Important News from Bishop Mike McKee, President, South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops

En español      

Dear Clergy and Lay Members of the Rio Texas Annual Conference,

Light and Grace to you in this Epiphany Season.

Thank you for your faithfulness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You have begun a new thing with the creation of the Rio Texas Annual Conference. The spirit in which you have come together to journey a new path has inspired many persons to imagine what God can do in the midst of committed United Methodists.

During this difficult time of transition in the episcopal office, the South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops has been in prayer for you and your continued witness. When a vacancy occurs in an episcopal office, the College has the responsibility to name an interim bishop to serve until bishops are elected at a jurisdictional conference. The College has asked bishops who are sons and daughters of the former Rio Grande and Southwest Texas Conferences to form a team who will provide episcopal leadership and supervision.

Bishop Janice Huie of the Texas Conference, Bishop Michael Lowry of the Central Texas Conference, Bishop Joel Martinez, who is retired, and Bishop Robert Schnase of the Missouri Conference have agreed to come home to serve in the conference and area they love. Bishops Huie, Lowry, and Schnase will continue to serve in their respective annual conferences. With Bishop Martinez, they will divide the responsibilities of the Bishop of the Rio Texas Conference. Bishop Huie will be named as the interim bishop of record.

The team approach is unique, but I am confident that it will serve the Rio Texas Conference well until a new bishop is assigned to the Rio Texas Conference at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in July. That new bishop begins serving on September 1.

I have had the joy to work with the Cabinet of the Rio Texas Conference and am grateful for their leadership and faithfulness.

May God continue to bless your witness.

Mike McKee
President, South Central Jurisdictional Council of Bishops

Churches: Complete the Mission, Ministry & Outreach Assessment by Jan. 30!

Outreach Vitality Director Abel Vega is inviting all Rio Texas churches to complete the Mission, Ministry & Outreach Assessment Online Survey. This will help the conference determine who, what, where and how many are participating in your church's outreach ministries. Participate in the survey at riotexas.org/survey Rio Texas Annual Conference.

Click Here to participate in the survey!

News Regarding Bishop Dorff

It was announced this morning that Bishop James E. Dorff has resigned as Bishop of the San Antonio Episcopal Area and the Rio Texas Annual Conference effective December 31, 2015. He will begin a leave of absence immediately.

This is, of course, a very difficult time for the clergy, lay leadership, staff and churches of the Rio Texas Annual Conference. This is a time when we are grateful for the connectional structure of The United Methodist Church. We will be assisted by Bishop Mike McKee, President of the South Central Jurisdictional College of Bishops, as we seek to heal and to move forward in our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. With close to 400 churches in Rio Texas, we are working everyday throughout our part of the state to make a difference in our communities. While this is very difficult news for us, we remain steadfast in our desire to bring healing, wholeness and peace, through ministries that feed and clothe the poor, care for children and teach people about the love of God through Jesus Christ.

More information can be found on the website of The United Methodist Church:

Rio Texas Bishop Resigns

We Want Your Photos for Annual Conference 2016!

We are already beginning to plan for the 2016 Rio Texas Annual Conference. Your Agenda Committee, Worship Team and Communications Office have already begun preparing. We need your help!

The theme for Rio Texas Annual Conference 2016 is “We Are Called.”  The phrase is suggestive of the very heart of our discipleship–our identity as those who have been summoned, claimed, equipped and sent by God to be witnesses in the world to God’s love and grace in Jesus Christ.

We would like to illustrate this theme and demonstrate how we are called into ministry in the mission field. We are asking for photographs of church pews in places where ministry happens: food banks, schools, shopping centers, colonias, bus stops, farm fields, wherever the church needs to be to share the Gospel. Be creative, feel free to include people in the images, just don't forget the pew.

If you have a camera and access to a pew, we would love to see what you can do. The attached PDF document will give you some guidelines to follow. We won't necessarily be able to use all the images but, who knows, your image may appear on the big screens at the 2016 Rio Texas Annual Conference, on the cover of a worship bulletin, or on the website.

