“One of the themes that keep arising from pastors and District Superintendents asking, ‘What are your expectations of us?’ I want to turn that question around to not what I expect of you, but what is fair to expect from one another?”
Read More
We are excited to welcome Bonnie Bevers to our Intergenerational Ministries Team at the Rio Texas Conference Office. Bonnie will be serving as the Youth Delegate Coordinator, where she will lead the conference Youth Ministry Council. Bonnie is looking forward to working with youth and adults across our conference as we seek to strengthen this important ministry across the Rio Texas Conference.
As a person who has worked with teenagers the majority of her adult life and has a passion for youth ministry, Bonnie has a keen grasp on how important it is for the Church to include its younger members in its planning and decision-making. You will hear her say repeatedly that youth are not only the future of the church, they are the church right now, and we must listen to what they have to teach us.
Intergenerational ministries are key to the continuance and growth of the United Methodist Church. We can all learn from one another. This philosophy lies at the heart of Bonnie's ministry.
Bonnie was born and raised in Texas, and in the United Methodist Church. She grew up in North Texas and graduated from Nocona High School in 2000. She attended McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She went on to pursue a double Master of Arts degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington. Bonnie worked for several years in the criminal justice field, with most of her work centering around serving abused and neglected children and teens. She also trained and supervised the police officers serving in the middle and high schools across the state of West Virginia.
After returning to Texas, Bonnie answered her call to ministry. She volunteered in youth ministry programs in multiple states and cities before deciding to work full-time in youth ministry. She has since served as a full-time youth pastor in both Texas and Illinois. She currently resides in Evanston, IL, where she is completing her Master of Divinity degree at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She will graduate in May of 2022 and return to the Rio Texas Conference, where she has continued to serve as a Trusted con Confianza facilitator and a member and officer of the UM ARMY Board of Directors for the past several years. Bonnie is a Deacon candidate in the Rio Texas Conference and is looking forward to coming home to continue doing the work she loves.
Please join us in welcoming Bonnie to the team! We are excited about Bonnie’s gifts for ministry, as well as her vision for and commitment to working with youth and adults in the Rio Texas Conference. We are looking forward to seeing what God does next through our youth leaders and the Youth Ministry Council.
If you are interested in learning more about the Youth Delegation team and/or youth ministry council please contact Bonnie at ydc@riotexas.org
The Transformational Communities Network (TCN) is inviting Rio Texas congregations to apply for the 2022 cohort learning sessions. Program information and team applications are now available. Applications are due January 31.
Church and community teams will learn how to mutually engage its community with the goal of effecting measurable transformation. The vision is to see transformational communities - local churches, community residents, and partners actively seeking shalom through learning, relationship-building, community development, and mutual support. Seeking shalom, the well-being of the community is our Biblical mandate per Jeremiah 29:7.
The program begins February 17. Teaching is in a flipped classroom format with cohort teams coming together via ZOOM to discuss and process the lessons learned.
After May and throughout the rest of 2022, the TCN teams will begin the process of discovering their communities more deeply through existing and new ministries and relationships working mutually to seek the shalom of their communities.
To begin a conversation on exploring how your church might connect to the Transformational Communities Network, contact Abel Vega, program coordinator at avega@riotexas.org / 210.421.9588.
TCN Stories: Rev. Carolyn Pittman, Rev. Maribel Vazquez, & Steve Ryan
It’s that time once again – time to prepare to input your Local Church Report. Every church shall make a report to the Annual Conference each January.
UMCData.net will open for Rio Texas local church reports on January 2, 2022 and remain open through January 22, 2022. Your District office will supply you with your church’s username and password for UMCData.
We are hopeful that 2021 has been more “normal” than 2020 was for your congregation.
2021 Local Church Report instructions.
Worship attendance recording has been a challenge; please remain consistent.
Online worship attendance guidelines.
If your church received a PPP loan, please notice special instructions for lines #27 and #54c.
If you have questions or need assistance filing your church’s Local Church Report, please contact Nan Pyle at npyle@riotexas.org or 210-408-4549.
The Bishop's Task Force on Race and Culture has been meeting since the spring to engage the task of addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the Rio Texas Conference. Members of the task force share their vision for this work, as well as plans for an EDI survey of the conference, to be launched soon.
Task force members are: Julie Abiro, James Amerson, Paula Bryant, Marlee Claes, Robert Elizondo, Marcus Freeman, Abby Gutierrez, Laura Merrill, Katie Myers, Juan Osorio, Pamela Benson Owens, Carolyn Pittman, Wade Powell, Nohemí Ramirez, Ralph Thompson, and Valerie Vogt.
Food insecurity for newly unemployed families, displaced families without secure housing, seniors, single adults, and children has risen throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Disruption in services of the National School Lunch Program, food assistance networks, and food supply chains has been, and continues to be, extraordinarily challenging. These disruptions are duplicated and magnified in particular areas of our country, and throughout the world.
