Attend UMAC 2027 with Support from Rio Texas

February 25–26, 2027 | Bethany United Methodist Church | Austin, Texas

Every local church has a story to tell, and the people who help share those stories play an important role in connecting congregations with their communities.

The Rio Texas Conference is excited to help local churches participate in the 2027 United Methodist Association of Communicators (UMAC) Annual Meeting, February 25–26 in Austin, Texas.

This gathering brings together communicators from across The United Methodist Church for opportunities to learn new skills, exchange ideas, build relationships, and discover creative ways to strengthen communications ministry.

To help make this opportunity more accessible, the Rio Texas Conference is offering up to 20 participation stipends of $500 each to help local church representatives attend UMAC 2027.

Stipend Application Deadline: December 1, 2026

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and stipends may be awarded before the deadline. Early applications are encouraged!

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UMAC 2025 GATHERING – CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION, Leawood, Kansas

What to Expect at UMAC 2027

BISHOP CYNTHIA FIERRO HARVEY WILL PREACH AT UMAC 2027 OPENING WORSHIP.

Inspired by the theme Side x Side, UMAC 2027 will bring together communicators from across The United Methodist Church to learn, collaborate, and explore new ways to share the stories of faith and ministry.

The gathering will open with worship featuring Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey preaching and presiding over Holy Communion.

Participants will hear from speakers exploring a variety of topics, including:
• Rev. Rachel Kessler, known online as The Nerdy Priest, will share how she uses social media, pop culture, and short-form sermons to connect with audiences and share her Christian witness.
• Rev. Lindsey Joyce will discuss community organizing, rapid-response networks, and the role of communication in responding to community needs.
• Garrett Bucks, writer and community organizer, will explore how storytelling and communication can help build stronger relationships and communities.
• Tracy Simmons, an award-winning religion journalist, will participate in a religion reporters roundtable exploring the opportunities and challenges of reporting on faith.
• Ashley Gish of United Methodist Communications will share how the denomination is engaging with artificial intelligence and what communicators are learning along the way.

The gathering will also feature hands-on workshops, opportunities to connect with fellow communicators, and the UMAC Awards Gala celebrating outstanding communications work across the connection.

Additional speakers and workshop leaders will be announced as the gathering approaches.

MEET THE SPEAKERS & EXPLORE THEIR TOPICS

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Who Can Participate?

You don't need to have an official communications title or be a paid church staff member to participate!

Breakout sessions during the 2025 umac gathering

Whether you manage your church's social media, create bulletins, maintain a website, take photographs, produce videos, or simply help share what's happening in your congregation, this opportunity is for you.

Anyone interested in attending UMAC 2027 is welcome to register for the gathering, regardless of whether they apply for or receive a Rio Texas participation stipend.

To apply for a Rio Texas participation stipend, pastors, church staff, and volunteers must be designated or authorized by their local church leadership to attend on behalf of their congregation.

$500 Participation Stipends

The Rio Texas Conference is offering up to 20 participation stipends to help offset the cost of attending UMAC 2027.

Each $500 stipend includes:
• $250 toward registration: Covers the UMAC 2027 local church registration fee, which includes admission to the Awards Banquet.
• $250 toward travel and lodging: Helps offset expenses associated with traveling to Austin and attending the gathering.

Additional Awards Banquet guest tickets are not covered by the stipend.

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Stipend Availability & Selection

Priority consideration will be given to applicants from Hispanic/Latino and African American churches and ministries, applicants from rural churches, congregations located farther from Austin, and lay volunteers who serve in communications roles without being employed by their churches.

All local churches are encouraged to apply. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Submitting an application does not guarantee that a stipend will be awarded. Funding is limited, and stipends may be fully allocated before the December 1 deadline.

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How to Apply

1. Complete the Stipend Application

Complete the Rio Texas UMAC 2027 Participation Stipend Application by December 1, 2026.

You do not need to register or pay for UMAC 2027 before applying. We encourage you to apply for the stipend first so you know whether financial assistance has been awarded before paying the registration fee.

2. Application Review & Notification

Rio Texas will review applications as they are received. Applicants can expect to be notified of their status within approximately two weeks.

Selected applicants will receive instructions for registering for UMAC 2027 and submitting their paid registration confirmation.

3. Register for UMAC 2027

Anyone interested in attending UMAC 2027 may register directly through the United Methodist Association of Communicators.

If you are applying for a Rio Texas participation stipend, we encourage you to wait until you have been notified of your selection before paying the registration fee.

