News

by Maddie Pittman* (more photos from the event are available on the CTC Facebook page) Congregants and honored guests of Mooreville United Methodist Church gathered to consecrate a brand-new sanctuary Sunday, Aug. 29. This long-time-in-the-making triumph began in tragedy more than two and a half years ago. On Feb. 7, 2019, the church’s 108-year-old sanctuary erupted in flames and burned to the ground due to an electrical issue. All that was left of the historic sanctuary was an angel, it’s ...

Natalie’s positive influence on Glen Lake Camp began in 2009 as Program Director   Davidson to work with Glen Lake Board and Search Committee throughout transition process Sept. 2, 2021 A calling to serve children, youth and the young-at-heart adults who attend Glen Lake Camp and Retreat Center which began more than 12 years ago will soon come to a very successful end. Natalie Davidson has announced that she intends to step down from her role as Executive Director of Glen Lake Camp (GLC).   “I ...

Many plans are in a person’s mind,     but the Lord’s purpose will succeed. Proverbs 19:21 Rev. Beverly Connelly was officially installed as the District Superintendent of the South and Central Districts during a powerful and moving service on Sunday, Aug. 22 at First Methodist Waco. While the service proceeded like a well-orchestrated event with fantastic music and wonderfully preaching, to say that the events which led to this day were part of anyone’s 2021 plans would be quite the stretch.   ...

June 28, 2021 The Strength of Our Source In a service rife with joy, memories and emotion, Rev. Philip Rhodes was installed as the next Superintendent of the East District Area on Sunday, June 27. The event was beautifully hosted both in person and online by First United Methodist Church of Hurst. Rev. Rhodes will officially assume the DS duties from Dr. Randy Wild (who is making his at least his second attempt at retirement) on July 1.   Bishop Lowry recalled his first meeting with Rev. ...

Bishop Saenz, Episcopal Leader of the Great Plains Conference UMC, will succeed Bishop Mike Lowry, who recently announced his plans to take vocational retirement, until the South Central Jurisdictional Conference can convene and elect a permanent bishop for the Central Texas Conference.  June 3, 2021 The United Methodist Council of Bishops (COB) today announced that Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. has been designated to cover the episcopal duties for the Central Texas Conference (CTC) upon the ...

The mission/WIG of the Central Texas Conference (CTC) of Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World Remains the Focus and Priority Council of Bishops Expected to Name CTC Episcopal Coverage This Summer Coverage Bishop to Lead CTC Throughout 2022 Bishop Lowry Confident the CTC and the Next Bishop to be Blessed by the Vision and Faithfulness Each Brings May 7, 2021 Bishop Mike Lowry, episcopal leader of the Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist ...

COB Calls a Special, Online Session of General Conference for May 8, 2021 Feb. 25, 2021 The Commission on the General Conference has announced its decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church until late summer 2022. The decision, which was reached during the Commission’s meeting on Feb. 20, is due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, its effect on the safety of mass gatherings and global travel and the lack of reliable technology available to all of the ...

FEMA adds 31 Texas Counties to Individual Assistance Eligibility List – Website Makes it Easy to Determine if You Are Eligible. Feb. 24, 2021 Late on Tuesday (Feb. 23), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that Texas homeowners and renters in 31 additional counties who suffered damage from last week’s winter storm may now apply for Individual Disaster Assistance. This brings the number of counties in Texas in which individuals are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance to 108 ...

Emergency Financial Assistance from UMCOR is On the Way. Feb. 19, 2021 Mrs. Betty Alexander (left), executive assistant to Bishop Mike Lowry witnesses Bishop Lowry (right) signing the letter to UMCOR officially requesting an emergency relief grant to the Central Texas Conference. The UMCOR Grant will release as much as $10K is emergency financial assistance to the conference. Bishop Lowry has officially requested an emergency relief grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief (...

