Margarita McCarthy believes God’s grace was always leading her to Jesus and eventually to the Methodist church even though she grew up in another faith tradition.

“I grew up in the church. My father was in the Army and no matter where we lived, my parents always found a community of faith where we could worship and share life together,” she recalls.

After her family returned to the states, Margarita was invited by a neighbor to join her at a Methodist church, and that journey to Christ and eventually to Methodism continued in her college years. After her brother shared about his relationship with Jesus Christ, Margarita’s heart was drawn to know Jesus — His love, forgiveness, grace and freedom.

“It was in my dorm room where I accepted Jesus,” she remembers. “I feel like my conversion was part of my call as well, and God took my life in a completely different direction.”

After graduation, God led Margarita to work in the airline industry, where she worked as a flight attendant and, eventually, a flight attendant recruiter.

Three years after joining the airlines, while on a summer-long mission trip to Central America, Jesus called Margarita to join Him in ministry. Margarita, who has been a member of The Woodlands Methodist Church for 26 years, answered that call by serving in numerous volunteer roles, from Bible study leader to prayer warrior.

“As a new member, I was invited to join a group of 10 women to come together and pray,” she says. “Out of that weekly prayer time, God birthed the beginning of a women’s ministry at our church. I had seen and experienced the Holy Spirit working in prayer on a personal level, but that was the first time I had experienced the power of prayer as a group of women coming together to pray.”

God’s call to join Him in ministry never left Margarita, and the Holy Spirit led her to seminary, where she received her master’s in biblical studies from Asbury Theological Seminary in 2018, and she felt God leading her into the role of Deacon.

In her new role as Pastor of Caring and Prayer, Margarita is most excited about the opportunity to unite prayer under one umbrella, advancing prayer in our church.

“The embers of prayer have been burning in this church since its inception,” she affirms. “Prayer is foundational to this church, and I’m excited to see how the Holy Spirit will grow prayer. So many times, we see prayer as a duty. But I believe prayer can be a delight as God delights to be with us and hear our hearts in communion with Him — both personally and corporately.”

Margarita has a daughter, Lauren, who is also an active member of TWMC.