The UMAC 2027 local church registration rate is $250. Please select the local church rate when registering.

Registration includes admission to the Awards Banquet on Friday, February 26. Additional guest tickets are only needed for guests who are not registered for the gathering.

4. Submit Your Registration Confirmation

After registering, email your paid UMAC 2027 registration confirmation or receipt to Rev. Amanda Banda at amandabanda@riotexas.org.

Once your paid registration is verified, Rio Texas will coordinate payment of your $500 stipend.

Participants are responsible for making their own travel and lodging arrangements. We encourage you to explore the UMAC conference hotel options when planning your trip.

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Join UMAC for Free!

Did you know that membership in the United Methodist Association of Communicators is free?

UMAC membership connects you with a community of communicators serving across The United Methodist Church in a variety of ways.

Membership is separate from the paid annual meeting registration, and we encourage you to join!

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Questions?

For questions about participation stipends, contact Rev. Amanda Banda, Director of Communications, at amandabanda@riotexas.org.

We look forward to learning, connecting, and growing alongside local church communicators from across Rio Texas!

Sacred Roots Celebrates 2025 Accomplishments and Continued Growth

Sacred Roots, a grant-funded ministry of the Rio Texas Conference, is celebrating the approval of its 2025 Annual Report by Lilly Endowment Inc., marking another year of learning, growth, and supporting families and ministry leaders.

Sacred Roots equips and accompanies parents and caregivers of children ages 0–3 as they nurture faith and grow in love of God and neighbor through simple, grace-filled practices woven into everyday family life.

Throughout 2025, Sacred Roots completed two important phases of its work: Phase 3 (Flow) and Phase 4 (Practice). These phases focused on helping families identify their values, explore spiritual practices, and incorporate faith into daily routines through meaningful, accessible resources.

The ministry also continued listening to parents, caregivers, and ministry leaders through interviews, focus groups, and conversations to better understand their needs and experiences.

Highlights from the 2025 report include:

• 14 partner churches supporting families in faith formation.

• 300 resources distributed to families through United Methodist churches across the United States.

• 510 parents, caregivers, and ministry leaders following Sacred Roots across social media platforms.

• 12 in-depth feedback opportunities offered to families and ministry leaders.

Building on these accomplishments, Sacred Roots continues to strengthen its work in 2026 through collaboration with churches and ministry leaders, the development of family experiences, and ongoing evaluation and planning.

The ministry remains on track with its proposed 2026 timeline as it continues to listen, learn, and adapt to better serve families.

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Grow With Sacred Roots

Families, caregivers, and ministry leaders are invited to join the Sacred Roots community! Explore faith-forming resources, follow Sacred Roots on Facebook, and sign up for newsletters and text messages offering encouragement and simple spiritual practices for everyday life.

Visit sacredrootsnetwork.com to learn more and get connected.

Rio Texas Leaders Bring Hopes for Connection and Belonging to Calgary

Representatives join United Methodists from around the world for worship, listening, and discernment about the church’s future.

A deeper connection across cultures and continents. A church where all people belong at Christ’s table. These are among the hopes Rio Texas representatives are bringing to the 2026 Leadership Gathering in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Rio Texas is represented by Rev. Dr. Aaron Gonzalez, clergy delegate; Tyler Steele, under-35 delegate; and Rachel Wright, lay delegate. They are participating in the October 20–24 gathering, joining bishops and church leaders from around the world to pray, listen, and imagine the future of The United Methodist Church.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey joins Rio Texas representatives Rev. Dr. Aaron Gonzalez, Tyler Steele, and Rachel Wright at the 2026 United Methodist Leadership Gathering in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Through worship, keynote presentations, and small covenant group conversations, participants will listen for where the Holy Spirit is leading The United Methodist Church. Together, they will name the realities facing the church and its communities, explore practices that need to change, and imagine new possibilities for ministry. Their conversations will focus on forming disciples in new ways, empowering younger generations, and amplifying voices from across the global church.

The goal is to develop recommendations and identify bold ideas the church could test over the next two to three years, grounded in its vision to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. The gathering will offer reflection and direction for the wider church rather than make legislative decisions.

For Gonzalez, Assistant to the Bishop and Chief of Staff for the Rio Texas Conference, the gathering offers an opportunity to deepen the connections that shape our shared ministry.

“My hope for the future of The United Methodist Church is that we will embrace an even deeper understanding of our connectional identity,” Gonzalez said. “By learning from one another across cultures, contexts, and continents, we can strengthen our shared mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”

“I believe God is calling us to discover fresh and faithful ways to be the church the world needs today and for generations to come,” Gonzalez said.

