Set on a rise along County Road 1492 where Ranch Road 12 bends out of town, Wimberley United Methodist Church has served the Hill Country community of Wimberley since April 1980. The congregation describes itself as offering "radical hospitality and compassionate Christ-led ministries for hope-filled lives," and that phrase shows up everywhere from its weekly newsletter to its pumpkin patch, preschool, and concert series. As a Lighthouse Congregation of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, WUMC places a heavy emphasis on Christ-centered community, hands-on outreach, and welcoming visitors without pretense.
A Sunday Morning Built for the Whole Family
The Sunday service begins at 10:00 a.m. in the sanctuary and runs about an hour. Music is a centerpiece: the Worship & Praise Team rehearses at 9:00 and the Church Choir at 8:30 each week, and both ensembles lead congregational singing along with hymns, anthems, and contemporary pieces. Special cantatas and music Sundays take the place of the regular service several times a year. A nursery for infants through age three, called First Steps, is open from 9:45 a.m. until 12:05 p.m. As the sermon begins, children in PreK4 through fifth grade are invited to walk across the lobby with their teachers to WKidz Church in the Fellowship Hall, where they have their own age-appropriate worship time before joining small groups at 11:00 a.m.
After the service, the building stays busy. Adult small groups meet at 11:00 a.m., children continue in WKidz small groups, and middle and high school students gather in The Haven, the youth room downstairs. Youth Group for grades 6 through 12 returns each Sunday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Worship is also livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@WimberleyUMC/streams, and recordings are posted afterward for anyone who missed the morning.
Susanna's Kitchen: Where Music Feeds the Soul and Compassion Feeds the Community
One of the most distinctive offerings on the WUMC calendar is Susanna's Kitchen Coffeehouse, a monthly concert series that has become a Wimberley tradition. Held on the third Thursday of every month, doors open by 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall and performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Local singer-songwriters from across the Texas music scene take the stage - past and upcoming performers have included HalleyAnna Finlay, Jeff Black, Adam and Chris Carroll, and the Hill Country Honeys. Between sets, volunteers serve tamales, pizza, chips and queso, pie, coffee, and soft drinks.
Tickets are sold only at the door for $20 to $25 (students under 18 are $5) and only cash or checks are accepted. Proceeds benefit the Wimberley Community Assistance Fund, Barnabas Connection, scholarships at Bright Beginnings Preschool, and other area nonprofits. It is just as much a ministry as a concert: every admission, every pie, and every tamale sold helps support neighbors in need.
Bright Beginnings Preschool: A Ministry Since 1986
Six years after the church was founded, Wimberley United Methodist Church launched a Mother's Day Out program that has grown into Bright Beginnings Preschool, a licensed childcare facility operated under the church's direction and licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The school serves infants through PreK and offers a summer day camp for elementary students through fifth grade.
Classes keep low student-to-teacher ratios: the infant room is staffed by three teachers for up to ten babies, and toddler, three-year-old, and PreK classes each have a teacher and an aide for small groups of twelve to fourteen children. A typical day includes art, playground time, story and share time, sensory play, singing, dancing, free play, science and nature discovery, snacks, lunch, and nap time. PreK students add phonics, Handwriting Without Tears instruction, and early math concepts.
Spiritual formation is woven in. Once a week, every class attends chapel with the church's Director of Family Ministries. "We believe that children are God's gift to us, and how we respond to them is our gift to God," the preschool's mission reads, and the church's pastor and a Board of Directors oversee the program. School day runs 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with early care starting at 7:00 a.m. and extended care running until 5:00 p.m. School holidays follow the Wimberley ISD calendar.
Family Ministries: WKidz, WYouth, and High FIVE
Wimberley UMC organizes its ministry to families around three programs that meet at different points in the week. WKidz, for PreK4 through fifth grade, gathers for Kidz Church at 10:00 a.m. and small group at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays, with drop-off and pickup in the Education Building by the Nursery. Courtenay Kehl, the Director of Family Ministries, leads the children in playful Bible teaching and, weather permitting, a stop on the playground.
WYouth serves students in grades 6 through 12. Beyond Sunday morning and Sunday evening programming, Wednesday Youth Group meets from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year. The first Wednesday of each month, youth meet in the Fellowship Hall; the rest of the month they gather in The Haven youth room or at rotating locations around the community. Families stay connected through the Remind app.
High FIVE Hangout bridges the gap between WKidz and WYouth. On Mondays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., fourth and fifth graders meet in the Youth Room for games, snacks, and short character-building conversations built around the FIVE standards of Faith, Integrity, Vision, and Energy. It is open to all Wimberley-area tweens, making it a natural way for the church to stay connected to local students.
Small Groups: Two Sunday Mornings, Many Conversations
Two adult small groups anchor Sunday formation at 11:00 a.m. Faith Meets Life (FML) is an open and welcoming table of singles, couples, and seekers that studies books and videos together in the Fellowship Hall. Recent studies have walked through Amy-Jill Levine's The Bible With and Without Jesus and Max Lucado's Fearless. Pilgrims, formerly known as Adults Serving Christ, is a mix of young families and retirees who meet in the Agape Room downstairs, with studies on topics like Spiritual Gifts and Revelation.
