Texas Senate cites retiring
pastor for years of service

Before concluding its special session earlier this month, the Texas Senate commended an Austin pastor.
The Rev. Jim Mayfield, senior pastor of Tarrytown UMC, Austin, was cited for “18 years of invaluable service as pastor of Tarrytown UMC and for his work to build harmony among the members of Austin’s various faiths.”
Mayfield, 70, who is retiring from active ministry during the June 7-10 Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi, was honored in a ceremony at the Texas Capitol in Austin May 15.
Senate Resolution 215, passed May 12, called Mayfield “a beloved pastor,” “a man of exceptional intellectual and spiritual depth” and “a source of strength and inspiration to others.”
The measure said he “has the admiration of his peers for his work on behalf of his church and as president of Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, an organization dedicated to interfaith relations.”
“Over the years,” the resolution continued, “Pastor Mayfield has ministered faithfully to the temporal and spiritual needs of innumerable people; he has performed countless ceremonies and has prayed with and counseled his church members in times of hardship and bereavement and in times of joy and celebration.”
Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, who isn’t a member of the Tarrytown congregation, introduced the resolution.
Mayfield has worked with the Texas Legislature for many years, including a stint as senate chaplain in 1999.
Gov. Rick Perry and his wife, Anita, are members of the Tarrytown congregation. President Bush and his wife, Laura, members of Highland Park UMC, Dallas, worshiped at Tarrytown while he served as Texas governor.
Mayfield, who began his ministry in 1959, has served in Austin for 30 years. He was pastor of Northwest Hills UMC, Austin, from 1976 to 1983. He was Austin District superintendent from 1983 to 1988.
He became senior pastor of Tarrytown UMC in 1988.