Austin Seminary Alumni Dinner at Annual Conference

Click Here to download the invitation flyer. 

New Certifications in Parish Nursing Now Available for Ordained and Lay Leaders

United Methodist parish nurses now have the opportunity to earn certification in their specialized ministry. Developed in consultation with Discipleship Ministries and the Global Health Division of the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) is now offering deacons or elders who are also parish nurses a certification in parish nurse ministry. Discipleship Ministries is offering a parish nurse specialization for nurses through the certified lay ministry process.

While other organizations offer certification in faith-community nursing, the GBHEM certification is explicitly United Methodist in that in entails education in United Methodist history, doctrine, polity, resources and mission. 

“This is an opportunity for United Methodist parish nurses to get a distinctly United Methodist certification and enhance their connection with other United Methodist nurses,” says Victoria Rebeck, director of Deacon Ministry Development and Provisional Membership, Division of Ordained Ministry at GBHEM. She adds, “Parish nurses continue John Wesley’s interest in health and wholeness. This certification recognizes and supports that vital community ministry.”

Parish nursing has long been a part of congregational health under Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit. The term “parish nurse” was chosen by Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg in 1985 to name this specialty practice because it connoted service not only to congregations, but also to the wider community. Global Ministries will promote the ministry tracks for the parish nurse through its UMC Health Ministry Network of parish nurses.  

“For health ministry to flourish, you need a parish nurse or person with a passion for health to advocate for programs that will improve the health of the local congregation and the community,” says Dr. Olusimbo Ige, executive director of Global Ministries’ Global Health Unit. “Not every community has a hospital or medical facility, but every community has a church which can positively influence and educate congregations and communities regarding holistic health practices of health ministry,” she explains. Global Ministries will assemble a roster of nurses who have completed the certification process for support and networking purposes.  

Click Here for more information

Rio Texas Announces Coastal Bend Case Manager

The Rio Texas Conference is proud to announce the addition of Kimberly White to the UMCOR Case Manager team. She will be working mostly in the Alice and Robstown areas of the Coastal Bend District. Those areas suffered tornado damage in May 2015.

Ms. White is responsible for identifying and prioritizing disaster cases. She was trained at the UMCOR Case Management Training Session at Grace UMC in Corpus Christi. She has already started several home visits and establishing a system.

Ms. White was born in Uvalde and raised on farms in Crystal City and Mathis. She has a lineage of grandparents that helped start First United Methodist Church in Mathis.

We Need Your Help Replenishing Flood Buckets Supply

The Rio Texas Disaster Response Team exhausted the Bishop Joel and Dr. Raquel Martinez Disaster Response Center of its supply of flood buckets. 

1,089 flood buckets were sent to East Texas to help flood victims near the Sabine River. 

We need to prepare for the next disaster. Please gather the materials for flood buckets and donate them to your local church. Click Here for Flood Bucket assembly instructions. 

"We need flood buckets for the hurricane season, as well as the summer and spring flood seasons," said Disaster Response Coordinator Eugene Hileman. "We are completely out of flood buckets."

Churches can drop off flood buckets at the Conference Office at 16400 Huebner Road. San Antonio, Texas. 78248. 

You may also drop-off flood buckets at the Martinez Disaster Response Center in Kerrville. Please make prior arrangements with Mr. Hileman first by emailing him at aehileman@riotexas.org

Flood Bucket donations will be accepted at this year's Rio Texas Annual Conference in Corpus Christi, June 9-12. 

If you wish to volunteer for Disaster Response, sign up for ERT Training. There are two upcoming training dates: April 9 at University UMC in San Antonio and April 16 at Asbury UMC in Corpus Christi. Click Here to sign-up for ERT Training. 

Harry Denman Evangelism Award: nominations due by May 1, 2016

Harry Denman was once described by a bishop as the kind of man who could carry the flag at the head of the parade and at the same time beat the drum, setting the cadence for the march. His leadership in evangelism was unique as was his personal life and witness. He was one who went up to persons and always held out his hand, saying, "Where do you preach?" His friendship encircled the world, and he was at home in a variety of settings.

Harry Denman was a layman who had the gift of making people want to listen whether he was speaking with one person or to a multitude. He was a person who never accepted "no" as final. He sought to try that which others thought could not be done, and he succeeded.

Love for the Lord and his fellow human beings was the keynote of his life. He stood for many things that are today coming to pass, but were not popular causes in his own day: the equality of persons regardless of sex, nationality, or race; simplicity of lifestyle, disregard of false values of materialism; and a search for the true values of life taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Harry Denman was truly a "fisher of all persons." He sought to lead the Board of Evangelism into wide presentations of the Gospel to reach people. His personal dedication forced him to follow Christ totally, and he sought to lead others to have what he had: total commitment to a life of faith. He told it like it was as best as he understood it. He did not hesitate to give answers to the tough questions of personal faith, nor did he fail to admit his own personal weakness and frequently asked another person to "pray for me."

To meet Harry Denman was to feel the force of his personality and to be challenged by it. The impact of his spiritual and physical presence is not easily forgotten. He moved tirelessly, confidently, dedicated to one objective: to witness for the Lord, Jesus Christ. When he was part of a group, whether with colleagues or strangers, businessmen or politicians, the conversation was shifted by Harry to the Bible, prayer, and the Risen Lord whom he sought continually to serve. He commanded attention by his dedication and singleness of purpose.

For these reasons, each year the Rio Texas Conference seeks to honor one clergy person, one lay person, and one youth whose lives exemplify the spirit and dedication of Harry Denman with the Denman Evangelism Award. If you know persons who reflect the singleness of purpose in reaching persons for Jesus Christ that was exemplified by Harry Denman, please submit a nomination for those persons: clergy, laity, youth.