Steele, Director of Youth and Digital Ministry at Northwest Hills UMC, envisions a church where belonging leads to shared participation in God’s mission.

“One hope I am carrying for the future of The United Methodist Church is that we may be a living embodiment of the truth all people belong at Christ’s table,” Steele said.

Rio Texas representatives Tyler Steele, Rev. Dr. Aaron Gonzalez, and Rachel Wright gather in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, for the 2026 United Methodist Leadership Gathering, October 20–24.

Steele emphasizes that people of every background, race, gender identity, sexuality, and political affiliation are called into one Body and equipped by one Spirit for God’s mission of mercy, justice, and reconciliation.

“In doing so, I pray that we may be the good news the world needs to hear by leading a global movement that chooses curiosity over fear, compassion over contempt, and reconciliation over tribalism,” Steele said.

Wright, Rio Texas’ lay delegate, brings a perspective shaped by the connection’s influence on her own life and faith.

“The United Methodist connection helped make me who I am. It has formed my faith, widened my world, and taught me that what God makes possible among and through us can transform the world in ways none of us could imagine alone,” Wright said.

She also poses a question about how the church listens for God’s leading: “From local church meetings to General Conference, we know how to make motions. I wonder what might happen if we gave as much care to discerning how the Holy Spirit moves us.”

Her experiences with the church this year—in Austin, the Valley, and Kenya—have deepened her commitment to bringing often-overlooked perspectives into the conversation.

“As we get to work around these tables, I am trying to bring everyone with me, especially those whose experiences are too often held at the edges of the church’s attention,” she said. “The most vulnerable among us have always been at the heart of God’s good news. How could our dreams for the church’s future begin anywhere but there?”

As Gonzalez, Steele, and Wright join these conversations, people across Rio Texas are invited to pray for them and all who are gathering: that they will listen deeply, learn from one another, and remain open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

Follow the gathering through livestreamed worship and plenary sessions on the Leadership Gathering page on ResourceUMC where you can also find the program and additional resources.

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Want to hear what comes next?

Join the South Central Jurisdiction Lay Leadership team for “UMC Leadership Gathering: An Update” on Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to noon Central. This webinar will explore what happened in Calgary as bishops, clergy, and laity gathered to discern the future of The United Methodist Church.

Register for the November 7 webinar

Rev. Bonnie Bevers Appointed Coordinator of Young People Ministries for Rio Texas Conference

New conference-level role will strengthen discipleship and support youth and young adult ministry across Rio Texas.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey has appointed Rev. Bonnie Bevers as Coordinator of Young People Ministries for the Rio Texas Conference, effective November 1, 2026.

“God is calling young people to lead and serve in the church and in the world today,” said Bishop Harvey. “This new role is an investment in helping them recognize that call. By strengthening the ministries and leaders who walk alongside our youth and young adults, we are continuing to build a culture of call across the Rio Texas Conference.”

Funded by a generous grant from Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM), the new position will support youth and young adult ministry across the conference, building on the work already happening in local churches, districts, camps, and campus ministries.

“Rev. Bevers brings a deep commitment to our connection, a passion for ministry with young people, and valuable leadership experience at the local church and across the broader connection,” said Rev. Dr. Tanya Campen, Director of Leadership Development and Faith Formation for the Rio Texas Conference. “Her gifts for building relationships, listening, and collaborating will be invaluable as we work alongside the faithful leaders already serving young people throughout our conference.”

Strengthening Discipleship and Developing Young Leaders

In this conference-level role, Bevers will work alongside congregations, district leaders, camps, and campus ministries to connect ministry leaders, share resources, and strengthen youth and young adult ministries throughout Rio Texas.

She will help coordinate conference-wide ministries, including Midwinter events, Confirmation Rally, summer camps, and regional gatherings. She will also provide coaching and training for youth and young adult ministry leaders.

An important part of her work will be helping youth and young adults explore where God might be calling them to serve. That could mean connecting a young person with a mentor, encouraging them to take on a leadership role, or helping them explore a call to ministry.

Bevers’ new role also supports two of the Rio Texas Conference's proposed strategic priorities: centering discipleship and cultivating relationships where people experience belonging and have a voice in the church.

A Passion for Walking Alongside Young People

“I am so excited to be joining the Rio Texas Conference staff as the Coordinator of Young People Ministries,” Bevers said. “Young people are the heart and soul of the church, both now and in the future! They have so much to teach us, and I look forward to working with youth, young adults, and the adults who support them to grow our community of faith and live into the call God has placed on all of our lives.”

