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Thanksgiving message from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
November 19, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following Thanksgiving message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on Tuesday, November 19.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
This month, like we do every year, we will celebrate one of the most iconic holidays in the United States, Thanksgiving. A day, that since the beginning of this tradition, people have taken to give thanks and rejoice for good things. For Christians, Thanksgiving presents a special opportunity to thank God for life, for health, for provision, and for those people and experiences that have marked us positively. Sometimes we give thanks even for the not-so-good moments, and even the bad ones, because through them we learned about the things that are most important in life.
Being thankful is a Christian imperative! No matter what season of your life you are in, rejoice in the Lord, and be thankful. We do not need special days to be thankful, when in Christ, we have the invitation to rejoice, to give thanks, for everything, and always – everyday, in all times.
- Why wait until Christmas Day to thank God for the gift of hope that came to the world in Jesus, if we can do it every day? Every day should be Christmas. Every day we should give thanks for Christ, our Lord, and Savior!
- Why wait until Easter to give thanks to God for the gifts of life and salvation we receive from God through Jesus Christ if we can do it every day?
- Why, as a church, wait for the day of Pentecost to thank God for the reality of Christ’s presence today through the Holy Spirit, if we can do it every day?
- Why wait for Valentine's Day to give thanks to the people who love us and have expressions of affection with them, if we can do it every day?
- Why wait for Mother's or Father's Day, to thank God for our parents and express love to them, if we can do it every day?
- Why wait for Pastor Appreciation Day, to thank God (and pastors) for the love, guidance, and care of our pastors, if we can do it every day?
- Why wait for Hispanic Heritage Month, African American month, or Native American Day to celebrate our diversity if we can do it every day?
Why wait – if we can be thankful all year round!
When was the last time you paused to give thanks for the love of God and the many ways it manifests in your life? Who in your life are you thankful for, who are the people that make you smile? That accept you for who you are, and care for you? When was the last time you let them know how much they mean to you?
Thanksgiving is not a holiday – it is a way of life that springs out of a grateful heart, and as children of God, we have the eternal source and reason for thanksgiving, in Jesus Christ. Let us give thanks to God every day and find meaningful ways to thank others for the ways they bless our lives.
Thank you for the countless ways you are making the love of Jesus Christ visible in your communities and the world.
Together in the journey,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area
Commentary: Desolation Row
November 18, 2024 / By Rev. Daniel Bradley / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following commentary was written by Rev. Daniel Bradley. The views expressed in this article are his, and not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member.
They're selling postcards of the hanging, they're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors, the circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner, they've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker, the other is in his pants
And the riot squad, they're restless; they need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight from Desolation Row…
Bob Dylan—"Desolation Row," August 4, 1965
Upon my commissioning as a provisional Elder in the United Methodists of Upper New York Annual Conference, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez gave me a copy of the children's book What the Road Said by Cleo Wade. His episcopal seal was on the opening pages, and he wrote a wonderful note thanking me for my commitment to God in ministry.
I've served the church for over twenty years, with humble beginnings in Olean, New York. Mary and I attended Trinity United Methodist Church on North Ninth Street. About a month before we were to be married, we discovered that I would be a pastor. This is not something I came looking for but was plunked down in my lap by God (Luke 6:38).
Throughout the years, we have traveled many roads that led to different churches, towns, health issues, and tragedies. All this grace and madness have shaped who we are today. In all this, we have lost ourselves—and God has found us. This reminds me of what David writes in Psalm 30:5:
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Bob Dylan is one of my favorite folk artists. He was an exuberant Christian during his early years, and his music reflected his commitment to Christ and social justice. As he became entangled with the music industry, his lyrics shifted and changed. Alcoholism and drugs affected his ability to perform well on stage. In 1989, his son Jakob started a band called The Wallflowers. Bob Dylan used his money and influence within the record industry to help Jakob get started.
Some years ago, one of my parishioners offered me a pair of tickets to see Bob Dylan and Jakob play a show at the former Rich Stadium. I should have been ecstatic. However, I really wanted to see Bob Dylan from his early years when he sang with Joan Baez.
Whatever Bob Dylan has become today, he has changed. Throughout our lives, we are changed and transformed, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Mark my words: "God is not done with us." There is far more to know about God and Godself than there is in our own understanding. It sounds crazy, but I pray for Bob Dylan and his son Jakob.
During my time at Colgate Rochester Divinity School, during my M.Div. program, Rev. Dr. Stephanie Sauvé said in a chapel address, "Wisdom is God's grace in a world of madness." Conversely, the Cheshire Cat in Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland tells Alice, "We're all a little mad here." I think at some point in our lives, we have experienced madness and grace. Sometimes, those things happen together; they are the yin and yang. Grace and madness are where we find our minds, bodies, and spirits.
The Latin phrase compos mentis translates as "with full mind." This phrase is often used in legal documents and the court system to describe an individual's competency. There are times when I am not with my whole mind, and there are other times when I am compos mentis.
I wonder if Bob Dylan, throughout his career of success, fame, money, drugs, and sex, had ever experienced compos mentis.
As Christians, we are not always compos mentis, and that's okay. If you have read the Gospels, you know that Jesus never leaves the marginalized. He always gives what he has and sometimes more than he has. I reflect momentarily on Mark 8:23-25:
When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more, Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
Jesus never leaves us in our despair and hopelessness.
Mary and I have walked a long road. Along the way, we gave birth to our daughter Kiah and found friends who have been lifelong companions. We have loved and lost, and in this grace and madness, we have found out "who we are and whose we are."
The last words of What the Road Said are, "Be a leader." The road has always been paved with grace. Sometimes, we have stumbled and fallen; however, Jesus always waits to pick us up. His words are comfort in the madness:
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…" (John 14:27).
I pray that the many friends at Trinity United Methodist Church and Knapp Creek United Methodist Church will receive grace for the moment. As for Bob and Jakob, "the circus is in town." I pray that they may receive the fullness of God's grace, assurance of salvation, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to serve the communities where they live and the God who called Bob so many years ago. The peace of Christ is with you, Bob and Jakob.
This is for my best friend and mentor in Christ, Rev. Jerry Piper: "God looks out for fools and idiots."
In my life, I have been an idiot and a fool. I do know this: I am never left alone. It is not that I loved God first, but that God loved me to help me become a leader—and more importantly, a disciple of Christ. That's more than enough for this lifetime.
[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Ps. 30:5; Mark 8:23-25; John 14:27
Crossings brings new connections to South Dayton
November 11, 2024 / By Craig Buelow, Pastor at Northern KonXions / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Curiosity led many South Dayton residents to explore a new gathering spot on Main Street, thanks to an invitation from Crossings, a New Faith Community. Seizing the opportunity to connect on Halloween, the one night when families naturally venture out together, Crossings introduced itself to the community in a warm and inviting way. The mild weather encouraged families and neighbors to stroll along the sidewalks, porches, and in the streets, catching up with neighbors and friends.
As children hurried from house to house, filling bags with treats, families were drawn to the welcoming atmosphere on Main Street. Many stopped inside Crossings, where they found an environment filled with warmth and hospitality. Adults and children shared memories of days gone by, reminiscing about times they had once gathered in that church, and wondering why they had drifted away from gathering in Jesus’ name.
Throughout the evening, Crossings became a place of rest and comfort for those who stopped by, offering donuts, hot cider, coffee, and hot chocolate. Even after the donuts were gone, visitors delighted in the chance to see the “new thing.” They met the pastor and his wife, who hosted the evening, allowing everyone a chance to rest and explore the new community mission hub. To God be the glory.
As Crossings embarks on its journey as a community mission hub, it hopes to create a welcoming space where people can reconnect, rekindle their faith, and support meaningful causes. The Halloween gathering marked the start of this vision—a place for comfort, companionship, and making a tangible difference. With ongoing events and initiatives, including benefit breakfasts from 8 to 11 a.m. on the last three Saturdays in November to support local causes, Crossings aims to foster unity, support, and hope for South Dayton, creating a lasting foundation where the community can gather, grow, and give back together.
Special Message from Bishop Héctor: Post election message
November 7, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following post election message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on Thursday, November 7 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez. Click here to read a statement from the Council of Bishops, issued Thursday, November 7, 2024.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Dear United Methodists in the Susquehanna and Upper New York Area,
After any election, regardless of whether my candidate wins or loses, I remind myself that Jesus is Lord. By God's grace, I am a citizen of the Beloved Community of the Risen Christ, and this relationship is my primary identity and loyalty. I love my country, honor its laws and leaders, and pray for them, but ultimately, I belong to Christ and Christ alone.
Today, I pray for President-elect Trump's well-being and God’s wisdom to guide him. I hope his administration respects and honors our constitutional rights and laws while prioritizing the common good, particularly the welfare of the most vulnerable in the United States and worldwide.
As the nation reflects on the results of this presidential election, I encourage those who feel joy and hope based on the results to express it with humility and grace while prioritizing Jesus's command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I stand with those feeling frustration, disappointment, concern, or fear due to the election results. Take care of yourselves in healthy ways. Let your community know how we can support you. May your grief lead to a renewed hope that guides and sustains you.
To all SUS and UNY United Methodist disciples, leaders, and congregations: I urge us to embody Christ’s radical hospitality, care, and concern for all people in our communities, particularly those feeling most vulnerable during this time. As I mentioned in my pre-election reflection, we are called to engage in a ministry of peacemaking and reconciliation as the people of God. Our actions, words, and hearts must reflect Christ’s love, compassion, and justice. Like Jesus, we must honor every person's dignity and sacred worth, bridge divides, and serve as agents of God’s healing within our communities.
As many wonder what the next four years will bring, let us remember what will always remain the same:
- God’s extravagant love for all creation and humanity.
- Christ’s saving grace and promise of abundant life.
- The Holy Spirit’s guiding presence and healing power.
As we move forward after the 2024 Presidential Election, United Methodists in the Susquehanna and Upper New York Areas will continue nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ who embody and share faith, love, mercy, and justice. We envision a future of unity in diversity. We will faithfully and boldly proclaim the gospel of hope in Jesus Christ and courageously engage the issues that affect our local and global neighbors. Our actions will be rooted in our commitment to justice, peace, and the common good.
As your fellow disciple and episcopal leader, I humbly reaffirm my baptismal vows and my commitment to work for a society and world where all people can live to their full God-given potential and experience God's Shalom.
I renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of my sins.
I confess Jesus Christ as my Savior, put my whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as my Lord in union with the Church Christ opened to all people.
I accept the freedom and power God gives me to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
May the words of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, resonate in our hearts and guide those the nation has entrusted to lead our democratic government.
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” John Wesley
May God’s love grant us all peace and protect our hearts. May the grace of Christ strengthen our faith and hope. May the Holy Spirit’s presence and power bring healing and guide our daily steps.
Paz de Dios,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area
Finding faith and community: Isabel Clark
November 6, 2024 / By Rev. Jae Hae Song, Associate Director of Missional Excellence / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In celebration of United Methodist Student Sunday on November 24, we’re featuring students who embody faith and commitment in their academic journeys. Today, we highlight Isabel Clark, a first-year student at Syracuse University and a member of the United Methodist Chaplaincy at Hendricks Chapel. She recently shared with the Rev. Jae Hae Song her faith journey, the role of the chaplaincy, and how it has supported her on campus.
Isabel’s faith roots run deep, beginning when her father brought her to Holmes United Methodist Church in Holmes, NY, as a toddler. “I was probably one or two years old. My dad reached out to his cousins and started bringing me to church,” she recalls. Since then, her involvement has grown. She was baptized, regularly attended Sunday school, and was confirmed in eighth grade. Following her Confirmation, she began teaching Sunday school for preschoolers. “Sunday school, both as a student and teacher, remains a fond memory,” she reflects.
When asked who God is to her, Isabel describes God as “the guide in life, someone I can always talk to,” a constant source of comfort and gratitude. “It’s comforting to know where those blessings come,” she shares, recognizing God’s hand in the many gifts she experiences.
Driven by her goal to become a physical therapist, Isabel chose Syracuse University and is currently studying Health and Exercise Science at Falk College. Adjusting to the rigors of college academics and being away from family has been challenging, but she has found a source of strength and stability in the Methodist Chaplaincy at Hendricks Chapel. “I prayed there would be something for me here, and I found a home away from home,” she says, grateful for the Methodist presence on campus.
The chaplaincy offers a supportive community that helps Isabel cope with the demands of her studies and personal challenges. Weekly Bible studies, held on Tuesdays, have become a sanctuary for her amidst the pressures of schoolwork. “No matter how busy I am, I can relax on Tuesday, feel God’s presence, and be surrounded by people who understand,” she describes.
Isabel encourages all students to explore Hendricks Chapel, noting it’s a place for everyone, regardless of faith background. “Anyone who hasn’t been to Hendricks Chapel should visit, even if they’re not Christian. There’s something here for everyone, and the chaplains are ready to support them in their spiritual journey,” she says, highlighting the chapel’s welcoming environment.
Feeling deeply accepted within the Methodist Chaplaincy, Isabel hopes others find similar comfort, especially those seeking a sense of belonging. “When students are away from family, chaplaincies offer a sense of belonging during a disorienting time,” she reflects. The chaplaincy has provided her with a vital support system, grounding her faith and creating a space to connect with others.
Concluding the interview, Isabel offers a familiar phrase, “God is good,” to which Rev. Song responds, “All the time!” Through the United Methodist Chaplaincy at Syracuse University, Isabel has found a community that not only strengthens her faith but also helps her navigate the challenges of college, embodying the values celebrated on United Methodist Student Day Sunday.
Support students like Isabel on their faith journeys by donating to United Methodist Student Day here.
Rev. Mary Kelly celebrated as new Conference Superintendent during installation service
November 4, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On Saturday, November 2, United Methodists of Upper New York gathered at Springville First UMC to welcome and celebrate the installation of the Rev. Mary Kelly as a new Conference Superintendent of the Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier Districts.
“Today we come with joyful hearts to praise the Lord and we also gather to celebrate a new season of ministry in the Niagara Frontier and Cornerstone Districts here in Upper New York and to give thanks to God for the life, call, ministry, and leadership of our sister and leader, the Rev. Mary Ann Kelly” exclaimed Bishop Héctor.
The bishop thanked those in attendance for accepting God’s invitation to take part in the service, the community they are providing to one another, and the support they are offering for Rev. Kelly.
The service began with an opening prayer by the Rev. Matthew French, pastor at Springville First UMC, seeking grace for all of those who provide leadership in The United Methodist Church.
“Eternal God, by your grace you have set us together in your church, whose foundation is your son, Jesus Christ. Grant your continuing grace, we pray, to all who exercise leadership in your church, that they may with diligence and faithfulness fulfill their various ministries; and grant that we your people may follow them where you lead and minister faithfully in the world; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”
The Rev. CJ Rolle, pastor at Lincoln Memorial UMC in Buffalo, performed an “Act of Praise” and played “Give Glory to God Saints” on the piano.
Jayme Kelly, Rev. Kelly’s husband, offered a “Prayer for Illumination” inspired by the Rev. Ann B. Day, a United Church of Christ minister and the president of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.
Will Kelly, Rev. Kelly’s son, shared the scripture reading from Ezekiel 34:11-16 about God being the shepherd of God’s sheep, searching for and bringing home the lost, healing the injured, strengthening the weak, and providing sustenance.
Donald Plummer, from University UMC in Buffalo, shared Psalm 100 (NIV) about giving grateful praise and the Rev. Carmen Perry, pastor at Bowmansville UMC, shared a scripture reading from Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16. The Rev. Gail Lewis, retired elder and “mentor extraordinaire” to Rev. Kelly shared the Gospel based on John 21:11-17 (NRSV).
Before formally introducing Rev. Kelly as the new District Superintendent of the Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier Districts and as part of the Upper New York Missional Cabinet, Bishop Héctor recalled meeting Rev. Kelly in the first few weeks of his episcopal assignment.
“I experienced her as being someone with great compassion, especially for the most vulnerable among us. As I’ve come to know her over the past 18 months, I have also seen her as a prophetic voice in the church, a strategic leader who sees possibilities and as someone who is not afraid to stand for what she believes, even if she has to stand alone.”
During the Covenant Service, Rev. Kelly was presented visual reminders that serve as symbols in the life of an elder in The United Methodist Church.
- Revs. Nicholas and Carmen Perry and family presented Rev. Kelly with a Bible, once belonging to her grandfather, a congregational minister who died before she was born.
- Kristian Snyder, a Cornerstone District Superintendency Associate, presented Rev. Kelly with water so she could be renewed in her baptism.
- Beth Buckley and Tim Cashmore presented Rev. Kelly with a loaf of bread and communion cup.
- Diane and Ken Thurlow presented Rev. Kelly with a hymnal and The United Methodist Book of Worship, to continue to guide her through prayer and praise.
- Deacons, including the Rev. Becky Naber, the Rev. Vivian Waltz, the Rev. Carrie Wolfe, the Rev. Dee Finch, the Rev. Deb Coatsworth, and the Rev. Sue Russell presented Rev. Kelly with a towel and basin.
Kyle Tidwell, Technical Sergeant and USAF retired presented Rev. Kelly with a stole. - Frank and Betty Murphy presented Rev. Kelly with a Book of Discipline.
- The Dunia Family presented Rev. Kelly with a globe so she can continue to lead in our mission to all the world.
“As a district superintendent, Mary now becomes an extension of the episcopal office,” explained the bishop.
He invited her to hold the Upper New York area staff, which serves as the visual representation of the ministry of the episcopacy. At this point, Rev. Kelly hesitated, resulting in laughs from those in attendance before taking hold of it. Bishop Héctor reminded her to, “remember who is yours, who called you, and who carries you forward.”
Rev. Kelly offered “A Word of Thanksgiving and Hope” where she recognized her family and close friends in attendance, including members from all the churches she served in the past.
“This weekend is the weekend we celebrate all of the saints who have gone before us into glory, those on whose shoulders we stand, and I just want to acknowledge that I feel their presence around us,” said Rev. Kelly.
She explained how her grandparents influenced her faith.
“After my grandmother died, she gifted all of us with some memories. My sisters got some really cool pieces of jewelry and I got a Bible. I said to my mother, ‘Why did I get a Bible? Where’s the jewelry?’ My mother said to me, ‘You don’t remember?’ And I said, ‘Remember what?’ She said, ‘When you were a little girl, you use to crawl into bed with your grandmother and she would read aloud from the Bible and whenever she stopped, you would say, ‘More, more.’ Over the years, these books have spoken to me,” shared Rev. Kelly.
Bishop Héctor acknowledged Rev. Kelly’s husband and son for the role of family and asked the congregation to hold the entire Kelly family in prayer.
“This is a family endeavor I’ve always said, so Jayme and Will, thank you so much for your own discipleship and most especially for your support to Mary,” said Bishop Héctor.
The service ended with a prayer by Rev. Kelly.
