Brief Autobiography

My full name is Troy Renee Albracht, but I go by Renee. I was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, but I lived in Nashville, TN, for fifteen years. In 2010 I got divorced after almost 13 years of marriage, and in 2012, I was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After being in remission for one year, I decided to move back home to Texas. I answered the call to ministry in 2016 and was ordained as an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in April 2021.  

I was born and raised a Catholic, married a Baptist, and joined the Nazarene Church in 2005. I tell people that Catholicism gave me my foundation, the Baptists taught me that Jesus is a friend, and the Nazarenes taught me how to live my faith.  

While living in Nashville, I received a BA in Religion with a minor in Youth Ministry from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. I also worked with Belmont’s Office of Campus Security, rising from student worker to Assistant Chief. In this role, I became heavily involved in crime prevention and training.

I am very proud of the fact that I started their crime prevention program from scratch with zero budget, thanks in large part to my chief’s willingness to give me the creative freedom to try new things, the Student Affairs staff who helped me research, plan, and implement programs until we discovered what worked, and community partners who let me borrow equipment until we had a budget to purchase our own.

I became a certified Rape Aggression Defense Instructor, and shortly before leaving Belmont in 2014, I became a certified CPR and First Aid Instructor with the American Heart Association.  

In May 2016, I heard God’s call to full-time ministry. I think the call had always been there, from my earliest days when I wanted to be a Catholic Priest. However, God used my experiences with divorce, cancer, and Belmont to reach me in a way that no one else ever had.  

As mentioned above, I was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. I spent two years getting progressively worse before finally being diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I spent a week in the hospital and knew that if I survived, I wanted to do something to give back. 

After divorce, cancer, and a full hysterectomy before age 35, I was ready for a change. I assumed that change would be within law enforcement.  

As Crime Prevention Officer with Belmont University, I acted as the liaison between our department and our local police department. As the officer in charge of local and federal reporting, I worked closely with the TBI (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation). In planning for the 2008 Presidential Town Hall Debate, I spent the better part of a year working closely with the Secret Service. Naturally, I assumed my future would entail transitioning from campus security to some form of law enforcement, and I was leaning toward the TBI. 

 In 2014, I served as co-assistant chief when the Chief of Security retired. That same year, the campus experienced its first reported on-campus suicide. The other co-assistant chief and I were acting as interim chiefs. When I got the call, I was at a funeral for church acquaintances murdered by their son-in-law.  

When we arrived, we worked together like a well-oiled machine – the Wonder Twins, as we had been nicknamed. Mike, a former police officer, naturally gravitated to the logistical needs of the situation. Without giving it a thought, I naturally sought to assist with the emotional needs of our staff. I knew that everyone would be emotionally impacted, from the first officer on the scene to those who were never even there.  

After the scene was adequately managed and everything returned to “normal,” Mike and I met with all three shifts to debrief the incident. I started each meeting with a prayer, the first time I ever prayed with our staff. The following day, I arranged for our campus counselor to talk to our department.  

After reflecting on everything that happened, although life in ministry was still not on my radar, I realized two things: 

• This was no longer my Belmont. 
• Law enforcement was not the proper path for my future. 

I moved back home to Texas a few months later and eventually felt the call to ministry. I currently serve as a hospital chaplain with the Methodist Hospital System in San Antonio, Texas. 

I do not doubt that God has a sense of humor. As part of the requirements for a spiritual formation class at Belmont, we had to spend a semester volunteering with a hospital chaplain. I hated the experience, and when the semester ended, I swore I would never do that again. Now, I could not imagine doing anything else, and I thank God that I am able to serve in this way.  

My work as a hospital chaplain became increasingly meaningful and fulfilling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19 took over our world, I approached my role as a chaplain much as I approached all my life – with a sense of responsibility blended with trepidation. I wanted to know my precise place and role, exactly what I could and could not do, and I was careful never to stray out of my lane. I was an extreme rule follower who was petrified of offending anyone.   

When the hospital began to transform to treat COVID-19 patients safely, I was reminded that we were facing something brand new, and therefore, there were no set rules and guidelines. I was encouraged to do what the Holy Spirit led me to do. I rounded with the ICU team on Fridays. During the early days of the pandemic, I remember one of the doctors encouraging us by reminding us that we are doing the best we can with the information we have today – right now. For whatever reason, the fact that we were all walking into unknown territory gave me the freedom and courage to take chances I would never have taken before.  