Bevers currently serves as Associate Pastor to Youth and Children at First United Methodist Church in San Marcos. Since 2022, she has also served as Youth Delegate Coordinator for the Rio Texas Conference, helping young people participate in Annual Conference and other denominational gatherings.

Previously, she served in youth ministry leadership at Barrington United Methodist Church in Illinois and Bandera United Methodist Church in Texas. Her connectional leadership also includes service with UM ARMY at the conference and national levels.

Bevers became a deacon in full connection in June 2026. She earned her Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and completed a professional certification in youth ministry through Perkins School of Theology.

As she begins her new role, Bevers will spend time listening to youth, young adults, and ministry leaders across Rio Texas. She will learn more about the ministries already underway and look for opportunities to bring leaders together, share resources, and strengthen their work.

Her appointment is part of the conference’s investment in a church where young people can share their gifts, grow in faith, and take an active role in ministry and leadership.

Compass Pension Plan: Strong Participation and Important Updates for 2027

Compass Pension Plan: Strong Participation and Important Updates for 2027

Following action by the 2024 General Conference, the Compass Pension Plan took effect on January 1, 2026. This plan reshapes the way retirement benefits are provided for clergy in full-time ministry. Compass reflects a model of shared responsibility in which both the Church and clergy participate more directly in retirement preparation. Compass is an account-based retirement plan in which both the Church and clergy make contributions toward retirement savings. Church contributions for full-time clergy at 100% appointment include: $1,800 annual flat contribution ($150 per month), a 3% base contribution of Plan Compensation (including base salary and housing) and up to 4% matching contribution.

For clergy living in a parsonage, Compass increased the deemed value of the parsonage from 25% to 35% of base salary for purposes of determining Plan Compensation. Full-time clergy participation includes a minimum 4% personal contribution from Plan Compensation in order to receive the full 4% church match. The plan also includes a student loan provision that allows qualifying loan payments to count toward the personal match, up to 4%. Clergy can review and manage personal contribution elections through Wespath (www.wespath.org)

Across the Rio Texas Conference, participation has been strong. All full-time clergy are actively contributing, with 98% contributing at least 4%, and the average contribution rate currently stands at 6%. These numbers reflect a serious commitment to long-term financial well-being.

Clergy serving under part-time appointment continue to participate through UMPIP, the United Methodist Personal Investment Plan, with a 9% church contribution based on Plan Compensation.

Preparing for 2027

This fall, Isabel Munoz, Associate Director of Human Resources, has been meeting with clergy during district gatherings, both by Zoom and in person, to review Compass and other important Health benefit changes for 2027. “The first year of Compass has been very encouraging in Rio Texas. Our clergy have taken retirement preparation seriously, and the participation numbers reflect that. As we prepare for 2027, our focus is making sure clergy understand their choices and the resources available to them so they can make informed decisions”

One of the most significant changes is the Compass personal contribution auto-escalation. Beginning January 1, 2027, clergy currently contributing 4% will automatically increase to a 5% personal contribution. Clergy contributing more than 5% will remain at their current contribution rate. Those who do not want the automatic increase will need to make a different election through Benefits Access by December 31. 2027.

Another important feature now available is the Qualified Student Loan Provision (QSLP). This provision is designed to help clergy who are balancing student loan repayment with saving for retirement. Qualified student loan payments may count toward the clergy contribution needed to receive the Compass church match. Eligible Compass participants can now access the QSLP self-certification process through Benefits Access. Clergy who use this provision must certify their qualified student loan payments annually.

5 Things Clergy Should Do Before 2027

5 Things Clergy Should Do Before 2027

As the new year approaches, full-time clergy should take a few minutes to review their pension and health benefit elections:

1. Complete your 2027 HealthFlex Annual Election, October 28–November 12.
Clergy should log in to Wespath Benefits Access during Annual Election to review their coverage and make their 2027 benefit elections. HealthFlex is reducing its medical plan offerings from six to four for 2027 to simplify plan offerings, making it especially important to review the available options. www.wespath.org

2. Check your current Compass contribution rate.
Review the percentage you are currently contributing from your salary. A personal contribution of at least 4% allows you to receive the full available church match.

3. Decide whether the Personal Compass Contribution auto-escalation works for you.
If you are currently contributing 4%, your contribution will automatically increase to 5% on January 1, 2027. If you do not want the increase, you must opt out of the election through Benefits Access by December 31. 2027.

