A Conversation on Racism

Join Bishop Schnase as he welcomes Bishop Tracy Smith Malone to a live online conversation about racism, especially as it is manifested in our work together as United Methodists. Bishop Malone served as a pastor and District Superintendent in the Northern Illinois Conference and is Bishop of the East Ohio Conference. She and Bishop Schnase will explore what is helpful in identifying and dismantling racism in conference operations and practices, and what simply does not work. What do we need to learn? What is the best approach for bringing change that makes a difference?

Wednesday, September 16, 10:00 a.m.
Register HERE

Bishop Tracy S. Malone is the resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church. She provides spiritual oversight; shares in equipping, teaching and encouraging mission, outreach, witness and service; and serves as a shepherd of the church in providing a prophetic witness of justice, mercy and unity.

Malone serves on the Boards of Trustees at the United Methodist-affiliated colleges, seminaries and organizations in East Ohio. She also is currently the president of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the secretary of the Council of Bishops, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa University.

Malone has a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and Sociology, with a minor in Computer Science, from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. She holds a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois, and earned her Doctorate of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Malone grew up in The United Methodist Church and accepted her call to ministry at the early age of 13. She and her husband Derrick are the parents of two daughters.

Warming hearts at Texas State University!

by Rev. Todd Salmi, United Campus Ministry at Texas State

For more than 90 years, the United Campus Ministry at Texas State has partnered with The United Methodist Church to welcome all students in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. With a diverse school enrollment of over 39,000 students, including 40% first-generation in college, the UCM cares for individual students, creates disciples, and serves our neighbors in the name of Jesus. 

If you know a student at Texas State, or want to make a positive impact with emerging young adult leaders of the church, please contact Todd Salmi (todd@ucmtxstate.org) and visit www.ucmtxstate.org. You can also find us on Instagram which is our main social media account: www.instagram.com/UCMtxstate.

The United Campus Ministry at Texas State is a mission of the Río Texas UMC and connected to the Wesley college ministry network.

Appointments Booklet

In a normal year, the lay and clergy members of the Rio Texas Annual Conference would have ended our conference session in June with our bishop setting the pastoral appointments for the coming year. Each delegate would have received a printed Appointment Book, which would then be reprinted in that year's conference journal. While this year we were not able to meet, Bishop Schnase has still made appointments! Please find attached the list of Rio Texas appointments, which became effective July 1, 2020.

2020 Appointment Booklet

Project Transformation - Adapting, Growing, & Moving

The Rio Texas Conference and Project Transformation would like to share an important update. This summer, Project Transformation (PT) will be moving out of the conference office and into a new facility. Details about this move can be found in the update written by Kercida McClain below. The ministry of PT is a blessing for the college interns who teach and lead grade-school students, for the churches, and volunteers, and donors that make PT possible.  We look forward to our continued work with Kercida McClain and the team that works with Project Transformation.

Robert Schnase, Bishop
Rio Texas Conference

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Grape Juice
An Update on Project Transformation Housing and Home

The long and short of it is that Project Transformation will have a fabulous new home by the end of June.

The details: PT has completely re-modified its summer 2020 program to be virtual out of love for all those we work with and beside. That means no interns living in the community this summer. The good news is that as we hit the typical speed bumps of construction, we are no longer on a compressed time table and everything is still being completed meeting high expectations and code requirements. The building looks fabulous. The transformation is remarkable.

The Capital Campaign that had just begun has been paused in light of people needing to support much more basic needs in the crisis. The good news is that gap funding had already been secured from TMF and it is being used and is enough. The generosity of the Las Misiones District and the Coker UMC Foundation got everything rolling and TMF will sustain us until we ramp the Capital Campaign back up in the fall.

PT has also had the privilege during COVID to stand in the gap for St. Marks’ neighbors needing food. When the church needed to close during COVID, so did the food pantry. PT kept serving those neighbors and that allowed us to get to meet and interact with our neighbors. Our presence on the campus has meant activity and interaction when things would have been very quiet otherwise.

Our immediate plan is to relocate the PT offices into two rooms in the Housing building so as to not have an amazing building sit empty and to continue the work anchoring in the neighborhood that began this spring. The goal is still for the Afterschool Fellow(s) to live there when it is safe to be back together physically and of course we are looking toward a full building next summer. PT is still planning to welcome guests visiting our community by offering low cost accommodations as they serve in our area.