“Friends, go forth now in peace. Seek justice. Walk humbly. Bless everyone that you meet. You are Christ’s ambassadors to the world, and it only takes one little act of love and grace for people to see that Christ lives in you. Amen.”
Rev. Kelly began her ministry in Upper New York in 2003 and has served many Upper New York churches in Buffalo, including Central Park UMC, University UMC, and Cleveland Hill UMC.
Click here to watch a recording of the livestream by Springville First UMC. Click here to view a photo album of pictures from the service.
Special Message from Bishop Héctor: Election Day
November 4, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on Monday, November 4 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez.
“Look not only to your interests but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:4
Dear siblings in Christ,
Tomorrow, millions of US citizens will participate in the most foundational exercise of the democratic process – voting.
Voting is a solemn duty. As the late civil rights leader John Lewis said, “To vote is precious. It is almost sacred.” Reflecting on the importance of voting, Rev. Raphael Warnock once said that our vote is “kind of a prayer for the world we desire for ourselves and our children.”
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, shared some thoughts on voting. On October 6, 1774, he wrote in his journal, “Vote without fee or reward – meaning without any form of bribe or personal gain. Vote for the candidate you judge to be most worthy. Avoid engaging in any form of slander against those they did not support. Avoid becoming overly passionate or partisan in a way that could harm their spirituality.”
Through our Social Principles, we are encouraged as United Methodists to engage in civic life and vote as part of our faithful response to social issues rooted in our shared commitment to justice, peace, and the common good.
As we exercise our right to vote, I call all of us into a spirit of prayer, discernment, action, and unity.
Pray for wisdom in your decisions, the candidates running for office, and our nation so we may move forward peacefully, no matter the outcome. (Proverbs 3:5-6 | Matthew 5:9 | Romans 12:18 | 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
Discern how you will vote, understanding that, as followers of Jesus Christ, our beliefs and values must inform our everyday decisions. Remember God’s call to promote justice, show compassion, and humbly serve others. It is also important to prioritize Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We need to consider how our choices will benefit/impact not only ourselves, but our neighbors – especially the most vulnerable, marginalized and those whose voices tend to be ignored. (Micah 6:8 | Matthew 22:39 | Philippians 2:4)
Act. When informed by the gospel’s witness, voting is an act of faith and discipleship. As followers of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in all areas of life, including civic participation. In our democracy, voting gives all citizens a voice in matters important to them. While some people might be led to believe that their vote makes no difference, when joined with the voices of others, it helps shape the direction of our government and communal life. (Matthew 7:21 | James 2:26 | Galatians 5:6)
Unite. Sadly, this election cycle has been dominated by disturbing and questionable rhetoric and tactics, and the spread of lies and misinformation, all meant to erode the trust in the electoral process and promote fear, division, hate, and violence in our communities. Unfortunately, the church has not been exempted from the effects of these practices. In times like this, as the people of God, we must remember that we are called to a ministry of peacemaking and reconciliation. Our actions, words, and hearts must reflect Christ’s love and justice, and like Jesus, we should honor the dignity and sacred worth of every person, bridge divides, and be agents of healing in our communities. Consider this when engaging in conversations in church, at home, at work, with neighbors, and when posting on social media platforms. May our words and actions be a refreshing and counter-cultural wind of hope for all we interact with in the coming weeks and months. (2 Corinthians 5:11-21 | Ephesians 4:3)
Our nation and the world desperately need to experience God's healing love. God’s love is naturally experienced through followers of Jesus Christ who embody and share faith, love, mercy, and justice in their everyday lives. Be that person.
In a society, a world filled with hate and violence, be a peacemaker.
In a society, a world filled with hurt and pain, be a healer.
In a society, a world filled with divisions, be a uniter.
In a society, a world filled with individualism and exclusion, be a community builder.
In a society or world filled with injustice, be a justice seeker.
In a society, a world filled with sadness, be a joy giver.
In a society, a world filled with hopelessness, be and boldly share Christ’s hope.
I pray on Election Day and the days that follow, we always humbly live the gospel and embody God’s love with our neighbors in all places. In doing so, we build the beloved community of the Risen Christ.
May God's love grant us peace and protect our hearts. May the grace of Christ strengthen our faith and hope. May the Holy Spirit's presence and power guide our daily steps.
Together in the journey,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area
United Methodist Church Bishops meet to review General Conference decisions, plan for future
November 1, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following press release was published by The United Methodist Council of Bishops on November 1, 2024 and shared with United Methodists of Upper New York.
The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church will meet November 3-8, 2024, at Epworth by the Sea, St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, in the United States, and part of their work will include discussing the future of the denomination and reviewing decisions made by the General Conference held in April/May of this year.
With about 100 active and retired bishops from Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America expected to be in attendance, the semi-annual gathering of the episcopal leaders of the world-wide denomination will feature a packed agenda that will include honoring deceased colleagues, continuing work to dismantle racism, promoting discipleship; and strengthening mission strategies.
The bishops will also start preparing for the process of canvassing the results of constitutional amendments that were approved by General Conference. Among the constitutional amendments was the regionalization of the denomination that would significantly change the structure of the church, making it easier for each region to do ministry in its context and setting.
“This is a time of remarkable opportunity for us to take a bold step of faith and declare a vision for the now and future United Methodist Church that reflects who we are and who we are becoming as a Christ-centered, theologically diverse, world-wide, anti-racist, fully inclusive, welcoming, missional and justice-seeking Church. And to be structured in a way that strengthens and expands the world-wide nature and witness of our denomination, and that embraces the cultural, contextual and theological difference across the connection.” said COB President Bishop Tracy S. Malone of the Indiana Episcopal Area.
The meeting opens on Sunday, Nov.3, with a Memorial Service to remember and honor bishops and spouses who have died since the bishops last met.
The first plenary session will open on Monday, Nov. 4, with the opening worship that will culminate in the presidential address by Bishop Malone. This will be the first presidential address by Bishop Malone who was elected last year and took office in May this year.
The COB meeting will be livestreamed via COB Facebook (facebook.com/umcbishops).
From the Desk of Bishop Héctor: Update on General Conference changes and disaffiliations
October 29, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on Tuesday, October 29 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez as an update from the postponed 2020 General Conference held in Spring 2024.
May grace and peace from Christ be with you.
First, I want to thank all UNY clergy/ pastoral leaders for their faithful servant leadership. The love, care, and guidance you offer in your congregations and other ministry settings make the love of Christ visible in the lives of those you serve. I pray for God to continuously bless you with joy, peace, provision, strength, and resilience. As led by the Spirit, you invite people to live the gospel and be God’s love with their neighbors in all places.
Today, I write to clarify some information, share an important update, and reaffirm my pastoral reflections regarding some of the important changes approved by the postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church, which was held in the spring in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Removal of the Exclusionary Language against LGBTQ Persons in our BOD
The General Conference removed the exclusionary language against LGBTQ persons inserted in our Book of Discipline 52 years ago - 93% of the delegates supported this decision.
While the General Conference eliminated the restrictive language in our Book of Discipline against LGBTQ persons, it also passed legislation that prevents district superintendents and bishops from penalizing pastors and churches that refuse to perform or allow a same-gender wedding on their property.
Let me be as clear as I can. Despite the inaccurate information that continues to be irresponsibly shared by leaders of the GMC and other individuals to create confusion and further disrupt our ministries, NO clergy in the Upper New York Conference will be forced to perform same-gender weddings, and NO congregation in the Upper New York Conference will be required to permit same-gender weddings on their premises. The General Conference has entrusted clergy and congregations to make these decisions gracefully, considering their ministry context based on their beliefs and attitudes regarding ministry with and by LGBTQ persons. The cabinet and I will continue to make pastoral appointments and assignments based on gifts, graces, experience, commitments, and theological alignment between congregations and clergy, reaffirming our respect for your autonomy and beliefs.
These changes, coupled with the approval of regionalization, are a bold witness to the desire of United Methodists to be united in Christ’s love and mission, gracefully acknowledging our disagreements and different ministry contexts.
As I communicated in the summer, the NEJ College of Bishops commissioned a team, including representatives from our Conference, to develop a resource to help clergy and congregations make these decisions in the spirit of Holy Conferencing. The team is on track to complete its work by November 15. In the coming weeks, I will share the resource and explain how to use it.
Disaffiliations
The delegates at the General Conference removed paragraph 2553 from our Book of Discipline, which was inserted in 2019, to provide a temporary path for congregations to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church through December 31, 2023. As many as 25% of United Methodist congregations chose this path.
Before General Conference, the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church ruled that paragraph 2548 should not be used for disaffiliations and clarified that paragraph 2549 is for a church closure and how to handle the property.
This past Saturday, October 26, the Judicial Council (JC) published two decisions on recent questions about changes made to 2549 by delegates at the General Conference and the continued use of 2549 for disaffiliations post-General Conference.
Decision 1507 - the Judicial Council ruled that paragraph 2549.2(b), as amended and adding paragraph 2549.3 as a new paragraph, is unconstitutional because it denies and circumvents the authority given to the Charge Conference by the Book of Discipline.
Decision 1512 - the Judicial Council confirmed that with the end and deletion of paragraph 2553, the General Conference removed from the Book of Discipline the only pathway for the disaffiliation of local churches. They also clarified that except for the General Conference, no body or entity in the Church has the power to reinstate or replicate paragraph 2553 or adopt legislation, policies, guidelines, rules, or regulations authorizing the departure of local churches. Any such action, plan, or attempt to do so intrudes upon the exclusive prerogative of the General Conference and is unconstitutional, null, and void. Further, the JC ruled that paragraph 2549 cannot be construed or used as legislation allowing the exit of local churches because it applies to church closure and the sale of property, not disaffiliation.
Therefore, reiterating disaffiliation is no longer a path for leaving the denomination.
Moving Forward
As we continue moving forward in this new season of ministry, the Upper New York cabinet and I will continue,
- Promoting a vision of Christ-centered missional unity that transcends our disagreements.
- Seeing and welcoming all people and inviting them to experience Christ’s healing and liberating love.
- Celebrating our rich diversity as a precious gift from God.
- Acknowledging UNY leaders’ and congregations’ theological beliefs around ministry with and by LGBTQ persons, and
- Equipping and resourcing leaders and congregations to thrive in ministry.
Whether you identify as a conservative, centrist, or progressive, be assured that you are loved and valued and that there will always be a place for you in the United Methodist Church and the Upper New York Conference—we and the mission are better and stronger TOGETHER.
United Methodists are moving forward as a diverse worldwide Christian community that welcomes people from all walks of life. Our faith and hope are anchored in Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, our journey of faith and mission is grounded in Scripture and guided by our doctrine, polity, and social principles. We celebrate our rich diversity as a gift from God. Although we may not always agree on certain specific issues, we are joyfully united in our love for Christ and our shared mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
In this new season, I encourage us to embrace God’s invitation to live the gospel, be Christ’s love with all our neighbors, and continue building the beloved community of the Risen Christ - all for God's glory.
Paz,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area
The United Methodist Church
New York State’s Clean Slate Act and Impact on Employers
October 28, 2024 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
New York State’s Clean Slate Act is effective November 16, 2024, and will have a significant impact on employers who conduct pre-employment criminal background screenings. Churches should review their onboarding and background check processes prior to November 16, 2024, to ensure compliance with the new law.
Background
The Clean Slate Act will automatically seal an individual’s criminal record after a waiting period, which is three years for a misdemeanor and eight years for a non-Class A felony. The clock starts either after incarceration is completed or from sentencing date if there was no sentence of incarceration. Once the waiting period is over, a conviction will be sealed if: the person is no longer under probation, parole, or post-release supervision, and there are no pending criminal charges in New York State.
Some convictions will not be sealed:
- Out of state convictions
- Federal convictions
- Sex offenses
- Class A felonies (except for drug possession and sale)
Once sealed, conviction records will be unavailable for most civil purposes. They will not appear on background checks and cannot be used against the individual. Convictions sealed by the law can still be accessed by law enforcement; hiring of police and peace officers; gun licensing; any entity required by law to conduct a fingerprint-based background check, or an entity authorized to conduct a fingerprint-based background check where a job applicant would be working with children, the elderly, or vulnerable adults; and the NYS Education Department.
Impact on Employers
Employers play no role in the sealing process, but employers should be aware that the law gives the court system three years to create a system to ensure convictions are sealed at the right time.
Employers may still ask applicants if they have been convicted of a crime but if the record is sealed, the applicant can truthfully answer “no” on the employment application.
Employers can still run background checks but if the record is sealed it will not appear on the background check.
The Clean Slate Act requires a copy of the background check report to be provided to the individual every time, with a copy of the NYS Corrections Law Article 23-A. Although the background check company may be able to provide these documents to the individual, churches should be aware that it is ultimately their responsibility to follow this requirement of the law.
Before a background check report can be requested, the employer must provide: 1) a copy of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 2) an authorization and disclosure form that is completed and signed by the individual, and 3) a copy of the NYS Corrections Law Article 23-A. These documents cannot be combined with any other documents such as an employment application.
This law does not change an employer’s obligation to conduct a job-related analysis prior to taking an adverse action or prior to denying an employment opportunity based on conviction status as required by the NYS Corrections Law Article 23-A.
If you have any questions regarding the Clean Slate Act or background checks, please contact Tracy Rickett, HR Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or 315-898-2017.
Celebrate United Methodist Student Day and Campus Ministries in Upper New York
October 24, 2024 / By Rev. Jee Hae Song / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following was sent to clergy and church lay leaders on Thurday, October 24 on behalf of the Rev. Jee Hae Song, United Methodist Chaplain, Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University and Associate Director of Missional Excellence, about United Methodist Student Day on November 24, 2024.
“Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
We all remember when we were young. For some, the young adult years were the times of meeting important people in life and making life-changing decisions. For others, it was years full of agony, disorientation, and uncertainties. Either way, these years are a formative time for a person’s spiritual journey.
For this reason, college is a unique time filled with opportunities for personal growth, both in knowledge and faith journey. Amidst the academic pressure, spiritual life can easily be overlooked. Moreover, college often presents challenges to young people’s faith as they move from “the faith they were taught” to “the faith of their own.” They struggle, tumble, and misstep.
This is why Campus and Collegiate Ministries are critical, as they provide young people an opportunity to connect with others on the same journey and solidify their beliefs. Our United Methodist Campus Ministries around the connection provide students these communities and guidance.
In order to raise awareness of the significance of campus ministry, United Methodists observe United Methodist Student Day every year, which is a denomination-wide celebration of the value of education and a call to action for all of us to invest in the lives of students who seek to grow in knowledge, faith, and service. This year, it is on November 24, 2024.
On this special day, we honor the transformative power of education by giving generously to support scholarships and initiatives that bless students across our connection. "Having access to a good education is foundational to nurturing the future generations of world-changing United Methodist leaders for the church and the world. Supporting UM Student Day creates opportunities for deserving United Methodist students to attend college through over 70 scholarship programs, especially those mostly impacted by the ever-growing social-economic gap that affects many communities in our nation and around the world," said Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez, Resident Bishop of the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area. If you want to give to the connectional body, you can make a donation online here.
In Upper New York, there are Campus and Collegiate Ministries that are doing incredible, life-changing work in nurturing faith, developing leadership, and providing community to young adults. You can find the list on the Upper New York Conference website here.
On this United Methodist Student Day, we invite you to engage with these transformational ministries by doing the following:
- Read this letter during your Sunday services on United Methodist Student Day.
- Read the names of Campus and Collegiate Ministries in Upper New York.
- Pray for these campus ministries. The following is a sample prayer to consider using.
Loving and almighty God, with hearts full of gratitude and hope, we lift up the students who receive encouragement through United Methodist Student Day. Thank you for their dedication, hard work and the bright futures that lie ahead of them. Strengthen their faith and perseverance in their educational journeys. Give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation so they may know you better. Bless campus ministries that help and guide these students in navigating their lives in faith. Use these ministries to bring community of love and belonging to those who may feel lost amidst academic pressure. Equip and empower all their leaders. Bless all the students who experience God’s grace through these ministries. We ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen. (Prayer adapted from ResourceUMC.org)
- Reach out to these ministries if your congregation can be of any assistance.
- Consider joining Upper New York’s College Ministry Team. For more information or questions, contact the Rev. Jee Hae Song at jeehaesong@unyumc.org.
Together, we can make a significant impact, not only on the lives of individual students but on the future of our communities and churches. Thank you for your continued support and dedication.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Jee Hae Song
United Methodist Chaplain, Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University
Associate Director of Missional Excellence
Help UMCOR restock cleaning buckets
October 21, 2024 / By Kristina Clark, Director of Missional Engagement / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida before moving north, releasing 30 trillion gallons of water across western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and western Virginia, leading to catastrophic flooding. Just weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck Florida again, further devastating homes and communities.
The UMCOR Relief Supply Network has distributed thousands of cleaning buckets to those affected, but it has left warehouses depleted. UMCOR is asking for our help to restock. The Neighborhood HUB at Central United Methodist Church in Endicott has already worked with community members to distribute buckets to Boone, North Carolina. With your help, we hope to send an additional 500 buckets to impacted areas in the coming months.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Assemble a Cleaning Bucket: Gather the necessary items from the supply list found here: UMCOR Cleaning Kit. Please note, gel air fresheners are no longer used in the cleaning buckets. Only pump air fresheners.
Once completed, deliver your assembled bucket to one of the collection points listed below, and please include $3 for each bucket to cover shipping costs. Checks can be made out to UNY Mission Central.
2. Purchase Items: You can buy items for the cleaning buckets via our Amazon Shopping List.
3. Make a Financial Donation: If you prefer, you can make a monetary donation, and we will handle the purchasing, assembling, and shipping of the kits. Please make checks payable to UNY Mission Central with "kits" written in the memo and mail them to 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY 13088.
Collection Centers
UNY Mission Central
7481 Henry Clay Blvd.
Liverpool NY 13088
Contact: Kristina Clark, disasterresponse@unyumc.org
Central UMC
17 Nanticoke Ave.
Endicott, NY 13760
Contact: Paul Reed, cualum86@gmail.com
Kenmore UMC
32 Landers Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
Contact: kumcoffice32@gmail.com
Massena UMC
189 Main St.
Massena, NY 13662
Contact: massenafumc@centralny.twcbc.com
Rush UMC
6200 Rush Lima Road
Rush, NY 14543
Contact: rumc@rushumc.org
Shenendehowa UMC
971 Rte 146
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Contact:secretary@shenumc.org
UNY Resource Center going fully digital
October 21, 2024 / By Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens, Director of Missional Engagement / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In a quiet corner of 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., where United Methodists of Upper New York house their Conference Offices, Mission HUB, and the Upper New York Episcopal Offices reside, sits the UNY Resource Center. The Center is home to hundreds of resources for Bible studies, book studies, and other items to support the ministry of local churches. From the shelves of material, items are packaged and mailed to local churches, or leaders can browse the shelves. Over the past few years there has been a steady decline in the number of resources being used, and even fewer leaders connecting with the Resource Center.