4. If you have student loans, review the new matching provision.
The Qualified Student Loan Provision is now available. Eligible clergy with qualified student loan payments should review the provision and complete the required self-certification through Benefits Access.

5. Meet with Your Payroll Administrator - Review your 2027 Compensation and Expense Report with your church's payroll administrator, along with your personal benefit elections and payroll deductions. Confirm that your Compass contributions, HealthFlex premiums, and any other applicable deductions are accurately reflected in your payroll for 2027. Complete this review by December 31 to help ensure your payroll and benefits are administered correctly beginning January 1, 2027.

The Rio Texas Conference Board of Pensions remains committed to ongoing education and support so clergy can understand their benefits and use them with confidence. Taking time this fall to review Compass contributions, student loan eligibility and HealthFlex elections can help clergy begin 2027 with their benefit elections aligned with their individual needs and long-term financial goals.

Holding Fast to the Sacred Worth of Every Person

The discussion surrounding the planned execution of Nidal Hasan and the proposed livestream of his death raises some deeply troubling questions, and calls us to reflect prayerfully on how we understand justice, accountability, and the sacred worth of human life.
 
We begin by remembering those killed at Fort Hood, those who survived, and the families and communities who continue to carry the wounds of that violence. Their lives and their grief matter. Our responsibility to accompany them with prayer, compassion, and sustained care remains.
 
The violence committed at Fort Hood was horrific. Accountability is necessary. Protecting others from harm is necessary. These responsibilities must be upheld in a way which also honors our conviction that every person is created in the image of God.

The United Methodist Church opposes the death penalty. United Methodists, like our siblings in the Roman Catholic Church, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and many others do not find it to be a tool that provides accountability or stops harm. 
 
Our Social Principles ground that position in the inherent dignity and worth of every person and call for the abolition of capital punishment. They also call us to minister to those who have lost loved ones to violent crimes and to support families without judgment as they navigate grief, justice, and healing.
 
Holding these commitments together can be difficult, especially when the harm is so profound. Yet our belief in the sacred worth of every person must extend even to those responsible for terrible acts. Human dignity does not erase responsibility, and accountability does not require that we take another life.
 
The proposal to livestream an execution raises an additional concern. Broadcasting a person’s death turns an act of violence into a public spectacle. We must ask what we are teaching our children, what we are asking grieving families to endure, and what happens to our own hearts when death becomes something we are invited to watch. Furthermore, people who worship Jesus, who was executed publicly in a horrifying display, should reject such a spectacle regardless of personal feelings on capital punishment more generally. 
 
As leaders in the Rio Texas Conference, we urge our churches to make room for prayerful, honest conversation grounded in Scripture and our Social Principles. We ask United Methodists to resist language that dehumanizes, to care for those affected by violence, and to advocate for an end to the death penalty, alongside all forms of mortal violence. 
 
We recognize that faithful people, including members of our own congregations, may disagree. We invite those conversations with humility and compassion, holding fast to our responsibility to speak clearly about the church’s teaching.
 
May we be a people who grieve with those who grieve, protect those at risk, seek justice, and bear witness to the mercy of Jesus Christ.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, Presiding Bishop
Rev. Dr. Aaron A. Gonzalez, Assistant to the Bishop
Abel Vega, Director of Connectional Ministries

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Adapted with permission from a statement originally published by the Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. Written by Alisha Bynum, with contributions from Rev. Nathan Lonsdale Bledsoe, Chair of Church & Society.

Learning Together, Looking Ahead: Joint Cabinet Retreat Focuses on Mission and the Future

Rev. Amanda Banda

Director of Communications, Rio Texas Conference

What does it look like for conference leadership to move beyond responding to the needs of today and begin preparing faithfully for the church of tomorrow?

That question was at the center of an August gathering that brought together the Cabinets of the Rio Texas and Texas Annual Conferences for three days of shared learning in San Antonio, followed by two additional days of reflection and planning for the Rio Texas Cabinet.

Leaders from the Rio Texas and Texas Annual Conference Cabinets gathered in San Antonio Aug. 24–28 for shared learning, conversation and strategic reflection.

During a session with the H. E. Butt Foundation, Cabinet members explored how lessons from other organizations might help conference leaders think more clearly about purpose, strategy and the communities they serve.

The August 24–28 retreat included conversations with the H. E. Butt Foundation, H.E. B., Methodist Healthcare Ministries, and Wespath, along with opportunities for the two Cabinets to learn from one another and consider how lessons from outside the Church might strengthen their own leadership. The Cabinets also participated in a CliftonStrengths exercise to better understand the gifts each leader brings to their shared work.

For Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey, several ideas from those conversations have continued to shape the weeks that followed.

One came from a session with the H. E. Butt Foundation and H.E.B that challenged leaders to identify their organization's “gross” — the central outcome around which everything else is organized. For a business, that answer may involve profit or growth. For the Church, the conversation led Rio Texas leaders back to something much more foundational: discipleship and transformation. 

The mission of The United Methodist Church is “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” During the days that followed, Rio Texas leaders began asking what that mission means specifically for the work of a conference Cabinet.

How do conference leaders deploy people and resources in ways that help local churches make disciples? How do they know whether the conference's work is helping congregations engage their communities? And how should those questions shape decisions about where time, attention, and resources are invested?

The retreat emphasized the importance of understanding context rather than assuming the same approach works everywhere. Bishop Harvey has repeatedly returned to an example from H-E-B: stores in different communities do not necessarily carry the same products because the people and neighborhoods around them are different. Ministry contexts are different, too.

“What’s needed in Bexar County might not be needed in Starr County,” leaders heard during their time with Methodist Healthcare Ministries (MHM), which serves communities across South Texas and intentionally adapts its work to local needs.

Methodist Healthcare Ministries shared how its strategy adapts across the 74 counties it serves, helping Cabinet members consider how local context can shape ministry and decision-making.

That learning prompted conversations about how the conference can listen more closely to communities, understand changing demographics, and recognize opportunities that may not be visible from inside a church building.

Another idea from MHM that stayed with the Cabinet was the distinction between working “upstream” and “downstream.” Much of the Church's ministry responds faithfully to immediate needs. But leaders also wrestled with what it means to look further upstream. What conditions are creating those needs? What decisions made today could strengthen a church or community several years from now? Where might early investment prevent a future crisis?

Methodist Healthcare Ministries demonstrated that approach through its own strategy, which looks beyond immediate services toward the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive.

Wespath shared how data can help conference leaders identify patterns in congregational health.

Wespath research explored factors connected to congregational vulnerability and church closures.

Wespath brought another lens to the conversation by demonstrating how data can help conference leaders identify patterns and better understand the health of congregations before they reach a point of crisis.

Using more than a decade of United Methodist Church data, Wespath has studied factors connected to church closures and congregational vulnerability. Some of the findings surprised leaders. In one model, for example, a significant decline in female membership over two years was the strongest predictor of a congregation’s likelihood of closing. Changes in ministry engagement, worship attendance, baptisms, and youth participation also emerged as indicators.

The findings encouraged leaders to consider how data might help them ask better questions earlier. What changes might signal that a congregation needs additional support? What can be learned from churches that are thriving? And how might leaders recognize both vulnerability and vitality earlier?

Leaders from the Rio Texas and Texas Annual Conference Cabinets share lunch and conversation at Travis Park United Methodist Church.

Wespath is now exploring that second question more deeply by looking beyond church closure toward congregational vitality. Its developing framework includes not only membership and worship attendance, but measures related to faith formation, community and missional engagement, lay leadership, digital engagement, partnerships, demographics, financial health, and discipleship.

The presentation reinforced a question already emerging throughout the retreat: How does the Church understand vitality?

Worship attendance, membership, and finances remain useful pieces of information, but Bishop Harvey has challenged leaders to consider whether those measures alone tell the whole story. Where is a congregation engaging its neighbors? Who is participating in the mission of the Church even if they are not yet sitting in a sanctuary on Sunday morning? How are lives and communities being changed?

As the joint portion of the retreat concluded, both Cabinets continued their work at Travis Park United Methodist Church, whose hospitality provided a gathering place for the retreat’s final three days. Working within their respective Cabinets, leaders spent time in what they described as “balcony work,” stepping back from immediate concerns to consider the larger picture and how the conference’s work can support local churches in carrying out their mission.

Following three days of shared learning with the Texas Annual Conference, the Rio Texas Cabinet spent additional time reflecting on what those lessons could mean for the conference's mission and priorities.

Travis Park United Methodist Church offered a warm welcome and hospitality as conference leaders gathered there for the final three days of the retreat.

Out of those conversations, some common language began to emerge. The Cabinet identified discipleship and transformation as the purpose at the center of its work and described its function as deploying leaders and resources while tending to the connection. As leaders considered how to strengthen the conference's strategic priorities in the year ahead, three areas began to take shape as a framework for that work: building bridges with neighbors, building trust through relationships, and nurturing healthy, equipped leaders.

