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"The First United Methodist Church of Goliad strives to attract, welcome, and empower people to develop and sustain a loving relationships with God and each other through Jesus Christ. We will encourage each individual to discover and use their God-given skills, gifts, and resources to meet the diverse needs of our community and world through prayer, outreach, and education.”

A MESSAGE FROM THE PASTOR

Beloved, you are blessed and highly favored. What a privilege to serve for the sake of God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven. My call to ministry began well before I understood ministry as my professional vocation. After a life changing mission trip through a non-profit group called UMARMY, I was called by God to love people for the sake of his name in Christ Jesus. As with many things, complete understanding of this call was not fully revealed. I simply knew that God’s love was my purpose and what I hoped to embody. The face of Christ that I experienced through the clients who received our help and the leaders who empowered us to serve met a desire to share in God’s work. I was a sophomore in high school at the time of this call to love. I decided that I needed to find a future job that would provide enough vacation time to do summer mission work (lesson learned: our plan is not always God’s plan). While at the University of Texas in Austin, my mechanical engineering studies were getting the best of me and not satisfying any of my heart’s passion. It wasn’t a matter of whether I could do the engineering thing rather did I want to do it. I sought the guidance of a counselor in the engineering department to sort things out. In short, she was a diaconal minister connected with the United Methodist church. She asked the most important question for me at the time, “What do you love to do?” I answered, “Teaching Junior High Sunday school but I can’t make a living teaching Sunday school.” She suggested that I look into seminary education and to find a pastor who could walk with me through a discernment process for those called into vocational ministry. It was the most exciting thing I’d ever thought possible.

The middle part of my journey consisted of finishing undergraduate work at University of Texas and graduate work at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. In 1996, at age 26, I was appointed to my first charge as a local pastor. Telferner and Nursery United Methodist churches were two small congregations on the outskirts of Victoria, Texas. In 1997 I was ordained a deacon and in 1998 an elder in full connection with Southwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. I met William in October of 97’ and we were married a year later. Michael was born in 2000. Six weeks later my second appointment became official and I began serving as Associate Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Victoria, Texas. I spent eight years concentrating on youth ministry, congregational care, and worship leadership. Christin was born in 2005 and my step-son turned sixteen in 2007. Between ministry and family, life is full of wonderful ups and downs and God continues to be faithful.

Currently, I am called to serve First United Methodist Church as solo pastor. Since 1840, its members have given themselves in service to the Goliad community and the world beyond. We continue to seek God’s guidance for the future. To this end, the church is in the middle of building a Community Life Center with hopes of providing space for new growth, increasing ability to serve the community, and reaching out to young people. It is my hope that we grow into the full embodiment of Christ: showing hospitality to those who seek God’s face, empowering those who seek to serve, giving to those who are in need, and worshipping with the Spirit’s truth and love.

Grace and Peace, Laura

Rev. Laura Hewett Becker
First UMC
P.O. Box 1223 / 134 W. Pearl St.
Goliad, Texas 77963
361-645-2546 (church)