District Lay Leader Report
District Lay Leader and Lay Member to Annual Conference Report – Aton Abril
El Camino Real District | California-Nevada Annual Conference
El Camino Real District | California-Nevada Annual Conference
Dear Wesley family,
Thank you for your continued prayers and support as I serve our congregation and the wider United Methodist connection. This has been a particularly meaningful year of leadership, formation, and transition, with opportunities to serve at the district, Annual Conference, and global levels of our Church.
Last year, I shared several opportunities that were just beginning. This year, I am grateful to share how those experiences have unfolded and continue to shape my understanding of our shared ministry.
Strengthening Our District
I have continued visiting congregations throughout the El Camino Real District, worshiping with communities representing the remarkable diversity of our United Methodist connection. These visits remain among the most meaningful parts of my ministry, allowing me to listen, learn, celebrate, and better understand the opportunities and challenges facing our churches.
A particular focus this year has been my participation in Creating a Culture of Renewal (CCR), a three-year leadership development program. I have been working to apply this learning not only to my own leadership, but to the district itself: considering how we strengthen relationships, support our congregations, develop lay leadership, and move from maintaining our institutions toward renewing our mission.
One practical expression of this work has been the development of the El Camino Real District Calendar https://www.ecrd.dev/calendar, a shared resource to make the ministries, activities, and opportunities across our churches more visible and accessible. My hope is that this helps our congregations connect and share their gifts across traditional church and circuit boundaries.
Leadership and Transition
This year brought significant changes in district leadership. Following the completion of Rev. Dr. Samuel Hong's six years of service, the district welcomed Rev. Dr. Theon Johnson III and Rev. Dr. Oliver Mangubat under a new shared superintendency model.
I have been privileged to work with both superintendents, alongside clergy and lay leadership, to support this transition and help discern our district's priorities.
On November 14, our district will gather at Asbury UMC in Livermore for a celebration and installation of our new District Superintendents. I have been closely involved in planning this service, which represents an opportunity to celebrate our connection and recommit ourselves to the ministries we share.
At the Annual Conference level, I have now completed my first year serving on the Conference Core Team, contributing to conversations and discernment around the vision and future direction of the California-Nevada Annual Conference. This work has helped me better understand how our local churches and districts fit into the larger mission of our connection.
I was also honored to be nominated as a co-leader of our General Conference delegation. I receive this opportunity with gratitude and a deep appreciation for the responsibility of representing the voices of our connectional Church.
A Global Connection
In October, I traveled to Calgary, Canada, to participate in the inaugural Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering, joining United Methodist leaders from around the world to reflect on the future of our Church.
I participated in a cohort focused on Accountability: Amplifying Global Voices. Our conversations challenged us to examine whose voices are heard, how leadership is shared, and what genuine accountability requires of us as a worldwide denomination.
I returned from Calgary with a deeper appreciation for the remarkable diversity of our global Church, but also with the conviction that being connectional means more than simply gathering together. It means being willing to listen, learn, and be changed by one another.
These lessons apply just as meaningfully to our local congregations as they do to our worldwide connection.
Preaching and Spiritual Formation
I have been grateful for opportunities to share in worship and preaching at congregations throughout our district, including Watsonville UMC in February and Valley Faith UMC for Laity Sunday in October.
At Valley Faith, my message, As I Have Done for You: The Call to Servant Leadership, reflected on Jesus washing the disciples' feet and invited us to consider leadership as an expression of humility, love, and service. The worship service included the practice of footwashing, offering a tangible reminder of our calling to serve one another.
In April, I also completed the two-year Spirituality in Practice Academy, offered through The Upper Room. This experience has continued to shape my prayer life, discernment, and understanding of spiritual leadership.
A Word of Gratitude and Hope
As I reflect on this year, I am reminded that our Church is more than any single congregation, district, or conference. We belong to one another, and the strength of our connection is found in the relationships we build and the ministry we share.
At Wesley, we speak of being rooted in love, formed in faith, and committed to justice. I carry these values with me wherever I serve.
Although my ministry frequently takes me beyond Wesley's walls, I do so as a member of this congregation, shaped and supported by this community of faith.
Thank you for continuing to make this ministry possible.
May we continue to find ways to make the love of Christ visible in our communities, to strengthen the connections that bind us together, and to live into our shared calling to Follow Jesus, Thrive in Community, and Heal the World.
With gratitude and hope,
Aton Abril
District Lay Leader, El Camino Real District
Thank you for your continued prayers and support as I serve our congregation and the wider United Methodist connection. This has been a particularly meaningful year of leadership, formation, and transition, with opportunities to serve at the district, Annual Conference, and global levels of our Church.