We can’t wait to throw the doors open wide and celebrate this facility and all the potential it holds. Thank you for your partnership with us and so many yet to come.

Kercida McClain
Donor. Volunteer. CEO.
Project Transformation Rio Texas

Click here to see some pictures!

COVID-19 Check-In Survey is Now Open!

During the COIVD-19 pandemic, churches throughout the Rio Texas Conference have used their passion for ministry to find creative ways of serving their communities. It has been a privilege to witness countless acts of love and grace during this difficult time. Thank you for all the hard work each of you has done. 

Our conference and district staff are seeking positive ways to support you in this important work. At the link below, you will find a survey where you can share your experiences from this time and questions going forward. The survey is informal and quick.  

We are inviting both clergy and lay leaders to complete this survey. It is okay if multiple clergy or lay leaders from one church complete the survey, but each person should only participate one time. If you have any technical concerns about the survey, please contact Jozlin Parker through the form on THIS web page.  

We look forward to hearing from you and to continuing fruitful conversation and partnership. May God bless and inspire you in your ministry! 

Bishop Schnase's Statement Concerning Racism

June 5, 2020 

Dear Friends of the Rio Texas Conference,  

 Several people have asked if I would be releasing a statement about the killing of George Floyd.  I’ve read helpful statements from other bishops, pastors, and community leaders, and I have had to ask myself why I feel such an inner reluctance to prepare one.    

I served as bishop in Missouri when Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson.  He died a couple of blocks from a United Methodist Church.  I wrote a statement.  A week later, I wrote another one as events unfolded.  And another one after that.  To be honest, I’ve lost count of the number of statements I have written about the killings of black people during the sixteen years that I have been a bishop, and it grieves my spirit to wonder whether those words have done any good.   

Statements from leaders can be important in the moment but only go so far. Violence against black people and other people of color finds its roots in racism, systemic and profound, and forms such a continuing pattern that statements often sound weak, awkward, ineffective, empty, and utterly insufficient.  

The continuous video coverage of frustration, anger, and grief in the streets of Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC,  can have the effect of making the current crisis appear far away, removed from where many of us live and work.  Yet this coverage also puts the reality right before us, with graphic images, some of which come from our own communities.  What is clear is that the dynamics of racism exist in varying degrees in every community served by the Rio Texas Conference as well as in our churches.   

Conversations about race are difficult.  They are hard work.  They take courage, openness, listening, learning.  Exploring issues of access, equality, and human dignity is work that requires humility and a willingness to explore assumptions and perceptions that deeply shape us in ways we usually are not even conscious of. This is kingdom work.  It is work the Lord requires of us—to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.       

As the Holy Spirit descended upon the gathering at Pentecost, people of diverse nations, languages, and races suddenly understood one another as never before. How can we cooperate with the Holy Spirit in this season to place ourselves in the most advantageous circumstances to learn what God would have us know?  

This moment provides an opening for us to learn things that we do not now know and to see what ordinarily we do not see about how other people experience us, our churches, and our communities.   We may not recognize how we play a role in perpetuating injustices that other people experience.   

I pray that our conference, our churches, our pastors, and the everyday disciples that seek to faithfully live out the commission of Christ are willing to lean into the hard conversations rather than to turn away from them.   

My heart breaks every time I think of Mr. Floyd and his final moments of life.  May this season not merely break our hearts but break open our hearts so that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of God.  

Yours in Christ, 

Robert Schnase, Bishop 

The Rio Texas Conference  
of the United Methodist Church

Statement in English

Statement in Spanish

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Queridos amigos de la Conferencia Río Texas,

               Varias personas me han preguntado si iría a publicar una declaración sobre el asesinato de George Floyd. He leído declaraciones útiles de otros obispos, pastores y líderes de la comunidad, y he tenido que preguntarme por qué me siento tan reticente a preparar una declaración propia.

               Serví como obispo en Missouri cuando Michael Brown fue asesinado en Ferguson. Murió a un par de cuadras de una Iglesia Metodista Unida. Escribí una declaración. Una semana después, escribí otra a medida que se desarrollaban más eventos. Y otra después de eso. Honestamente, he perdido cuenta de la cantidad de declaraciones que he escrito sobre los asesinatos de personas africano americanas durante los dieciséis años que he sido obispo, y me entristece preguntarme si esas palabras han hecho bien alguno.

