On Saturday, February 22, members of the Vision Teams of the New RIo Texas Annual Conference gathered together to begin planning for the missional life of the conference.

Julie Flanders of the Austin Region Justice for Our Neighbors, the immigration ministry of the United Methodist Church, presented to a group of students at the Mason County Friends of the Library in Mason County, TX about immigration reform on Feb. 19.  The presentation was titled “Know Your Rights,” and was presented in Spanish.

Today and tomorrow, about 100 persons are gathering from the El Valle District area, the Methodist Church of Mexico, the General Board of Global Ministries, and via the internet - seminarians in Mexico,  and leaders in Honduras for conversation and learning about how to develop mutual ministry and community development partnerships based on mutuality and long-term relationships. This initiative is a paradigm shift occurring within the UMC and through current mission activities and partnerships.

The work of reaching the mission field to make disciples and change lives happens in the local church. The Rio Texas Annual Conference wants to hear about it. By sharing stories of God's work in the world, we can grow together as a church. When we hear what God is doing through the local church, we can be inspired, we can find new ideas and we can celebrate the work we do together.