New Pastors Come Home!

When the Reverend Barbara Ruth and the Reverend John Wright move to Austin in June, they will be our new pastors—but not entirely new. For each of them it will be a homecoming of sorts. FUMC has been a spiritual home to each of them for many years.

Barbara Ruth’s first encounter with FUMC came when she was a U.T. student in 1969. A friend who had seen an announcement about a weeknight study group asked Barbara to come with her to what they thought was a Bible Study Class, and that set Barbara on a life-changing journey. In that theology class, led by Tom Watkins, she met a group of young Downtowners, who adopted her as one of their own. She began to learn to “speak Methodist,” and was soon serving as a youth sponsor with the MYF.

When I returned to First Church as Director of Christian Education in the summer of 1970, there was no youth director, and Barbara was a godsend! After some nine months of being stretched beyond my capacity to get everything done, I persuaded our senior pastor to hire Barbara as Youth Director. She stayed on after graduation, working for a meager salary and learning a lot. I don’t remember exactly when, but I do remember the place: on a bus taking youth to Six Flags, I suggested that Barbara think about going to seminary to become a minister. The rest, as they say, is history—at least, it is history for Barbara and John and for the United Methodist Church.

John Wright came to First Church as an intern from Perkins School of Theology in 1975, the same year that Barbara was doing an internship at Wesley United Methodist, in east Austin. John will tell you what an amazing experience that was for him. This brilliant student from a small town in Kentucky found a new world of thinkers and doers in our congregation. His teaching and preaching skills and imaginative worship planning added greatly to our church life, as well as providing him with experience in a broader arena than he had previously known.

Barbara and John were married while they were at Perkins, much to the joy of their First Church friends. Many of us traveled to Dallas to their wedding, and have cherished their friendship through the years. Their appointment is a homecoming for them, and a welcome home from those of us who knew them when they were just beginning their ministries. Each has served on the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, and left lasting impacts on that group and many others in the Annual Conference. Under their joint leadership, Oak Hill UMC in Austin grew in numbers and in ministry. Next, Barbara was appointed Corpus Christi District Superintendent and John as senior pastor at Grace UMC in Corpus, where he led the church into a major building program involving a long-considered relocation.

First Church can justifiably take pride in our influence on these two pastors, and recall many others whom we have called into ministry and/or trained as they prepared to serve.

Bishop Michael Lowry, pastor of Bethany UMC in Austin during its period of explosive growth, was our first Perkins intern, in 1974. Austin District Superintendent Bobbi Kaye Jones was associate pastor here for ten years. The Reverend David Gilliam, pastor at St. John’s UMC in Austin, came to us as a Perkins intern, and on graduation, returned to the staff as associate pastor, starting our Mind and Spirit program. The Reverend Tom Deviney, pastor of Bethany UMC in Austin, came to First Church on his first appointment after graduation from Iliff School of Theology in Denver. The Reverend Sylvester Chase, pastor at Wesley Methodist Church in Austin, did an internship with us, as did the Reverend Mark Porterfield, pastor at Portland UMC. Another Perkins intern, Susan Daniel from Kansas, initiated the ministry that became Hands-on-Housing while serving here. The Reverends Mel Hazlewood, Jason Teague, and Peter Castles all entered candidacy for ministry from First Church, and got their first preaching experience at our Wednesday evening Chapel services. The Reverends Tina Carter, pastor at Parker Lane UMC in Austin, Valerie Sansing, pastor at Covenant UMC in Austin, the Reverend Patti Herndon, pastor at Mathis, and the Reverend Beverly Schmidt, pastor at St. Paul Methodist Church in El Campo, were with us as interns from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Reverend Kyle Toomire, who began his candidacy among us while serving as Youth Director, was tapped for special training in new church starts, and is serving as pastor of Journey UMC in Kyle. The Reverend Clifton Stringer, who came to us on his first full-time appointment, has been appointed to Lakehills UMC in the Kerrville District, effective in June.

And the beat goes on! Jen Stuart, Membership Director, and Cathy Stone, Director of Ministries with Youth and Families, both entered candidacy for ordained ministry while serving on our staff. They are attending Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary while continuing to work on church staff.

Clearly, First Church is a teaching and calling congregation. Who knows who else among us may be called to full-time service in the church? We thank God for these who are giving themselves in ordained ministry. As they have blessed us, now they are blessing many others.