While the language is still being developed, the direction is becoming clearer. Rather than beginning with programs or initiatives, the Cabinet is beginning with purpose and asking how the conference can best equip and support the people carrying out that mission across Rio Texas.

That clarity also creates room to listen, learn, and adapt. New approaches can be tried and refined as leaders better understand what is working, what communities need, and where God may be opening new possibilities.

For Bishop Harvey, this season also offers Rio Texas an opportunity to look further ahead. After years marked by unification, a pandemic, denominational disruption, and disaffiliation, she told clergy that the conference is beginning to move beyond simply responding to the next immediate challenge. The work now includes asking what to sustain, what may need to change, where new opportunities are emerging, and how the conference can faithfully steward the people, property, and financial resources entrusted to it.

The questions ahead are not only about what the conference should do differently, but about where God may already be at work. Where are new possibilities emerging in our churches and communities? Where are people finding connection, belonging, and transformation? And what might we discover if we are willing to listen closely to our neighbors and look beyond the ways ministry has always been done?

The Rio Texas Cabinet gathers around the Communion table, grounding the work ahead in the shared mission and connection of the Church.

Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey leads the Rio Texas Cabinet in Holy Communion as the retreat draws to a close.

Cabinet members share in the bread and cup during closing worship at Travis Park United Methodist Church.

The answers will look different across Rio Texas. A congregation in a growing suburb will face different opportunities than a church that has served a rural community for generations. But across those different contexts, the mission remains the same: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The work ahead will require curiosity, courage, and a willingness to learn. It will mean building bridges with our neighbors, strengthening relationships and trust, equipping healthy leaders, and faithfully tending to the connection we share.

And as Rio Texas looks ahead, perhaps the invitation is not only to ask what comes next, but to pay attention to where God is already moving and have the courage to join in.

Clergy Find Streams in the Wilderness at First All-Clergy-Retreat

photo submitted by cathy stone

Clergy from across the Rio Texas Conference gathered September 13–15 at Camp Buckner in Burnet for the conference’s first All Clergy Retreat.

Photo submitted by Celia Halfacre

Centered around the theme “Streams in the Wilderness,” the retreat offered participants time to rest, worship, reconnect with colleagues, and listen for God together.

“We spend so much of our time taking care of other people,” the Clergy Retreat Planning Team shared with participants before the gathering. “For this time, we want to create some space for you to be cared for, too.”

That idea shaped the retreat’s intentionally open schedule. Rather than filling each day with presentations and required activities, planners encouraged those attending to use the time as their souls needed—whether that meant taking a walk, visiting with a colleague, creating something, taking a nap, or simply sitting quietly.

Photo submitted by Gustavo segovia

Photo submitted by Celia Halfacre

Photo submitted by Adrienne Zermeno

Optional activities included yoga, prayer walking, watercolor painting and reflection, planting, journaling, crafts, and games, with space for informal conversations, coffee, and shared snacks.

Clergy gathered with their Orders, worshiped together, and spent time in conversation with Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey. During a question-and-answer session, they discussed changing patterns of church participation, congregational vitality, church property, rural ministry, and the faithful use of conference resources.

clergy had a Q&A time with bishop Harvey

Bishop Harvey encouraged those gathered to think beyond traditional measures of vitality and consider how congregations engage their communities and reach people who may never enter a sanctuary. She also shared questions conference leaders are exploring as they consider how Rio Texas can faithfully use its financial, human, and property resources to support ministry into the future.

Photo submitted by Celia Halfacre

photo submitted by cathy stone

The retreat also created space for clergy to listen to one another and reflect on the future of the church through three guiding questions:

• When have you seen the church most fully alive?

• Where do you see God already doing something new among us?

• If we were willing to release some things we have always assumed the conference must be, must do, or must look like, what might God be making room for?

As clergy shared stories from their churches and communities, several common themes emerged.

Participants described seeing the church come alive when people experience belonging, children are included in worship, and congregations respond to communities experiencing disaster or hardship. They spoke about ministry moving beyond the sanctuary through shared meals, small groups, community partnerships, and opportunities for churches to worship and serve together.

clergy discussed questions at their table

They also identified signs of new life in intergenerational worship, ministries addressing food insecurity, and congregations willing to try something different to meet their communities' changing needs.

