Author: ericfolkerth

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.

"He’s The Best I’ve Ever Seen"

August 30, 2008.Reading time 15 minutes.

Last night was historic in many ways. Many of those ways have been duly noted in papers and blogs around the nation today. But last night was historic in one intensely personal way too. It marked the first, and only, time in my entire life that my favorite candidate for President actually came away with […]

How to Save $13,636 While Driving 100,000 Miles

August 24, 2008.Reading time 12 minutes.

Did I get your attention with that headline? Hope so. Because I’m not kidding, and I’ve done the math to prove it. I am about to tell you how Dennise and I saved $13,636 by driving 100,000 miles. Let me raise the stakes. Driving that same 100,000 miles, we also reduced dangerous greenhouse gases by […]

Why I Hate Email

August 23, 2008.Reading time 17 minutes.

Over the past few years, I have come to a growing and inescapable conclusion: I now hate email. Given the fact that, among my close family and friends, I am still probably the most wired-in person they know, it may sound as if I’ve gone off some deep end. Maybe you’re thinking this makes me […]

Where The Wild Things Are

August 23, 2008.Reading time 4 minutes.

In our North Dallas neighborhood, apparently… This sign is currently by the side of the road in Far, Far North Dallas…on Davenport…north of Campbell and south of Frankfort. And while many reading this entry might find it incredulous that such warnings are necessary, we can speak from experience… There’s critters ’round these here parts. As […]

Goodbye, Stratopastor

August 21, 2008.Reading time 12 minutes.

Last Saturday, Rusty King and I were honored to sit in on a little “family time” at First United Methodist Church of Sachse. It was a time of prayer and song that the church had shaped, as people began to deal with their shock and grief over the death of Russ Noland two days before. […]

The Reach

August 19, 2008.Reading time 9 minutes.

It’s been a strange couple of days filled with life and death. My Treo says that today I’m having lunch with Russ Noland. I plan to be there. I’m having a hard time believing he won’t. In the midst of that sadness, a beautiful story of the beginning of new life and hope. August 13 […]

Russ Noland

August 15, 2008.Reading time 1 minute.

I’ve just returned from San Antonio, and several days there, to some shocking news: Russ Noland died of a massive heart attack last night. Russ, as many will remember, was one of our guitarists in Connections. He was also my colleague, serving as minister of FUMC Sachse for many years now. The unfolding news is […]

Heartsick for NOLA and the Gulf Coast

August 14, 2008.Reading time 11 minutes.

I’m heartsick tonight. Watching the ominous sight of Gustav, and knowing what I know about NOLA and all of the Gulf Coast? It’s just heartbreaking. The past three summers, we’ve taken our mission trips to the Biloxi/Gulfport area. I know I speak for many in our church when I say that we’ve fallen in love […]

Obama’s Plane (An Impressive, Mid-Campaign Smear)

August 7, 2008.Reading time 12 minutes.

As some readers know, every so often I get an email smear that is so over-the-top, I feel the need to correct it here. I did it a couple of months ago, with an email that, incredulously, claimed more soldiers had died under Clinton and Carter than under President Bush. Of course, it wasn’t true. […]

The New Website is Here! The New Website is Here! We’re SOMEBODY!!!!

August 6, 2008.Reading time 5 minutes.

Hey Everybody: I’ve got fun music news about Connections Band for you: 1) Our website is now official 2) We want you to vote for your favorite songs 3) We’re calling it $40K 4) Upcoming Shows 1) The big news: the official website is now, um, officially up and running!!! We hope you will visit […]