Last year, I shared several opportunities that were just beginning. This year, I am grateful to share how those experiences have unfolded and continue to shape my understanding of our shared ministry.
Strengthening Our District
I have continued visiting congregations throughout the El Camino Real District, worshiping with communities representing the remarkable diversity of our United Methodist connection. These visits remain among the most meaningful parts of my ministry, allowing me to listen, learn, celebrate, and better understand the opportunities and challenges facing our churches.
A particular focus this year has been my participation in Creating a Culture of Renewal (CCR), a three-year leadership development program. I have been working to apply this learning not only to my own leadership, but to the district itself: considering how we strengthen relationships, support our congregations, develop lay leadership, and move from maintaining our institutions toward renewing our mission.
One practical expression of this work has been the development of the El Camino Real District Calendar https://www.ecrd.dev/calendar, a shared resource to make the ministries, activities, and opportunities across our churches more visible and accessible. My hope is that this helps our congregations connect and share their gifts across traditional church and circuit boundaries.
Leadership and Transition
This year brought significant changes in district leadership. Following the completion of Rev. Dr. Samuel Hong's six years of service, the district welcomed Rev. Dr. Theon Johnson III and Rev. Dr. Oliver Mangubat under a new shared superintendency model.
I have been privileged to work with both superintendents, alongside clergy and lay leadership, to support this transition and help discern our district's priorities.
On November 14, our district will gather at Asbury UMC in Livermore for a celebration and installation of our new District Superintendents. I have been closely involved in planning this service, which represents an opportunity to celebrate our connection and recommit ourselves to the ministries we share.
At the Annual Conference level, I have now completed my first year serving on the Conference Core Team, contributing to conversations and discernment around the vision and future direction of the California-Nevada Annual Conference. This work has helped me better understand how our local churches and districts fit into the larger mission of our connection.
I was also honored to be nominated as a co-leader of our General Conference delegation. I receive this opportunity with gratitude and a deep appreciation for the responsibility of representing the voices of our connectional Church.
A Global Connection
In October, I traveled to Calgary, Canada, to participate in the inaugural Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering, joining United Methodist leaders from around the world to reflect on the future of our Church.
I participated in a cohort focused on Accountability: Amplifying Global Voices. Our conversations challenged us to examine whose voices are heard, how leadership is shared, and what genuine accountability requires of us as a worldwide denomination.
I returned from Calgary with a deeper appreciation for the remarkable diversity of our global Church, but also with the conviction that being connectional means more than simply gathering together. It means being willing to listen, learn, and be changed by one another.
These lessons apply just as meaningfully to our local congregations as they do to our worldwide connection.
Preaching and Spiritual Formation
I have been grateful for opportunities to share in worship and preaching at congregations throughout our district, including Watsonville UMC in February and Valley Faith UMC for Laity Sunday in October.
At Valley Faith, my message, As I Have Done for You: The Call to Servant Leadership, reflected on Jesus washing the disciples' feet and invited us to consider leadership as an expression of humility, love, and service. The worship service included the practice of footwashing, offering a tangible reminder of our calling to serve one another.
In April, I also completed the two-year Spirituality in Practice Academy, offered through The Upper Room. This experience has continued to shape my prayer life, discernment, and understanding of spiritual leadership.
A Word of Gratitude and Hope
As I reflect on this year, I am reminded that our Church is more than any single congregation, district, or conference. We belong to one another, and the strength of our connection is found in the relationships we build and the ministry we share.
At Wesley, we speak of being rooted in love, formed in faith, and committed to justice. I carry these values with me wherever I serve.
Although my ministry frequently takes me beyond Wesley's walls, I do so as a member of this congregation, shaped and supported by this community of faith.
Thank you for continuing to make this ministry possible.
May we continue to find ways to make the love of Christ visible in our communities, to strengthen the connections that bind us together, and to live into our shared calling to Follow Jesus, Thrive in Community, and Heal the World.
With gratitude and hope,
Aton Abril
District Lay Leader, El Camino Real District
El Camino Real District at Spirituality Academy (Mandalin, IL)
Voting delegates to General Conference
Creating a Culture of Renewal (CCR) Cohort (Casper, WY)
District Lay Leaders of California Nevada Annual Conference
With former Wesley Pastor Rev. Motoe Yamada Flor at Annual Conference
With former Wesley Pastor and Pastor wife Keith and Viki and Annual Conference delegate Michiko
California Nevada Attendees of Bishop’s Gathering (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
El Camino Real District representation at Conference Strategy meeting
El Camino Real District Clergy Leaders gathering over food
A young member of Annual Conference, definitely keeping me on my toes!!
Posted in Charge Conference 2026