1 in 7 Texans (14%) currently experiencing food insecurity. 11% of our world’s population who are undernourished. As followers of Christ, we understand our calling to respond with extravagant grace, to relieve suffering, and to bear one another’s burden.
Harvest Sunday was started as a response to hunger. It is a once-a-year giving opportunity at Rio Texas churches for hunger alleviation programs. Harvest Sunday 2021 is November 7. However, participation may occur at any time (or any Sunday) throughout the months of November and December. Offerings should be sent directly to the local church through online giving or check. Designate your gift as "Harvest Sunday."
The 2021 Harvest Sunday offering funds shall be distributed in the following manner:
1/3 of proceeds shall be allocated for hunger initiative projects along the Texas-Mexico border areas that are situated, and served within the El Valle, Hill Country, Las Misiones, and West Districts.
1/3 of proceeds shall be returned to participating districts. Funds shall be distributed—in consultation with district mission committees and the District Superintendent—to ministries that address root causes of food insecurity.
1/3 of proceeds shall be equally allocated among the following 5 Global Ministry Advance Projects with focus on food security and economic empowerment: Indigenous Women Vegetable Gardening and Leadership Project Guatemala, Give Ye Them to Eat – Mexico, Rio Texas Methodist Border Friendship Commission, El Valle District Border Refugee Ministries, and Mission Border Hope.
Please save this date and give on November 7th to the Harvest Sunday Special Offering.
If you are interested in promoting Harvest Sunday in your District and can share stories, pictures/videos of your local ministries and how you have risen to the challenges this year, please reach out to our Harvest Sunday Coordinator, Diana T. Woods, BSW, MPA, at bumccommunitypartner@gmail.com or (512) 917-9072.
Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes
The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence invited a select group of Rio Texas pastors to participate in a preaching peer cohort. The cohort will be divided into two sub-groups: one for pastors that preach in African American congregations and one for pastors in cross-cultural appointments. Both sub-groups will have an opportunity to learn from Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes and Rev. Edlen Cowley.
Rev. Dr. Zan Holmes is well known as the narrator-host of the Disciple I Bible Study video series. He is Pastor Emeritus of Dallas St. Luke Community United Methodist Church in the North Texas Conference, and adjunct professor at Perkins School of Theology. He previously served as District Superintendent in the North Texas Conference and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from 1968-1972.
As chairperson of the Tri-Ethnic Committee he implemented public school desegregation of Dallas Independent School District. Governor Ann Richards appointed Holmes to serve as the first African American on the University of Texas System Board of Regents in the 1990’s. The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma, Alabama recognized him in 2001 as one of the “Invisible Giants” of the Civil Rights Movement. He grew up in the parsonages of the West Texas Conference in San Angelo and Austin where he was ordained deacon and elder. He graduated from Huston Tillotson University and the Perkins School of Theology. He was awarded honorary Doctor’s degrees from Huston Tillotson, Dillard University, and Rust College.
“To learn from Dr. Zan Holmes is to learn from a living legend who is one of the most effective preachers and pastors in our time,” said Crossroads District Superintendent Rev. Dr. Marcus Freeman. “He was my primary professor for preaching [at Perkins School of Theology] and I studied many of the basics under his guidance. His influence and support did not stop after I graduated and moved on. He has always been available to provide keynote presentations and serve as guest preacher at a number of programs end events at churches and ministries that I have been a part of. He is one of the key influences for the whole Church of this era.”
“I hope to learn different ways of engaging people in a changing society with the good news of the kingdom of God,” said Austin Simpson UMC Senior Pastor Rev. Aaron Carter. “While I can’t be Dr. Holmes, through this privileged opportunity I can glean perspectives, methods and practices he has used to be an effective preacher throughout his extensive ministry.”
Rev. Edlen Cowley
Rev. Edlen Cowley also served alongside Rev. Dr. Holmes at Dallas St. Luke Community UMC as an associate pastor. He also served several appointments around the North Texas Conference in multi-ethnic, white, and black congregations. He is a Coach and Consultation Team Member for the Healthy Church Initiative and is a Hardin Family Preaching Mentor at the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence. Rev. Cowley is passionate about small group ministry and uses the 3D seminar on Designing, Developing, and Delivering Sermons & Overall Preaching Strategy. His annual Cross-Racial/Cross-Cultural Ministry Training Camp is popular within the connection. He is currently a District Superintendent in the North Texas Conference.
Leadership Development and Clergy Excellence is always a high priority in Rio Texas.
To that end, the Office of Clergy Excellence, now directed by Rev. Dr. Robert Lopez, and the office of Creating / Vitalizing Congregations and Developing Leaders, directed by Rev. Karen Horan, want to offer some incentives for clergy and laity to learn and lead together.
