A Message from Bishop J. Michael Lowry

Bishop J. Michael Lowry of the Central Texas Annual Conference shares his mission for the Rio Texas Annual Conference.

A Message from Bishop Robert Schnase

Bishop Robert Schnase of the Missouri Conference details plans for Annual Conference in Corpus Christi, as well as Conversations for Healing and Next Steps Together. Rio Texas Annual Conference. United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved. February 2016.

Creating the Volunteers in Mission Movement in the Rio Texas Conference!

Contact the Mission Vitality Center to be part of these training events at the Rio Texas Conference Center – 16400 Huebner Road, San Antonio, TX. 78248. Lunch will be provided for participants both days. Contact Shelly Kennerdell at 210.408.4514 or skennerdell@riotexas.org to register. 

• Friday, February 26th – VIM Leadership Train the Trainer – A training for persons who are interested in training leaders who will lead Volunteer-In-Mission teams to serve in short-term mission work locally, within the U.S. and abroad. Ideally, participants should have previous VIM experience, understanding of UMC and VIM history and best practices, theology of mission, cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural partnership understandings, an understanding of poverty, and a comfortable and confident teaching / presentation style. Participants in this training are encouraged to participate in the VIM Leaders training the next day as co-trainers with Jurisdictional VIM Coordinator - Audrey Phelps.     
   
• Saturday, February 27th – VIM Mission Leadership Training – A training for persons who are interested and committed to leading mission teams from their local church / communities to serve in short-term mission work locally, within the U.S. and abroad.   

A Message from Bishop Janice Riggle Huie

A Message from Bishop Janice Riggle Huie to the Rio Texas Annual Conference.

Free Resources for Easter

Lenten and Easter season is almost upon us! Are you ready? Let Rethink Church help you with some free resources. 

If you want to participate in UMCOM's National Campaign, you can order 100 free door hangers by March 1 to welcome your community into the Lenten season.  Click Here to order.  There are also direct mail postcards, invitation cards, and other worship resources available for your use. 

Thank You from Bishop Carcaño

Friends of the Rio Texas Conference,
 
Beloved Friends,
 
Thank you so very much for the beautiful plant that arrived for my mother Rebecca’s memorial service, for your presence, your letters, your texts and your calls.   Above all, thank you for your prayers as we released our beloved mother to God’s eternal care.  You embraced us with the love of family when we needed it most.  Our hearts overflow with gratitude to God for all of you.  God bless you!
 
Peace and love,
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño
 

Rio Texas Moving Forward with Creative Leadership Plan

From left to right: Bishop Robert Schnase, Missouri Annual Conference; Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, Texas Annual Conference; Bishop J. Michael Lowry, Central Texas Conference; Bishop Joel Martinez, Retired, San Antonio episcopal area

En español      

As announced last week, The Río Texas Conference is moving forward with a creative plan to address the vacancy in its episcopal leadership. According to the Book of Discipline ¶407 (Vacancy in the Office of Bishop), the vacancy is to be filled by the Council of Bishops on the nomination of the College of Bishops of the South Central Jurisdiction. The Council of Bishops has approved a plan presented by the Jurisdictional College of Bishops to meet the unique needs of the Río Texas Annual Conference at this time. 
 
The Río Texas Conference is a young conference, having been created just over a year ago. The conference also faces the unique challenge of needing episcopal leadership just eight months before the time a traditional episcopal appointment will be made. Also, this vacancy comes at the end of a quadrennium that brings many challenges of its own.
 
The South Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops has opted to create a unique leadership team that calls on some of our most accomplished leaders to address this unique situation.
 
Four Bishops, all of whom have previously served in and were elected from the episcopal area, have stepped forward to be a part of this leadership team. This team will serve until the usual appointment time of the South Central Jurisdiction.
 
“The team approach is unique,” wrote Bishop McKee, President of the South Central Jurisdiction Council of Bishops, in his letter to the Río Texas Conference, “but I am confident that it will serve the Río Texas Conference well until a new bishop is assigned to the Río Texas Conference at the South Central Jurisdictional Conference in July.” That new bishop begins serving on September 1.

Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, Bishop of the Texas Annual Conference, will be the official Bishop of Record for the Río Texas Annual Conference. She will be responsible for the appointive process; working with the cabinet to assign pastors to churches for the 2016 conference year. Bishop Huie was born in Beeville, Texas and her husband, Rev. Robert W. Huie, is a retired member of the former Southwest Texas Annual Conference. She has previously served as the District Superintendent of the former San Angelo District of the Southwest Texas Conference and as pastor of Manchaca United Methodist Church in Austin, First UMC Mason, and St. Mark in Austin.
 
Bishop Huie adds, “Anyone who knows me well, knows my love for my home conference.  Those Methodists encouraged me and loved me into ministry at a time when few women were called. I will always be grateful.  This is an opportunity to serve there again and to repay some of that great generosity.”