Deadline Extended! All entries must be received by March 15, 2016.

Click Here to download the guidelines and requirements in PDF Form. 
 

Submit your image here. 

Calling All Clergy: Camp on the Boulder Needs Summer Pastors

Camp on the Boulder is a United Methodist facility in Montana offering groups a place apart for retreat, fun and fellowship.

Last year, Camp on the Boulder in Yellowstone Conference was blessed to host two clergy from Rio Texas conference as part of their new summer chaplaincy program.   

"This opportunity is being offered free of charge to clergy from the wider UMC connection.  Each 2-week session gives participants the opportunity to relax and renew themselves in a way that can be difficult to find elsewhere," said Yellowstone Conference Vital Congregations Director Jeremy Scott. "Food and lodging are included so the only expense is travel to and from our location in Montana."

"Our goal in providing this program is to share in the natural beauty that surrounds our facility in as low cost a way possible.  This is our gift to those who give so much to our churches."

Clergy who choose to participate in the two-week program will be responsible for Sunday morning worship and pastoral care for camp staff. Other requirements may be found on their website here. 

If you are interested in spending two weeks at Camp on the Boulder for the Summer Chaplain program, please contact Steve & Sindy at camp@campontheboulder.org

UM Army Rio Texas Group Registrations Available

Click Here do download the 2015 UM Army Impact Information Sheet

UM Army Rio Texas group dates for Summer 2016 are scheduled as listed:

2016 Camp Season:

College Mission Opportunity
May 22-28 in Uvalde

Family Mission Opportunity
July 3-7 at Cathedral Oaks Retreat and Worship Center in Weimar

BASIC Mission Opportunities
June 26-30 in San Antonio
July 3-7 in Corpus Christi
July 10-14 in Mercedes

Senior High Mission Opportunities
June 12-18 at Cathedral Oaks Retreat and Worship Center in Weimar
June 19-25 in Martindale
June 26-July 2 in Mission
July 10-16 in Bandera
July 17-23 in Port Lavaca

If you would like to sign-up as a group, please click here. 

“Our mission is accomplished every summer when over 1,000 youth and adults throughout Central, South, and West Texas sacrifice a week of their vacation to give to others. Using a local church as a home base for camp, participants spend the week providing work for low-income, elderly, and disabled homeowners in the surrounding areas. Projects include general repairs and clean up, building wheelchair ramps, porches, steps, handrails, painting, mowing, and being Christ’s hands and feet in the world. Daily worship and noon devotionals serve to focus everyone on Christ and promote spiritual development.”

"UM Army-Rio Texas is Conference Advanced Special #2026 and we need, appreciate and use your donations to offer scholarships to participants as well as meet client needs; altar rail offerings really help!"

If you would like to participate as a church, please fill out this form. 

If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Monahan. 

Media Center Available to Rio Texas Churches

To make an appointment with the Media Center, please click here. 

For more information about the Rio Texas Media Center, please click here. 

Rio Texas Conference Responds to Storm Damage

Rio Texas Annual Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Gene Hileman, met via conference call with district disaster coordinators, pastors, and District Superintendents from areas damaged by recent storms on Saturday, Oct. 31. Members of the Rio Texas Mission Vitality Center also joined the call. Response plans were made accordingly.

In the Capital District, the Onion Creek area was hit the hardest. Flood buckets, stored in the Bishop Jóel and Dr. Raquel Martinez Disaster Response Center Warehouse in Kerrville, have been delivered to Oak Hill United Methodist Church in Austin. These supplies will then be delivered to Onion Creek. Meanwhile, Oak Hill is gathering response teams while Dripping Spring United Methodist Church has teams awaiting assignments.

Flooding in Wimberley is reported to be more extensive than the Memorial Day Flood.

Flooding is widespread in the Hill Country District. Buda, Kyle, San Marcos, Wimberley and New Braunfels have all experienced flooding. Flood buckets have been delivered to the area. The small community of D'Hanis (outside of Hondo, TX) experienced damage from a possible tornado that touched down there early Friday morning. Most of the damage was confined to businesses in the downtown area.

