CATHY SWEENEY
ASSOC. PASTOR OF ADULT DISCIPLESHIP
Raised in a military family, Cathy claims Culpeper, Virginia as home, though she has lived in many other cities and states, and graduated from high school in Longmont, Colorado. She made haste as quickly as possible to Texas, relocating to Austin to attend the University of Texas, where she graduated with a BBA in Accounting. It was in Austin where she met Steve, as they were both members of the "Showband of the Southwest" (The Longhorn Band). They married in 1991 and have lived in Richardson since 1995. They have two children - Shannon, who lives in Boston, and Jack, who is a student at UT in Austin.
Cathy's home church in Richardson is Arapaho, and it was here where she heard her call to ordained ministry. Full time ministry is relatively new to Cathy, as she put to rest her business career as a real estate developer before being commissioned as a Deacon in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. She attended Perkins School of Theology and graduated cum laude with her Master of Theological Studies. She was appointed as Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Christ United Methodist Church in Plano, and is active in many ministries with the homeless and those at risk of poverty.
Cathy has been actively involved in non profit work supporting persons experiencing homelessness and poverty. As Assistant Executive Director of Agape Resource & Assistance Center, she worked to provide safe, stable transitional housing and critical support services to homeless women, moms and children that empower them to move from crisis and poverty to fulfilling, self-sustaining lives. Cathy has also served on the originating Leadership Team for the Plano Overnight Warming Station, a program of the Salvation Army of Plano, and is actively involved in several programs that promote racial reconciliation in the DFW area.