The Rio Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church

Los pastores de Río Texas se sintieron bendecidos al escuchar a Kevin Watson, Profesor Asistente de Estudios Wesleyanos y Metodistas en la Convocación del Clero 2016. Watson dirigió al clero en un tiempo de aprendizaje sobre el Reunión de Clase Wesleyana (Wesleyan Class Meeting), una pequeña experiencia de grupo esencial a nuestra herencia wesleyana.

El libro de Watson The Class Meeting, Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience (Reunión de Clases, Recuperando una experiencia de grupos pequeños olvidada [y esencial]) expone una visión y una estrategia práctica para el desarrollo de grupos pequeños. Estos grupos son mucho más simples, más productivos y tienen mayor profundidad espiritual.

Want all your annual conference information at your fingertips? The Rio Texas AC 2017 app will keep you connected before and during this year’s session.

Moved by Christ’s love to pursue reconciliation and peace, honoring the dignity of every individual made in God’s image, The United Methodist Church is unwilling to turn a blind eye to injustice. Although you, and possibly even your congregation, may lack the resources alone to effect change in a broken world, your giving is vital for the UMC to continue its global ministries of reconciliation.

En español

Dear Friends,

Grace and peace of the risen Christ be with you.

As you may have already heard, the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church heard arguments this week concerning the election of Bishop Karen Oliveto by the Western Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. They will release a decision when they conclude their business, likely later this week. As we await the decision, I would like to share the following thoughts.

It is important to understand the limited reach of the Judicial Council's decision in this case.  The Judicial Council is the church’s highest court, but it does not make church law.   The Book of Discipline will not change because of the Judicial Council’s decision.  Only the General Conference can change The Book of Discipline.

The 2016 General Conference asked for the formation of the Commission on A Way Forward to work on a way by which those who disagree on issues of human sexuality can coexist in the same church. The Commission seeks to maximize the presence of a United Methodist witness in as many places in the world as possible. We seek to allow for as much contextual differentiation as possible, balancing different theological understandings of human sexuality with a desire for unity.  I am a member of this commission and its work is well underway.  The Council of Bishops called a special session of General Conference in 2019 for the sole purpose of hearing the report of the commission.
 

Christ Fellowship United Methodist Church, San Antonio was featured on local television for their Monday evening worship service in response to last weekend's events in Charlottesville, North Carolina.

"We don't really go down there to build a house...we go down there because God calls us to love people and share the Word."