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
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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 MoreThanks 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.
