A Church That Followed the Road Across San Angelo
Sierra Vista United Methodist Church stands on College Hills Boulevard on the southwest side of San Angelo, Texas, where the pavement used to give way to a country lane called Loop 306. The congregation that gathers there today grew up across more than a century of Methodist mission in West Texas, packing up and moving three times to keep pace with a city that kept changing around it. From its present campus the church runs four weekly worship services, a licensed Child Development Center, a Children's Bed Project that has placed more than 1,800 beds in the homes of San Angelo students since 2014, and an annual Harvest Festival that has raised money for local charities for more than thirty years.
That mix - steady Sunday traditions, hands-on neighborhood service, and a willingness to move when the neighborhood shifts - has shaped who Sierra Vista is. Visitors are greeted at the door of a sanctuary whose stained-glass windows tell the story of creation, and at the same time are invited to pick up a hammer, pack a food box, or board a plane to Honduras.
From Bethel on Chadbourne Street to Sierra Vista on College Hills
Sierra Vista's roots reach back to 1904, when the Rev. A. Lowe organized the Methodist Protestant Church in San Angelo. Twelve couples and two young people were charter members. The congregation met in a vacant house on East Harris Street until 1905, when it built a small white frame building at North Chadbourne and Eleventh Street, the first church north of the railroad in the young town. That building hosted socials, singings, weddings, and gatherings of young people.
After the 1939 unification of the Methodist Protestant, Methodist Episcopal, and Methodist Episcopal South churches, the San Angelo congregation became Bethel Methodist Church. The years around the merger were not easy. In 1944, members who had opposed unification withdrew to start the Independent Methodist Protestant Church in south San Angelo, and the Rev. H. B. Day, the first Methodist Episcopal South pastor at Bethel, was sent out to plant what is still active as Day Memorial in east San Angelo.
Bethel moved in 1950 to a new building at Madison and Shiloh in West San Angelo under the Rev. Ben H. Bohmfalk and changed its name to Angelo Heights Methodist Church. Twenty-five years later the proposed East-West throughway forced yet another move. In 1973, Angelo Heights bought land in southwest San Angelo, where College Hills Boulevard still stopped at Fall Creek, and on August 7, 1975, the first service was held under a new name: Sierra Vista United Methodist Church. Rev. Jim Carter was pastor at the time.
Four Services Each Weekend
Sierra Vista offers four weekly worship services, designed so that a family can find a style and a time that fit.
- Saturday at 5:30 p.m. - a nontraditional service in Chapel Hall, led by the church's praise band with contemporary music.
- Sunday at 8:30 a.m. - a traditional service in the Sanctuary.
- Sunday at 10:50 a.m. - a contemporary service in Chapel Hall.
- Sunday at 11:00 a.m. - a traditional service in the Sanctuary.
The 11:00 a.m. service is also broadcast on KWFR FM 101.9. Anyone who cannot be in the pews can join through the church's livestream, on Facebook, or on YouTube. Communion is celebrated in every service, and the United Methodist practice of open Communion, welcoming all who seek Christ, is part of the welcome.
The Sanctuary is anchored by stained-glass windows installed between May 1990 and September 1992. They were designed by Mary Lynn Lee and built by glass artists Joe and Jeany Coughran, and contain a total of 21,609 hand-cut pieces. The four windows follow the seasons of the Holy Lands and gather the flora and fauna of scripture, including hyacinth and mustard, almond and olive, heron and stork, lion and lamb, into a celebration of creation.
A Bed for Every Child Who Needs One
The Children's Bed Project is the ministry Sierra Vista is best known for across San Angelo, and it began in the living rooms of the congregation's own Sunday School. It started in 2013 as an outreach from a single elementary school, where teachers identified children sleeping on floors, couches, and crowded beds shared with siblings. In its first year volunteers helped about ten percent of that school's families.
The next year the project expanded to every elementary campus in San Angelo ISD. Sierra Vista pays for the beds and bedding and handles all administration, so that one hundred percent of every dollar donated goes to the program itself. School counselors identify the students and issue vouchers, and Rust Street Ministries handles warehousing and distribution. Since 2014 more than 1,800 beds have been delivered, an average of one for every school day of the first ten years. Beds are also provided to Child Protective Services as needed. A counselor at Bradford Elementary has described the moment she delivered the first beds to a Spanish-speaking family who, from that day forward, came to trust her completely, a relationship that has lasted more than seven years.
Ramps, Soup, and a Parking-Lot Picnic
The Children's Bed Project is one of several hands-on outreach ministries the church runs alongside its neighbors.
- Texas Ramp Project. Sierra Vista partners with this 501(c)(3) nonprofit to build free wheelchair ramps for low-income older adults and people with disabilities identified by local health-care providers. The work is done entirely by volunteers. The local vision is that no one in the Concho Valley area should lack safe access because of money.