Less than 5 percent of our congregations utilize the Resource Center. While those who have used and benefited from the Resource Center express their appreciation, it is clear a library of physical resources is not the support over 95 percent of our congregations are seeking. At the same time the need for current, relevant, and well-done resources remains. In Amplify Media. This is a fully online and digital library of resources congregations can stream rather than wait on the mail to deliver the desired resource.
As the calendar flips to 2025, Upper New York will discontinue the use of the physical Resource Center and transition to a fully digital format. This will primarily be through Amplify Media and a soon to be launched on-line learning platform called Portico. Both of these digital resources are part of our connection with United Methodist Churches around the world and will help keep the available resources up to date more quickly than a physical library.
Beginning November 1, 2024, when a church uses a resource from the Resource Center in Liverpool, they may keep that resource rather than returning it to the Center. In January of 2025, leaders will be invited to come to Liverpool and take resources they would like to have. There will be no cost for the resources taken, however donations will be accepted. Donations will go to the Engage Fund as we invest in our emerging generations. On February 1, all remaining resources will be packaged and ministries who have a need with be given the resources.
For a few of our congregations this will present a change in the way they are able to access resources, and in the places where internet connection is a barrier, the Missional Excellence area of the Conference will work with congregations to create an appropriate solution.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor: Enhance your new member classes with the Belong series
October 15, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor on Tuesday, October 15 about a new Discipleship Ministries resource.
Dear claity (clergy & lay leaders) of the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area,
May grace and peace from Christ be with you.
Understanding and celebrating who we are as followers of Christ and United Methodists is key to fruitful discipleship, missional unity, and impact. As we strengthen our identity as disciples, the Holy Spirit unleashes us to live the gospel and be God’s love with our neighbors in all places.
Recently, Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church released the Belong series, a comprehensive suite of resources designed to introduce new disciples and help current disciples deepen their engagement with the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion and their commitment to our membership vows.
The Belong booklets offer a dynamic layout with approachable language for new members, small groups, Sunday school, and confirmation classes. These guides:
- Encourage personal reflection and group discussion.
- Use accessible language and dynamic visuals to bring theological concepts to life.
- Provide practical applications for integrating sacramental practices into daily life.
- Soon, they will be available in 11 different languages.
These resources can:
- Enhance faith formation and new member classes.
- Transform abstract theological concepts into relatable, lived experiences.
- Support discipleship growth by highlighting the Wesleyan doctrines of grace and salvation.
I encourage clergy, youth, and Christian education leaders in our congregations to prioritize incorporating this new resource into their discipleship strategy. Later this winter, we will release a companion piece with ideas and session outlines on how to use these resources in your new membership classes and small groups. The first companion piece will be on Membership Vows.
I am happy to share that you will receive 20% off when you order five or more of any of the Belong titles by using the coupon code: HECTOR during check out (my gift to you - ��). You can learn more and order your Belong booklets here.
Together, we are nurturing passionate disciples of Jesus Christ who embody faith, love, mercy, and justice in their everyday lives the Wesleyan way.
Always remember that we all belong to God, and through God, we belong to one another.
Together in mission,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area
Guidelines for Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Minister, and Certified Lay Speaker honoraria changes
October 14, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Lay persons providing short-term pulpit supply while a pastor is away should take note of honoraria changes, beginning January 1, 2025. The Upper New York Cabinet approved the changes in August 2024 following the 2024 UNY Annual Conference session.
The honoraria changes do not apply to persons who are lay supply, hired by the district superintendent (DS), to serve long-term and functioning as a worship leadership.
The changes are as follow:
- The suggested honoraria for Certified Lay Servants, Certified Lay Speakers, and Certified Lay Ministers asked to provide pulpit supply outside of the local church where their membership is held is $150 for the first service of the day and $75 for each additional service on the same day.
- If the church is part of a two-point charge, the suggested honoraria is $112.50 per church.
- If there are three churches on the charge, the suggested honoraria is $100 per church.
- The suggested honoraria for laity, not part of Lay Servant Ministries, asked to provide pulpit supply outside of the local church where their membership is held is $100 for the first service of the day and $50 for each additional service on the same day.
- If the church is part of a two-point charge, the suggested honoraria is $75 per church.
- If there are three churches on the charge, the suggested honoraria is $67 per church.
Any laity asked to provide pulpit supply (for a pastoral vacation or illness) within the local church where their membership is held should consider this to be part of their volunteer work/ministry within their local church.
If persons are asked to fill the pulpit on a long-term basis because the local church of a Certified Lay Servant, Certified Lay Speaker, or Certified Lay Minister (where they have their membership) is in need of regular and consistent coverage in place of a local licensed pastor, etc. then compensation is between the lay servant/speaker/minister and the PPRC, finance team, and DS.
For questions, contact Linda Barczykowski from the Conference Lay Servant Ministries Team at lindab125@outlook.com or your district superintendent.
New York State minimum wage and salary increase effective January 1, 2025
October 10, 2024 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Effective January 1, 2025, New York State is increasing the minimum wage and minimum salary amounts. The new amounts for New York State (excluding New York City, Long Island, and Westchester) are:
MINIMUM WAGE: $15.50/hour
MINIMUM SALARY: $1,161.65 per week / $60,405.80 per year
Employers within the Upper New York Conference, regardless of the number of employees, must pay non-exempt staff minimum wage. Non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay under the state and federal wage and hour laws. Overtime pay for non-exempt employees is calculated as time and one-half their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek (i.e., a $15.50/hr. employee working overtime, would be entitled to $23.25/hr. overtime pay).
An updated NYS Minimum Wage poster must be posted at your work site for your employees by January 1, 2025. Once the updated poster is available, the Conference office will post it on our Church Employer webpage Employment Law Compliance and Posters. Click here for more information on the change to NYS minimum wage.
Churches should review their wage and hour practices to ensure that their employees are classified properly as non-exempt or exempt and that current minimum wage and minimum salary levels are being paid to employees.
Please note: Clergy salary is exempt from state and federal wage and hour requirements. Minimum salary, for the purpose of clergy compensation, is determined by the Commission on Equitable Compensation. It is listed in the Clergy Support Policies and can be located here.
If you have any questions on this topic, please contact Tracy Rickett, Human Resources Generalist, at 315-898-2017 or TracyRickett@unyumc.org.
Upper New York Property Insurance Update
October 8, 2024 / By Jack Keating / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Over this past summer the Insurance Subcommittee of our Annual Conference Board of Trustees has met several times with representatives from Lightwell Insurance (formerly American Church Group) as we look at coverage and pricing options for the future of our conference-wide insurance program.
While the commercial insurance market continues to struggle with increased losses and pricing fluctuations, we are pleased to report that our Annual Conference insurance program continues with wonderful loss control results. In fact, through 9/30/24 our group loss ratio stands at 10.56%! Thanks to all our ministries and programs and the wonderful operations of our local churches and conference operations, we believe we have good news to share for premium costs in the upcoming years.
Brotherhood Mutual projects premium increases of 1% - 5.5% for the 2025 policy period and 2% - 8.5% for the 2026 policy period. While these are estimates at this point, they will allow churches to build annual spending plans for 2025 budgeting purposes.
Brotherhood has also informed the Board of Trustees that our churches have now “outgrown” the levels and types of coverages available on their Ministry Essentials insurance program. As a result, all our churches will be moved into their Ministry First policy plan by 2026. In 2026 we may experience a few isolated premium cost increases that exceed the numbers mentioned above, dependent on insurance market conditions and other factors in the future.
In an insurance environment that continues to see the availability of insurance products and many significant insurance premium cost increases, we continue to give thanks for the efforts of so many who have helped us to maintain our insurance coverages at very reasonable premium costs. Thanks for all you have done to keep stability in our annual conference insurance program!
Important dates leading up to AC2025
October 7, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Mark your calendars as there are several important dates you should add to your calendar as we look forward to as we prepare for the 2025 Upper New York Annual Conference session.
- January 6: Petitions/Recommendations/Reports submissions accepted
- March 1: Last day to submit Petitions/Recommendations/Reports
- March 14 – April 15: Register for Annual Conference
- April 1: Presenter scripts due for closed captioning purposes
- April 15: 2025 UNY Pre-Conference Workbook published
- May 12: Virtual Pre-Conference Briefing 7-8 p.m.
- May 22-24: 2025 Annual Conference will be held at the OnCenter in Syracuse
Celebrating Ministry at Countryside United Methodist Church
October 7, 2024 / By Rev. Abigail Browka / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In January, Countryside United Methodist Church received an Engage New People grant, designed to help local churches reach beyond their walls and engage new people in creative and meaningful ways. With an average weekly attendance of 13 people, this grant was a beacon of hope and an opportunity to renew the church's connection with its surrounding community.
Countryside committed to hosting regular youth activities for 12 to 17-year-old teens in the neighborhood, as there were few places or opportunities for them to gather and participate in positive activities.
"We feel that when they become more comfortable with our church and parishioners, they may feel more comfortable attending Sunday service on a regular basis."
By February 2024, the church kicked off their outreach efforts with a Game Day, welcoming three new teens who participated in chess, checkers, board games, and enjoyed pizza with the church family. Game Day set the stage for further outreach, including a Backpack Sunday celebration and a heartfelt project where congregants created gifts for seniors in the community.
Church member Virginia Meyle joyfully shared that Countryside has since welcomed two new preteens into their church services, with the pastor now including a dedicated "Time for Youth" in every service.
This new chapter for Countryside United Methodist Church highlights the power of intentional ministry and the impact of stepping outside the norm to connect with new people. With the support of the Engage New People grant, the church continues to embrace its mission to grow and serve its community in fresh and exciting ways.
Click here to learn more about the Conference's Engage New People grant.
Together in Worship 2.0
October 7, 2024 / By Missional Excellence Team / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Do you provide leadership in ministry and are looking for an opportunity to recharge? If so, we have a worship experience for you!
Once a month for the past 15 months, leaders among United Methodists of Upper New York have had an opportunity to gather for worship through Facebook Live or in-person at the United Methodist Center in Liverpool. Like many local congregations, there has been conversation about the impact of a digital worship service with those who engage in that format. From those conversations, the decision has been made to not only continue Together in Worship on a monthly basis but to increase the investment of resources to support the leaders or ministries in Upper New York.
Early in the conversation around what the next step for Together in Worship is, the team needed to clarify the purpose of the time together. After much conversation the landing place is, “Together in Worship, a monthly online worship expression to nurture, inspire, and feed the clergy and laity who provide leadership in ministry.” In light of the primary task of the Annual Conference, the focus is connecting with leaders who provide ministry rather than attempting to be a replacement or competition for the regular worship of local congregations.
The team invested in developing Together in Worship is also seeking to increase the consistency of when the time of worship will be offered. So, on the second Wednesday of the month at noon, people can join online to share in worship for a mid-week oasis. This time change will begin on December 11, 2024. Between now and then, there will be a pause on Together in Worship to allow for the time needed to adapt the format of the worship expression as well.
Since the focus is an online audience, although anyone is welcome to participate in person, there is a greater opportunity to diversify perspectives and voices being shared. From time-to-time musicians, choirs, and other participants will be invited to share via video either live or recorded.
Come worship without the worry of planning or leading. We look forward to supporting the leaders, laity and clergy, of the United Methodists of Upper New York as we are Together in Worship.
FJUMC serves as Guatemalan Consulate for hundreds of immigrants
October 3, 2024 / By Beth Jordan, Faith Journey UMC member
Faith Journey United Methodist Church (FJUMC) got the unique opportunity to serve as a meeting place for hundreds of Guatemalans immigrating to the United States. The church was contacted by the New York State Immigration Coalition as a possible location for an upcoming event over the summer and the community events planner inquired about renting space in the Clay area.
Over time, we learned a Guatemalan Consulate would be in the U.S. in July and the New York State Immigration Coalition was searching for community spaces outside of New York City that were close to highways and large enough to host such an event. We initially thought we’d have approximately 300 immigrants in attendance, but the number was much larger.
FJUMC volunteers assisted up to 750 Guatemalan immigrants in gaining access to identification cards and passports and, with some, beginning the process of becoming legal citizens. We recognized our FJUMC members who assisted in hosting the multiple days. These volunteers provided prayers and support.
In addition to the consulate, we had immigration lawyers and many church members available to welcome visitors to our church from July 19-20, 2024. There were food trucks, food tents, and vendors available over the two-day event to educate those in attendance of services that were available.
Through its official networks, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry reported, “In the first half of 2024, Minex has strengthened access to consular services, providing 631,682 documentation services and 427,516 consular assistance to Guatemalans abroad.” Click here to read more in Spanish.
We have received rave reviews on how organized the event planners were and how nice and respectful our volunteers were. Faith Journey would love to have the opportunity to do this again.
Time off to vote and posting requirement
October 3, 2024 / By Tracy Rickett, HR Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This is a reminder that New York State employees are eligible for up to two hours of paid time off to vote if they do not have “sufficient time to vote.” An employee is deemed to have “sufficient time to vote” if an employee has four consecutive hours to vote either from the opening of the polls to the beginning of their work shift, or four consecutive hours between the end of a working shift and the closing of the polls.
An employee must notify their employer at least two working days prior to their intention to take paid time off to vote, but not more than ten working days.
Not less than ten working days before every election, every employer shall post the time off to vote notice in the place of work where employees can see it. The notice shall be kept posted until the close of the polls on election day. Employees who work remotely should be provided with the notice electronically.
Click here to download the time off to vote notice.
If you have any questions regarding the time off to vote and posting requirements, please contact Tracy Rickett, HR Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or 315-898-2017.
Hurricane Helene disaster response
October 2, 2024 / By Kristina Clark, Associate Director of Missional Excellence / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following letter was emailed to United Methodists of Upper New York on Wednesday, October 2 about disaster response following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene on behalf of Kristina Clark, Associate Director of Missional Excellence, Disaster Response Coordinator.
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
We are heartbroken to witness the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene to communities across our United Methodist Connection.
We’re closely monitoring updates from UMCOR and the affected conferences, and we want to reassure you that The United Methodist Church is actively responding with UMCOR's support. Churches in the impacted conferences are assembling UMCOR Relief Kits, providing meals, sheltering, and showering services, and preparing their Early Response Teams for deployment. God's love is evident in the quick actions, prayers, and generosity of many.
Already, many of you have reached out wondering what we can do as United Methodists of Upper New York to assist in the relief efforts. Here are four ways you can help during this challenging time:
PRAY: Please pray for those impacted by the hurricane and for the first responders who are involved in search and rescue efforts.
DONATE: The most effective way we can make a difference is through a generous financial contribution. Consider donating to UMCOR US Disaster Response or visit the website of one of the impacted conferences to donate directly to a specific response.
PAUSE: Please do not self-deploy or send product donations directly to the disaster area. We are connected to the affected communities through our United Methodist Connection, and we will be notified if there are specific needs that we can help with. Unsolicited product donations and help can overwhelm an already chaotic situation. The Early Response Teams in Upper New York will be invited to assist through UMCOR when additional help is needed.
PREPARE: To respond safely and effectively, when needed, consider attending one of our upcoming disaster-response trainings. We are welcoming UMCOR Consultant, Pam Garrison, to our Conference on November 2 and January 25 to lead a Connecting Neighbors Training. Sign up for one of the sessions here.
May we continue to be instruments of God’s peace, sharing compassion and kindness to our neighbors near and far.
Together in community,
Kristina Clark
Associate Director of Missional Excellence
Disaster Response Coordinator
Churches take on Operation: Home Repair for second year in a row
September 30, 2024 / By Cobleskill UMC / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Schoharie Mosaic, a Cooperative Parish of ten United Methodist churches in and around Schoharie County in the Oneonta District, recently completed its second annual Operation: Home Repair. This local mission project took place over two weeks in July, however planning and preparation for the mission projects began back in January 2024. Operation: Home Repair provides no-cost critical home repairs to homeowners in and around Schoharie County by bringing neighbors together to volunteer their time and energy. 
One of the organizing churches is Cobleskill United Methodist Church, the Rev. Anna Blinn Cole reports that 28 applications were submitted by local homeowners requesting help with various home improvements and repairs. After reviewing each application thoroughly, the planning team narrowed the list to 12 doable projects based upon factors such as critical safety issues, disabilities of homeowners, health needs, volunteer and financial resources available, and other quality of life issues.
According to Rev. Blinn Cole the projects included homes in seven towns in Schoharie County and one town in Schenectady County. This year, over 50 volunteers donated their time and skills to complete these projects, ranging from deck rebuilding, ramp installation, painting, and roof repair to concrete stair repair and porch reconstruction. The volunteers ranged from senior citizens to teenagers and included both skilled craftspeople and those with no prior home repair experience. Several United Methodist church members and clergy from outside the Schoharie region also volunteered their time and energy. 
Volunteer Jeff Foote, who headed up a work team this year, had this to say “It was grueling work, and I definitely learned a few things, but what I did not expect and am very happy to report is that I was deeply moved by the experience of serving a person in need. Even though I was exhausted at the end of each day, I went home uplifted and fulfilled in the knowledge that I was doing God's work.”
Of particular note this year was the renovation of the Gallupville UMC parsonage which had been sitting unoccupied for many years. Gallupville’s pastor, the Rev. Maryellen Moore, is passionate about addressing housing insecurity in the region and saw an opportunity for this vacant house to become a home for a low-income family. Church leadership decided to apply for assistance through Operation: Home Repair to get the parsonage up to code so that HUD would approve it for Section 8 housing. The church would not only get to help fill the gap for a family in need, but also earn much-needed revenue to supplement the church’s dwindling finances.
“It was a bit of a stretch to seriously consider transforming the parsonage. There were obstacles: tax implications, insurance, zoning, water quality, insulation and just how this little congregation could do all this! We prayed,” stated Rev. Moore.
The Operation: Home Repair planning team approved the Gallupville parsonage as one of its 12 projects and work began several weeks in advance of the official home repair start. Incredibly, the three teenage girls and their mom who were praying to be able to move into this home after a period of being unhoused, worked tirelessly over many weeks alongside other Operation: Home Repair volunteers to turn the parsonage around. 
Chrisal Soutulo, the single mother of that family, said, “I want to say thank you to all the people who were involved in Operation: Home Repair. I will never forget how much they helped us and let us help to be a part of the mission work too.”
Soutulo’ daughter, Stacy Baez, said, “It was hard work, but I learned so many things that I never knew how to do before. Thank you for letting us be a part of this project.”
Thanks to many hands from Operation: Home Repair, lots of hard work, and persistent advocacy from Rev. Moore, Soutulo, and her four children moved into the parsonage on September 1.
Operation: Home Repair could not do the work it does without the generosity of the community. The missional project received financial and in-kind donations from community members, local businesses, several United Methodist grant funds, the Schoharie County Joshua Project, and other churches in the neighborhood. Other funds were raised throughout the year with drive-thru dinners, proceeds from the Road to Jubilee Thrift Store at Cobleskill UMC, and other fundraisers.
