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.
After many years with the same layout, I’ve taken the plunge and changed my blog layout. It’s probably well beyond time for this. Change is good, and in the digital world that changes every day, it was probably silly to keep the same layout for almost a decade. The layout was tied to my website, […]
The incredible news of yesterday was no blockages!!!The doc said the arterties were “clear as the day you were born,” and the nurse called them “textbook.” YES!! Here’s the video… So, that means some kind of electrical problem with “extra” beats in between the regular cycle of beats.The doc is not worried about it […]
Tuesday morning, I will go in for an angiogram on my heart. This results from a series of tests that docs have been running on me in the past few weeks. It started with the recognition by my primary care doc that the electrical circuitry in my heart appeared to be off. (Just a routine […]
I believe the decision to house a Presidential Library, any Presidential Library, at a major university is a no-brainer, and a real honor for that university. Presidential Libraries become those places where the legacies of presidents are finally sorted out. Historians come to comb the record, write the histories, that ultimately help us shape our […]
It’s been quite a jarring week in the news. Boston. Ricin Letters to the President. Kaufman County. The explosion in West, Texas. Flooding in the midwest. The “news cycle” feels unrelenting. As a friend of mine said moments ago: you know it’s bad when they interrupt breaking news to bring you more breaking news. One […]
With little editing (meaning: there’s lots of typos) here is my eulogy for beloved Northavener, Carole Carsey. This should publish around the time the service starts today. She was always one of my “Balcony People” but is for sure now…EF I am confident that everyone in this room will agree with me when I say […]
This week, the Supreme Court takes up two important cases on the issue of same-sex marriage. The cases may, or may not, fundamentally change the legal understanding of marriage in our nation. Whether or not they do, decisions are not expected for months. (UPDATE 6/27/13: Yesterday, the Supreme Court came back with decisions in both […]
(Note: Please read this entire blog for an important update at the end…EF) Watching the election of the Pope Francis last week, I couldn’t help but notice how impressive it was to see a true “global church” in action. However, it also reminded me of a truth about our beloved United Methodist Church… We say […]
“Sometimes in the night I feel it, Near as my next breath and yet untouchable. Silently, the past comes stealing, Like the taste of some forbidden sweet.” ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ A week ago right now, we were rehearsing for that night’s Dan Fogelberg Tribute Show. It […]
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