist Church in Sachse. Previously, she served as Executive Associate Minister at First United Methodist Church Dallas, where her responsibilities included mission and community ministries, public education advocacy and school partnerships. Her ministry career also includes leadership positions at Stonebridge United Methodist Church, Creekwood United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church Plano and Anna United Methodist Church.
“I have seen firsthand what happens when congregations build genuine relationships with their neighborhood public schools,” Bandel said. “Our schools are at the heart of our communities, and supporting the children, educators and families they serve is an important expression of our faith. I am grateful for the opportunity to lead Pastors for Texas Children and to work alongside clergy and congregations across Texas in this important ministry.”
A native of Wylie, Texas, Bandel earned a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of North Texas and a Master of Divinity from Duke Divinity School. She was ordained an Elder in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2003 and later completed the SMU/CNM Connect Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
As Executive Director, Bandel will lead PTC’s statewide work to engage pastors, congregations and community leaders in support of Texas public education, strengthen church-school partnerships and advocate for policies that serve the state’s more than five million public school children.
As Bandel assumes leadership of Pastors for Texas Children, Rev. Charles Foster Johnson, the organization’s founder, will turn his focus to Pastors for Children, a new national organization dedicated to planting state affiliates across the country and bringing the organization’s faith-based witness for children and public education to bear in our nation’s capital.
“The work we began in Texas has demonstrated the power of pastors and congregations standing together for children and their public schools,” Johnson said. “Pastors for Children will take that witness beyond Texas, building a network of state affiliates and ensuring that the voices of faith leaders who believe in strong public schools are heard in Washington.”
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About Pastors for Texas Children
Our Mission And Vision
Pastors for Texas Children equips and connects faith leaders and congregations to serve children by cultivating pastors' spiritual practice, supporting neighborhood public schools as centers of love and learning, and building impactful partnerships between ministers and educators, and between congregations and schools, in the local community.
PTC helps build relationships between faith communities and education, particularly with neighborhood public schools. PTC teaches our faith leaders how to serve these schools through tutoring, appreciation events, and other acts of service valued by school leaders. Additionally, PTC equips our faith leaders with the skills needed for effective public school advocacy at both local and state levels, fostering collaboration between public schools and congregations to support public schools.
What We Do
Connecting our Schools and Churches
PTC helps build relationships between faith communities and education, particularly with neighborhood public schools. PTC teaches our faith leaders how to serve these schools through tutoring, appreciation events, and other acts of service valued by school leaders. Additionally, PTC equips our faith leaders with the skills needed for effective public school advocacy at both local and state levels, fostering collaboration between public schools and congregations to support public schools.
Building Relationships with Legislators
Whether the legislature is in session or not, it's always a good time to connect with local and state officials. PTC builds strong relationships throughout the legislative session by conducting numerous meetings that involve faith communities and education leaders, introducing them to these officials. PTC can assist in sending emails, making phone calls, or conducting in-person visits to advocate for why public education, particularly neighborhood public schools, matters to us all. Together, we can support public schools and strengthen the ties between public schools and congregations.
Communication and Education
PTC’s communications highlight what is happening in the news regarding public education, particularly in our neighborhood public schools. Our PTC supporters are kept informed about events in local communities across Texas, both the good and the not so good. At the beginning of the school year, we send daily prayers for our schools and express appreciation to our teachers by offering prayer and thanks during appreciation weeks. PTC also submits opinion pieces to newspapers, advocating for public schools and encouraging faith communities and education leaders to do the same. Check our blog to read some of these pieces.