Rev. Blinn Cole reports that the need for safe housing is critical in this area. She is encouraged by the way neighbors stepped up to help neighbors in this community-wide project. Many homeowners reported that these projects helped improve their living conditions.
Gail Romberg received a new deck on her mobile home so that she could safely exit her house. She said “These (Mosaic) volunteers were truly exceptional—generous, caring, and uplifting. Their expert craftsmanship transformed my home, and their presence each day made me feel as though I was in the company of Jesus Christ’s most devoted disciples. Your mission statement, ‘to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world,’ truly came to life through their actions.”
When speaking of the project as a whole, Kay Bonney, of the Delanson UMC who organized the Operation: Home Repair hospitality and lunch making said “There’s a recognition that the Church is more than just a place to worship but a place that people can go to get help and give help. It provides a sense of family.” 
Based on the success of Operation: Home Repair over the past two summers, the program will begin accepting applications for 2025 home repair in early January. Volunteers from across the conference are welcome to join the work.
For more information, please reach out to SchoharieMosaic@gmail.com.
Click here to read about last year’s annual Operation: Home Repair.
United Methodists of Upper New York Parental Leave policy
September 27, 2024 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As approved at the 2024 Annual Conference, there is a new Parental Leave policy for all clergy and laity employed by the Upper New York Annual Conference or any of its funded extension ministries. This policy applies to all clergy, regardless of their part-time or full-time status, and lay employees who work 20 or more hours a week, or who have worked for at least 175 hours.
This policy was effective as of the adjournment of Annual Conference 2024.
Parental leave must be requested at least 90 days, when feasible, before the anticipated start of the leave. Parental leave is available for up to 13 weeks with full pay and will not affect any benefits granted to the clergy or lay employee. The clergy or lay employee’s compensation must be continued for the duration of the leave. The employee’s supervisor will arrange for coverage, in consultation with the employee, for the duration of the leave. Employees are not required to use time-off benefits during Parental Leave. Parental Leave may be taken consecutively or intermittently. If taken intermittently, Parental Leave must be taken in full day increments. Parental Leave must be taken within 12 months of the placement or birth of the child(ren).
The first 12 weeks of Parental Leave is eligible for Paid Family Leave (PFL) reimbursement up to the amount allowed by the New York State Paid Family Leave Act and paid for by the insurance carrier. The employee will be required to work with their employer to complete the required forms necessary to reimburse the employer for the PFL portion of the salary that will continue for the first 12 weeks of leave. Forms and information for the New York State Paid Family Leave are available on the website.
Employment settings must comply with federal and state law regarding expression of breast milk in the workplace.
If you have any questions on the parental leave policy, please contact Tracy Rickett, HR Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or (315) 898-2017.
Protecting your church in time for winter
September 27, 2024 / By Autumn Wells, Administrative and Accounting Services Specialist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
It’s only the start of the fall season, but winter will be here before you know it. There are several things you should take into consideration when it comes to protecting your church and church property for winter weather.
Want to know when there’s going to be extreme freezing weather or emergency info alerts in your area? Sign up to receive free text alerts here from Brotherhood Mutual, the conference’s insurance carrier. Once enrolled, you’ll be notified if a catastrophic event is forecasted that could impact your ministry area. These texts aim to help you prepare for the type of hazardous weather event expected along with helpful links you can take right away to prevent or minimize certain types of damage to your church buildings and property. You may also receive information about what to do if your ministry does sustain damage. Anyone can sign 
up. All you’ll need is the last six digits of your policy number.
Living in Upstate New York, freezing weather and winter storms are imminent. When freezing weather is in the forecast, Brotherhood Mutual urges policyholders to take immediate action to prevent pipes from freezing and bursting.
When freezing weather is in the forecast, Brotherhood Mutual says it’s time to do the following:
- Turn up the heat to above 55 degrees. Check the thermostat in all areas of your building to ensure the heat is on (especially in unused areas) and to double check the setting is at least 55 degrees.
- Prop open room and cabinet doors beneath sinks. Do this to keep heat circulating throughout the building.
- Let faucets drip. This keeps water moving inside pipes.
- Locate water supply valves. If a pipe bursts, time is critical. Know where valves are located for all buildings. Keep the tools to close the valves nearby. Be sure to include areas with baptisteries, laundry rooms, and water heaters in your search.
- Get to know your sprinkler system. Monitor your systems using a central station that provides early detection of a pipe failure. Make sure to maintain the temperature in the control rooms.
- Prep generator. The goal is to maintain heat in the building when a big freeze takes down power lines.
- Add emergency numbers to contacts. Create a list of numbers that includes your insurance agent, plumber, water restoration company, heating contractor, electrician, and utility companies.
If wind or heavy ice also is predicted – here are more actions you can take to prevent or minimize damage:
- Move vehicles off the lot and away from trees. A concrete parking garage is best, if possible. If not, allow staff to take home vehicles to spread your risk of damage.
- Prevent damage from high winds. Before a storm, verify that sign connections are adequate or remove the sign and safely store it. Store outdoor equipment in a safe location. Identify and remove trees and branches that could fall on the building walls or roof, or on power lines.
If heavy snow also is predicted:
- Clear gutters of debris to allow melting snow to drain. Obstructions cause “ice dams” that block drainage and damage your roof. Check drains on flat roofs and remove leaves and other material.
- Clear the snow and ice. Keep an eye on the roof when snow piles up. If an excessive amount falls, or the snow is blocked from sliding down the roof, it may be time to act. Either use a long-handled roof rake or call a licensed contractor to remove it safely. Don’t climb onto the roof to remove snow. Climbing onto an already stressed and slick roof can be dangerous.
Freezing weather also creates dangerous sidewalks and lots:
- Designate staff and/or volunteers in advance to clear sidewalks and parking lots of snow. Put snow shovels, salt, and entryway mats in easy-to-access locations.
Watch out for leaky pipes. A small drip can turn into gallons of water that could damage walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, and more. Brotherhood Mutual says plumbing leaks are almost entirely preventable and recommends installing an automatic water shut off device like FloLogic. The intelligent leak detection system is installed on the main water supply line and it constantly monitors water flow. Whenever the device detects flow that exceeds a preset duration based on if the building is occupied or not, it automatically shuts off the water. Learn more about the device here.
UNY Greenhouse Days: Sparking innovation and reimagining ministry
September 24, 2024 / By Rev. Abigail Browka, UNY New Faith Communities Initiative / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Last weekend, 100 people gathered for UNY Greenhouse Days both at the United Methodist Center in Liverpool and at Penn Ave UMC in Pine City. Local church leaders came together to explore new ways of reaching people and reimagining ministry for today’s world.
Michael Beck, a dynamic pioneer in Fresh Expressions, served as the keynote speaker. He shared real-life examples of how small, inherited churches can spark fresh expressions of faith in their communities.
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Beck shared how Fresh Expression ministries—ranging from dinner church to burritos and Bibles, devotional yoga, and recovery programs—are breathing new life into churches. These ministries may only gather 10 to 100 people at a time, but their impact is profound, creating spaces where people can be known, loved, and find belonging.
One of the standout quotes from the weekend was Beck’s bold challenge, “If Methodists would get vile again, we might get more vital.”
A weekend of engagement and inspiration
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Throughout the event, participants were deeply engaged and comfortable—ready to share, collaborate, and innovate. Good questions flowed as people expressed hope and openness to new possibilities. As one participant reflected, “Wow, we’re doing something here I didn’t think was possible.”
“Greenhouse Day was an inspiring experience that encouraged us to think outside the box for kingdom building. Through innovative activities and collaborative discussions, we learned to approach challenges with creativity and open-mindedness. This day reminded us that by embracing unconventional ideas and solutions, we can contribute more effectively to our community and its growth. Together, we are building a stronger, more resilient kingdom,” said Rev. CJ Rolle, pastor at Lincoln Memorial UMC in Buffalo.
The event didn’t just stop at theory; it connected directly with practical takeaways for ministry. We explored the hallmarks of engaging young people, based on Springtide Research’s 2021 report, which revealed that the key traits for connecting with youth today are curiosity, wholeness, connection, and flexibility.
Key takeaways from UNY Greenhouse Days
Here are three insights that stuck with us from the weekend:
1. Start small and be present:
“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” (John 1:14 MSG) — Ministry begins by being present in your community. Small, mustard-seed communities can grow into spaces where people are known, loved, and find belonging. New ministries often start with listening to others, loving and serving, and building relationships.
2. Embrace play and creativity:
Friedman’s advice: “Play when you are stuck.” If your church feels stuck, introduce play, creativity, and flexibility into your ministry to stir things up. Sometimes it’s in moments of play that breakthroughs happen.
3. Join in what God is already doing:
One of the most powerful insights from the weekend was that “Beloved people, of sacred worth and great value, may never know the gift of communal life in Jesus in our current modes of being church.” We’re called to join in what God is already doing in our communities, rather than relying solely on traditional modes of ministry.
Continuing the momentum
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The energy from Greenhouse Days has sparked something special, but it doesn’t stop here. Whether you attended or are hearing about this now, there are a few key questions for us all to consider as we move forward:
- How can you embrace innovation in your ministry?
- What’s one small step your church could take this month to connect with new people?
- How can we be more curious, flexible, and open to the needs of young people?
Let’s continue to plant seeds of innovation and step into the future together in faith and creativity.
Offering back-to-school support at Massena First UMC
September 23, 2024 / By Kathy Perry / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Massena First United Methodist has been involved in a community program for approximately 20 years. The program offers a hot nutritious dinner on Thursday evenings for anyone who wishes to have a meal. We currently serve approximately 150 meals per week, all prepared and served by volunteers.
As we got to know our guests, we realized that many of them needed help with personal care, household cleaning, and paper supplies. We started a program called "We Care" where members of our congregation donate items to the program that we can give out to those who need them. We currently respond to about 15 requests per month for items which we stock in our hall.
As the opening of school was fast approaching, we realized that many of our guests were not able to provide items that their children needed to start school. So, we expanded our program, with donations from our congregation, to include school supplies. We provided information to those at our meal and received requests from approximately 15 children for items needed for school.
This has been a way for us to give back to our community at the start of an exciting school year for children. This has been a highly successful addition to our program, and we intend to continue it for the future so that as additional supplies are needed by the families that come to our meal, we will be able to meet those needs. What a blessing it has been for our congregation to assist in making the opening of school experience more exciting with new school supplies.
Creation Care Ministry weighs in on solar panels
September 20, 2024 / By Andrew Hartley, UNY Creation Care / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
United Methodists know that caring for God's Creation is a part of honoring God and loving our neighbors. Many want to reduce air pollution associated with heating and cooling while still generating electricity for their homes and expressed interest in shifting from coal, oil, and gas to clean solar power. Yet, to some, the cost of solar panels puts solar energy out of reach, even with the generous federal and state incentives now available.
Good news! Through community solar, the savings and improved environmental impacts of solar power are now accessible to many homeowners and renters across Upper New York, without the up-front costs of solar panels. Community solar is a group of individuals benefiting from a shared solar project.
Some of the benefits include:
- Improved environmental responsibility.
- No change in reliability.
- Many options are available; however, not all are available in all areas.
- Congregation receives a $100 donation, for each customer subscribing through the congregation.
- Guaranteed 10% savings to subscriber, visible on the bill as a credit.
- Minimum participation duration of 60 days.
- Subscriber continues to pay the utility company as usual. No extra bill to pay.
- No enrollment fee, participation cost or disenrollment fee
To learn more, click here to learn how community solar works and click here for information to help you decide if solar is good for your home.
To check for programs available in your area, click this link and then select "Get Started" and enter your information.
If you're interested in learning about the best community solar options for your area, click here.
The UNYAC Creation Justice Team urges all congregational leaders to promote this program, for the sake of the environment, future generations, and lowering their own power bills.
UMC bishops denounce political violence, authoritarianism
September 19, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following statement was released by the Council of Bishops on Thursday, September 19 on denouncing political violence and authoritarianism.
Beloved Community - An Antidote to Extremism
A Pastoral Letter to All United Methodists
Christ is our peace. . .With his body, he broke down the barrier of hatred that divided us. Ephesians 2:14 CEB
Dear United Methodists:
Polarization and hatred are dividing nations, communities, and even families. We are losing our ability to speak with humility and treat others kindly. We know this is not how God intends us to live. All are beloved children of God, who beckons us to care for not only those we love, but those God loves, even those we may not know or whose lives are different from our own.
Climate change, global migration, growing economic disparity, and other factors are causing us to feel more vulnerable and alienated. This can increase the appeal of authoritarian leaders who rely on rhetoric and policies that divide, creating a fearful environment that dampens participation in civic life and gives rise to political violence.
We strongly denounce political violence, which severs community bonds and supplants the rule of law. We equally denounce authoritarianism and secular and Christian nationalism, which foster centralization and abuse of power, accompanied by racism, xenophobia, tribalism, and misogyny. Nationalism is a political ideology that defies God’s love by pitting the interests of one group of people against others.
Christian nationalism demands laws, culture, and public policies be based on a distorted interpretation of the Gospel that elevates power and control over love. These ideologies are in direct contradiction to our Christian faith because our “love of God is always linked with love of neighbor, a passion for justice and the renewal of life in the world.” (“Our Doctrinal Heritage” BOD p 53).
No one person or political party should ever hold complete power. As people of the Wesleyan tradition, we know that God alone holds power and dominion over all of creation. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we depend on Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience to ground our social conscience and compel us to seek justice and global relationships as followers of Jesus Christ. With his body, Christ breaks down the barriers of hatred that divide and invites us to build a worldwide community of love. He calls us to see strangers and even enemies as neighbors. Let’s join conversations in our pulpits, pews, and the public square that advance justice and build up our communities in love.
In our baptismal vows, we promise to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of our sins. We promise to accept the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves. We confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior, put our whole trust in his grace, and vow to serve him as Lord in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races.
The Council of Bishops walks with you as we faithfully live out these vows in a period of unique peril around the world. Soon, we will share a learning resource for deeper engagement with these topics. Let us love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves.
Grace and Peace,
Bishop Tracy S. Malone
Council of Bishops, President
The United Methodist Church
UNY Leadership Summit
September 17, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Nearly 50 lay and clergy leaders from around the conference gathered at the United Methodist Center for a leadership summit on Saturday, September 14. This specific group was identified as people who were called to carry out servant leadership in Upper New York to move the mission of the annual conference together. Cabinet members, executive staff, along with members from different ministry teams including the Board of Ordained Ministry, Board of Laity, Safe Sanctuaries, Committee on Native American Ministries, Commission on Religion and Race, Social Holiness, Board of Trustees, Council on Finance and Administration, Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, UNY Task Force for Palestine-Israel, Conference Council on Youth Ministry, Commission on Equitable Compensation, Nominations and Leadership, and more were in attendance.
The day began with a time of worship, led by Crossroads and Finger Lakes District Superintendent, the Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood.
Rev. Dr. Rood passed around a bag full of carabiner clips shaped like a cross for every person in attendance to have and asked, “What really connects us? What holds us together?”
“We are here today as leaders of the Upper New York Conference to explore ways to connect better so we can abide in Christ and abide by one another. Because we are connected to Jesus, we are connected to one another,” said Rev. Dr. Rood.
The Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding shared and reviewed the Missional Playbook for United Methodists of Upper New York and talked about the conference’s core values. During the leadership summit, he challenged participants to focus not only on what leaders and team get done, but on how they do their work.
“Our conference’s core values of ‘faithfully, collaboratively, and prophetically’ are all rendered as adverbs, reminding us ministry is a verb or an action. It matters how we do our work together.”
Rev. Gottschalk-Fielding went on to link these values with the work of intercultural competence.
The Rev. Dr. Giovanni Arroyo, General Secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race, led participants in several small group discussions about what it means to be leaders with intercultural competence.
He asked those in attendance to engage in several table conversations aimed at self-reflection and challenged participants to identify the differences between diversity and inclusion.
“Diversity is the range of human differences and inclusion is welcoming all the differences,” shared Georgia Whitney, co-convener of the Conference Commission on Religion and Race.
“We need to recognize our differences before we can be more inclusive,” added the Rev. Jee Hae Song, Associate Director of Missional Excellence.
Rev. Dr. Arroyo defined intercultural competency as having self-awareness, being aware of others, and bridging skills.
“Intercultural competence is the capacity to shift cultural perspective and adapt, or bridge, behavior to cultural commonality and difference,” explained Rev. Dr. Arroyo.
He identified a three-prong approach to intercultural competency as having an open mindset, skillset, and heartset.
“If you’re curious, you want to learn. An intercultural leader needs to navigate this spirit of curiosity and exploration through open-mindedness.”
Rev. Dr. Arroyo encouraged participants to challenge the status quo approach and recognize that one size does not fit all, have empathy to be curious and learn from each other while being mindful on how we communicate, and be adaptable and flexibile by adjusting your leadership styles and communication methods to fit different cultural settings.
“We are preparing leaders now to be intercultural, and we need to do the hard work of questioning other perspectives.”
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez described this training as not just another learning experience.
“This is a vision for how we do life and ministry as servant leaders here in Upper New York. It’s also an invitation to start thinking about what we can do differently into living in this new way of being. This is also an expectation so we can hold each other accountable in love and in grace,” said Bishop Héctor.
The Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens rounded out the day reviewing aspects of the Missional Playbook, including Upper New York’s missional essential functions, missional organization, aspects of Missional Excellence, missional culture, operational and directional teams.
“When we talk about aligning resources, it means we are rowing in the same direction. These are central functions we are trying to live in to,” explained Rev. Dr. Bouwens.
Small groups discussed and identified the top three needs of the local church, resources, types of leadership and support needed to equip local churches and leaders.
“I do hope this has been a good time for us loving, learning, and starting this journey of leading together in Upper New York in a new season. We need to slow down to set foundations. My hope is you have captured a clear vision of these expectations. We have a mission to transform the world as we nurture disciples of Jesus Christ. Our vision is to 
live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be God’s love with our neighbors in all places. Our primary task is to increase the leadership capacity of Christ-following leaders. We are stewards of a piece of a puzzle of a common vision, mission, and purpose.”
Rose Kingbury, who attended the event, said, "I woke up the next day with thoughts of how to connect the churches with the surrounding communities."
Team chairs in attendance were urged to go back to their respective teams and engage in conversations with their team members to amplify the message moving forward.
Creating a visible offering of healing and wholeness
September 16, 2024 / By The Rev. Nancy Dibelius / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As part of worship at the Bishop’s Retreat in January, individuals were invited to trace their hand on a piece of colored paper, cut it out and then, prayerfully consider a single word, a single gift that they believed they possessed and could offer for the well-being and healing of another and write it on their hand. They were then invited to offer their hand to the table as they came forward for Communion. “In the Book of Revelation, the writer describes the tree of life that grows by the river that flows through the city of God. ‘On either side of the river is the tree of life…and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.’ Your hand, my hand, all of our hands together become the leaves of the tree; the leaves that can bring healing and wholeness to another.” As you can see from the photo above, many hands and many gifts were offered. At Annual Conference, all those present who had not participated in this worship were invited to add their hands and their gifts to the ‘tree.’
