Eric Folkerth is a minister, musician, author and blogger.
He is Senior Pastor of Kessler Park UMC United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Previously, he was pastor at Northaven UMC in Dallas for seventeen years.
Eric loves to write on topics of spirituality, social justice, music/art and politics. The entries on this blog reflect that diversity of interests.
His passion for social justice goes beyond mere words. Eric was arrested at the White House, defending immigrants and “The Dreamers;” and he’s officiated at same sex weddings.
Eric was the 2017 recipient of the prestigeous Kuchling Humanitarian Award from Dallas’ Black Tie Dinner. (Human Rights Campaign)
Eric has led or co-led hundreds of persons on mission trips to build houses and bring medical care around the globe, to places such as Mexico, Haiti, Russia, Guatemala, and Nepal. He is proud of have shephereded Highland Park UMC's construction of ten Habitat for Humanity homes, (and one Community Center) and helped forge an alliance with Habitat that led to the construction of 100 homes in Dallas, housing thousands of people.
His wife, Justice Dennise Garcia, has 20 years experience as a state district judge and appelate justice in North Texas.
First elected in 2004, she was the first Latina ever elected to a Dallas County state district bench, and she she left that position whe was the longest currently serving district judge.
In 2020 Dennise Garcia was a elected as a Justice of the 5th District Court of Appeals for Texas. She is currently running to be Chief of the 5th District Court of Appeals in the 2024 cycle.
They have the world’s best daughter, Maria, who is a practicing professional counselor in Dallas.
Find links to Eric’s music-related websites, at the top of this site’s navigation menu.
So, many of you reading this have likely already figured this out; but over the past several months I’ve made a shift in my longform writing. It used to be the primary place I’d write was here, at my own “When EF Talks.” But some months back, I started writing at Substack. And, I’m not […]
Today, I’m out with a ten-year remembrance of the Obergefell Decision, legalizing Same Sex Marriage in America.
It was a big day for two members of our church, who were the first legally married couple in our County, and possibly our State.
I realize that the entire Christian world is waking up this morning to say something about Pope Francis. And I’ll ask you to trust that I will indeed get to my grief over this death, and what it means to the world. But deeper than that, for we United Methodists, was the death of Bishop […]
If you find yourself recognizing JD Vance’s smirk, or even agreeing with it, right now you are doing great harm to our world. I know you’ve been taught otherwise. I know you’ve been taught the toxic lessons that White men are supposed to “lead,” and everyone else supposed to follow.
Here is my sermon from January 26, 2025 at Kessler Park UMC. It weaves together the Gospel of Luke and the conflict between Bishop Mariann Budde and President Trump’s supporters.A written essay that also speaks of these issues is here.
The debate surrounding truth in America has extended to differing interpretations of Christianity, particularly highlighted by Bishop Budde’s sermon advocating mercy for the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities. This polarized response reflects a larger issue: the recognition of Progressive Christianity, which, contrary to assumptions, constitutes a significant minority within American Christianity.
Our KPUMC member, Andrew McGregor, has written a moving essay about our work with the homeless on subfreezing nights. It was almost a full page in yesterday’s print edition.Andrew sums up beautifully the work we have been doing for these past five years. Find it here.
Whenever you feel like curling up in the fetal position, and no matter how challenging or hard things may get, keep chipping away. And as you wield your own rock hammer, inhale/exhale the chorus as a mantra for you, and me, and our broken world.
“In meditation we catch ourselves waging violence on parts of ourselves. This is the seedbed of War. All violence is the act of acting out our own violence toward our own heart.”— Jim Finley I’m doubling-up this week, to catch up with some Advent meditations for you. This one is about PEACE, typically our second […]
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