Because of the severity of the disease, each chaplain was given the freedom to respond as they felt called. For my part, I never once shied away from a request which required me to enter a COVID-19 patient’s room. Because I am unmarried and have no children, I knew nothing could keep me out of those rooms. I felt a deep need to care for those patients in isolation, the families forbidden to visit, and the nurses overwhelmed with their ever-changing roles and responsibilities. Through it all, my bond with the staff grew, and they truly became like family. I loved seeing how the nurses took care of one another. I loved seeing the bravery and compassion of the heroes the media tends to forget – those who had to enter COVID rooms to ensure the rooms were clean and the patients were fed. It blessed me every day to see how the staff lived out our hospital values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence.  

Nothing scared me. I became bolder, more confident, expressive, compassionate, and focused. I discovered a fire and passion within me I never knew I had. I found purpose. I found direction. For the first time in my life, I truly, unequivocally felt like I was living the life Jesus called me to live.  

That is not to say that working through this pandemic was easy. On the contrary, the mental toll was extreme. I may have found my voice during the pandemic, but I also developed what has been termed COVID-PTSD, moral injury, and social anxiety.  

A nurse asked who cares for me since I pour so much of myself into caring for others. I responded that I practice what I preach – and I preach the importance of self-care. Thankfully, I had already been in therapy for years before the pandemic. Because of this relationship, my therapist was able to diagnose me and help me work through these issues early on. In addition to therapy, I have a list of other self-care techniques in my “toolbox.” Some of my self-care includes television, Bon Jovi, exercise, massages, solitude, nature, my therapist, my pets, journaling, prayer, reading – and writing fictional stories.

I was also attending Nazarene Theological Seminary during the pandemic. Most of my papers and projects focused on trauma care. These assignments not only helped me to understand myself, but they helped me to help others and have given me direction for what I would like to do in the future. 

I graduated from NTS with my second master’s degree in the spring of 2023 (my first was a master’s in social work from the University of Tennessee in 2002). A few months after graduation, I received my chaplain board certification with the Association of Professional Chaplains.

I will be turning 50 soon and I have yet to stop dreaming. My hope is to be able to afford to go back to school one day soon and pursue a doctoral degree in . . . I am not quite sure what . . . some kind of theology, psychology, trauma care hybrid.

I love working in a hospital, but my heart still yearns to return to the university setting someday – either full-time or part-time. I have always envisioned myself returning to Belmont one day as a professor, campus chaplain, or artist-in-residence.

In the meantime, I am still working as a hospital chaplain with the Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, Texas. When not working, I stay busy with my church and my hobbies.

I have begun re-working on my third novel, which I began post-cancer and pre-grad school. I call it the book of what could have been and what should have been.

I was part of a team that planted an organic church called Ordinary Community Church. We are a recognized part of the global Nazarene Church but operate quite differently than most modern-day Christian churches.

All founding members encountered church hurt, but rather than abandoning the community of faith, we committed ourselves to be the change we hoped to see in the world – and in the church.

We modeled OCC after the “original church described in the Book of Acts, focusing on a group of ordinary people gathering in ordinary places for the purpose of spiritual growth, mutual care, and community support – all through the generous love and guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

Our mission statement is “Ordinary People Serving an Extraordinary God.” We meet every Sunday in an unassuming warehouse. Two Sundays a month, we go out to serve the community around us.

We completed two community service projects before our first in-person service on January 15, 2023. Most services are followed by a shared meal.

We also have a clothing pantry and have dreams to start a food pantry and other community services.

We are small, but we are mighty. Time and time again we have witnessed God work miracles through our tiny group of outsiders. We take none of the credit. We can’t. It’s all Him.

After years of asking, my friend and lead pastor of OCC finally convinced me to play the drums again. Playing with my friends at OCC feels safe . . . and fun.

On top of all that, in the summer of 2025, we launched a new non-profit called House2Home San Antonio. Modeled after House2Home Nashville, H2HSA seeks to transform “empty rooms into homes by providing gently used furnishings for individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.”

Considering all that I do, I would refer to myself as a lazy workaholic. I have trouble getting started, but once I get started . . .

But . . . I also value my Sabbath rest and take self-care seriously.

I wish I could remember where I heard this, but I once heard a woman reprimand a preacher for saying he was too busy to rest. She asked if he thought he was better than God. After all, God took Sabbath rest seriously. So, why doesn’t he?

Click HERE to contact me.

Click HERE to learn more about Ordinary Community Church.

Click HERE to learn more about House2Home San Antonio.

Click HERE to learn more about House2Home Nashville.