               Las declaraciones de líderes pueden ser importantes en este momento, pero solo sirven hasta cierto punto. La violencia contra los africano americanos y otras personas de color encuentra sus raíces en el racismo, sistémico y profundo, y forma un patrón tan continuo que las declaraciones a menudo suenan débiles, incómodas, ineficaces, vacías y completamente insuficientes.               El reportaje continuo en video de la frustración, la ira y el dolor en las calles de Minneapolis, Nueva York, Los Ángeles y Washington, DC puede tener el efecto de parecer que la crisis actual parezca muy lejana, alejada de donde muchos de nosotros vivimos y trabajamos. Sin embargo, esta cobertura también pone la realidad ante nosotros, con imágenes gráficas, algunas de las cuales provienen de nuestras propias comunidades. Lo que está claro es que la dinámica del racismo existe en diversos grados en cada comunidad servida por la Conferencia Río Texas, así como en nuestras iglesias.

            Las conversaciones sobre raza son difíciles. Son un trabajo arduo. Requieren valor, apertura, escuchar y aprender. Explorar temas de acceso, igualdad y dignidad humana es un trabajo que requiere humildad y la voluntad de explorar suposiciones y percepciones que nos amoldan profundamente en formas en las cuales generalmente ni siquiera estamos conscientes. Este es el trabajo del reino. Es una obra que el Señor requiere de nosotros: hacer justicia, amar la bondad y caminar humildemente con nuestro Dios.

            Cuando el Espíritu Santo descendió sobre la reunión en el Pentecostés, las personas de diversas naciones, idiomas y razas de repente se entendieron como nunca antes. ¿Cómo podremos cooperar con el Espíritu Santo en esta temporada para ubicarnos en las circunstancias más ventajosas que nos permitan aprender lo que Dios quiere que sepamos?

Este momento nos brinda una apertura para aprender cosas que ahora no sabemos y para ver lo que normalmente no vemos acerca de cómo nos perciben otras personas, a nosotros, a nuestras iglesias y a nuestras comunidades. Quizás no reconozcamos cómo desempeñamos nuestro papel al perpetuar las injusticias que otras personas sufren.

Oro para que nuestra conferencia, nuestras iglesias, nuestros pastores y los discípulos que a diario desean vivir fielmente de acuerdo a la comisión de Cristo estén dispuestos a involucrarse en las conversaciones difíciles y no alejarse de ellas.

Mi corazón se quebranta cada vez que pienso en el Sr. Floyd y los últimos momentos de su vida. Que esta temporada no solo quebrante nuestros corazones sino que abra nuestros corazones para que podamos crecer en la gracia y en el conocimiento y el amor de Dios.

Un Servidor en Cristo,

Robert Schnase, Obispo

La Conferencia Río Texas de la Iglesia Metodista Unida

Watch Bishop Schnase Discuss Reopening Churches During The Coronavirus Pandemic.

Read Why Reopening a Church is Different By Rev. Alex A. Shanks.

Annual Conference Update

On March 30, 2020, Rio Texas Conference Secretary Mickey McCandless shared the decision to suspend Annual Conference registration in light of the COVID-19 crisis, along with the intention to share a final announcement concerning Annual Conference on May 1, 2020. As of today, Bishop Schnase and the Annual Conference Design Team do not have a final decision to share.  

The commitment to protect the health and safety of the Rio Texas community is simple, but the complexities required to make a final decision cannot be overstated. Bishop Schnase and the Annual Conference Design Team have been in dialogue with United Methodist leaders across the nation. All are working to discern appropriate and creative ways of accomplishing the work of the Annual Conference in accordance with the Book of Discipline, without compromising the health and safety of our communities. 

Bishop Schnase and the Annual Conference Design Team appreciate the patience and understanding shown by the Rio Texas Conference community. A final decision will be announced next week.

Re-Launch (not just re-open)

Zoom gatherings—limited to 30 people per session

This is primarily for Clergy but 1 key lay/staff person can be invited from each church

(More can be scheduled if needed!)

