On a rainy evening, 100 neighbors from all walks of life came together to reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before Jesus’ birth.
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 / San Antonio, Texas
During the Christmas season of 2024, Jaime Rodriguez and husband Matt Swartz experienced a Posada at Cordi-Marian in San Antonio. Wanting to share the joy and meaning of this cherished Advent tradition, they brought their vision to The Joy Division ministry team at Travis Park United Methodist Church. Would the congregation be open to observing Las Posadas during the Christmas season for the first time? The response was a resounding yes, along with the usual follow-up questions about how outlandish the costumes might be and where a donkey might be found in downtown San Antonio.
On Wednesday, December 17, 2025, a group of about 100 congregants and neighbors met in front of the church following the Alamo City Street Choir rehearsal. With song sheets and lights to guide the way, the crowd followed a small band of singers and musicians around the block surrounding Travis Park United Methodist Church. The procession stretched long as the group made the slow journey to find lodging. Participants included members of The Joy Division, active and retired United Methodist clergy, members of the Travis Park congregation, neighbors who live on the street, friends, spouses, and several people who simply responded to the invitation to “come and see.”
“Onlookers saw a large procession made up of people who live on the street and congregants still dressed in their work clothes, carrying lights and singing. This reenactment heightens our awareness of those who wander, knock on doors, and are often turned away. It was beautiful how people became joined to one another. This speaks to the way the world still yearns to be close to Christ and in community. We became that during this symbolic act of solidarity, a broad spectrum of people bound together around Christ. It is a reminder that we should seek out more opportunities to do this very thing,” shared Rev. Cynthia Engstrom, Senior Pastor of Travis Park UMC.
After the Posada, the group returned to the Fellowship Hall Basement to share a community meal of Navarin d’Agneau, a lamb stew prepared by Corazon San Antonio Chef Robbie Rogers and the kitchen team. Volunteers served hot cocoa with toppings, and many photos were taken in front of the manger scene.
The congregation looks forward to Las Posadas becoming a joyful annual tradition, with hopes of expanding this community celebration in the years to come.
The Origins of Joy Division
The Origins of Joy DivisionThe Joy Division was commissioned in November 2024 after eight church members completed a nine-month Homegrown Shalom cohort training with the Transforming Communities Network of the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. During the listening phase of the training, participants hosted neighborhood gatherings, including Hot Dogs and Hang Time and Listening and Lemonade, with the goal of meeting as many neighbors as possible.
Through listening and discernment, the group’s simple mission became clear: to know their neighbors by listening to their stories and sharing joy. In 2024, five new members joined the ministry as the group donned costumes, cheered for marathon runners, and spent time with the Alamo City Street Choir. The Joy Division found its stride in 2025, embracing what they describe as a small but meaningful shift that allowed a wide spectrum of people to come together in beloved community.
“The Joy Division continues to be exceptional in their ability to listen with openness and humility. During the Homegrown Shalom course, they spent time listening to their neighbors. What they heard was something simple and profound: the community needed joy. Wednesday’s Las Posadas was their most recent response to that insight. It was not a program imposed from the outside, but a joyful celebration shaped by the voices of the community itself. The gathering of more than one hundred people was a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when we truly listen.” – Rev. Bob Clark, Project Director / Transformational Coach & Community Facilitator of Transforming Communities Network
The Joy Division ministry hosted a Back to the 80s Basement Dance Party in July and a Monster Mash Bash for Halloween 2025. In October, additional cohort members joined The Joy Division after completing Homegrown Shalom training. The now solidified ministry team looks ahead with joy and anticipation toward 2026.
For more information on Homegrown Shalom Cohort Training with Transforming Communities Network, email bclark@riotx.org / cc: adulin@riotx.org.