Those gifts were collected, collated and turned into a visible offering of healing and wholeness.
I invite you to enter into this prayer: God of wholeness and healing, we offer you this day our hands and our unique giftedness to bring healing and wholeness into the world. As we continue on this journey, we know that you travel with us. You come to us in the wilderness places of our lives and offer us restoration; you remind us that you are always in our midst. Let your Spirit empower us to follow where you lead and to offer our hands for the healing of the nations. In the power of your Holy Spirit, Amen.
Let this not be a moment in time, but a sense of who and whose we are and the gifts that we have been given to offer to the broken and the wounded.
Announcing AC2025
September 11, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The 2025 annual session of the Upper New York Conference will be held May 22-May 24, 2025, at the OnCenter in downtown Syracuse.
In July, the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference assigned Bishop Héctor to serve at two conferences, Upper New York and Susquehanna, effective September 1. In that role, he will preside over two annual conference sessions. Anticipating this change, both conferences postponed setting dates for their respective 2025 annual conference sessions and, over the summer, began exploring dates and venues that would allow the bishop to preside at both conferences.
The OnCenter is a familiar venue to United Methodists of Upper New York, having last hosted an annual conference in 2019. Bishop Héctor toured the OnCenter in late August and met with their executive staff. The OnCenter has undergone renovations, particularly to the lower level where displays and laity session were held in the past. There has also been a change in client and food service management. The OnCenter is eager to accommodate our needs and looks forward to hosting our three-day event next May. As a bonus, our usual audio/visual vendor, GNTV, will continue to serve us. Mark your calendar and look for more updates over the winter months.
BeLoVeD is moving to Liverpool UMC
September 10, 2024 / By BeLoVeD Core Team / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Starting Sunday, September 15 from 6-8 p.m., BeLoVeD is moving to a new home at Liverpool First United Methodist Church, located at 604 Oswego St. in Liverpool and continuing under the leadership of the Rev. Bill Mudge. BeLoVeD is a New Faith Community serving United Methodists of Upper New York.
Whether you’re already part of a church or just curious about faith, you’re invited to be a part of this inclusive, loving group of people that creates space where both youth and adults can explore and grow in their faith.
This year, we’re especially focusing on youth in grades 7 to 12, offering a place to bring your doubts, questions, and whole self—head and heart. BeLoVeD is a safe space to grow, learn, and explore your faith. Our youth connection will be led by Iain and JoAnna Cockram.
If you can’t join in-person, you can still be part of the BeLoVeD community online as they’ll be streaming their contemporary worship services online via Facebook and YouTube. Nairobi Smith will continue as the Worship Leader. These services are here to support not just our community but other youth groups who might enhance their local youth group with a fresh, contemporary worship experience.
Come and be a part of something special. We’d love for you to be part of this next chapter with us. Click here to learn more.
From New York’s North Country to Zambia: Stories from a mission trip
September 9, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Dr. Donald and Glenda Schuessler are no strangers to helping others and being the hands and feet of Jesus. Dr. Schuessler is a longtime North Country pediatrician who has been treating patients for more than four decades. Outside the office, the Schuesslers are active members of First UMC in Gouverneur. Together, they’ve visited, participated, and led mission trips local and abroad to places like India; the Dominican Republic; Washington, DC; Boston, Massachusetts; Cary, Mississippi; Beverly, Kentucky; and more since the beginning of their marriage in 1978.
Beginning in 2014, they began traveling with Global Health Outreach (GHO) to offer free medical care. This summer, they packed their bags and supplies and traveled to south-central Africa. They were a part of a 17-person team that provided free medical, dental, and eyeglass clinics to people in need, including orphans through a village outreach. Their first stop was in Ndola, Zambia where they were hosted by Bishop John and Pastor Beauty Katabe of Life Way Church and Victory Christian School.
“On Sunday, August 11, we experienced a joyful and Spirit-filled worship at Life Way Church! In the afternoon we traveled to our next clinic location, Kafakumba Training Center (KTC), to meet the staff, tour the facilities, and prepare for the next two clinic days,” recalls Glenda.
Kafakumba encompasses various outreach efforts, including meeting and retreat space, school, medical and dental clinics, clean water, and much more.
“As we drove up to KTC, imagine our surprise to see the UMC cross and flame symbols!”
Click here to watch a video of their journey where they helped hundreds of people.
On the first day on the second part of their journey, the team visited the Village of Mansansa to provide medical and dental care in a pop-up triage clinic. In addition to providing one-on-one care, there was also time to offer prayer and share the love of Jesus.
In the video, one volunteer by the name of Don Ruthledge from Iowa described this as his first mission trip. He helped hand out reading glasses to more than 400 people.
“I tell you that was amazing. The excitement in their eyes and the big smile when they were able to take their Bible and read for the first time. I mean that was a blessing.”
“One gentleman was 90 years old and he walked a long distance to see if we could help him,” continued Don.
On day two of the second part of their trip, the Schuesslers and other volunteers traveled to the Baluba Village for another free clinic.
During the trip, Vacation Bible Study was offered to hundreds of children each day, feminine hygiene products were distributed, provided water filtration systems to people living in the area, offered a marriage conference, and more.
“We had delightful times in ministry and fellowship with the staff of KTC,” explained Glenda.
For more information about this particular outreach effort, click here.
UMC bishops call for Leadership Gathering instead of Special Session in 2026
September 5, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following press release was sent by the Coucil of Bishops of The United Methodist Church on Thursday, September 5, 2024 regarding a Leadership Gathering in place of a Special Session in 2026.
The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) is announcing a Leadership Gathering for 2026 that will advance the positive momentum of the 2020/24 General Conference and prepare the denomination for the 2028 General Conference.
The bishops will hold the Leadership Gathering instead of calling a Special Session of General Conference as it was earlier announced.
“The Council of Bishops determined that a Leadership Gathering is the best arena for building on the good work and progress made at the General Conference and it allows for greater collaboration with leaders across the denomination as we move forward together,” said COB President Bishop Tracy S. Malone.
The purpose of the Leadership Gathering will be threefold.
- To maintain momentum regarding implementation of the various components of the regionalization legislation. This could include developing adaptive strategies to respond to ratification results as they become known.
- To gather hope, vision, and imagination for the future of the UMC from across the connectional landscape.
- To initiate preparations for the 2028 General Conference by identifying programmatic, financial and structural adaptations that may need to be considered in order to maintain momentum. This should include consultation/collaboration with the Commission on General Conference regarding the design of the General Conference.
The Leadership Gathering participants will include all active bishops and COB officers; three leaders from each Episcopal Area selected by the bishop in consultation with the lay and clergy leadership of the Episcopal Area; and the general secretaries.
Approximately 50 additional leaders from across the denomination will be invited by the COB. This group will include emerging young leaders, theologians, innovative leaders, missional champions and retired bishops with particular experience or expertise.
The Leadership Gathering will be a five-day event held in April or May 2026. Bishop Malone will appoint a Design Team to implement the Gathering. Specific dates and the venue will be announced at a later date.
“God continues to be on the move through The United Methodist Church. There is a renewed spirit and a renewed hope grounded in the recent decisions of the General Conference and in what the future holds for the next vital expression of our denomination,” Bishop Malone said.
She added: “This leadership gathering will provide the discernment space where intergenerational and interdisciplinary spiritual leaders will assemble to do generative, missional, innovative and strategic thinking together. This will be an intentional space to reimagine a more agile and efficient church, a more diverse and inclusive church, a more contextually relevant church and a more evangelistic church that maintains its focus on our core mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Change in Chairs on the Board of Ordained Ministry
September 3, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Every quadrennium, the Board of Ordained Ministry (BOM) nominates and elects new Chairs for the Order of Elders, Order of Deacons, and Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members. The new chairs are as follows:
Chair of the Order of Elders is Rev. Anna Blinn Cole
Chair of the Order of Deacons is Rev. Becky Naber
President of the Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members is Pastor Donna Fitchette
Deacon Becky Naber, serving Kenmore UMC, served as co-chair of the Order of Deacons with Deacon Carrie Wolfe in the last quadrennium. Pastor Donna Fitchette, serving Ogdensburg and Waddington UMCs, has been elected to serve in the same role as President of the Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members for another four years. The Rev. Blinn Cole is currently serving Cobleskill UMC and also coordinates the Schoharie Mosaic, a cooperative parish of ten United Methodist Churches. She is replacing the Rev. Steven Smith as the new Chair of the Order of Elders.
“Many things about our denomination and our world are changing at a rapid pace. I am early enough in my ministry that I dream about the long-term health and sustainability of this calling, not just for myself but for all the other Elders who are leading during uncertain times. I love my work as an Elder, challenging though it is. I look forward to visioning together for a future that keeps us healthy, supported, and engaged with a changing church and world,” said Rev. Blinn Cole.
Rev. Blinn Cole says she’s passionate about staying rooted, exploring cooperative work, and empowering collective vision. She says having a sense of agency and connection is important in this type of work.
“I want us to see one another as resources of information, "been there, done that" learnings, collaboration over competition, and support for the difficult calling we find ourselves following. All of us will see our roles shift in the coming years. I'd like to ask the question: how can we feel supported for the shifts to come as we are asked to lead in new ways?"
Pastor Donna Fitchette admits that even though she was honored with the nomination, she’s always considered herself as “just” a Licensed Local Pastor (LLP), not worthy of serving on such a distinguished board.
“As I write this the tears flow from my eyes, still overcome with emotions, I am in awe of God, and the opportunity given to me to serve as chair of the Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members. I am proud of my title of Licensed Local Pastor, and I believe that the BOM can see the potential I have as I strive to lead in love and grace. I commit to be God’s hands and feet as I move forward.”
Like for many, the road to ministry has not always easy for Pastor Donna. Her journey began in lay servant ministry before shifting to Certified Lay Minister and then into the role as serving as pastor.
“I have experienced so many setbacks along the way. At times I would ask God if this was really the path I was to take. I say this without seeking praise, but I have worked darn hard to be where I am today. I certainly have no regrets.”
“As Chair, I hope to provide an outlet for LLP’s and Associate Members to come together as one. Through prayer and study, I hope to unite us in support and love. I also look forward to providing incoming procedures, requirements, and information needed to continue in ministry.
I am beyond honored to be selected and look forward to what God will do.”
The Rev. Ann Kemper, BOM Chairperson, says all candidates were recommended by BOM prior to annual conference and the election was conducted by electronic ballot.
“The Board of Ordained Ministry is looking forward to working with the Chairs of Order of Elders, Order of Deacons, and Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members in ways that will build up conference clergy,” said Rev. Kemper.
The Chairs and Fellowship President will work in collaboration with Bishop Héctor to help provide care and development to the order/fellowship. To view the full list of BOM executive team, click here.
Pastor takes the plunge to raise funds for mission of youths’ choice
August 29, 2024 / By Mary Dalglish / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The sounds of splashing and cheers of children can be heard for blocks at First United Methodist Church of Mexico. Here, the phrase “together in mission” rings throughout its congregation and projects loudly through their youth. The mission–raising funds for a local organization of the kids’ choice. This year, they chose Victor Transformation, a men’s homeless shelter in Oswego County, and raised over $200 with a dunk tank and the pastor as their target.
Pastor Brandin Greco is no stranger to the idea of using his creativity to raise funds. “I do my best to make it fun, to motivate them, to make it exciting and energetic so they really get into it. I’ve done everything from dying my hair pink to shaving my head bald. We did pies in the face one year. And this year we’re doing ‘Dunk the Pastor.’”
Most churches who do Vacation Bible School usually tack on some kind of missional work to show the children that it’s also our duty to give to others. First UMC of Mexico does its best to keep it local.
“We have a lot of food pantries and stuff like that. So, we usually have three or four that the kids can pick from because we want them to be part of the choice. They get to pick by the end of the day where we’re donating,” said Pastor Brandin.
“We’re a small country town, but we have homeless right here in Mexico. We have people who are living out of cars. We have teens that are couch hopping, so we try to give to places like the Mexico Food Pantry, some funds go to our own programs, like the blessing box, and Victor Transformation; because, Oswego itself has a large homeless population.”
First UMC of Mexico also teams up with Lycoming UMC for an annual cardboard village to raise funds.
“We have cardboard houses out here and the kids would spend all afternoon making them and then we have some games and stuff they can do. We eat a meal together, but then they sleep in the cardboard houses overnight to give them a feel of what it’s like to sleep outside in a box. And the next day they help with worship at church.”
Last year, the event raised over two thousand dollars– an amount that is “awesome for a church this size.” The funds went to the Mexico Food Pantry and Victor Transformation.
When coming up with these eccentric fundraising ideas, Pastor Brandin has one thing in mind–making it fun for the kids.
“The thing is, you dye your hair pink, it’ll go back to your normal hair color. You shave your head bald; you know the hairs are going to grow back. Those are little things, and you want anything that’s going to make them excited because now when they think about giving, they’ll think about how fun it is to give to other people and hopefully when they grow up, it just becomes second nature. It just becomes a part of their being to give to others. And I’m willing to do anything to get the kids to have fun.”
When asked about plans for next year’s fundraiser, Pastor Brandin replied, “Right now I think carnival style pie throwing is in the lead for next year. I’m going for something a little less physical than this year’s event. I’m still sore from the dunking.”
UNY to launch new Charge Conference Forms Platform on September 3
August 28, 2024 / By Bill Gottschalk-Fielding / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Though the annual charge conference is required by The United Methodist Church’s Book of Discipline, it is more than an administrative requirement. It allows a church to share and celebrate its story, align its work with God’s vision, and remain accountable to commitments members have made to each other and to God.
Starting September 3, United Methodist clergy and congregational leaders of Upper New York will have a new tool to help them prepare for this important event: the Charge Conference Forms Platform.
Pastors, SPRC chairs, and Treasurers/Church Leaders will receive log in credentials and instructions to begin using this resource on September 3. An introductory training video is now available to preview the resource. Click here to view.
In addition to the forms required for a charge conference, the platform also hosts the Clergy Profile and Church Profile - modules pastors and SPRC chairs have completed in the past - as well as the Local Church Leadership module, where congregations can update their leadership roster for the coming year if needed.
The Charge Conference Forms Platform consolidates and simplifies the way charge conference information is collected, allowing leaders to enter all required charge conference information on one platform. This approach reduces the time and effort pastors, congregational leaders, and conference staff invest to complete and organize forms while enhancing the usefulness of the collected data.
Last spring the Superintendency Support Team, consisting of administrative assistants Tammy McAdam, Carrie Boyer, Rosemary DiIorio, Patti Gridley, Lyn Moon, and Betsy O’Flynn, along with Mary Bradley and Bill Gottschalk-Fielding in the Episcopal Office, began working with Mission Connect, the conference’s database vendor. The team has been “beta-testing” the resulting platform this past month and believe it is a reliable and helpful tool. As with any new tool, it will take time to become familiar and skilled in its use. The superintendency support team is ready to help users address any questions or challenges. Please email them at info@unyumc.org.
The Charge Conference Forms Platform will open Tuesday, September 3. Many forms will need to be completed no later than October 1, so pastors and church leaders are urged to begin accessing the platform as soon as possible.
Gouverneur First UMC expands “We’ve Got Your Back” Program amid evolving community needs
August 28, 2024 / By Tina & Hannah Kingsley / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In a desire to help alleviate the overwhelming cost of school supplies, the Gouverneur First United Methodist Church began their in-person “We’ve Got Your Back” program in 2011 to help minimize the burden facing families. Though they had donated items to their local district in previous years, this event brought the community into their building and allowed students to “shop” for their own supplies.
The Gouverneur area has long faced significant economic challenges, with many families struggling to afford the extensive list of supplies required by local schools. In response to this ongoing need, the church initially began by collecting notebooks and quickly added backpacks to their list of donations. Over the years, the program has continued to expand, incorporating more items to address the evolving needs of the community.
One of the program’s early expansions included offering free haircuts, thanks to hairdressers within the congregation. Recognizing the ongoing struggles many families faced, the church also began distributing underwear and socks.
In 2020, the church had to adjust due to Covid and the inability to allow people in the building. Families were required to pre-register so volunteers could prep Ziploc bags full of all school supplies required for each student's grade. Taking a “drive-thru” approach, families arrived in their car and drove through the parking lot making stops along the way to gather their prepared school supplies and pick out a backpack. A bag with easy to prepare food was also supplied for each family as schools were still operating on a hybrid schedule with many students learning from home.
Dan Kingsley, one of the event organizers said, “This is a great deal of work, but when you watch a child’s face light up as they pick out their own backpack or have a parent moved to tears while receiving underwear, it makes the work more than worth it.” The church has never asked for proof of need but rather provided for all in attendance. This is a way to serve Jesus as we serve others.
Community support is overwhelmingly high each year, with donations coming not only from parishioners but also from local businesses, ranging from real estate offices and veterinary clinics to car dealerships, ice cream shops, and many more. On average, this event serves ten different school districts each year.
As the program enters its 14th year, it continues to evolve and expand, offering a wide range of services and supplies that go far beyond its original scope. Backpacks remain a central part of the event, even as new changes are introduced. This year, the most significant change is the shift to a Friday evening event, rather than a Sunday afternoon, with the aim of turning it into a community celebration that helps launch the new school year on a positive note.
The Gouverneur Central School District has secured funding in recent years that has allowed them to directly provide students with all required school supplies - with the exception of backpacks and water bottles. Because of this, the church is focusing efforts not only on continuing to provide backpacks, underwear/socks, hygiene items, and haircuts, but also expanding to provide demonstrations from local organizations. New participants this year include the local fire department bringing a truck, the sheriff with the Operation SAFE CHILD program, the New York State Police with safety demonstrations and a K-9 Unit, an ambulance tour from the volunteer Rescue Squad, and representatives from the community after- school programs. Free games will be offered with the prize options of miscellaneous school supplies. Elks BPOE 2035 has agreed to cook at no charge for their first free chicken dinner.
What began as a simple effort to help local students has blossomed into a lifeline for many families. It’s a reminder that in times of need, the strength of a community can make all the difference. With each backpack handed out, each smile shared, and each child prepared for the school year ahead, the church continues to embody the values of service and love.
In a world that often feels divided, this program stands as a testament to the power of coming together, reminding us all that even small acts of kindness can create ripples of hope.
One donation keeps things hot at Aldersgate Camp & Retreat Center
August 22, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This past summer, Aldersgate Camp & Retreat Center experienced one of its largest camping seasons in recent years. Having reliable equipment to prepare and serve meals is crucial. Early in the summer, the ovens used to make meals stopped working altogether.
