St. Paul's United Methodist Church

Here you will find information concerning our church and its ministries. We hope you find your time spent here a blessing. Our church is a warm and loving church, and we want you to feel comfortable and at liberty to call on us for anything you need. Feel free to browse through the various areas of our website and learn about our fellowship.

If you are considering a new place of worship or a relocation to our area, we would love to have you be our guest.

When you visit our church, you will find:

• A caring congregation that will gladly welcome you
• Preaching/teaching that is centered on the Word of God
• Ministries to meet the spiritual needs of our members

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A Pastoral Response to the July 4 Flood

Rev. Paul Barton, Pastor

July 10, 2025

Dear Family and Friends of Saint Paul’s UMC,

Like you and many others, my heart breaks for the many persons who have died and those who remain missing from the terrible flood of July 4.  The powerful and overwhelming rush of water occurred in such an unexpected way that it caught many unable to move out of its path.  We mourn such a large loss of life, especially for the children and youth of local camps, and pray for those who have lost homes and have had their property damaged.

In such a time of grief, I have received dozens of phone calls, texts, and emails from persons throughout the state of Texas, from pastoral colleagues, members of former churches, family, and others expressing their concern for Beth and I personally, for our church, and for our larger Hill Country community.  I greatly appreciate such outpourings of love.  They remind us of the bond that unites us as brothers and sisters in Christ.

One question that quickly came to my mind when I learned about the consequence of the flood was “What can I do to help?”  I received many requests to help in whatever way possible this past week.

Saint Paul’s is helping our community deal with the flood disaster in the following ways:

• Some members and I helped fill dozens of floodbuckets Saturday, July 5, at the Martinez disaster relief warehouse.
• Saint Paul’s serves as a despository for donations.  It storing items for the Doyle Center.
• Saint Paul’s worshipping attendees gave a special offering totaling $600.00 for flood relief Sunday, July 6.  That offering was forwarded to the disaster relief center of the Rio Texas Annual Conference.

I am also investigating other ways our church can provide care and healing to those hurting during this time.  I am working on creating an online gathering for persons who would like to pray for healing and discernment in this crucible and to support each other in our grief.

In my first ten days at Saint Paul’s UMC, I have found the members to be welcoming, caring, and supportive.  These characteristics of our church are gifts we can share with others who need support in many ways.  Please be in discernment with me to consider how Saint Paul’s can continue serving the people impacted by the flood for the long term.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Paul Barton

Pastor

Saint Paul’s UMC

Kerrville, Texas

pastor@spumctx.org