Reverend Stephen Schmidt has served as pastor of First Methodist Gatesville since July of 2018. Stephen has been in ministry in the Methodist Church since he first felt the call to full time Christian service at the age of sixteen.
His first official appointment in the United Methodist Church was serving as a student pastor at Ireland and Levita United Methodist Church. He served as a pastor in the Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church for 37.5 years before retiring in 2022.
Pastor Stephen led our congregation through the process of disaffiliating from the United Methodist Church in 2022. When First UMC Gatesville voted to unite with the Global Methodist Church in October of 2022, Pastor Stephen Schmidt became one of the first full time Elders to transfer his clergy orders to the Global Methodist Church. He has since served as a Presiding Elder in the new denomination and currently serves on other Conference Committees including the Conference Leadership Team and the Board of Ministry.
Stephen and his wife, Karen, recently celebrated 45 years of marriage. God blessed them with three beautiful daughters, Sarah, Samantha, and Stephanie who now have families of their own. They are grandparents of eight grandsons and great grandparents of three boys and one great granddaughter. Pastor Schmidt plans to retire from full time ministry in September of this year after 45 years of service in the Church. His hobbies include working on the family farm and his new homesite, fishing, supporting his grandchildren at sporting events, and traveling with Karen.
Pastor Stephen’s desire is to help every member grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
Welcome to FMC Gatesville from Pastor Schmidt
Charles was born in 1951 in Gatesville, Texas, and is a proud member of the founding family of this church. His years of playing piano culminated with a degree in Music Education from the University of Texas. This year marks his thirtieth year as pianist and eleventh year as choral director of his beloved First Methodist Church.
Mrs. Music is a music graduate of Texas Christian University and following graduation attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary studying in the School of Music. Upon moving to California, she received her teaching credential and taught music in California and Texas public schools for 35 years. In the 1980s she studied organ with Dr. Beverly Howard at California Baptist College. Mrs. Music has served as children’s choir director and organist at churches in Tennessee, California, and Texas.
Augusta and her family moved to Gatesville when she was 12. She graduated from Gatesville High School in 2015 before attending Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas. She met her husband, Patrick, on the first day of band camp, and after graduating, they married in 2019.
Augusta and Patrick moved to Missouri while Augusta earned her master’s degree in Historic Preservation. They moved back to Gatesville in 2022, and Augusta became the church secretary in January 2023. They welcomed their son in May of that same year and their daughter in December 2024.
Debbie was born and raised in Houston and moved to Central Texas in 1984. She is married and has two daughters and five beautiful, healthy grandchildren. Debbie loves children, animals, and spending time outdoors. Her greatest joy is being with her grandchildren, whom she adores. She considers herself truly blessed and is grateful for the life God has given her. Debbie has been a faithful member of First Methodist Church for more than 30 years.
My name is Collette Bledsoe, and I am the Director of Let's Grow Learning Center Preschool. I have been part of the Let's Grow family for 20 years and am passionate about creating a positive, nurturing environment where children can learn, grow, and thrive.
I consider Let's Grow my second home, and my coworkers are like family to me. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling and spending quality time with my family.
I am grateful for the opportunity to support the children, families, and staff of Let's Grow Learning Center each day, and I look forward to helping our students build a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Hi, I'm Lori High, Assistant Director of Let's Grow Learning Center Preschool in Gatesville, Texas. I have worked in childcare since 1996 and owned and operated my own daycare from 2000 to 2008. I have been part of the Let's Grow family for nearly 15 years and truly love what I do.
I am a proud mother of four and grandmother of two. My husband, family, and career mean the world to me, and I feel blessed to spend each day doing work that I am passionate about.
Helping children learn, grow, and build a strong foundation for the future is incredibly rewarding, and I wouldn't change my career choice for anything. I am grateful to be part of the caring team at Let's Grow Learning Center and to serve the children and families of Gatesville and the surrounding communities.