- Kids Eat Free. Each summer since 2010 the church has prepared and distributed take-away lunches to families whose children attend Alta Loma Elementary. Five cooking teams rotate through the kitchen, meals are taken to the school parking lot, and the program runs Monday through Friday for six weeks beginning after July 4.
- Wesley Trinity Daily Soup Kitchen. Sierra Vista volunteers prepare and serve meals at the soup kitchen on Thursdays, joining a ministry that offers a free lunch six days a week to anyone in need.
- Food Box Ministry. When families are food-insecure, volunteers shop at the Concho Valley Food Bank and deliver two weeks of grocery staples to their door.
- Project Dignidad. An ecumenical food-and-clothing ministry since 1976. The church collects non-perishable food, fills baskets at Thanksgiving and Easter, contributes to a Shoe Voucher program that gives school children $50 vouchers twice a year, and supports the work financially.
- Grace and Grub. Once a month during the school year, the church prepares and serves lunch to high school students at Emmanuel Episcopal Church.
The Child Development Center
On the same campus, Sierra Vista runs a Child Development Center licensed to care for children from five months old through first grade. The CDC serves as many children each week as the entire Children's Ministry combined.
Classes follow Texas guidelines and TEKS standards, with regular assessments, weekly chapel for children two and older, and weekly music, library, STEM, and physical education for children three and older. The CDC accepts each child as a child of God and seeks to encourage spiritual development alongside academic preparation. Tuition varies by age and by the number of days attended, with extended-day options available.
KICK, Sunday School, and VBS for Children
Children's Ministries at Sierra Vista covers birth through fifth grade, with programs designed to partner with parents.
- Nursery. Paid, trained, First Aid/CPR-certified staff care for children from birth through preschool-4 during all three Sunday services, the Sunday School hour, and the Saturday service. Nursery is also available for other church events upon request, for children birth through age ten.
- Sunday School. Kindergarten through fifth grade meets from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. in the Life Center, with age-appropriate small groups and curriculum.
- KICK (Kids in Christ Kingdom). The mid-week program for kindergarten through fifth grade runs from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from mid-September through the end of April. Activities include Bible study, recreation, creative arts, mission projects, and children's choir. After-school pick-up is available at Bonham, Lamar, Fort Concho, Santa Rita, and Wall Elementary Schools. KICK children lead a Children's Christmas Program and a Children-Led Worship in late April.
- VBS. A week-long Vacation Bible School open to children four years old through sixth grade.
- Music and handbells. Children's choir rehearses weekly; children's handbells play seasonally.
Youth: Sunday School, Sunday Evenings, and Wednesdays
The youth program at Sierra Vista is built around three weekly touchpoints.
- Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. in the Life Center, with donuts and themed lessons.
- Sunday evenings from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the Life Center, with games, gathering, and activities for the wider youth community.
- Wednesday Youth Group from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with supper provided, a mix of outreach, fellowship, and Bible study.
- Late Night Bible Study at 7:45 p.m. for high school students looking for a Christ-centered community.
Each fall the youth ministry runs a Pumpkin Patch as its largest fundraiser; hours served by youth and family members convert into credits toward retreats and trips. The program also takes a summer mission trip. Recent destinations include Waxahachie, Texas. A Spring Break ski trip takes high schoolers to Wolfcreek Ski Resort near Pagosa Springs, Colorado, with time for non-skiers at hot springs and Camp Sonlight.
Young Adults, Adults, and Seniors
Young Adult Ministry welcomes college students and other young adults from age eighteen through the twenties every Sunday at 9:45 a.m. in Life Center Room 206 for discussion on living Christ-centered lives, and on Sunday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the same room for fellowship. Additional studies happen seasonally.
Adult ministries include a wide range of Sunday school classes, Bible studies, and small groups. On average more than 225 people participate weekly in faith formation, drawn from Men's and Women's Bible studies, Gathering Groups, and the Sunday School ministry.
Senior Adult Ministries includes a monthly Fun Fest with pot luck lunch and devotionals, a Circuit Singers group that travels to assisted-living homes to sing hymns quarterly, birthday cards for seniors, and outings around West Texas. Three free fitness classes meet in the Fellowship Hall each week - Balance on Mondays at 10 a.m., Chair Yoga on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., and Strength/Core Fitness on Fridays at 10 a.m. - designed to help seniors stay independent.
Singing from the Sanctuary to the Nursing Home
Worship Arts at Sierra Vista is built around several groups that rehearse weekly and lead worship on Sundays.
- Sanctuary Choir. Open to adults, college students, and high school students; rehearses Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and sings at the morning services. The choir leads the annual Christmas and Easter programs.
- Handbells. An adult group plays monthly; a children's group plays seasonally.
- Youth Band and (forming) Youth Choir. Open to students interested in contemporary worship.
- Praise Band. Leads the Saturday 5:30 p.m. service each week.