Bishop Robert Schnase, Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference, will plan and lead the sessions of the 2016 Río Texas Annual Conference meeting in Corpus Christi.  Bishop Schnase was ordained Deacon in 1981 and Elder in 1986 in the Southwest Texas Conference. From 1989 to 2004, he served as Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church, McAllen. From 1984 to 1989, Rev. Schnase served as pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church in Harlingen.
 
“Río Texas is my home conference.  The churches, the pastors, and the laity of the Río Texas Conference stimulated my yearning to follow Christ when I was a child, cultivated my calling when I was a teenager, and encouraged me in my ministry at every stage. I am forever indebted.  Like my colleagues, I am eager to help in any way to assure that the Conference remains focused on the mission of Christ and effective in all its ministries. It’s a privilege to be able to help,” offers Bishop Schnase.

Bishop J. Michael Lowry, Bishop of the Central Texas Conference, will oversee the annual conference nominations process for 2016. He will also lead this year's Clergy Convocation, the annual gathering of clergy at Mt. Wesley on Feb. 22-23. In addition, Bishop Lowry will assist in any transition issues for our new Bishop.   He was ordained Elder in the Southwest Texas Conference. He served as Executive Director for New Church Development and Transformation for the Southwest Texas Conference, University United Methodist Church in San Antonio, Bethany in Austin, Asbury in Corpus Christi, Wesley in Harlingen, St. Paul's in Kerrville and as an Associate Pastor at Plymouth Park in Irving.
 
Bishop Lowry states, “Prior to my election and appointment as Bishop of the Central Texas Conference, I spent the majority of my ministry in the old Southwest Texas Conference. As a child of that conference, I bring a great love and respect for the people and ministries of the newly formed Río Texas Conference. I’m humbled by this opportunity shared with Bishops Huie, Martinez and Schnase to help the local churches of Río Texas continue to move forward in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  It is good to be coming home, my friends.”

Bishop Joel Martinez, Retired Bishop of the San Antonio Episcopal Area, returns to preach special services around the conference; attend to pastoral ministry; and oversee mission, service and justice ministries. He will also represent Río Texas in connectional relationships such as Methodist Healthcare, Huston-Tillotson University, Lydia Patterson Institute and the Texas Methodist Foundation.  Martinez was ordained deacon and elder and held membership in the Río Grande Conference until his election to the episcopacy in 1992. Prior to that, he served pastoral appointments in Dallas, San Antonio, and El Paso.

“The assignment of the Council of Bishops to work with a team of respected leaders and good friends is a rare privilege,” shares Bishop Martinez. “Working as a team is the model of Christian ministry for both laity and clergy. My prayer is that our small team of Bishops can offer our service to the greater team of faithful laity and clergy in the Río Texas Conference as they continue to strengthen the local congregations for mission with and among the growing and diverse community of God's people in this Episcopal Area.”
 
Rev. John Wright, Senior Pastor of First United Methodist Church, Austin is excited about the announcement, “Who knows us better than the son-and-daughter-bishops who will serve on this team to provide interim episcopal leadership–an outside-the-box solution from which we may learn something new,” said Wright. 

Rev. James Amerson, Pastor of St. Paul United Methodist Church in San Antonio echoed that excitement. “As we begin this new year and the dawn of the Río Texas Conference, it is a godsend to have former clergy who have served pastoral appointments in this area to give collective episcopal leadership. At such a time as this, their directives will be beneficial to all,” said Amerson.  
 
These four Bishops will serve together with a leadership team comprised of lay and clergy conference leadership. The remainder of the team will be comprised of Rev. Laura Merrill, District Superintendent of El Valle District and leader of the General Conference delegation; Rev. Dr. Ruben Saenz, Executive Director of the Mission Vitality Center and Director of Connectional Ministries; Rev. Carl Rohlfs, Superintendent of Las Misiones District; Rev. Eradio Valverde, Superintendent of the Coastal Bend District; Sandra Nieto and Ralph Thompson, Co-Lay Leaders of the annual conference; Teresa Keese, lay member of the General Conference Delegation; and Oscar Garza, Conference Statistician. Support for the team will be provided by Dalia Trevino, Executive Assistant to the Office of the Bishop; Rev. Bill Wyman, Conference Treasurer; and Rev. Will Rice, Conference Director of Communications.
 
Max Perez, Chair of the Río Texas Order of Elders and Associate Pastor at University United Methodist Church, San Antonio believes this plan, “proves our distinct connectional system and polity work.” He also stated, “I have great faith our bishops will escort us through this delicate transitional period.  Already Río Texas is proving we are a conference with a malleable gift, able to pioneer and champion creative ways for making disciples of Jesus Christ.”
 
This team will meet weekly using video conferencing technology. This meeting will allow them to plan and attend to the work of the annual conference during this important season.
 
“I am quite confident that Río Texas will move forward under the leadership of these four quality bishops,” said Bishop Dan Solomon, Bishop in Residence at McMurry University. “The collective wisdom, experience and sensitivity to the power of the Gospel and the importance of compassionate discipleship embodied in these leaders will unite the conference in embracing God's healing grace and resurrection mission.”

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.