The Crossroads District continues to evaluate the situation in Martindale, an area that was heavily damaged by the Memorial Day flooding.  One member of First United Methodist Church, Seguin had their home destroyed by the storm. 

Damage for the possible tornado is Floresville

In the Las Misiones district, there was extensive damage from the tornado that touched down in Floresville. According to Peter Aguilar, Pastor of Floresville United Methodist Church, “cleanup began immediately.” Authorities in Floresville were able to lift the nighttime curfew in time for Halloween trick-or-treating. 

The Coastal Bend district did not see much damage from this storm system. However, they are still working on long-term recovery efforts from the May flooding.

In the El Valle District, damage was confined mostly to the Weslaco area. There is a shelter open at Weslaco First Baptist Church. There is damage from flooding due to a previous storm event earlier this year. While things are in motion for long-term relief, some families are still in need of early response teams.

Weslaco saw extensive damage from this round of flooding.

Your help is needed. At this point disaster response coordinators are asking help from trained ERT teams and individuals.

Register Your ERT Team

Register as an Individual or Small Group (3 or less.)

Only trained ERT Team Members with current background checks (up to five years) will be accepted.

Meet Abel Vega, Director of Outreach Vitality!

Take a moment to meet Abel Vega, Director of Outreach Vitality! 

You can reach Abel Vega at avega@riotexas.org or 210-408-4514 

To learn more about Outreach Vitality, click here. 

Disaster Response Responds to Eagle Pass Flooding

Disaster Response is currently responding to the floods that occurred in Eagle Pass last week.

According to Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Eugene Hileman, 150 homes were flooded and an additional 200 suffered water damage when nearly 10 inches of rain came through leaks in roofs and windows.

209 flood buckets and 80 health kits were delivered to the area immediately.  The supply of flood buckets is still more than adequate due to the great response following the Blanco River Flood last May. 

People wishing to respond to either the fires or the floods near Smithville should send gifts to the Rio Texas Conference Disaster Fund. 

Get to Know Rev. Bob Allen, Director of Congregational & New Faith Community Vitality

Take a moment to get to know Rev Bob Allen, Director of Congregational and New Faith Community Vitality. 

You can learn more about the Congregational Vitality office here. 

You can learn more about Membership to Discipleship here.  

You can contact Rev. Bob Allen at ballen@riotexas.org 

Can People Find Your Church?

The Rio Texas Media Center has been encouraging local churches to make sure they have a modern, up-to-date, website to serve as a modern "front door" for people looking for a church. If your church is not there yet, I hope you will take advantage of a free an easy way to make sure your church can be found.

United Methodist Communication's "Find A Church" platform is a free resource that allows every United Methodist Church to have a presence on the web. It also lists your church in the "Find A Church" portal meaning that you can be found by people searching for a church through umc.org and riotexas.org.

The good news is that your church already has a listing. The question is "Is your church information correct and up to date?" Why not find out today? Go to "Find A Church" and enter your church's city, town or zip code. Make sure all of your information is up to date. You can also customize your welcome message and add more detailed information about your church. There are even places to add photos, show your social media links and list your events and activities.

Does your church already have a web page? It is still important to update your "Find A Church" page. When people find your church through umc.org or riotexas.org, their first stop will be your "Find A Church" page. Make sure it is up to date and has the correct link to your website.

Need help? Watch this short video on updating your "Find A Church" page.

Announcement from Bishop Dorff

It is with a great deal of sadness I write to inform you that after a four-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease, on October 4, 2015, Mary Lavelle Owen, wife of the late Bishop Ray Owen who served the Southwest Texas and Rio Grande Conferences from 1992-2000, passed away peacefully at home into the glorious presence of God.  At her request and instruction, a private family service is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 2015.

Please keep the family in your prayers.

In lieu of flowers, I have been informed that memorials could be made to:

Hospice of Green County
11205 S. Boston Avenue, Suite 200
Tulsa, OK 74119
918-747-2273

Bishop James Dorff
San Antonio Area
The United Methodist Church