“The staff was being quite creative in providing hot meals. A few examples were hot dogs cooked on the campfire with cold salads. They also had "floating dinners" which is sandwiches while guests were riding in the canoes. "Foil dinners" were also cooked over the campfire. They even purchased pizza for the campers,” explained Shari Mudge, Camp & Retreat Ministries Administrative Assistant.
It’s no surprise why the ovens died. They were 27 years old and as Site Director Ben Mudge explains, repairing them has been getting more difficult over the years.
“When we were quoted to have them fixed for $4,000 we decided it wouldn’t make sense to waste money on 30 year old technology, and it was time to replace them.”
The problem was replacement ovens would cost $8,000. Shari knew all about the history of the ovens as she served as Aldersgate’s Site Director for three-and-a-half years from March 2015 until October 2018. Her husband and Ben’s father, the Rev. Bill Mudge, is the current pastor at Liverpool First UMC and also chair of the UNY Camp & Retreat Ministries.
“During the ‘Joys and Concerns’ portion of worship at Liverpool First, Shari and Pat Toukatly raised the need. Following worship, an emergency Administrative Council meeting gathered and voted to provide the funds. An email vote for members not present was sent that afternoon,” explained Rev. Mudge.
Pat Toukatly is a member at Liverpool First UMC and is considered the camping agent for the church. She helps raise money so anyone can experience camp.
“Camping is one of our main gateways to those who don’t attend church. Camps are a vital part of The United Methodist Church. All churches are responsible for helping maintain our sites and helping out when they can,” said Pat.
“I put a plea out to the Liverpool First UMC, stating that it would benefit both campers from Aldersgate and Casowasco, as the Casowasco campers would be at Aldersgate for three weeks. Liverpool First donated a check for $8,000 to purchase the ovens. I was so excited!” said Shari.
The new ovens were delivered on July 12.
“Youth from the Liverpool First UMC attend both Aldersgate and Casowasco. I have found in my more than 40 years of ministry, camping ministry is one of the best disciple-making and church growth tools that we have. When a congregation supports camping ministries, they are sowing seeds for the future leaders, clergy and laity, of our churches,” said Rev. Mudge.
This summer alone, Aldersgate fed upwards of 600 people. They anticipate continuing to grow in both camper and retreat programs and plan to serve hundreds if not thousands of more meals using these ovens thanks to the generosity of Liverpool First UMC.
All five camp & retreat sites are in need of donations, not only to replace aging equipment, but to offer the experience of camp in the form of scholarships. To donate, click here as every contribution matters.
New resource from Missional Excellence: Healthy Church Academy
August 20, 2024 / By Missional Excellence Team / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
United Methodists of Upper New York have been investing time, energy, other resources in growing the wellness of our leaders, clergy and laity. Until now much of the focus has been on walking with clergy so that together we can grow in our wellness. It takes healthy clergy to lead churches to a healthy place.
We also know it takes a partnership between clergy and lay leaders to ensure we are striving toward wellness together. As a resource from the Journey area of Missional Excellence, we are offering a six-month “Healthy Church Academy” for lay leaders, S/PPRC chairs and members. It will be led by the Rev. Dr. Ron Bell, director of Healing and Resilience for Discipleship Ministries at the Upper Room. Additionally, this will be in partnership with our friends in the Oklahoma Annual Conference.
The Academy will be held online via Zoom once per month beginning in September and continuing through February. The sessions will be 90 minutes in length on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. Dates include:
- September 16
- October 21
- November 18
- December 16
- January 13
- February 17
More information on the specific topics can be found by clicking here.
To register for this resource, please complete the registration here and purchase Rev. Dr. Bell’s book, Stories for Another Day: A Journal by clicking here or by purchasing from your preferred book seller.
Special Message from Bishop Héctor: New Superintendent announcement
August 18, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on August 18, 2024 announcing the new superintendent of the Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier Districts.
Grace and peace from Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend, be with you.
Last week, I shared with you that the Rev. Carlos M. Rosa-Laguer stepped down from the UNY cabinet and withdrew his clergy membership from The United Methodist Church.
After learning about Rev. Rosa’s decision, the cabinet and I immediately engaged in focused conversations. It became clear that swiftly identifying an elder to fill the cabinet vacancy was crucial for the mission of the Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier Districts and UNY.
It is with great joy that I announce the appointment of Rev. Mary Kelly as a conference superintendent assigned to lead the Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier Districts, effective September 1, 2024. Rev. Kelly is a gifted transformational leader with over 25 years of experience in pastoral ministry. Her peers and laity highly respect Pastor Mary. She knows the clergy and congregations of the districts she will oversee. She is Christ-like and Christ-centered. Her passion for justice and experience in urban ministries will be an invaluable asset to the cabinet and the conference. She also brings leadership experience as a member of DCOM and BOM. Superintendent Kelly will prioritize rebuilding connections and community among the clergy and laity of the two districts and exploring opportunities to launch ministries that reach new people with the good news of Christ. Rev. Kelly will fully transition out of her current appointment by October 1st. Please join me in congratulating Rev. Mary Kelly on this new missional assignment. I also ask that you keep in your prayers DS Mary and her husband Jayme, her son Will, her current congregation, the districts, and the cabinet during this transition.
Please save the date for Rev. Mary Kelly’s Installation Service on November 2, 2024, at 3 p.m. An announcement about the location will be sent later.
During this transition period, Superintendent Mike Weeden will continue to lead the two districts. For any inquiries or requests for support, please contact the district administrative assistant.
By God’s grace and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will continue moving towards God’s future, filled with hope and joy. I encourage clergy and congregations alike to remain focused on living the gospel, embodying God’s love, and sharing faith, love, mercy, and justice with our neighbors in all places the Wesleyan way.
I am deeply grateful for your faithful witness and impactful ministry as United Methodists across Upper New York. Together, we are making Christ's love visible in the world.
Paz,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
Mid-year stats checkup
August 15, 2024 / By Autumn Wells, Administrative and Accounting Services Specialist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
It’s a great time to gather your leadership team for planning for the yearly statistical report beginning in January. Now that we are halfway through the year, take the time to do a quick look at how your church has changed in the last six months and your plans for the rest of the year. As you are engaging with new areas in our community, remember to jot down those ministries. Click here for a helpful download to help you keep track of and record this important year-end data.
Since it’s summer season, how did you do at your Vacation Bible School (VBS)? Click here to watch videos from around the conference of how VBS impacts our youth. Did you have any new members in the spring? Did your church do any relief missions for the tornados and floods this summer across our state? Click here to see some of the relief efforts in Rome, NY following an EF-2 tornado in July 2024. What about building improvements planned before winter?
Sometimes in January it’s hard to remember all the changes from a year ago. Feel free to use this sheet to jot down some notes as a reminder and help guide you through the year-end reporting process.
Remember, your good work is reflected in the stats report. The Upper New York Conference staff wants to help you record that to show the world the work Christ is doing through you.
If you have any questions, email me at autumnwells@unyumc.org.
New interim director at Casowasco
August 14, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Colin Kerr-Carpenter is the new interim director at Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center. He is a retired Elder in the California-Nevada Conference with ties to Upper New York.
“When Pam Harris approached me about serving at Casowasco, I was truly honored. I remembered all the life-changing events I was part of at this beautiful place. As I pondered the possibilities of working there, I felt a deep call to help further the blessed experiences that Casowasco provides,” explained Rev. Kerr-Carpenter.
Rev. Kerr-Carpenter began his ministry in 1985, serving United Methodists of Upper New York. He served several Upper New York churches, including Sauquoit Valley UMC, Cedar Lake UMC, Fayetteville UMC, North Mexico UMC, Philadelphia UMC, and Evan Mills UMC.
“My biggest joy was helping form the North Central New York Conference Council on Youth Ministry. In that role, I was blessed to work with many young people as well as helping plan retreats for youth, including a high school winter retreat at Casowasco.”
In 1996, Rev. Kerr-Carpenter was appointed to serve in the California-Nevada Conference as the Coordinator of Youth and Camping Ministries.
“In this role, I had oversight for camp programs throughout the conference. I helped train local church youth leaders and coordinated conference-wide youth events and retreats,” said Rev. Kerr-Carpenter.
“After serving in that position, I felt called to go back to the local church. I retired from active ministry in 2022 after having served the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church.”
Rev. Dr. Pam Harris, Interim Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries, said Rev. Kerr-Carpenter's connection to UNY and Casowasco will help him step into this new role quickly and effectively.
“I am thrilled to welcome Colin to Camp & Retreat Ministries (CRM) and to Casowasco! Colin brings a wealth of experience. I am especially excited about the skills he brings in program development and look forward to exploring new program possibilities with him. We look forward to Colin joining the other site directors as we work together to strengthen the ways that CRM supports the mission of the UNYUMC Conference and its churches,” said Rev. Dr. Harris.
In addition to serving several local churches in UNY, Rev. Kerr-Carpenter is married to the Rev. Dr. Kathy Wren Kerr-Carpenter, a retired Elder in UNY. Together, the two have three children and two grandchildren.
His first day serving in this new role began on Monday, August 12.
Passing the cup: How one communion tray continues to serve
August 12, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As the saying goes, “when one door closes, a window opens.”
In Fall 2023, Morrisonville UMC made the difficult decision to close. When a church officially closes, church leaders are required to surrender all official and legal papers, including contents of the cornerstone to the district superintendent as stated in ¶ 2549. Disposition of Property of a Closed Local Church in the Book of Discipline.
Items from the now closed Morrisonville UMC are housed in the UNY Archives and History at the United Methodist Center in Liverpool. When the doors closed for the last time at Morrisonville UMC, a window opened nearly 150 miles away for the congregation at Omar-Fishers Landing UMC.
In June 2024, Omar-Fishers Landings lay member, Tim Baty, called the UNY Archives asking if there were any serving trays. At the time, there was nothing available. Two weeks later, a trustee dropped off files and items that once belonged to Morrisonville UMC. One of the items was a communion tray. It was the exact tray Tim had inquired about.
Built in 1898, the 126-year-old Fishers Landing Methodist Church was originally built for the small community of mostly summer vacationing families at Fishers Landing. (It is listed on the state and national registry of historic places). The church is only occupied in the summer months as it has no heat, water, or bathrooms.
In the 1980s, the church was on the verge of collapse. It was deteriorating rapidly and required extensive renovations. Originally held up by 20 piers, only four piers remained in place. The church was sagging, and the floors were uneven throughout.
Following a fundraising campaign that netted $5,000 and with the help of dedicated church volunteers, restoration work began and continued for the next 17 years. Because most of this time-consuming work would have had to be done in warm weather, most of the interior furnishings were housed in individual homes for safe- keeping due to lack of storage. One of those items is believed to have been a communion tray. The original communion set was either damaged, broken, or lost and never resurfaced.
Over the years and as work continued the piers were repaired. The lower exterior was vinyl sided and the upper multi-patterned saw-toothed shingles were repainted. The patterned pressed tin wall coverings were scraped and painted inside and the window exteriors were covered with Plexiglass. The pews, alter railing, window moldings, and tables were stripped and refinished.
In about 1940, Fishers Landing merged with Omar. As one church, the congregation works to share the love of Jesus Christ with others through its ministries and community outreach in conjunction with the Town of Orleans and the Council of Churches, including interfacing with the Methodist, Nazarene, Catholic, Agape House, and Evangelical Lutheran churches in the area.
The communion tray that once belonged to Morrisonville now has a new life at Fishers Landing-Omar UMC. The United Methodist Connection helped fulfill a need so now others can experience and participate in communion to be reminded of the presence, power, and grace of Jesus Christ.
The UNY Archives has other communion items from Morrisonville UMC, including a ceramic set. To inquire, email archives@unyumc.org.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: New Charge Conference season
August 8, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to appointed clergy of United Methodists of Upper New York from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on August 8, 2024 about the upcoming Charge Conference season.
Dear Upper New York clergy,
I greet you in the name and with the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend.
I am grateful to God for the opportunity to continue being in ministry alongside you as resident bishop for United Methodists of Upper New York for the next four years. Since arriving in UNY in 2022, I have been inspired by your faithful and resilient servant leadership during an extremely challenging season for our beloved denomination. In this new season, it is my privilege to lead alongside you as together we claim God’s future for our shared ministry as United Methodists with hope and joy.
2024 Charge Conference Season
The cabinet is preparing for the 2024 Charge Conference season. This year we will introduce a new online platform to fill in and submit all charge conference forms. The Superintendency Support team is in the final stages of beta testing the platform and forms. The goal is to go live with the new interface on September 3. Please stay tuned for detailed information and step-by-step instructions on how to access and use this new platform.
Clergy Profiles & One-on-One Supervisory Conversations
The purpose of the annual one-on-one conversation between pastor and district superintendent is to support the well-being and ministry of the pastor and to equip the district superintendent to provide effective and supportive supervision. The one-on-one conversation is grounded in the clergy covenant. It is both supervisory in nature and a spiritual practice and sacred duty. The desired outcome is thriving clergy and healthier congregations as we work together to fulfill the mission of the church of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
- As pastors and district superintendents prepare for this year’s one-on-one conversations, I want to clarify some bedrock presumptions undergirding it: The yearly completion of the Clergy Profile form and participation in the one-on-one conversation are job requirements for all clergy under appointment/assignment and foundational to remaining in good standing as a clergy person and being eligible for an episcopal appointment/ assignment in UNY. It is always hoped pastors will gain spiritual and emotional support from these activities, and it is also important to emphasize that their primary focus is supervisory. Clergy Profiles must be completed by October 1st. One-on-one conversations will be scheduled by Superintendents over the fall and winter months.
- The cabinet, as a team, is bound to confidentiality about information shared about clergy/congregations.
- While information shared in supervisory conversations/documents is confidential, it can be shared with the cabinet and bishop to help the team fulfill their oversight responsibilities of clergy and congregations.
- Personal and family needs shared in the Clergy Profile or during the one-on-one can be shared with the bishop as shepherd of the conference, in consultation with the individual.
- When sharing information, a healthy balance of grace and accountability is always the goal. No one is expected to violate their conscience or cede rights guaranteed by our polity or state/federal laws. At the same time, withholding important information can be an obstacle to building a culture of trust and healthy accountability.
The superintendents and I look forward to reviewing clergy profiles. Superintendents are eager to meet with clergy to provide space for mutual understanding, provide feedback on your 2024-25 Thrive goals, as well as strengthening our shared collegial relationship.
If you have questions regarding the annual completion of the Clergy Profile and one-on-one conversation, please contact your district superintendent or the episcopal office.
Thanks for the countless ways you are living the gospel and embodying the love of Christ through your servant leadership in the church and beyond. May God continue blessing and prospering your ministries – all for the glory of God.
Together in mission,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
UM Chaplaincy at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University
August 8, 2024 / By Rev. Jee Hae Song, Chaplain at Hendricks Chapel / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The term “chaplain” has an origin from the story of St. Martin. On a rainy day in 337, St. Martin ran into an impoverished man at the gate to the city of Amiens, France. While the crowd ignored this half-naked man, he took pity, took out his sword, removed his cloak, and sliced it into two pieces to give half to the poor man. Being moved by this powerful turn of events, Martin, who was a military man, dedicated his life to serving the poor. Years later, his cloak was kept in a building called a cappella, or “chapel,” and the person assigned to take care of the sacred relic was deemed the cappelano or “chaplain.”
As this short story beautifully depicts, chaplains are those who serve others with their care. In the present days, chaplains serve various institutions and serve alongside with people of diverse spiritual and ethical backgrounds. Their main roles are to build community, explore spiritual growth, provide guidance, and offer unconditional care.
The opportunity and challenge from the chaplaincy are to see how God can work beyond the walls of our churches and beyond our imagination.
For this reason, I am honored to be appointed as the new United Methodist Chaplain at Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University.
As I embark on this new journey, I am thrilled to welcome new and returning students to campus and invite them to the upcoming events and programs of the United Methodist Chaplaincy.
The United Methodist Chaplaincy at Hendricks Chapel will hold these events throughout the Fall 2024 semester:
- Eat, Pray & Connect: Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel
- August 27
- September 24
- October 29
- November 19
This monthly dinner event will provide a great opportunity for participants to connect with various people from the campus in addition to the great food catered from a local restaurant.
- Lectio Divina Bible Study: Tuesdays at 6 p.m. at Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel
This weekly Bible study will help the participants to learn how to read the Bible prayerfully and discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance through reading. Light snacks will be provided.
I am excited to step into this role and am eager to connect with the campus community. I hope to also collaborate with Upper New York congregations to enhance our collective mission and strengthen local churches and university community. If your congregation has Syracuse University students, encourage them to attend the United Methodist Chaplaincy’s events or reach out to me at jsong11@syr.edu. In addition to the Tuesday night events, I will be available for office hours on Tuesdays from 3-5 p.m. and Thursdays 12-1:45 p.m.
For more information, click here.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: Summer 2024 storm next steps
August 6, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on August 6, 2024 on taking the next steps in response to the recent storms that have significantly impacted several Upper New York communities.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:12a
Dear partners in ministry,
Back in July, severe weather swept across Upper New York, bringing heavy rain, powerful winds, and numerous tornadoes. Many communities were affected and are still dealing with the aftermath of these storms. Yesterday, downtown Buffalo was hit by a tornado causing considerable damage.
We are embodying God’s love with our neighbors
Amid the devastation, United Methodists of Upper New York are responding with remarkable compassion, grace, and generosity.
So far, we have;
- Secured a $10,000 support grant from UMCOR.
- Raised $7,000 through our congregations for relief and recovery efforts.
- Connected with local congregations, community partners and state officials to ensure effective communication and collaboration with our Disaster Response team.
- Distributed over 30,000 relief items to survivors in Eden, Lowville, Rome, and Canastota, and provided emergency financial assistance for a family that is experiencing homelessness as a result of the severe weather.
The city of Rome, NY was the hardest hit area. They experienced an EF-2 tornado that ripped through the heart of the city displacing people from their homes and disrupting businesses. You can learn how United Methodists of Upper New York are aiding the community of Rome by watching a short video here. We are still assessing the needs in the Buffalo area.
Next Steps
Our work is just beginning. The needs are extensive. The opportunities to embody the love of God with our neighbors are abundant. United Methodists of Upper New York will support this work, for as long as is needed.
As we move to support the next phases of relief, I encourage all UNY churches to:
- Pray. Continue praying for all recently impacted by severe weather in our area and first responders, community partners and government officials.
- Share the Story. Show the UNY Rome Relief video during worship during worship, at least one Sunday, in August to continue raising awareness of the needs in Rome, and how United Methodists of Upper New York are embodying Christ hope through our generosity, presence, and service. You can access/ download the video, here.
- Give. Take a special offering for the UNY Storm Relief Fund and forward it to the Conference treasurer via check with Storm Relief Fund in the memo line by the first week in September. Individual contributions can also be made electronically through the Conference website, here.
