Clergy Delegate profiles

General & Jurisdictional Conferences

Kim S. Cape
Austin District superintendent
Age 56. General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 2000, 2004. Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1988, 1992. Elected director of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry since 2004. Austin District superintendent since 2006. McAllen District superintendent 2002-2006. Served congregations in Austin, Buda, Corpus Christi and Manchaca from 1979 to 1995. Texas Methodist Foundation development officer 1995-2001. Regional development director for the Upper Room (General Board of Discipleship), 2001-2002. Ordained deacon 1976. Ordained elder 1980.

Terrence K. Hayes
Victoria District superintendent
Age 53. First-time General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate. District superintendent since 2006. Transferred to the Southwest Texas Conference from the Holston Conference in 1996. Served on the General Board of Discipleship staff 1986-1996. Served St. Paul UMC, San Antonio, 1996-2006. Ordained deacon 1985. Ordained elder 1987.

J. Michael Lowry
New church development and transformation, San Antonio
Age 57. General and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1996, 2004. Jurisdictional conference delegate 2000. Elected member of the United Methodist Publishing House board since 2004. Executive director of new church development since 2006. Served congregations in Austin, Corpus Christi, Kerrville and San Antonio from 1977 to 2006. Ordained deacon 1974. Ordained elder 1978. Transferred to the Southwest Texas Conference from the Northern Illinois Conference in 1976.

Carl W. Rohlfs
University UMC, Austin
Age 57. South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004. Senior pastor of the 1,425-member Austin congregation since 2004. Served congregations in Corpus Christi, Del Rio, San Angelo and Victoria from 1977 to 2004. Ordained deacon 1973. Ordained elder 1978.

Barbara J. Ruth
Corpus Christi District superintendent
Age 57. General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 2004. Jurisdictional conference delegate 2000. District superintendent since 2005. Served congregations in Austin, Comfort and San Antonio from 1983 to 2005. Ordained deacon 1975. Ordained elder 1980.

Virgilio Vazquez-Garza
San Antonio District superintendent
Age 59. General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1992, 2004. Jurisdictional conference delegate 1988, 1996. Reserve jurisdictional conference delegate 2000. Member, Committee on The Advance for Christ and His Church, General Board of Global Ministries. Former elected director, General Council on Finance and Administration. District superintendent since 2002. Served congregations in Corpus Christi, Laredo and Zapata from 1980 to 2002. Ordained deacon 1981. Ordained elder 1983.



South Central
Jurisdictional Conference

Austin K. Frederick Jr.
Assistant to the Episcopal Office, San Antonio
Age 54. General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004. Reserve jurisdictional conference delegate 1988. Member, jurisdictional Mission Council since 2004. Elected director, General Council on Ministries, 1996-2004. Assistant to the Episcopal Office since 1999. Served congregations in Altair, Austin, Columbus, Garwood and Port Lavaca from 1981 to 1992. Victoria District superintendent 1992-1999. Ordained deacon 1980. Ordained elder 1983.



Barbara R. Galloway-Edgar
Coker UMC, San Antonio
Age 50. General Conference and South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 2000. Reserve jurisdictional conference delegate 2004. Newly appointed senior pastor of the 2,862-member San Antonio congregation. Served congregations in Ganado, Louise, New Braunfels, Pearsall and San Antonio from 1983 to 1996. San Angelo District superintendent 1996-2002. Served First UMC, Boerne, from 2002 to 2007. Ordained deacon 1981. Ordained elder 1985.

Larry C. Howard
McAllen District superintendent
Age 60. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate. District superintendent since 2006. Served congregations in Corpus Christi, Del Rio, Manchaca, San Angelo, San Antonio and Sterling City from 1979 to 2006. Ordained deacon 1980. Ordained elder 1984.

Donna L. Strieb
Alamo Heights UMC, San Antonio
Age 61. South Central Jurisdictional Conference reserve delegate 2000. Minister of education at Alamo Heights since 1987. Former diaconal minister. Ordained deacon in full connection 1997.

Eradio Valverde Jr.
First UMC, San Marcos
Age 54. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate. Senior pastor of the 806-member San Marcos congregation since 2004. Transferred from the Rio Grande Conference to the Southwest Texas Conference in 1998. Served Trinity UMC, San Antonio, from 1998 to 2004. Ordained deacon 1976. Ordained elder 1980.

Teresa G. Welborn
Buda UMC
Age 34. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate. Newly appointed senior pastor of the 758-member Buda congregation. Served congregations in Lakehills, Manchaca and Smiley from 1998 to 2007. Ordained deacon 1998. Ordained elder 2001.



Reserve South Central
Jurisdictional Conference

William J. Abraham
Southern Methodist University, Dallas
Age 59. South Central Jurisdictional Conference delegate 1992, 1996, 2004. Reserve jurisdictional conference delegate 2000. Professor at SMU’s Perkins School of Theology since 1990. Assistant professor of religion and philosophy, Seattle Pacific University, 1980-82. Appointed outside USA, 1982-90. Ordained in the Methodist Church of Ireland 1978. Ordained deacon 1979. Ordained elder 1984. Transferred to the Southwest Texas Conference from the Pacific Northwest Conference in 1990.





Cynthia A. Kepler
Berkeley UMC, Austin
Age 35. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference reserve delegate. Pastor of the 318-member Austin congregation since 2004. Served First UMC, Yorktown, and Runge UMC from 2000 to 2004. Commissioned a probationary elder 2000. Ordained elder 2003.

Laura A. Merrill
Wimberley UMC
Age 43. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference reserve delegate. Pastor of the 378-member Wimberley congregation since 2004. Served congregations in Los Fresnos and Victoria from 1997 to 2004. Ordained deacon 1996. Ordained elder 1999.

David A. Seilheimer
Conference treasurer and secretary, San Antonio
Age 58. First-time South Central Jurisdictional Conference reserve delegate. Treasurer and secretary since 1984. Transferred to the Southwest Texas Conference from the Central Texas Conference in 1984. Ordained deacon 1972. Ordained elder 1976.