I just watched all this motion and all of us were enjoying the moment, all of us who've had children and grandchildren. I was reminded of someone who once told me, “children are verbs.”
Read MoreBreathe deeply. Spend some time with your family. Have dinner with a friend. Take a walk. Put your feet up. Rest. You need to experience some of the new life and renewal you have been preaching or teaching to others over this last week. Thank you for all that you do.
Read MoreWhat struck me so deeply is how, if we're not careful, we celebrate with palm leaves and children: the Palm Sunday. And then a week later, we have Easter and the Easter celebrations and the Resurrection. But what struck me is how little attention we sometimes give to the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death.
Read More“What is the gift that has been given to you? What is it that you have received that must be passed along and move through you? You have been given a gift that has been cultivated and shaped by hundreds of people throughout your life and thousands of experiences…”
Read More“One of the images that is stuck in my mind from this last week was a photograph of a train station in Poland where there is a lineup of strollers—so that arriving refugees fleeing Ukraine will find these strollers and be able to immediately have a place for their children…”
Read MoreA Conversation about General Conference Postponement and Our Church
Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2022
Methodist Healthcare Ministries and the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church announce new appointment of Director position
New appointee succeeds Rev. Mickey McCandless after more than a decade of service
Rev. Aaron Gonzalez
March 15, 2022 (San Antonio, TX): Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas and the Rio Texas Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church announces the appointment of Rev. Dr. Aaron A. Gonzalez to the role of director of church connections and spiritual care at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. The appointment comes after the current director Rev. Mickey McCandless—who served in the position for over a decade—announced his plans to retire later this June.
“We celebrate Rev. McCandless for the faithful service he has provided to both the Rio Texas Conference and Methodist Healthcare Ministries. His leadership within both institutions has been instrumental,” said Bishop Robert Schnase. “Rev. McCandless has paved a solid foundation for Rev. Gonzalez to embark upon as he steps into this new role. We look forward to continuing the good works Mickey was so pivotal in shaping with the Rio Texas Conference with Aaron.”
Rev. Mickey McCandless
Rev. Gonzalez currently serves as Pastor at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. He joined the organization in 2015 under Rev. McCandless’ leadership. In his current role, Rev. Gonzalez provides pastoral care and counseling for all team members and to patients and clients served at Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ primary care clinics. As Director, Rev. Gonzalez will serve as a member of the organization’s executive team and primary liaison to Rio Texas Conference. Prior to joining Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Rev. Gonzalez served as Pastor at Resurrection United Methodist Church and Shepherd’s Gate Community Church in San Antonio.
“We at MHM have been incredibly blessed to have had Rev. McCandless’ counsel and fellowship for the last ten years,” stated Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ CEO Jaime Wesolowski. “The work he has done to strengthen our organizational culture and the connections we have to the faith community across all denominations in South Texas has been invaluable, and we feel incredibly fortunate that Rev. Gonzalez will step into this role and continue building up our ministries in all the communities we serve.”
According to Wesolowski, the director of church connections & spiritual care position is distinct within the organization as it is appointed by the Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference.
“The collaboration with the Bishop is exceptional and underscores the importance of our connection to the church,” stated Wesolowski.
For 27 years Methodist Healthcare Ministries has created access to care for the underserved in South Texas through direct services, public policy analysis and research, strategic grantmaking and community partnerships. Its history goes back much further to 1955 when the former Southwest Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church established a charter creating the Southwest Texas Methodist Hospital—that hospital would eventually become Methodist Hospital. Later in 1995 the Methodist Hospital’s Board of Trustees formed a 50-50 partnership between HCA Healthcare which created the Methodist Healthcare System. The hospital’s board of trustees also transformed into the Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ board of directors which continues to operate under the first charter issued by the former Southwest Texas Conference [now known as the Rio Texas Conference], as amended.
Bishop Schnase underscored the importance of the relationship. “The ministries which have been made possible for the least served in communities across South Texas through the pastors and churches within the Rio Texas Conference that work alongside Methodist Healthcare Ministries is a tribute to the promise John Wesley asked us as faithful followers of Christ to make. Truly through our shared history and connection, we are doing all the good we can in all the ways we can. I know Rev. Gonzalez has a servant leader’s heart and through his leadership within the Conference—and certainly in his new role at Methodist Healthcare Ministries—will be marked by grace and love for Christ at the center of his work.”
(San Antonio, TX) – Bishop Robert Schnase is pleased to announce an interim communication consultant for the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Mary Catherine Phillips, current director of communications for the Alabama-West Florida (AWF) Conference, will serve in this role on a contractual basis. Phillips has served in this capacity in the AWF Conference for eleven years and will continue that responsibility.
“Mrs. Phillips was highly recommended to me from a trusted colleague and coach, and I am delighted that she will join our team,” said Bishop Schnase. “She is a life-long United Methodist and understands the challenges and opportunities in our denomination. Her primary duty will be assisting me with critical communications pieces, but I also anticipate she will offer a fresh perspective to our overall communications plans. While she will be working for two conferences, I am confident she will be able to give us both the attention we need to effectively communicate our mission and priorities. We welcome her into our Rio Texas family and offer her our prayers and support.”
Mary Catherine is a graduate of Methodist-affiliated Birmingham-Southern College and has worked for a national publisher and a regional advertising agency before her tenure at the Alabama-West Florida Conference. She received her on-boarding certification in 2017 and was awarded “Communicator of the Year” from United Methodist Communications in 2019. Her communications team has been honored with multiple awards the past eleven years for their creative and inspiring work.
Phillips resides in Montgomery, AL, with her husband, Scott, and their daughter, Sarah Elizabeth. Mary Catherine is an active member at First United Methodist Church, Montgomery and in her community. She enjoys walking, Crimson Tide sports, traveling and antique shopping.
Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference, shares Thomas Merton’s Prayer of Discernment as we enter into this season of Lent.
Read More“As we have seen in these past few weeks, people across the globe need the love of Christ. We have great opportunities to show this love around the corner and around the world…”
Read MoreBishop Robert Schnase of the Rio Texas Conference announces the appointment of the Rev. Dr. Ricky Sanderford to the cabinet. Ricky will serve as district superintendent of the Hill Country and West Districts.
Read More“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/
Rev. Nohemi Ramirez receives the Doctorate Honoris Causa from the International University of Human Development and Leadership in Mexico City.
