Hi, I'm Pastor Sarah!

Hello, Edinburg First! I am beyond excited to begin our sacred work of love together.

The last month and a half have been a flurry of transitions. In May, I graduated from

Duke Divinity School, said goodbye-for-now to beloved professors, mentors, church

members, and friends, and packed my belongings in the back of my car to head back

home to the Valley. Since I’ve been back in Texas, I’ve been in all sorts of trainings and

meeting more of the lovely people of the Río Texas Conference, all leading up to Annual

Conference in Corpus Cristi. In the days to come, we’ll talk more about Annual

Conference, but I’d like to share one story for now.

At the ordination service of Annual Conference, I—alongside three other young

women—was recognized as a newly licensed local pastor. We were brought before the

worshiping body at First Corpus Christi, and we were asked to kneel at the altar rail as

Bishop Fierro Harvey laid hands on us to bless us for the work ahead. As Bishop Fierro

Harvey spoke my name, “Sarah Alicia Solís,” my breath caught on “Alicia.” I am named

for my maternal grandmother, Alicia Hinojosa Acevedo, and in that moment, the journey

that had brought me to this moment rushed over me like a flood. I recognized that I am

but one part of a long legacy of faithfulness. The legacy of my abuela Alicia, whose

voice I hear every time I pray the Padre Nuestro, the Lord’s Prayer. The legacy of the

Solíses and the Sánchezes and the United Methodist church where I was baptized,

came to the Lord’s Table for the first time, and heard my call to ordained ministry.

Friends, it has been a long road to come back home.

When I first came to Edinburg First, it was clear that this church, its people, are also a

part of a long legacy of faith and love. I give thanks and praise to God for the ministry of

Pastor Michelle and all the ways she has been a faithful and loving shepherd. I am

reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “These three things remain: faith,

hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Love shapes us in profound ways.

When we experience the love of God in and through each other, it changes us. We are

both different, yet more of who we truly are. We carry with us those who have loved us,

whom we have loved, every step of our journeys.

I am humbled to walk alongside you as your pastor in this next step of the journey. Over

the month of July, I will share some of my “life verses,” passages of the Bible that have

formed my identity as a child of God and lie at the core of my call to ministry. You’ll hear

a little bit more about my story, and as I begin to sit down to meals and cups of coffee

with you, I’m eager to listen to your story. My hope is that as we begin to share our

stories of God’s love and faithfulness, we will find encouragement in one another and

joy for the journey.

With Love,

Pastor Sarah