Beyond the two Sunday groups, the church hosts several other weekly and monthly gatherings. The choir rehearses Sunday mornings before worship and sings during services and on special holidays. The Prayer Shawl Ministry meets Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., knitting and crocheting shawls that are blessed in worship and given to anyone who is ill, facing crisis, or celebrating a milestone. Divine Conversations gathers on the fourth Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at the Willow Lake Watering Hole & Mercantile for facilitated discussion about how God speaks in everyday life. The Wimberley Local Emmaus Community, which the church co-hosts alongside Chapel in the Hills, hosts monthly gatherings and supports the larger Hays Praise Community.
Wednesday Worship at Alexis Pointe
In addition to Sunday morning, WUMC offers a weekly worship service offsite at Alexis Pointe at 1:00 p.m. each Wednesday. The service reaches members and neighbors who cannot make Sunday morning and creates a second touchpoint in the week for prayer, scripture, and community. On the first Wednesday evening of each month, the church adds a 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. intergenerational gathering with food and fellowship - a chance for toddlers, teens, grandparents, and friends to share a meal together.
Missions and Outreach: Compassion to Action
Outreach is organized under the banner "Compassion to Action." Locally, WUMC supports Barnabas Connection, which helps families facing financial hardship or housing insecurity with back-to-school supplies, emergency aid, and advocacy. The church partners with Southside Community Center, serving meals and assisting with shelter and home repair programs for unhoused neighbors. It stands with the Hays-Caldwell Women's Center, donating supplies and advocating for survivors of domestic violence and abuse. As a member of the Hays County Homeless Coalition, the congregation participates in annual Point-in-Time counts, poverty simulations, and advocacy for affordable housing, mental health, and case management.
Food ministry runs through partnerships with Crisis Bread Basket and the Hays County Food Bank. The Green Team, which meets on the third Sunday of the month, organizes recycling programs, energy-saving projects, and clean-up days, and has helped establish a bird viewing station at the church as part of the Hays County Birding project led by the Hays County Master Naturalists.
Globally, WUMC supports Mission Border Hope in Eagle Pass, helping provide clean clothing and resources for migrant families. The church also partners with UMC Manos Juntas in Mexico, sending teams to serve alongside the local church in worship, construction, education, and outreach.
Susanna's Kitchen concerts and the church's annual Pumpkin Patch - a four-week October sale at the corner of Ranch Road 12 and County Road 1492 - help fund many of these missions. All proceeds from the patch benefit Barnabas Connection, Bright Beginnings Preschool scholarships, Camp CommUnity summer scholarships, and WUMC Family Ministries.
Baker's Dozen, United Women in Faith, and United Methodist Men
Outreach at Wimberley UMC is as much about bake sales and book clubs as it is about mission trips. The Baker's Dozen group bakes pies, cookies, and breads throughout the year to sell at the church's booth at Wimberley Market Days, with all proceeds going to local missions and church ministries.
United Women in Faith meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 5:45 to 7:30 p.m. for a shared meal, discussion, and worship, with primary mission projects supporting Southside Community Center and the Hays-Caldwell Women's Shelter. United Methodist Men meets on the second Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for fellowship and service.
What a First-Time Guest Finds
Visitors arrive in a casual, come-as-you-are environment. "You will see jeans, shorts, dresses, and business casual attire," the staff notes. The dress code is whatever feels comfortable. Handicapped parking is available in both parking lots; volunteers are stationed throughout the building to greet newcomers and point the way. Parents with restless children are welcome on the playground after services, with one caveat: the playground closes during preschool hours to comply with state childcare licensing rules.
Children can move straight from the sanctuary into WKidz Church at the start of the service, and the nursery is open for the youngest visitors through noon. Worship itself runs about an hour and includes live music - both choir and contemporary band - and teaching. For those joining online, services stream live at 10:00 a.m. on YouTube and remain available afterward.
Leadership and Pastoral Identity
The Reverend Susan Rang serves as pastor. Courtenay Kehl is the Director of Family Ministries, overseeing children's, youth, and family ministry and connecting the church to Wimberley ISD through partnerships like the Best Buds mentoring program. Karla Cruz directs the choir. The Bright Beginnings Preschool is led by Director Matilda Long, who has worked with the program for more than three decades. Office hours run Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and contact with the church is welcomed at wimberleyumc.org/connect.
Generosity and Online Giving
Online giving is available through Affinipay at wimberleyumc.org/giving. The church frames generosity through John Wesley's call to "earn all you can and save all you can so that you can give all you can," and describes stewardship as a way of life rather than a once-a-year pledge drive. Members and friends are invited to give as they are able, knowing that every gift flows back out through the congregation's ministries, mission partners, and the preschool that has grown alongside the church since 1986.