- Prepare to Serve. In the coming months we will organize, train, and deploy hope teams to help rebuild homes and lives. If you, or your congregation, are interested in learning about these opportunities, enter your contact information here to be the first to know of all opportunities.
Also, this fall, we will offer training to help you and your church get ready to serve in disaster recovery as part of one of UNY hope teams.
WHAT: Disaster Response Overview via ZOOM
WHEN: August 26 at 6 p.m – 7 p.m.
Register to participate here.
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WHAT: Volunteers in Mission Team Leader Training
WHEN: October 5 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
WHERE: UNY Conference Center in Liverpool, NY.
Register to participate here.
Thank you for the many ways you are being a faithful witness to our siblings in their time of need. I look forward to see how the Holy Spirit continues to lead us as we seek to be the embodied healing presence of Christ in our communities.
Together in mission,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
Susan Latessa to leave role as Director of Human Resources and Benefits
July 31, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Susan Latessa, Upper New York’s Director of Human Resources and Benefits is vacating her role to pursue other work in ministry. Susan joined the Upper New York Conference in 2017.
“I’m leaving to answer a new call to ministry. I’ve been praying for a while to become closer to Jesus and I feel like He answered my prayers with this new opportunity,” explained Susan.
Susan describes her work over the last seven and a half years as fulfilling, which she says began as a calling.
“Over seven years ago I was called to be here and was welcomed. I loved being able to worship and pray with people and I’ve always viewed my work as a ministry.”
Rev. Bill Gottschalk-Fielding, Assistant to the Bishop, said, “Susan has helped UNY not only professionalize how we recruit, hire, train, and support our staff, but she did so never let us forget that every employee is a person of worth and a child of God. Her ministry with us has been a blessing!”
“I’ll continue to pray for the Conference and the work of the Upper New York Conference and ask that you pray for me in return during this time of transition.”
Susan replaced Debi Marshall as the Human Resources/Office Manager. In 2018, she was promoted to Director of Human Resources and Benefits after Vicki Swanson retired.
Susan’s last day is Friday, August 16.
Missional Excellence and staffing
July 25, 2024 / By Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens, Director of Missional Excellence / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Nearly eighteen months ago, I was invited to serve as the Director of Missional Excellence for United Methodists of Upper New York. In that time, some have asked what it means to be Director of Missional Excellence, or more specifically what is Missional Excellence?
In short, Missional Excellence is about equipping leaders and congregations so they can make a missional impact in their communities and around the world. Missional is a word that has been used often in the past several years without much offered to define it. To gain clarity, let’s reflect on Luke 4, specifically, Jesus’ visit to the synagogue in Nazareth. There Jesus reads from the Book of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4:18-19)
Jesus is describing what happens when he arrives in the neighborhood. And he’s telling us what it can look like in your neighbor when your church embodies the mission of God as he did. Missional isn’t about being the biggest church in the neighborhood; it’s about being a church with a bigger impact in the neighborhood.
When we say missional impact and have the office of Missional Excellence, we are talking about resourcing leaders in local congregations and communities to embody the mission of God demonstrated in Jesus. To learn and grow together with leaders so that United Methodists of Upper New York will follow Jesus as lives are forever changed.
To help make this a reality, we’ve developed a resourcing framework to help leaders and churches gain new insight, passion, and capacity. It has four parts: Thrive, Journey, Impact, and Engage.
- Thrive: focus on clergy and lay leaders.
- Journey: focus on congregational health and impact.
- Impact: focus on missional impact with communities
- Engage: focus on next generation ministry and leadership
Outcomes of each area of focus:
- Thrive = Flourishing Leaders
- Journey = Flourishing Congregations
- Impact = Flourishing Communities
- Engage = Flourishing of future generations
To be clear, this is a resourcing model. This means equipping leaders in local congregations and communities, and not having the annual conference attempting to do ministry that is best done by the local church. We cannot do ministry for you; we can equip and resource.
In order to provide this support and resourcing to the leaders and local congregations, there has been some staffing changes and additions. In the recent past, conferences tended to hire a programming specialist to put on the latest initiative either from the conference or the general church. This has been the pattern in Upper New York over the past 14 years. To live into a Missional Excellence model for resourcing, it is important to staff in a different way. Therefore, we have brought together a staff of generalists with portfolios to resource specific ministry areas, and to provide resource tools for leaders and congregations.
Our first step was to move the position of Director of New Faith Communities, the Rev. Abigail Browka serving in that role, to the position of Associate Director of Missional Excellence with a portfolio of New Faith Communities and the Compelling Preaching Initiative. Next a transition was made to move Kristina Clark from Director of Missional Engagement to Associate Director for Missional Excellence with a portfolio that includes missional engagement and asset-based community development.
Most recently two new Associate Directors of Missional Excellence were added to the team; the Rev. Jee Hae Song with a portfolio of the United Methodist Chaplain at Syracuse University, our Engage Ministries, and resourcing our Cross Racial, Cross Cultural appointments and Pastor Rebekah Solar joined the team with a portfolio of Clergy/Leader Wellness and the Compelling Preaching Initiative.
Continuing to be part of the Missional Excellence Team is the Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries with the Rev. Dr. Pam Harris serving in that role; the Director of Stewardship Resources, the Rev. Susan Ranous; and the Director of Spiritual Vitality, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius. Together we are working to partner with congregations and leaders to provide the needed resources to help congregations make a missional impact in their communities and beyond.
One of the greatest benefits of this model is the allowance for changing portfolios of the staff as the needs of leaders and congregations change. Rather than needed to go through the process of restaffing, we can adjust portfolios of existing staff. This allows for greater continuity and relationship, helping to deepen the work of resourcing.
Two final thoughts as I conclude. First, some of the new staff are appointed clergy who were serving the local church. Some might wonder why take effective clergy from the church for a conference role? It is about missional impact. In one church, these great leaders can impact one community. In a conference role, they can impact many communities, thereby multiplying their impact. Second, there might be questions about finances. How are we paying for the increase in staff? This is being done in primarily two ways. First, through a grant of $1.25 million from the Lilly Foundation Inc. Second, by realigning financial resources in the budget. The addition of the staff has not resulted in an increase in the Ministry Share budget.
As we move together into the future God is inviting us, we have an opportunity to live into a new reality, using new models of ministry and leadership. Change at any level brings concern for some, anxiety for others, and excitement for others. Regardless, together we can be confident that God is the one who is leading, and it is God who will provide the vision, hope, and joy as we are faithful to the invitation to follow.
Commentary: Loving neighbor in deed and truth, through the storms
July 25, 2024 / By Dr. Andrew Hartley, UNY Creation Care Ministry / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following commentary was written by Dr. Andrew Hartley on behalf of the UNY Creation Care Ministry. The views expressed in this article are of the UNY Creation Care Ministry, and not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member.
How much do you know about our purpose for being here, on this earth, according to the Bible? Here’s a little quiz. Several different Bible verses, using different words, tell us why humans are here. Do you know which of these comes first in the canon?
A. To test us.
B. To prepare us for Heaven.
C. To tend and keep Earth.
D. For God's pleasure.
E. So people can love one another.
In fact, the answer is “c,” to tend and keep Earth, as stated in Genesis 2:15.
That’s a very general and broad command. Later portions of the Bible unpack that command, re-stating it in more specific terms and telling us what it means in certain contexts. For instance, we’re not to cut down trees without a good reason. When we take birds’ eggs from the nest, we’re to leave the mother bird, to help the species flourish. Then, too, when oxen are treading out grain, they must be allowed to eat from the grain, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. The larger principle seems to be that we must treat animals kindly, protecting them from cruelty.
God’s “tending and keeping” command is the most important reason I’m working for creation justice. However, caring for the planet is also an extension of Jesus’ commandment to love others as I love myself. How can I say I love others if I pollute the earth they depend on, or take more than my share of resources? Loving others means working to ensure they have enough.
Dear reader, you are probably aware that we are not tending and keeping Earth well and, as a result, our neighbors are suffering. Plastic pollution is everywhere: the deepest ocean trenches, the highest mountains, the polar regions, the rain, and in our body tissues. Nineteen percent of human deaths are caused by fossil fuel air pollution. Soils are depleted, making food less nutritious. And so on.
One especially serious consequence of our over-use and pollution of Earth is global heating. For millennia, the blanket of gases around the planet kept us around a comfortable, safe average temperature, by trapping some of the sun’s energy. However, since we began burning lots of coal, oil and natural gas, we have made that blanket thicker and denser than it’s been in all of human history. The resulting warming is causing havoc of many kinds: collapsing infrastructure, spreading diseases, encroaching oceans, food supply failures, heat waves, killer storms and more.
Compared to other regions, Upper New York has not incurred as much damage from that heating. Nonetheless, some changes are apparent, and increasing more invasive plant and animal species. Ticks that carry Lyme and other diseases and stronger windstorms.
So far, the most pronounced effect of global heating on UNY may be heavier precipitation events. Warmer air can pick up more moisture and dump it in concentrated bursts. The most famous example in the U.S. may be 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, which covered Cedar Bayou, Texas with 51.88 inches of rain, breaking the continental U.S. record for rainfall from a single storm. That said, the American Northeast has seen a roughly 60% increase in the number of days with extreme precipitation, and the intensity of these events has also increased.
Some weather events cannot be attributed to global heating; we may never be able to conclude that it caused the severe winds and rains that hit our United Methodist brothers and sisters across UNY in early July.
To explore creation justice in your congregation, consider creating a Green Team for your church. Resources available include what others have started here.
What we know, though, is that this heating increases the strength and frequency of such events. I am grateful that New York and the U.S. have reduced emissions of heat-trapping gases, but I’m praying that God would inspire and enable us to do even more, including preparing better for the severe weather we cannot prevent.
“…let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18 NRSVUE).
Commentary: Peace movement revived in Israel
July 25, 2024 / By Rev. Dr. Gary E. Doupe / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following commentary was written by the Rev. Dr. Gary E. Doupe on behalf of the UNY Task Force for Palestine-Israel. The views expressed in this article are of the task force, not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member.
Hope is the thing with feathers.
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune without the words.
And never stops at all. (courtesy Emily Dickinson)
Emily Dickinson’s much-quoted lines about hope suggest the still-potent power of a dream denied that stubbornly refuses to go away.
Nelson Mandela, on breaking the power of intractable injustice, said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
I take hope very seriously.
Since Greek antiquity, legendary figures like Icarus dreamed of flying. It never happened—until 1903 at Kitty Hawk.
In the field of technology, almost everyone is an optimist. We have seen the presumably impossible become possible, time after time after time.
Even social transformation is much less rare than we once thought. But hopes may be dashed, and we fear the risk of disappointment.
Recent news stories describe a rally held in Tel Aviv, Israel, on July 1, 2024, in which enthusiasts in the thousands supported revival of a peace movement among Palestinians and Israelis:
The Time Has Come event, held at Menora Mivtachim Arena, brought together all corners of Israel’s beleaguered left ranging from older, established groups like Peace Now to more recently founded movements such as Standing Together. --The Times of Israel, July 2, 2024
A Palestinian journalist from Jerusalem, Yanal Jbareen, described the conference in Tel Aviv as a “firm rejection of Israel’s ultranationalists. …it is the time to unite — Arabs and Jews. Despair is no action plan, peace is the word.” (Ibid.)
Eighteen-year-old Jewish activist Yona Roseman, a volunteer with Mesarvot (a network of Israeli draft refusers) echoed Jbareen, describing the rally as “an attempt to create a united, ideologically vast camp in a very grand and publicized manner.” (Ibid.)
No one was confused about the weakness of Israel’s peace advocates in recent years, and especially during the months since the attacks by Hamas and by the Israeli Defense Force on Gaza.
Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari was blunt. "The bitter truth about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that each side fears the other is trying to annihilate it, and both sides are right." (Ibid.)
Yet Harari was unwilling to surrender the hope of a better future. "It’s true, we have tried to make peace in the past, and we weren’t good at it. So what? We also haven’t been very successful in making war, which doesn’t prevent us from trying again and again. All these wars have led us into an abyss. The time has come to make peace." (Ibid.)
War is always a disaster, even when someone “wins.” Success in war brings death.
Joining with those who seek peace, creating a space for all to live and thrive, supporting them with our prayers, hopes, dreams, and endurance, is what we do as followers of the prince of peace.
Try this: at weekly worship in your congregation, share the story of peace-making in Israel-Palestine, and pray—believing peace will come.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor: Summer storm response
July 18, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on July 18, 2024 in response to the recent storms that have significantly impacted several Upper New York communities.
“If one part of the body suffers, every part suffers with it…” 1 Corinthians 12:26
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
During the past two weeks, severe weather has significantly impacted multiple communities across the Upper New York Conference from Lowville (Northern Flow District) to Eden (Niagara Frontier District) to Rome (Mohawk District) as well as many other communities in between. Our hearts join in solidarity with all impacted by these storms.
Within hours of the storms hitting our area, United Methodists of Upper New York began seeking ways to embody God’s love with our neighbors. Kristina Clark, Associate Director of Missional Excellence, reached out to pastors in the impacted areas to assess the needs, and began mobilizing the resources of the conference and the General Church to assist impacted communities by:
- Delivering supplies to the Double Play Community Center in Lowville to assist the community with cleanup efforts. You can watch a brief video here.
- Providing UMCOR Relief Kits the day after tornados touched down in Canastota and Rome to a shelter serving 50 people displaced by the storm, and the Connected Community Schools Relief Distribution and Rome First United Methodist Church.
- Connecting our recently inaugurated Neighborhood HUB at Kenmore UMC with community officials in Eden to offer support for the cleanup.
- Applying for a Solidarity Grant through UMCOR to financially support the initial recovery efforts.
- Supporting local United Methodist churches in the impacted areas as they offered physical assistance, checked on neighbors, and offered prayers and support to those impacted.
Now, here is how you can support the recovery work:
1. Intentional Prayer: Hold the people and communities impacted by the storms in prayer. Please take time daily to pray for the people in the impacted areas and include a prayer time in your weekly services this week and in the weeks to come.
2. Immediate Need in Rome: The shelters in Rome, NY are serving people who have been displaced and there are a significant number of children. Items for young people are in high and immediate need. The most pressing needs are:
- Diapers
- Baby formula
- Baby wipes
These are immediate needs, if you wish to donate any of these items, please have them to the Mission Center (The HUB) in Liverpool no later than 10 a.m. on Monday, July 22 so they can be taken to Rome that day.
3. Financial Giving: We've established the UNY Storm Relief Fund to assist our neighbors with unexpected expenses. Your contributions WILL make a difference. We are inviting congregations to take a collection in the coming weeks to support the needs of recovery and forward it to the Conference Center ASAP. Individual donations are also welcome. You can make an individual donation here.
4. Offer Hands-On Assistance: We're partnering with local organizations in the affected areas to aid in relief and recovery efforts. If you're able to lend a hand, please sign up here.
This is just the beginning! United Methodists of Upper New York will journey alongside the impacted communities for as long as it is needed. If your church or community has experienced damage from these storms, please let us know by emailing kristinaclark@unyumc.org.
No matter where you are located in Upper New York, please know your prayers and support will help bring God's healing and renewing presence to our neighbors.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
Together in the journey,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
Youth make an impact at NEJ Conference
July 12, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Youth often remark that they are seen, but not heard. That was not the case at the 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference, held July 8-12 in Pittsburgh, PA. Nineteen youth representatives took part in the NEJ Conference. It was the only jurisdiction in 2024 with youth representation.
“The presence and participation of youth at the jurisdictional conference was vital to the continuing presence of The United Methodist Church in our communities. Our young people learned about the greater church, how it operates, and how it functions in our jurisdiction. They learned about being in ministry with one another and learned about other United Methodists from the jurisdiction. They were able to grow in their leadership skills and especially understand parliamentary procedures,” said Rev. Tony Hipes, adult coordinator for the NEJ Council on Youth Ministry.
Valeria Burgos-Adorno and Grace Stierheim were two of the youth representatives from Upper New York with voice, but no vote.
Valeria arrived in Pittsburgh early, before the start of the jurisdictional conference, to take part in the 2024 NEJ Youth Convocation. This was the first youth convocation gathering in eight years.
“Because of COVID, we did not have a strong presence in 2022 and many of our youth had aged out and could not attend because of commitments to college. The jurisdiction recognized this and allowed us to re-pick our youth observers for 2024,” explained Rev. Hipes.
As part of the youth convocation, Valeria was involved in hands-on mission work and local church visits. She described it as a time of spiritual growth and relationship-building with other young people across the jurisdiction.
“As a youth in my prime, I’ve made it my mission to follow through my journey with God from going to church, performing mission work, and even doing little things like helping out with VBS,” said Valeria.
On Saturday, July 6, the group visited Warren United Methodist Church and helped with cleaning and painting projects. The group also traveled to Christ Church in Bethel Park for worship on Sunday morning, July 7, and enjoyed an afternoon at PNC Park where the Pittsburgh Pirates played the New York Mets.
“I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the NEJ Youth Convocation. It was an amazing experience to meet and bond with youth who have the same intentions as me, despite having different backgrounds. We all come from different areas, but coming together we were able to grow as siblings in just a day. It sprouted when we worshiped, and devoted our time to 
God, traveling around Pittsburgh, learning new things, as well as feeling truly in touch with God. Time and time again, I go out to do what I feel is needed, but never had I felt so seen in such little time,” expressed Valeria.
Grace Stierheim wasn’t able to participate in the Youth Convocation, but witnessed and participated in the business of jurisdictional conference, sitting in plenary behind the UNY delegation.
“As a youth at NEJ, the 19 youth representatives made many impacts. I was interested in the inter-workings of the church along with making new friendships with youth from the other conferences. When the youth created an aspirational motion to include a recommendation that each conference send two youth as delegates, all of the youth rose to the occasion. I spoke for the motion in which much of NEJ seemed to positively respond. With an overwhelming majority in favor of the youth, my presence at NEJ felt like it had a purpose,“ explained Grace.
“I was overjoyed to hang out with the youth, break ground by making history, and learn about the church. The NEJ Conference continues to emphasize the impact of youth, the love of the church, and how youth can spark an impact.”
Emma Scavo was also in attendance as a youth from Upper New York, but she was an elected lay delegate. Meet the rest of the delegates by clicking here.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: New NEJ apointment announcement
July 12, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following note was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on Friday, July 12 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Beloved Siblings in Christ,
Greetings in the gracious name and with the love of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Friend.
This week, the 2024 session of the Northeastern Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference of The United Methodist Church met in Pittsburgh, PA in a spirit of holy conferencing to organize the life and ministry of our jurisdiction for the 2025-2028 quadrennium.
Among the most important responsibilities of the jurisdictional conferences are the election of bishops, discernment of conference’s boundaries and episcopal areas, and the assignment of bishops. This year, the NEJ conference made difficult, yet faithful, decisions to adapt to our new ministry realities in alignment with the decisions made back in May by the postponed 2020 General Conference.