Dr. Randy Wild to give retirement another try after rejoining the Cabinet as East DS in 2019 Feb. 7, 2021 Bishop Mike Lowry, episcopal leader of the Central Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, has announced that Rev. Philip Rhodes will be appointed as the Superintendent of the East District Area of the Central Texas Conference effective July 1. Dr. Randy Wild, the East District Area’s current superintendent, will (again) retire from active ministry on July 1.   On Jan. 1, changes ...

The Forward to a New Spring Initiative Continues to Bring Changes & New Opportunities Feb. 2, 2021 When the Forward to a New Spring plan was officially adopted by the 2020 Annual Conference, the wheels of change related to the structure of the conference were put into motion. On Monday, Feb. 1, one of those changes became official as Dr. Lisa Neslony and Rev. Brad Brittain officially moved into their appointments as the senior pastor of St. John the Apostle and St. Barnabas UMCs respectively. ...

We, here at the Central Texas Conference Service Center wish you and your family a very Happy and Holy Christmas and New Year, we join you in prayer for all of our local churches ministries as we journey forward into 2021 and beyond. The Conference Service Center will be closed for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays beginning Dec. 24. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, Jan. 4.

Assistant DSs, Discipleship Coaches and Student Discipleship Coordinators for each District Area announced. Teams officially begin duties Jan. 1, 2021. Nov. 23, 2020 When the Forward to a New Spring initiative was adopted by the Annual Conference in October, the wheels of change were set in motion to reimagine and restructure conference resources to best energize and equip the local churches of the Central Texas Conference. Forward to a New Spring is not a new direction for the Central Texas ...

Prayers and Patience are What's Needed Now Aug. 26, 5:15 p.m. As Hurricane Laura takes aim on the Louisiana/Texas coastline with what is projected to be a devastating storm surge, many of the good people of the Central Texas Conference are already asking “what can we do to help?” The immediate answer is to pray and hold tight until the areas of need are revealed once the storm passes and proper damage assessments can be completed. The CTC disaster response team has been, is and will continue to ...

Churches are exempt from orders, but CTC Guidelines continue to require face masks be worn in church buildings. July 2, 2020 Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a new Executive Order requiring the wearing of a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in all Texas counties with 20 or more positive COVID-19 cases. There are a few exceptions to this order, including “any person who is actively providing or obtaining access to religious worship.” The Governor also issued a ...

Churches are exempt from orders, but face masks are still required in CTC church buildings during in-person worship as per CTC Guidelines. June 26, 2020 Several new executive orders have been issued requiring the wearing of face masks and limiting certain business activities in the last 24-36 hours by state, county and city officials in response to the dramatic rise in confirmed cases of COVID-19 in many areas across Texas and the increasing pressure being put on the state’s hospital system. At ...

United Methodist Church leaders will launch a plan of action to galvanize church members and others to actively stand against racism in the wake of the death of George Floyd and protests across the U.S.    The “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom” initiative is a multi-level effort throughout the church to initiate a sustained and coordinated effort to dismantle racism and promote collective action to work toward racial justice. The church-wide effort will kick off Friday, June 19, to ...

June 16, 2020 The five jurisdictional United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) offices are entering a new phase of collaboration with a new website. The website address, www.umvim.org, will include resources from all five jurisdictions in one place. Some of those resources will be consistent across the jurisdictions and some will be specific for each.   For many years, each jurisdictional UMVIM office operated separately, featuring its own website and information. This new website will ease the ...

June 10, 2020 The past few weeks since the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minn., have left many in our country hurt, outraged and downtrodden. Several United Methodist bishops have issued statements against systemic racism and begun to take steps to eradicate it from our society. Last week, via his blog and a powerful video message, Bishop Lowry asserted that it is time for all people called Christian to move beyond praying and into action against racism.  ...

On Friday, June 5, the Central Texas Conference Inclusiveness Umbrella Team released the following statement to the people of the Central Texas Conference and Christians everywhere. A Statement to the churches and people of the Central Texas Conference From the Central Texas Conference Inclusiveness Umbrella Team The senseless death of George Floyd was horrific and highlights in everyone’s consciousness that racism is not a thing of the past. His death, and the consequent protests speak to the ...