Pastor’s Report
Rev. Holly H. Gotelli
Charge Conference, Alamo Heights UMC
December 10, 2020
2020 has been a year of both growth and challenge for the people of Alamo Heights United Methodist Church. The reality of a global pandemic has pushed us to adapt to new ways of worshipping, learning, and serving together, while at the same time helping us to clarify our identity, values and mission as a church. Together we look forward to 2021, confident in God’s call on our church and God’s presence in the midst of our ministries, and we give thanks for all that God has been doing among us in 2020:
- Welcoming Rev. Robert Ortiz to our Basse Road campus as Pastor of Mission and Outreach, Rev. Ryan Jacobson to the position of Pastor of Congregational Care, Chris Estus as our new Director of Recovery Ministries, and Rev. Luis Perez as the primary pastor of our Asbury campus;
- Creation of a new identity statement by our Board of Stewards: “Alamo Heights United Methodist Church is a Christian Community of love, hope and belonging for all.”
- Successful transition to livestream worship in both the Sanctuary and Christian Life Center, reaching over 35,000 views, and even more through the radio;
- Feeding our hungry neighbors by making more than 4,000 peanut butter sandwiches over six weeks for the unsheltered in San Antonio through Haven for Hope; placing barrels in our yards to collect food for the San Antonio Food Bank, resulting in 71 barrels of donated food; and collecting food through our Hope Center, resulting in 50 boxes of food donated to Pollard Memorial UMC, Iglesia Metodista Unida Emauel, and Northern Hills UMC;
- Fun and fruitful “backyard VBS” that included 40 families and more than 100 children in the community;
- Through Zoom, continued offering of 11 different recovery meetings weekly, including the Pioneer Group on Friday evenings;
- Successful transition to online teaching and small groups, offering numerous weekly studies, including an all-church study on the intersection of faith and race called “Covenantal Restoration;”
- A re-imagined mission trip for our Student Ministry and the New Zion Youth Choir as an in-home service experience, resulting in over 300 assembled hygiene kits for Christian Assistance Ministry.
And we look forward with hope toward our goals for next year:
- Continuing development of a covenant relationship with Rogers Elementary School;
- Re-imagining and expansion of our Hope Center;
- Continuing our efforts to create programs that reach young parents;
- Continuing to grow our small group ministry programs;
- Return to greater financial health and payment of all of our apportionments.
I feel blessed to be Senior Pastor of Alamo Heights UMC. Christ is very much alive in our midst! Although this is a very challenging time, the church is engaging in impactful ministry and is poised to bear tremendous fruit for the kingdom. I am grateful for another year in ministry with the people of Alamo Heights UMC.
In Christ,
Rev. Holly H. Gotelli
Senior Pastor
2020 Board of Stewards
Kitty Meyers, Andrew Matajasko, Lydia Ponce, Bill Balthrope, Andy Ahrens, Frank Guerra, Dianne Dorsett, Bill Balthrope, Dan St. Romain, Carr Hornbuckle, Sally Flanagan, Scott Boynton, Cathy Johnson, Dale Clark, Dave Kinder, Wes Collier