There are several Leadership conferences offered in the fall of 2021 both in person and online - Robert Lopez and Karen Horan have already registered for Leadership Institute in September and would love for you to join them! Also in the past, some have attended conferences such as Leadership Institute, Exponential Regional Houston, and New Room just to name a few. Our combined offices can offer up to $75 for each clergy who attends and up to $75 each for 2 laity when they attend with their pastor.
Here is how it works – clergy and up to 2 laity register and pay for the Leadership Conference of their choice. Click on the registration link and fill out the form – one form per receipt and we will mail the reimbursement amount as directed. That’s all! There will be some follow up questions sent to you after the event so we can hear what all you learned and how it will strengthen you and your church.
Questions?
Contact either Karen Horan (khoran@riotexas.org) or Robert Lopez (lopeza2b@riotexas.org)
https://leadershipvitality.wufoo.com/forms/leadership-conferences-attendee-form/
Written by Nan Pyle
Earlier this month the 2022 Apportionment Notices were emailed to the clergy and snail-mailed to the churches. Thank you for your attention to the notices. Marvelous questions have already been asked!
A: Most of the numbers come from the Local Church Report to the Annual Conference provided by each local church every January. The only numbers that do not come from the Local Church Reports are the Fund Name numbers at the bottom of the page; these numbers are adopted each year at Annual Conference for the conference budget and at District Pre-Conference meetings for the district budgets.
A: The apportionment formula uses two-years of your church’s operating expenses, plus the statistics lag behind the calendar-year. The 2022 apportionments are based on operating expenses for 2019 and 2020.
A: In order to compare 2021 and 2022 apportionments, you have to consider 2018 operating expenses. If 2020 operating expenses are lower or higher than 2018 operating expenses, apportionments will see a decrease or increase.
A: There are two factors at play: 1) Your church is one piece of the picture. Other churches have stayed steady with you; while still others have seen volatility in their operating expenses—some decreasing and some increasing. Each church affects every other church; and 2) Churches close, open, merge, or transfer to a different Annual Conference. This change in congregation numbers shifts every church’s portion of the total.
A: Once the apportionment calculations have been made, the numbers are fixed and there is no way to change the amount apportioned since any adjustment would change every local church’s responsibility. Mistakes on the Local Church Report can be corrected in the spring. Senior Pastors and others who signed the UMCData online data entries received an email in March with the 2020 numbers attached and a request to check those numbers. If I thought something looked like a probable error, that line was specifically mentioned in the email. After the April 30 deadline, it becomes complicated to make a change; although changes are still possible through mid-July. Statistics for this year were locked on July 15 in order for the apportionments to be calculated.
A: It is possible that I don’t have your most current email address. It is also possible that I skipped your church accidentally. Please contact me so that you can receive your email.
Thank you for paying your apportionments each year! It is a blessing to see how much ministry the Rio Texas Conference supports through both apportionments and advance giving. Every day I am humbled to witness the giving and compassionate nature of the people of the Rio Texas Conference. I am honored to be in ministry with you.
Written by Nan Pyle
U.M. ARMY and the Texas Ramps Project are pleased to announce their successful partnership from this summer’s mission season. Together, they were able to complete 34 wheelchair ramps for community members in: San Antonio, Brownsville, Orange, Bryan, Jacksonville, Shermann, Denton and Bonham. Volunteers pictured below are constructing one of the wheelchair ramps in San Antonio during July.
This partnership combines funding from both U.M. ARMY and the Texas Ramps Project for building materials. U.M. ARMY teams of student and adult volunteers proceed to build the ramps and connect with the families who need help.
U.M. ARMY mission weeks took place during the months of June and July with volunteers serving many communities throughout Texas, Louisiana, Florida and the Northeast Region of the USA. U.M. ARMY provides Christ centered missions that serve people in need and promote spiritual growth and leadership development in youth and young adults.
For more information about U.M. ARMY go to umarmy.org
For more information about Texas Ramp Project go to texasramps.org
Thanks to your generosity, over $821,000 has already been given to support flood relief across the Rio Texas Conference—and the work continues.
In this video, Bishop Harvey celebrates the overwhelming response so far and reminds us that recovery is a marathon, not a sprint
In this video message, Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey offers words of comfort, gratitude, and hope following the devastating floods that have impacted communities across the Rio Texas Conference.
The Rio Texas Conference is excited to welcome Lamar Davis as our new Disaster Recovery Coordinator. Lamar brings a wealth of experience in crisis management and a deep sense of calling to serve. He will guide our Conference through the long-term work of recovery and resilience following recent floods.
With 150 years of history, Memorial UMC joins Restore Austin to celebrate a new chapter of ministry, mission, and witness in the heart of Austin.
Restore Austin—a vibrant, inclusive church community—will soon join The United Methodist Church and merge with Memorial UMC to form a new congregation in Northeast Austin. This Spirit-led partnership marks a fresh chapter of shared mission, expanded ministry, and hope for the future.
