BIOGRAPHY

I grew up in a small community a few miles outside of San Angelo called Eola.  Actually, I was raised in the middle of a cotton field about 3 miles from Eola, but I consider it my “hometown.”  I went to school in Wall, TX, and although my parents were Methodist, when the first Wednesday of my first week of kindergarten rolled around, my school bus stopped at the Catholic church in Wall, and my good friend, Chris, informed me that we needed to get off the bus to go to Catecism.... So, I went.  Needless to say, my mother was worried when I didn’t come home on the bus, but eventually she found me.  She asked me if I enjoyed it, and told me I could continue to go if I wanted.  So, I did.  Since we didn’t really attend church regularly, this was my first real introduction to God.  I became very interested in Christianity and went to church with friends from time to time, and went to Vacation Bible School at St. Ambrose in Wall, and eventually, that led to my entire family beginning to attend church at the Methodist Church in Eola.  We became more and more active, and I was later confirmed in that church.  So, for years when people would ask me what denomination I was, I would quip that I started out Catholic, then became Methodist, so I was officially Episcopalian.

Years later, when I attended Angelo State University, I began attending St. Luke.  It was while I was at St. Luke that I met my wife on a blind date (neither of us was told we were being set up).  She was Church of Christ, and I was Methodist.... we had a lot of very interesting conversations!  She agreed to come to a Disciples Bible Study with me at St. Luke, and I’m told that is when she decided she would let me marry her. (notice how I phrased that. “let” me marry her.)  I’m so glad she did, because she has brought me much closer to Christ than I think I ever would have traveled without her.  We now have three great kids, Afton, Sara, and Ethan. 

With roots from my mother’s side of the family in Mason County, we began taking weekend trips to our hunting cabin between Mason and Fredericksburg, TX in a little community called Hilda.  My great, great, grandfather helped build the little brown church in the wildewood, and we enjoyed visiting there.  Soon, we were visiting more and more, and staying later and later, until finally we decided it was the perfect place for us to raise our family.  So, we moved, and eventually built a house on my old family place and can see the church steeple from my house.

Eventually, I became the lay leader at Hilda United Methodist.  The previous lay leader had held that position for about 30 years, so I have had some serious shoes to fill!  Then sometime before annual conference, I was approached by Rev. Larry Altman, our District Superintendent, and was asked if I would consider fulfilling the duties of district lay leader as Ralph Thompson was going to step down from that position and concentrate on his conference position as United Methodist Men president.  After discussing it with both of the higher powers, God and my wife, I decided to accept the position pending approval of the district caucus.  So, now here I am distict lay leader.

In addition to my position as district lay leader, I am also an active member of the Order of Saint Luke, a religious order devoted to God through our vows which state that we affirm the Apostolic Hope, live for the Church of Jesus Christ, seek the Sacramental life, promote the corporate worship of the church, magnify the Sacraments, and accept the call to service.