- Circuit Singers. Senior adults who travel to assisted-living homes to lead hymn sings quarterly.
The Music Director is Dr. Eric Posada, who also directs choral activities at Angelo State University. Pianist Eun Mi Lee accompanies the services.
Care Ministries and Small Groups
A network of care ministries keeps the congregation connected through illness, grief, and ordinary life.
- Hospital Visitation Ministry. A team committed to visiting and praying for those who are sick and in hospital, working with the Home Care ministry to identify needs.
- Home Care Ministry. Visits and supports those who are home bound, including serving communion to those who cannot come to church.
- Phone Call Ministry. Ensures that every person in the church is contacted at least once per quarter, and follows up where deeper care is needed.
- TLC Ministry. Provides meals for grieving families, usually around a funeral or celebration of life at the church.
Nancy Knight, Director of Discipleship Ministries, helps people connect to a small group or ministry so they can grow closer to the body of Christ.
Honduras, the Ramp, and the Pumpkin Patch
Each year Sierra Vista sends an international mission team to Honduras with the United Methodist Volunteer In Mission network, providing a medical clinic, a pharmacy, children's ministries, reading eyeglasses, and construction. The most recent trip worked in Porterillos.
Closer to home, the Methodist Men's Group supports the Harvest Festival, the Easter Breakfast, and other church projects, and is rebuilding a Volunteer Repairman Operation to provide low- or no-cost repair work to church members in need. Sierra Vista also runs a Great Days of Service twice a year, on Saturday mornings in spring and fall. Past projects have included assembling flood buckets and hygiene kits, building ramps with the Texas Ramp Project, and making blankets for children and the homeless. The annual Harvest Festival, held the first Saturday of October, is the largest community event, with pumpkins, games, food, and a charity auction. Three charities are chosen each year through a process led by the Sunday School classes.
The Columbarium and the Wedding Ministry
Behind the Sanctuary, a columbarium offers small niches for the cremated remains of loved ones. Niches can be purchased directly through the church. The Wedding Ministry, meanwhile, treats Christian marriage as a worship experience. A Wedding Planner and Policy Guide is available, and a wedding coordinator helps couples plan the ceremony; reservations are made through the church office.
Pastors and Staff
Sierra Vista is led by a pastoral team that includes Senior Pastor Kyle Toomire, who came to San Angelo after founding The Journey United Methodist Church in Kyle, Texas, and most recently serving Bandera United Methodist Church, and Pastor Mark Porterfield, who came to Sierra Vista after senior pastorates at several United Methodist churches in Texas, including Grace United Methodist Church in Corpus Christi. Pastor Tamara Strehli leads the Saturday 5:30 p.m. worship service, facilitates small groups, and supports mission and outreach ministries.
Margot Porterfield serves as Director of Connection and Care Ministries. Donnie Bowers directs the Youth program. Madison Woehl oversees the Children's and family ministries. Sandy Jameson serves as Director of Children's Ministries. Nancy Knight is Director of Discipleship Ministries. Dr. Eric Posada is the Music Director. Jennifer Hedges is the Nursery Coordinator.
The Rio Texas Conference
Sierra Vista is part of the Central District of the Rio Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. The District Superintendent is Rev. Dr. Robert Ortiz, and Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey serves as bishop of the Rio Texas Annual Conference and the Texas Annual Conference. As a local congregation in this connectional system, Sierra Vista participates in the shared mission and ministry of the wider United Methodist Church, which traces its roots to the 18th-century ministry of John Wesley in England and was formally organized in America in 1968 through the union of Methodist traditions.
United Methodists believe in one God, Creator and sustainer of all, in Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human, and in the Holy Spirit, who is present and active in the world today. God's grace and salvation are offered to all, and the church practices open Communion, welcoming all who seek Christ.
Safety, Stewardship, and the App
Sierra Vista places a special emphasis on the safety of children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Anyone working with those groups goes through Safe Gatherings training, which includes a background check and three reference checks, as well as a thirty-minute interactive module from the Rio Texas Conference. A Safety Policy and a Red Star background check form are available from the church office.
A MinistryOne app, called Church by MinistryOne, gives members access to sermons, an online directory, events, registrations, and a way to submit prayer requests from a phone.
Impossible Promises and the "We Are Sierra Vista" Campaign
The church's annual stewardship emphasis, Impossible Promises, frames giving as an act of worship. The 2026 projected budget totals $1,650,000, with the largest allocations to Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Faith Formation, Worship, Facilities, and Missions and Outreach. Fifteen percent of the operating budget is set aside for outreach alone. On average, more than 515 people attend worship each week, and the church invests over $250,000 per year in children and youth apart from teacher salaries and buildings.
Alongside the annual budget, the We Are Sierra Vista capital campaign is working to reduce debt and prepare the campus for the future. Commitment cards can be filled out online or picked up at worship.