The Harry Denman Evangelism Award program honors United Methodists in each annual conference whose exceptional ministry of evangelism – expressed in Word (what), Sign (why), and Deed (how) – brings people into a life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

Evangelism happens in many contexts and many settings; impacts and engages all generations; and requires relationship among a variety of persons.   What distinguishes a Harry Denman Evangelism Award recipient is the commitment to consistently introduce others to the Good News of Jesus Christ in all ministry settings.  Their ministry is exceptional for the number of new Christ Followers who credit encounters with this person as critical in helping to start or reignite their faith journey.

Nomination Process

Annual Conferences receive all nomination forms and select annual award recipients.  Please do not send nomination forms to The Foundation for Evangelism.  

Rio Texas Harry Denman Evangelism Award Deadline is May 1. Please send your nomination forms to Shelly Kennerdell at skennerdell@riotexas.org

If you have any questions, please contact Shelly Kennerdell, Mission Vitality Office. 

• Nomination Form
• Who was Harry Denman?

Update: Mount Wesley User Survey Closed

We are no longer accepting survey responses at this time. Thank you for your participation and interest. 

From Bill Knobles, President, Rio Texas Conference Board of Trustees

Dear Friends:

The Board of Trustees of the Rio Texas Conference is tasked with the oversight of Mt. Wesley. We have been diligently working this past year to assess the property and then plan repairs and improvements that will facilitate ministry over the long term.   It will be enormously helpful if you would take some of your valuable time to complete this survey. We need to establish some baselines for the property and there is no better way to do so than to ask the people who have most recently used Mt. Wesley.

Not everyone will have had the same experience and that makes it important that we please get as many responses to this survey as possible. It is also important that you be candid with your answers. We want to hear the good and the not so good. If you want to send the questionnaire in anonymously, that is fine with us. At the end of the survey, we will ask for optional contact information if you are willing to allow us to contact you for further discussion.   

We thank you in advance for your help. The Trustees are absolutely committed to the restoration of Mt. Wesley, and the preservation of the traditions and the ministries that Mt. Wesley is known for. Your response will certainly help us do so.  We ask that you share this email with others. 

Please click here to access the Mt. Wesley User Survey

Blessings,

Bill Knobles
President
Rio Texas Conference Board of Trustees

New Assistant Director of Intergenerational Discipleship Selected

After much prayer and discernment, the Rio Texas Annual Conference Mission Vitality Center is proud to announce our selection of our newest member, Rev. Dr. Tanya Marie Eustace as the Assistant Director of Intergenerational Discipleship.  Dr. Eustace is an ordained deacon in the Rio Texas Conference and currently serves as Director, Children and Intergenerational Ministries at Discipleship Ministries (formerly known as the General Board of Discipleship). Bishop Janice Riggle Huie appointed her to this new position beginning on July 1. Dr. Eustace will be serving the District Strategy Teams to assist them in their ministries with children, youth and adults. Her first assignment is to meet individuals and to understand the needs of each district and its churches.

As a native Texan, Tanya was born in Houston and grew up in Midland. She graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in Music and Religion from Austin College in Sherman, TX. She attained a Masters of Divinity from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Tanya received her doctorate of philosophy in Christian education and congregational studies from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Children's spirituality was her research focus. She has 19 years of experience as a Christian Educator and Minister to Children and Families in the local church. 

When Tanya is not at work, she can be found spending time with her Portuguese Water Dog, Bela Esperança (beautiful hope). Tanya and Bela are working together to become a certified therapy dog team so that Bela can join Tanya in ministry. 

Tanya also spends a lot of her free time outside–experiencing God’s beautiful creation. Running, cycling and yoga help keep Tanya connected to God. She also enjoys personal meditation, prayer, and her time with beloved friends and family. Tanya has completed three marathons and a Bike MS 150-mile ride. Tanya believes that God is actively present in the lives of all people and enjoys discovering God in every life moment. 

Young Adults Needed for Global Mission Fellow

Are you graduating soon? What are your plans for the next two years? Be a part of a life-transforming mission opportunity by becoming a Global Mission Fellow. Global Ministries is looking for candidates to serve as young adult missionaries 2016–2018. Interested? Apply today! The application deadline is March 31, 2016.

As a young adult missionary, you can be involved in several areas of mission including education, health ministries, women and children, disaster response, church development, leadership, social justice and advocacy, hunger and poverty, water and sanitation, and so much more. 

“I challenge young people across the world to take this big leap of faith,” says Joy Eva Bohol, mission advocate for Global Ministries. “I encourage everyone to use their gifts, talents, and profession to participate in God’s mission. Being a Global Mission Fellow was the best decision of my life.” 

Join this two-year leadership development and mission service opportunity that allows young adults from around the world to serve in a ministry of presence and solidarity with a host community outside of their home context. 

As you consider your application to become a Global Mission Fellow, take a look at this video and hear from several Global Mission Fellows alumni whose lives were transformed through missionary service. 

Start the application process now! 

Do you have questions? If so, register for an informational webinar on Tuesday, March 9, 2016, and speak with staff or alumni at one of the scheduled times: 8 a.m., 1 p.m., or 4:30 p.m. (EST). 

You can also email GMFellows@umcmission.org, mayams@umcmission.org, or visit www.umcmission.org/gmfellows for more information.

Clergy Needed for 2016 Annual Conference Clergy Choir

Click Here to download the PDF for 2016 Clergy Choir