Led by Rev. Karen Horan, Director of Creating/ Vitalizing Congregations and Developing Leaders

Churches with average worship attendance of 120 or less

May 4, 9:00-11:00 a.m. - Session Completed

May 4, 1:00-3:00 p.m. - Session Completed

May 5, 9:00-11:00 a.m. (Spanish interpretation available) - Session Completed

Churches with average worship attendance of 120-300

May 5, 1:00-3:00 p.m.  (Spanish interpretation available) - Session Completed

May 6, 9:00-11:00 a.m. - Session Completed

May 6, 1:00-3:00 p.m. - Session Completed

Churches with average worship attendance of 300+

May 7, 9:00-11:00 a.m. - Session Completed

May 7, 1:00-3:00 p.m. - Session Completed

(And please note…we may not need two hours, so don’t get freaked out)

It is easy to get overwhelmed with SO MUCH information.  Sure, a lot of it is great, but sometimes we read and listen to so many voices, we forget to stop and pray…pray and listen…and trust what you know about yourself, your leaders and your community of faith. 

Yep, I have a list of resources you can check out (or choose not to!) …and you probably have a lot you could give me to share.  Let’s do all of that, but sometimes we just need time to get on the balcony to get perspective.  We won’t have all the answers, and you won’t have a strategic plan at the end of the two hours, but maybe we have some room to think, dream and breathe…we can always meet again!

Join me on one of the days listed above to get on the balcony—to think and pray about some of these questions and more:

What can we do now to be ready for re-launching?

Discern and evaluate – what does the church need to keep doing that has worked during this time? What new skills have you developed, and what fruit have you seen as a result? Have you learned new ways to connect with people inside the church? With those visiting virtually? What have you learned about on-line worship and new ways of giving? How are you staying creative?

Discern and evaluate – what have we been forced to stop during this crisis that maybe doesn’t need to start again?  Or another way to ask that is, what is essential going forward, and what is not? How will you decide? How might you listen to your leaders and participants in your ministries to answer this question?

What gifts have you received during this time that you don’t want to lose? What have you learned that is so essential, you want to hold onto it? As a leader? As a church? As a community?

What is next and how can the church be intentional?

How can you be intentional about listening to staff and leaders, praying, and communicating what is next?

What is a goal or dream your church has had but not yet realized? Has your perspective on this changed?

What will be different, what will be the same as the building re-opens?  How might staff roles/leadership roles change based on the focus of re-launching? What are resources of time, money, or people that could be put to use in a new way?

How can you as the leader be prepared for the possible push back that could come?  How might you explain the “why” behind the “what”?

What can be new? 

Could your church be a both/and community of faith, present with each other both in person and online?

How might you reach deeper into your zip code and reach far beyond it?

Could your church become a place for people to process their grief as a result of this crisis? What are some ways you could provide resources and space for listening, especially for people outside your church?

How might you re-imagine a summer connection with children and families, if Vacation Bible School isn’t wise in your context? If you have mission trips planned for youth, could you make those smaller, local events that connect people in new ways with your own community?

Will you consider creating space to keep the creative “juices” going?  With whom? When and how often?

What questions might you bring / need to consider?

Resources to check out: 

Video/Webinars:

Re-Launch – Path 1 (free) Re-Launch.mp4 (there is also a free study guide on the Path 1 website)

Fuller Seminary Formation classes (Free until July 1)

Especially Tod Bolsinger’s “Leadership in a Changing World” https://formation.fuller.edu/.

Fresh Expression Webinars (free) – scroll down to Reset: Start your church again after the Quarantine https://freshexpressionsus.org/distributedchurch 

ClergyEducation.com has a variety of pre-recorded sessions that cost $15-$20 each. https://clergyeducation.com/recorded-courses/

Articles/Blogs/Websites: 

Leading Beyond the Blizzard

Carey Nieuwhof blogs (careynieuwhof.com)

We’re all start-ups now (whether we like it or not)

4 ways to quickly (and unintentionally) stop your innovation curve and miss the future

Tom Bandy Positive Trends, Social Realities and the Future of the Post-Covid 19 Church (ministrymatters.com)

For any questions, please feel free to reach out to Nicole Alabi, Administrative Assistant for Project Development, Implementation, and Support, at (210) 408-4514 or nicolea@riotexas.org.