A Message Regarding the Robb Elementary School Shooting

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“Our hearts are broken for the people of Uvalde, Texas. We are devastated over the multiple lives lost during the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School. We mourn those who died today and fervently pray for the families of the victims and surround the larger community of Uvalde in prayer. We have been in touch with our own Rev. Steve Peyton and are grateful for his presence and the presence of other clergy on the ground. We are grateful for those who care for the wounded and care for the families. More details will come forth, and we know more will need to be done, but for now the grief is indescribable and deeply painful. Lord have mercy; hear our prayers.”

Robert Schnase
Bishop
Rio Texas & New Mexico Annual Conferences

Delegate Do's and Don'ts for Annual Conference

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Each local United Methodist congregation elects a Lay Delegate, or Lay Delegates, to represent the church at Annual Conference. This election took place at your Charge Conference, for most churches that was in the fall of 2021. The form in your Charge Conference packet should have been returned to the Conference Secretary as outlined in the instructions on the bottom of the form.

Since these are elected positions, a church cannot just decide to send someone else. Lay Delegates must be elected at a Charge Conference. That is why churches are asked to also elect an Alternate Delegate. So, if First UMC elects Jane to serve as Delegate and John to serve as Alternate Delegate and Jane cannot attend, the pastor can notify the Conference Secretary in writing (npyle@riotexas.org) that John will be serving in place of Jane. However, if both Jane and John decide on June 6 to fly to Africa for a mission trip on June 7, First UMC will not have the time to hold a Called Charge Conference and elect a new delegate. No Lay Delegate will represent First UMC at Annual Conference 2022.

In much the same way, District At Large Delegates are elected by the districts. Alternates can be last minute substitutions, but new names cannot be added without an election.

A previous Unidos article outlining FAQ’s about Lay Delegates can be found here

Thank you for planning ahead to make sure your congregation is represented at Annual Conference 2022!

Methodist Healthcare Ministries and the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church announce new appointment of Director position

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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.”

Rio Texas Conference Announces Interim Communication Consultant

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Mary Catherine Phillips

(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.

Bonnie Bevers Announced as New Youth Delegate Coordinator

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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 Seeking 2022 Cohort Teams

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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


Local Church Reports (aka End-of-the-Year Report) due January 22, 2022

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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.

Race & Culture Task Force Update

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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.