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.
I want to speak to my fellow Straight White Men this morning. I want to show you a videoclip. It’s just :55 seconds of Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing yesterday. I want to show it to you because it uncovers the ugly heart of White Male privilege like almost nothing else I’ve seen recently. This clip […]
I got a birthday present for all y’all today. Yes, today is my birthday. Yes, it’s the most awesome birthday on the calendar. September 21st is shared with amazing people like Bill Murray, HG Wells, and Leonard Cohen. It’s also the International Day of Peace, often the Fall Equinox, and the basis of the bitchin’ […]
Yesterday, United Methodist clergy from all over North Texas gathered to call for justice for Botham Jean. I share some of my own thoughts on the case here.
Here’s video of my set at Uncle Calvin’s last night. There are a few problems. The lighting is weird….I look ghostly. And my pickup went dead, so we had to switch to a mic, which threw me off a bit. But, overall, it gives you a sense of the night. So great to open for […]
So, I’m a few days late, but here’s a tribute to Dan Fogelberg, in honor of what would have been his 67th Birthday this week. It’s a cover of what became one of my favorite Dan-songs, following our weekend in Peoria some years back. I still recall that weekend with such fondness. — To meet […]
Back from a several-day trip to Fayetteville, to move The Divine Miss M back to school. We are beat. It was a great summer, but she’s back in Fay, and moved in to the house where she’s renting a room for the year. It’s in a quiet neighborhood, pretty near campus. But, it was a […]
I’ve been thinking about my Dad a lot recently. I’ve been thinking about things my Father never thought he’d see. A part of it has to do with my new commute. Turns out, there are several roads I can use to commute here to Grand Prairie. One of the path takes me down 190 (George […]
Text/Video of my final sermon at Northaven UMC, Dallas. June 24, 2018 Mark 4: 37-40 “Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re […]
What a rich, emotional day. Did and “down and back” trip to Georgetown today, for the memorial service of Thom Elliott. As I wrote a few weeks ago when Thom died, he was my supervising pastor for my Perkins Internship, and one of *the* most formative ministers in my life. And, in a deeply personal […]
When Maria was about seven, we went on a family vacation to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. Dennise actually travelled first, to take some intensive language classes, and Maria and I joined her a week later. I was excited about the prospects of traveling with my daughter, internationally. I had spent six years as […]
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