Ministry Leaders and Staff

Reverend Marc McDonald- Senior Pastor

Rev. Marc McDonald was assigned as Senior Pastor of Dove of the Desert UMC in July 2008. Before coming to Dove, he served the following United Methodist Churches: Hope UMC in Bullhead City, AZ, Mineral Ridge UMC in Mineral Ridge, Ohio; Little River UMC in Little River, Kansas; Benton UMC in Benton, Kansas and Medicine Lodge UMC in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio; Pastor Marc McDonald has lived all over the country. The son of a Nazarene minister, Pastor McDonald grew up in the Church of the Nazarene, but has since found his spiritual home in The United Methodist Church. Pastor McDonald graduated with a BA in Religion from MidAmerica Nazarene and received his Master of Divinity degree from Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2001. He met his wife Linda at MidAmerica Nazarene College in Olathe, Kansas. A life-long Kansan, Linda was born and raised in Meade, Kansas. Married in 1993, 10 years later Pastor Marc and Linda were blessed when their daughter Sarah came into their lives.

Pastor McDonald has served in various capacities on both the District and Conference levels. He is the current Chair of the Conference Commission on Religion and Race. Pastor McDonald has a passion for issues of justice and has also represented the Desert Southwest Chapter of Methodist Federation for Social Action at the National Board of MFSA. He is a trained advocate for victims of clergy misconduct. In his spare time he enjoys reading, collecting religious artifacts, traveling, walking, swimming, theatre, listening to music and acting in community theatre. He has had roles in The Music Man, Oklahoma, and Oliver.

Reverend Ruth M. Blum - Associate Pastor

Rev. Ruth Blum is an ordained Deacon in the United Methodist Church and serves as the Associate Pastor for Children and Families at Dove of the Desert. She previously served as Minister of Education Development at Rocky River UMC in Rocky River, Ohio. She was also Director of Music, Christian Education and Youth Ministries at Granger UMC (Medina, Ohio ) and a music education teacher for the Ringgold School District in Pennsylvania.

Rev. Blum attended college at West Virginia University, University of Texas El Paso, and earned a Bachelor of Music-Applied Voice and Music Education-from Carlow College in Pittsburgh, PA.

A member of the area Christian Educators Fellowship, Rev. Blum has a college-aged daughter. Her sister, Faye McNeely, is also a member of Dove of the Desert UMC.

Greg Ramsey - Director of Music

Greg not only directs all of the music programs of Dove of the Desert UMC, but he accompanies most of them on the piano, organ, or keyboard. These groups include the Dove Notes, the Celebration Singers, and three children's choirs. He is also the director of the Crooked Halos, a youth musical ministry. As the multi-talented son of a minister, Greg grew up with church music as part of his life. He and his wife Jan have two daughters.

Matt Deller - Celebration Singers Director

Matt's love of music is evident in his animated style as director of Dove's mixed adult choir, the Celebration Singers. Prior to Dove, he directed the choir at Bethany UMC in Tacoma, Washington, where he realized his calling as a church choir director. Matt graduated from Central Washington University in 1983 with a major in Communications and a minor in Music Performance. Married to Leann, they love to travel and care for their "kids" - dog Max, and cats Dusty, Hannah and Eli.

Ginger Worden - Praise Team Leader

Ginger is the leader of Dove’s Praise Team, which leads the congregation in musical worship at the 9:30 service on Sundays. Ginger has been involved with the Praise Team for more than seven years. She has written songs and joined voices with choirs since childhood. Ginger is married to Wayne, and has two sons.

Michael Warner – Director Dove Youth Community Band and Jazz Ensemble

An accomplished performer and freelance musician, Michael directs the Dove Youth Community Band and Jazz Ensemble. He is also the founder and soprano saxophonist with the Desert Wind Saxophone Quartet in Phoenix. In addition to his work with Dove's youth bands, he also teaches saxophone and clarinet from his studio in Glendale. Michael and his wife Carla have two daughters, Alex and Alea, and have been members of Dove of the Desert since 1996.

Doug Hillhouse – Sunday School Coordinator

Doug serves as our Sunday School Coordinator at Dove. He is a certified lay speaker, and has been very involved in church ministries. Doug and his wife Linda moved to Arizona in 2003 from Champaign, Illinois, where Doug served as president of the Methodist Men’s Group and assisted the Faith UMC pastor with Christian education. In his leisure time, Doug enjoys golfing, yard work and growing tomatoes in his garden.

Kelli New - Outreach Ministry, Youth Leader

Kelli brings her dedication, energy and enthusiasm to Dove's Outreach Ministry, working to achieve our mission statement of “Increasing Love for God and Neighbor” by greeting new visitors to Dove, helping them to feel welcome and to connect with others within the church. In addition to her outreach activities, Kelli serves as one of our youth leaders with Dove's Youth Fellowship (DYF). She and her husband Dave have one son at home, Patch. In her spare time, Kelli enjoys reading, biking, playing piano, and gardening.

Carol Morgan - Office Administrator

A member of Dove, Carol works part-time in our church office with general administrative responsibilities, including the preparation of each week's bulletins and announcements. She may likely be one of the first people you see at Dove each week as you pass the Welcome Wagon on your way to worship. Carol and her husband Lee have two grown children and three grandchildren.

Leann Deller - Treasurer

Using her expertise from the business world as a financial administrator, as well as her previous experience as a church treasurer, Leann serves Dove in the critical role of treasurer. Leann works closely with the pastors and finance committee regarding Dove's finances. She pays and reconciles all the expenses of the church, reports on monthly expenses and prepares budget/expenditure analysis. Leann also chairs the Altar Arts Committee.

Jeff Thornburg - Youth Leader

Jeff is a volunteer youth leader at Dove of the Desert. He assists with youth planning, Halos performances and weekend retreats, and co-teaches a junior high Sunday school class. He and his wife Sadie also work with the Pioneer clubs. Jeff’s work with youth is not limited to Dove – he is also a teacher in the Peoria Unified School District. Jeff and Sadie have a 9-year old son, Ryan. Jeff also enjoys travel, reading, writing and restoring old cars.

Kirk Jacobson - Youth Leader

One of Dove’s volunteer youth leaders, Kirk works with Dove’s youth in the DYF program and teaches a senior high Sunday School class. He is currently establishing a company that focuses on security products for college students and campuses. In his leisure time, Kirk enjoys poetry, walking on the beach, guitar and sports.

Sandy Kriess - Wedding Coordinator

Sandy loves weddings and is blessed to serve as the Wedding Coordinator for Dove of the Desert UMC. Working with the bridal couple regarding the church's facility, Sandy insures that every detail is taken care of. Contact Sandy - for information about your upcoming wedding.