Pastor Madison Garcia-Tabor
Pastor Madison Garcia-Tabor is thrilled to serve as the pastor at St. John's United Methodist Church where she was appointed on October 1, 2023.
Pastor Madison is a fourth generation Methodist, and grew up in Longview, Texas going to church every Sunday. She first felt her call to ministry during her confirmation class in sixth grade. She attended college at East Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas where she received a degree in history and political science. During college she participated for two summers interning with the Texas Annual Conference's College Pastoral Internship Project (CPIP), and this experience solidified her call to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church. After graduating in 2017, she began her Master of Divinity at Perkins School of Theology at SMU where she graduated in 2020. Prior to serving at St. John's, Pastor Madison has served as the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lufkin, Texas and the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Brenham, Texas. She was ordained as an Elder in the Texas Conference in 2023.
Pastor Madison's greatest passions in ministry are leading worship, caring for her congregation and community, and teaching God's Word. She loves to create welcoming environments where dialogue can take place about God's grace. She is married to her husband, Danny, who is a chemistry professor at Texas A&M University. They were married in December 2022. Outside of ministry Pastor Madison enjoys spending time with husband and beloved dog, Casey, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and watching classic films.
Pastor Madison is a fourth generation Methodist, and grew up in Longview, Texas going to church every Sunday. She first felt her call to ministry during her confirmation class in sixth grade. She attended college at East Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas where she received a degree in history and political science. During college she participated for two summers interning with the Texas Annual Conference's College Pastoral Internship Project (CPIP), and this experience solidified her call to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church. After graduating in 2017, she began her Master of Divinity at Perkins School of Theology at SMU where she graduated in 2020. Prior to serving at St. John's, Pastor Madison has served as the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Lufkin, Texas and the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Brenham, Texas. She was ordained as an Elder in the Texas Conference in 2023.
Pastor Madison's greatest passions in ministry are leading worship, caring for her congregation and community, and teaching God's Word. She loves to create welcoming environments where dialogue can take place about God's grace. She is married to her husband, Danny, who is a chemistry professor at Texas A&M University. They were married in December 2022. Outside of ministry Pastor Madison enjoys spending time with husband and beloved dog, Casey, reading, doing crossword puzzles, and watching classic films.
Church Staff
Brenda Allen is the Administrative Assistant for St. John's. She is in the office, Monday - Thursday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. to assist with any Church related matters. Brenda is very knowledgeable about all Church affairs and capable of answering just about any question.
Since 2001, Melanie has been music director for St.John's UMC. She has served as a church musician since the age of 14.
Melanie is a 1980 graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas with a Bachelor of Music Education. She also is a 1981 graduate of the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas with a Masters of Music Education. Both degrees had concentration in piano, organ and voice.
Who We Are
St. John's United Methodist Church is located in Rockdale, Texas which is a part of the West District of the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
For more information on the Texas Annual Conference visit http://www.txcumc.org
For more information on the United Methodist Church visit http://www.umc.org
For more information on the Texas Annual Conference visit http://www.txcumc.org
For more information on the United Methodist Church visit http://www.umc.org
Our History
St. John's United Methodist Church traces its history back to the earliest days of Rockdale in 1874. Methodists met in a church known simply as The Methodist Church before land was purchased for the Rockdale Methodist Episcopal Church, South which was built in 1883 at 320 East Cameron St. It was renamed The First Methodist Church in 1939 after a denominational merger and later changed to St. John's Methodist Church in 1951 with the "United" being added in 1968 after another merger in the Methodist Church. The current church building located at 1700 Hillcrest was built in 1960 with additional add-ons over the years including the most recent addition of a new Fellowship Hall in 1998.
On March 2, 2025 St. John's celebrated 150 years of continuous service to the community by dedicating its subject matter Historical Marker.
On March 2, 2025 St. John's celebrated 150 years of continuous service to the community by dedicating its subject matter Historical Marker.