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Celebrating the Call: Honoring the newly ordained and commissioned

May 24, 2025 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

On Friday night, the Service of Ordination and Commissioning was held at the Oncenter in Downtown Syracuse as part of the 2025 Upper New York Annual Conference, which took place from May 22–24. This sacred gathering celebrated the commissioning and ordination of individuals called to serve in ministry, marking a significant moment in their spiritual journeys. 

In a powerful sermon titled “Agents of Resurrection,” Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., resident bishop of the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church, delivered a moving charge to those being ordained and commissioned, drawing from the story of Lazarus in John 11:1–3, 17–26. His message was both a reflection on the power of resurrection and a challenge to embrace ministry as a calling to bring life where death—of all kinds—threatens to prevail. 

Bishop Saenz opened with a poignant personal memory—the funeral of his grandfather, Abuelito Severino—capturing the depth of grief that many have experienced.  

“I was in seminary when I received the news of his passing and drove 500 miles to be with my family and honor his life. My father and I stood quietly at the head of the casket, gazing at him lying there in peaceful stillness. As we stood by the casket, I looked at my dad’s face and saw a mixture of grief and disbelief that comes even when death is expected,” recalled Bishop Saenz. 

He connected this feeling to the sorrow in Bethany, where Mary and Martha grieved the loss of their brother Lazarus. When Jesus finally arrived, Martha’s lament— “Lord, if you had been here…” — revealed the human tension between faith and disappointment, hope and despair. 

Drawing from this moment, Bishop Saenz expanded the definition of death to include not only physical loss but also social, psychological, and spiritual forms of dying: communities gripped by despair, systems of injustice, addiction, and hopelessness.  

“These are the graveyards where you, my companions in Christ who will soon be ordained and commissioned, are being sent to minister. These are the places where people need the resurrection and the life,” said Bishop Saenz. 

He likened the resurrection of Lazarus to a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, using the metaphor of the Giant Swallowtail from his childhood in the Rio Grande Valley. Just as the caterpillar’s transformation happens in the darkness of the cocoon, so too does God work in the hidden, broken places to bring about new life. 

“Even now, all these years later, when I see a Giant Swallowtail with its yellow and black colours gliding through air, I’m reminded of the miracle of change and the beauty that can come from waiting in the dark.” 

The call to ministry, Bishop Sáenz emphasized, is a call to stand before modern tombs—with unwavering faith, complete dependence on God, and a heart ready to witness and embody God’s transformative power. Jesus’ words, “Lazarus, come out!” were not just for one man—they echo across time as a call to all who follow Christ to participate in God’s ongoing work of resurrection. 

Throughout the sermon, Bishop Saenz grounded his message in real-world ministry: a pastor revitalizing a town after factory closures, a church hosting one of the nation’s largest addiction recovery ministries. These stories, he said, exemplify resurrection ministry—hope rooted not in escapism, but in action and compassion. 

He challenged the ordinands with the same question Jesus asked Martha: “Do you believe this?” It is not merely a question of theology, but of lived conviction. To believe in resurrection is to live it—to preach hope, to unbind the wounded, and to lead communities into transformation. 

At the heart of the service, the following individuals were set apart for ministry: 

• Commissioned for the Work of an Elder: Jennifer Dawn Stamm, Quincie Jacquelyn Yamin, and Mathew Joseph Yamin 
• Commissioned for the Work of a Deacon: Jianzhong Jane Bronson 
• Ordained for the Work of an Elder: DeokRyeol Bak, Ann-Marie Brown, Se Gye Shin, and Sherry Lynn Mahar 

Together, the 2025 class was celebrated for giving 510 years of combined faithful ministry. 

Bishop Saenz concluded with a charge for those being commissioned and ordained: go forth as agents of resurrection.  

“Do you believe this?” he asked. “May the God who raises the dead fill you with His power, guide you with His wisdom, and use you mightily for His glory. And may you, in turn, be an agent of the resurrection, a source of life and freedom to all those you serve. Believe this and you will see the glory of God!” 

Let your answer be your ministry. Let your life be the proof. 

Click here to watch a recording from the livestream of the Service of Ordination and Commissioning.