The conversation invited participants to consider what churches—and the conference as a whole—may need to release to create room for that new life. Clergy spoke about the need for greater collaboration, shared leadership, and relationships built on trust. They imagined churches sharing resources rather than competing, creating more opportunities for connection and developing systems flexible enough to respond to changing ministry needs.

The discussion acknowledged both the diversity of the Rio Texas Conference and the different realities facing its congregations. Participants raised questions about equity, the sustainability of smaller churches, and how the conference can honor its congregations' distinct identities while living more fully into the United Methodist connection. 

photo by adrienne Zermeno

photo by cathy stone

The retreat offered clergy something important: room to rest, ask honest questions, share what they are experiencing, and listen for where God may already be at work.

As participants returned to their communities, they carried an invitation to keep listening, notice where the church is alive, remain open to what is emerging, and trust that God is still creating streams in the wilderness.

Explore the photo gallery above to see moments from the retreat captured and shared by clergy who attended.

photo submitted by adrienne zermeno

50 Years of Faithful Service: Celebrating Ida Padilla

Story written by : Isabel Munoz, Associate Director of Human Resources & Benefits

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For half a century, Ida Padilla has quietly and faithfully helped support the financial ministry of the Southwest Texas and Rio Texas Conferences of The United Methodist Church.

ida padilla

On September 16, 1976, Ida began what would become an extraordinary 50 years of service in the Conference Finance Office. Through changing bishops and treasurers, office moves, new technology, and the formation of the Rio Texas Conference, Ida has remained a steady and trusted presence. On September 15, Conference staff, colleagues, friends, and family gathered for a luncheon at the United Methodist Center to celebrate Ida's remarkable 50-year milestone.

Her story began thousands of miles from Texas. Ida was born in Bedfordshire, England, about 40 miles north of London. Her journey eventually took her around the world, including two years in Taiwan, before she made her way to San Antonio. On September 16, 1976, Ida joined the Southwest Texas Conference staff at its historic building at 535 Bandera Road, beginning her work in bookkeeping and deposits.

isabel sharing the history with staff.

1977 southwest texas conference journal.

It was a very different time in both the world and the workplace. Gerald Ford was President, a gallon of gasoline cost around 60 cents, and the financial work now accomplished with computers and electronic transactions relied on paper, pencils, adding machines, typewriters, and a great deal of patience. Just one month after Ida's arrival, she experienced a Special Called Session of Annual Conference in October 1976. The following year brought her first regular Annual Conference in 1977, one of many she would experience during the next five decades.

When Ida began, Jim Ferguson served as Conference Treasurer. Over the years, she would work alongside six Conference treasurers and generations of bishops, clergy, Conference leaders, and staff. In 1984, Ida was named Associate Treasurer, reflecting the knowledge, dedication, and trust she had earned through her work.  For many years, the Southwest Texas Conference called the Bandera Road office home. In 1996, Ida moved with the staff to the new United Methodist Center on Huebner Rd. The new Conference building quickly provided its own memorable stories, including a lightning strike just months after opening that activated the sprinkler system and flooded the Rotunda.

Through it all, Ida continued her work. She witnessed enormous changes in how the Finance Office operated, from handwritten records and adding machines to computers, electronic banking, and increasingly sophisticated financial software and systems. She also served through significant changes in the life of the Church, including the unification of the Southwest Texas and Rio Grande Conferences to form the Rio Texas Conference.

In 2013, after 37 years, Ida retired from full-time employment. At least, that was the plan. She was encouraged to stay on in a part-time role, where her extensive experience and attention to detail have continued to be invaluable in the areas of internal controls, auditing, and reconciliations. Thirteen years later, she is still serving. Those who have worked alongside Ida know her as someone who does not seek the spotlight. She is reserved, dependable, hardworking, and extraordinarily knowledgeable. She approaches her work with a simple determination: make sure what needs to be done gets done, done correctly.

bishop harvey giving ida her certificate of distinguished achievement.

first piece of cake goes to ida!

Her colleagues have shared much more than financial ministry work over the years. Together, they have celebrated and mourned. From personal milestones to historic events, both here in the United States and from Ida's roots in England. Through decades of change, these relationships have become an important part of Ida's Conference story. Fifty years of service is about much more than longevity. It represents thousands of workdays, countless deposits and reconciliations, audits and Annual Conferences, deadlines and transitions, friendships and challenges. Behind those numbers are ministries, churches, clergy, and people throughout South and Central Texas whose work has been supported by Ida's faithful service.

For half a century, Ida has been part of the history of the Conference. We give thanks for her loyalty, knowledge, quiet determination, and faithful service to the Church.

ida and her husband.