This morning, on recommendation of the Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy, the NEJ Conference assigned me to serve as the episcopal leader of the Susquehanna and Upper New York area for the next quadrennium (2024-2028). This new assignment is effective September 1, 2024.
You can read more about the decisions made by the 2024 NEJ Conference, here.
First, I am grateful to continue serving as your bishop! Doing life and ministry together these past 18 months has been my absolute honor and an incredible blessing. My family and I are looking forward to deepening relationships and journeying alongside you as we continue living the gospel and embodying God’s love with our neighbors in all places.
I am also excited to be assigned to serve alongside our siblings in the Susquehanna Conference. Like Upper New York, they are passionate about nurturing new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Though each conference will remain a separate entity, with its own history (some of which we share), leadership, and ministry plans, this joint assignment creates a new missional partnership between Upper New York and Susquehanna with great potential for fruitful collaboration and impactful ministry.
I am filled with hope about the witness and mission of The United Methodist Church in the Northeastern Jurisdiction and about this new season of ministry alongside United Methodists of Upper New York and Susquehanna.
Let’s join in prayer as we move forward together towards God’s future with joy and hope. Thanks for who you are and all you do share the good news of Jesus Christ and embody God’s love in your communities.
Paz,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodist of Upper New York
Bishops assigned at 2024 NEJ Conference
July 12, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference came to a close on Friday, July 12 with the revelation of six new reconfigured areas and the assignment of bishops to supervise those areas.
On Wednesday, the conference voted to reduce the number of episcopal areas from nine to six.
The six new episcopal areas with the assigned bishops include:
- Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware- Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling
- Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey- Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi
- New York and New England- Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton
- Susquehanna and Upper New York- Bishop Héctor Burgos Núñez
- Western Pennsylvania – Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball
- West Virginia- Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett
Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett will be shared with Southeastern Jurisdiction as determined by the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy. Click here to read more about this decision.
Bishop Alfred Johnson preaches hope at NEJ
July 12, 2024 / By Rev. Erik Alsgaard, Daily Christian Advocate contributor / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The Rev. Erik Alsgaard is a Daily Christian Advocate contributor and serves as the pastor at the Community United Methodist Church of Crofton.
Bishop Alfred Johnson, who proved that he is retired in name only, delivered a powerful morning message on hope yesterday as the NEJ began its day with worship.
Preaching from Romans 5:1-5, Bishop Johnson, who retired 20 years ago but has continued to serve in local church settings since then, took up the theme of the Jurisdictional meeting by preaching on how the waters of baptism initiate us into a revolution, and that leads to hope.
“I had no idea that those words spoken at my baptism inducted me into a revolution,” he said. “It was prevenient grace. When those waters hit my head, I didn’t know I was in a revolution.”
That’s because, as part of the baptism, we all become one in Christ, the bishop said. That’s different than how the world operates, he offered, and that’s revolutionary.
“Hope overflowing comes out of the revolution. I can have hope because of the revolution,” he proclaimed.
Hope is also subversive, he said.
“Abraham hoped against hope,” he said. “Romans talks about affliction… Hope flies above suffering, circumstance, disappointment, and has the power to turn disappointment in to seasons of dance and joy in spite of itself.”
And because our hope is rooted in Christ, not ourselves, God can make a way out of no way; hope will rise above anything and then try to get to overflowing, he said.
Hope, he said, “is defined in the dictionary as ‘a desire or wish to make something happen … an expectation that something that might happen.’ But from the biblical view, hope is built on Jesus’ blood and righteousness. It is something that goes down deep that you can’t you get under it, so high that you can’t get over it.”
Preaching in the service set aside for a retired bishop to preach, Bishop Johnson not only thanked his colleagues for the honor of preaching, but also stating that just because a bishop is retired doesn’t mean they are sitting around in rocking chairs.
Bishop Johnson then quoted from several retired bishops without naming them, each one sharing how they continued to offer hope in new ministry settings.
“I’m in my 20th year of retirement,” he said, “and I ain’t tired yet. We’re still serving.”
The bishop closed by noting how Eugene Peterson does Romans 5 in “The Message,” saying that hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured into us and there’s no containers big enough to hold it all.
“Quite the contrary, we can’t round up enough containers,” he said. “We need to be those containers. Don’t be stuck at the door of grace, but go in to the room. Sometimes we want to stay at the door. Get inside the room and you find out there are other people in the room. Our cup runneth over all over the place.”
Bishop Johnson is a child of Tindley Temple United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, and said that he can’t far away from those old Charles Tindley hymns.
“Charles Tindley reminds us,” he said, “that we will understand it by and by because we have hope. Some of you do not know that the storm is passing over … let us journey on through the night.
Borrowing from a poem by Amanda Gordon, Bishop Johnson said that The United Methodist church isn’t broken, “it’s just unfinished.”
In response to the sermon, the NEJ rose as one and sang, “Hope Will Not Fail,” from Mark Miller.
The service ended with a renewal of baptism lead by the bishop. People came forward to dip their fingers in bowls of water while singing, “Let’s go down to the river to pray,” and “Wade in the Water.”
Worship closed with singing of “I am a Child of God,” also by Mark Miller.
SEJ to share Bishop Wallace-Padgett with NEJ
July 11, 2024 / By Beth DiCocco, Daily Christian Advocate contributor / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: Beth DiCocco is the Director of Communications for the New England Conference of The United Methodist Church
After the necessary organizing motions and approval of the Rules of Order, the NEJ Committee on Episcopacy (COE) was the first to give its report to the delegates as the plenary sessions got under way.
Judi Kenaston, chair of the COE, offered her appreciation for the committee who, while not all in agreement, “listened deeply and in holy ways.” “You are represented well on the NEJ COE,” she said.
The COE, which offered some background information at delegates’ request on Tuesday, shared the list of “effective bishops eligible for assignment” in this jurisdiction. Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, who serves the Birmingham Episcopal Area and Holston Episcopal Area in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, is the bishop who will be shared across the jurisdictions. Bishop Wallace-Padgett, who was elected in 2012, will join Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball, Bishop Thomas Bickerton, Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, and Bishop Héctor Burgos- Núñez.
Creed Pogue, delegate from Greater NJ, made a motion to remove Bishop Wallace-Padgett from the list, citing Discipline Paragraphs 524, 49, and 512. Since this is not a transfer, he said, she is serving in two colleges of bishops. Presiding Bishop LaTrelle Easterling ruled that motion out of order, saying the Jurisdictional Conference does not vote on the effective bishops.
“That’s the work of the Committee on Episcopacy and they have taken that action and approved those bishops,” she said.
The arrangement to share a bishop with the SEJ was a solution arrived at when it was learned at no bishops were willing to transfer to the jurisdictions (NEJ and the Western Jurisdiction) that would not have enough to meet the allocation approved by the General Conference. As Kenaston shared Tuesday, by Discipline, an episcopal transfer requires the approval of the sending jurisdiction COE, the receiving jurisdiction COE, and the bishop being transferred.
On Wednesday, Kenaston elaborated saying that due to a ruling that only those bishops elected before 2022 are eligible for transfer, there were only 15 bishops eligible for transfer and four of those are already serving in the NEJ.
Kenaston also said the shared bishop will serve in a conference that borders the SEJ and “we look at this as an assignment, not coverage.” Delegates learned during the morning that the SEJ COE had announced its approval of the arrangement with Bishop Wallace-Padgett to its delegates. As was shared on Tuesday, the COE will seek confirmation that the Interjurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy has the authority to approve this arrangement by seeking a declaratory decision and a question of law from the Judicial Council.
COE Secretary Robert Zilhaver, Western PA Conference, shared more details about those two actions:
- A request for a declaratory decision from the Judicial Council. This would come from the NEJ to the Judicial Council. The motion from the COE to seek the decision must be approved by vote of the delegates. That vote is expected today, July 11.
- A question of law. This is submitted by all the members of the COE as individuals because the COE as a body does not have standing to seek a question of law. This is not voted on by delegates because it does not come from the NEJ as a body. Bishop Easterling has up to 30 days to respond to a question of law before it is sent to the Judicial Council.
Presiding over the afternoon session, Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball clarified that the most recent General Conference changed the process around requests for declaratory decisions and they are not amendable. Any amendments or additions to the request would have to go to the Judicial Council as separate requests.
The COE report also included a vote on the motion from certify the retirement of Bishop John Schol, which was approved.
The work of the COE is an ongoing project, Kenaston said, “as we seek to make a jurisdiction that is flexible, creative, and fruitful in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
NEJ reduces episcopal areas to six
July 11, 2024 / By John Coleman, Daily Christian Advocate contributor / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: John Coleman served on the Eastern PA and Greater New Jersey staff before retiring on June 30 and is a Daily Christian Advocate contributor.
The announcement of the assignment of bishops by the Jurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy along with the new names of episcopal areas will be made on Friday, July 12.
The 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional (NEJ) Conference reduced its episcopal areas from nine to six on Wednesday night, July 10, 2024 after hearing an extensive report and approving a motion from its Committee on Episcopacy. In the new configuration, eight annual conferences will each share a bishop and two conferences will each have one bishop. The decision was affirmed by a 123 to 19 vote.
The new episcopal areas, which will receive names before bishops are assigned on Friday, July 12 comprise of these conferences:
- Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware
- Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey
- New York and New England
- Susquehanna and Upper New York
- Western Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
Since 2022, the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences have shared a bishop, and Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey have also shared a bishop. Meanwhile, supervision of the Susquehanna Conference has been shared by the bishops of the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia conferences.
Currently, the jurisdiction is served by seven bishops, including Bishop John Schol, who retires at this conference, and Bishop Peggy Johnson, who will return to retirement status.
Those retirements leave five active bishops. The 2024 General Conference voted in May to apportion six bishops to the Northeastern Jurisdiction and varying numbers of bishops to the other four jurisdictions, approving a recommendation from the UMC’s Interjurisdictional Episcopacy Committee.
General Conference also allowed jurisdictions to assign active bishops who are willing to transfer across jurisdictional lines. While no current bishops were able or willing to transfer, the NEJ agreed to share a bishop with the Southeastern Jurisdiction. The two jurisdictions will make that joint episcopal assignment this week, bringing the NEJ total effectively to six bishops.
The NEJ Committee on Episcopacy, led by Judi Kenaston, worked many hours before and during the Jurisdictional Conference, aided by research and recommendations by the NEJ Boundaries Committee, to configure the new episcopal areas for the 2024- 2028 quadrennium. They also explored possible adjustments if the 2028 General Conference requires the NEJ and other jurisdictions to further reduce their number of episcopal areas due to financial and missional reasons.
Bishop Bickerton delivers State of the Jurisdiction Address
July 11, 2024 / By Rev. Erik Alsgaard, Daily Christian Advocate contributor / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The Rev. Erik Alsgaard is a Daily Christian Advocate contributor and serves as the pastor at the Community United Methodist Church of Crofton.
United Methodists stand at the ribbon cutting of a new church, but the question is: Are we ready to walk through the door? And, if so, will we do it together?
Those were just two of the questions Bishop Thomas Bickerton posed to the NEJ Wednesday afternoon during a 55-minute “State of the Jurisdiction” address. Bishop Bickerton serves the New York Area, and at the end of General Conference, turned over the gavel as president of the denomination’s Council of Bishops.
After outlining six key corporate management principles, Bishop Bickerton explained that the seventh — “shared values” — is the capstone that holds the other concepts together. Without shared values, he said, things quickly fall apart.
“What we have now is the ribbon cutting on the beginnings of the next expression of Methodism,” Bishop Bickerton said. “The door has now been unlocked and opened for us to take our shared values and create the elements, relevant elements, for the ministry in this modern context.”
The Methodist Church, he said, was started by John Wesley with at least four shared values: the doctrine of salvation, the essential element of Prevenient/ Justifying/Sanctifying Grace, the role of faith, and Personal and Social holiness of heart and life.
“These were the core principles upon which every strategy, structure, and system was built,” Bishop Bickerton said. “It’s what led to expansion into the colonies and later into the mission field. It was the basis upon which pastors were trained and congregations were evaluated. It was the foundation for class meetings and accountability groups.”
The result, he said, was that the early Methodist movement got organized — not around its mechanics but its values. “Wesley discovered the ‘why’ of Methodism and then found the ‘how’ – the manner by which that relevant message could be heard.”
United Methodists today, the bishop said, can learn a lot from that. He cited the recent actions at General Conference as evidence of what can happen when people gather around a set of shared values.
“Most of us in this room were witnesses of that very thing,” Bishop Bickerton said. “What was truly miraculous was to witness a new set of expressions to our shared values being approved – get this – on a consent calendar! Are you kidding me?”
We have been fighting in this denomination for decades, he noted. “And yet, we found ourselves in a position where there was an ‘awakening’ and a ‘resolve.’ And it was beautiful!”
Bishop Bickerton confessed that the actions of our General Conference made him proud once again to be a United Methodist.
“We are now in a position to create a new, relevant, and responsive set of practices that will give us a chance, a real chance, to once again become a movement of grace, hope, joy, love, and justice. And, God knows, we need the injection of grace, hope, joy, love, and justice in a country that is about as close as you can get to a civil war without having a civil war,” he said.
“The timing could not be more perfect, the opportunity could not be more evident, and the urgency could not be more dramatic.”
The church stands at the doorway to the “promised land,” Bishop Bickerton said, quoting from Deuteronomy 3:24-25. But, he cautioned, Moses and the people never did enter the promised land.
“What they so quickly forgot, as they always quickly forgot, was that just because you see the promised land doesn’t mean that you have what it takes to inhabit it,” he said, “... unless you trust in the presence of God to guide you into that new reality.”
Will we United Methodists trust God or ourselves to guide us through the open door? the bishop asked.
“Will we find a way to truly collaborate together?” he asked. “The temptation is to think that our idea is best or that someone has some sort of superiority over the other. Will we deeply listen and not race to answers that may not have examined all the angles? Will we revive our own sense of spirituality? How do we position ourselves to receive the latest conversion experience that will shape our understanding of the will of God? When was your last conversion experience?
“Can we agree to disagree and find an honest depth of respect for one another and realize that relationship is not contingent on agreement but on a desire to grow in grace together? Can we – using Bishop Schol’s illustration from this morning — make the windshield bigger than the rearview mirror and set our sights on what lies ahead, to build upon past mistakes and work together toward a preferred future?
“Will we give ourselves a chance not just to complain but dance ... to celebrate the moments, acknowledge how God has seen us through and find joy, not fear, in the journey God has laid before us? And probably more than most, will we decide to start? When will we decide this time?”
It’s time, Bishop Bickerton said, for the church to get beyond, “ready, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim, aim …”
Noting that Jurisdictional Conferences, per the Book of Discipline, offer the rare opportunity to enhance, promote, complement, and add to the ministry of the Annual Conference and its work of evangelism, education, mission, and benevolence, Bishop Bickerton asked is this not needed in every Annual Conference.
“We will never succeed as a Jurisdiction if all we do are the administrative functions,” he said. “We stand a chance if we find our groove with the shared values that will help all of us succeed. What are the shared values that we can glean from our work over these past several years? You’ve gotten a hint at them from our first day here together.”
Noting that at a January 2024 meeting of the NEJ Vision Table, the College of Bishops, the Committee on Episcopacy and the Boundaries Committee, the following values began to emerge: Spirituality (Christ-centered and listening for the Holy Spirit), Inclusivity and diversity, Antiracism, Engagement in God’s World, Connectionalism (building relationships
and loving one another), Collaboration; Innovation, experimentation and learning; Intentionality in making new disciples and creating new places for new people.”
What would it look like, the bishop asked, if we as a jurisdiction focused on clergy well-being, practical church leadership skills, innovation and ministry, fresh expressions, community development, educating ourselves on how to embrace the changes in the disciplinary language, how we support our LGBTQIA pastors and leaders in a new discipline and a new opportunity.
“The Promised Land is on the horizon,” Bishop Bickerton said. “We can see it more clearly today than we could just a few short months ago. But we are not there yet. Will we take the step to cross the river? The choice is ours: It requires humility, grace, respect, deep love, the power of forgiveness, and the ability to look forward not backward.”
Wrestling with Hope: NEJ Begins with Memorial Service
July 11, 2024 / By Rev. James Lee, Daily Christian Advocate contributor / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The Rev. James Lee is the Director of Communications for the Greater New Jersey and Eastern PA Conferences.
The first day of legislative work at the 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference in Pittsburgh commenced with a solemn service of remembrance and communion, setting a reflective tone for the days ahead.
The service honored two bishops whose leadership left a lasting impact on the church. Bishop William Boyd Grove, died Oct. 27, 2023, and Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar, died July 18, 2023.
GNJ lay delegate Bethany Amey-Sutton read Genesis 32:22-32 from the Inclusive Bible, recounting the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel of God. This passage framed the theme of wrestling with one’s inner struggles and seeking God’s blessing.
Bishop John Schol, the resident bishop of Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey, who will be retiring in August, delivered a poignant sermon. He began with a humorous childhood anecdote about wrestling with his father and brother, drawing relatable laughter from the audience. He then transitioned into a deeper message about the spiritual
wrestling that Jacob experienced.
“Jacob sent his family and his luggage on so that he could deal with the baggage he was carrying most of his life,” Schol explained. He unpacked the four “sins” or burdens that Jacob had to confront: grudges, judgment, despair, and management over vision.
Grudges Over Forgiveness
“Jacob chose grudges over forgiveness,” said Schol. “You probably aren’t human if you haven’t been hurt by someone in the past. You surely are not a United Methodist!” This elicited affirming laughter and calls from the congregation. Schol emphasized that true forgiveness flows through God’s grace and releases the hold that past actions have over us.
“What I have come to realize is that holding grudges is easy work,” Schol shared. “Forgiveness is deep and lengthy prayer work.”
Judging Over Compassion
Schol noted that Jacob’s grudges led to judgment, fueled by his own insecurities and need for validation. “Compassion begins with the complete and utter outward mindset of Jesus,” he said, highlighting the breadth and depth of Jesus’ compassion for the woman at the well, the blind beggar, the “IRS worker in a tree,” the lame man by the pool, and many others.
Despair Over Hope
Schol addressed Jacob’s choice of despair over hope, describing how desperation can lead to deceit. “Despair leans on what we can’t do,” he said. “Hope is knowing that there are things we have not even seen or imagined that God is just waiting to do.” Management Over Vision Finally, Schol contrasted management with vision, urging the church to move beyond mere rulefollowing to embracing God’s broader vision. “Management is about how we control the future; vision is about how we unleash God’s future,” he said.
“Management begins with what mechanisms will ensure people do the right thing; vision begins with God’s dreams and what is the right thing to do.”
A New Vision and Name
Ultimately, Schol explained, Jacob’s wrestling led to a resurrection experience and a new name, Israel. “God helped Jacob leave old unwanted baggage behind – old grudges, poor judgments, despair, and worn-out management approaches – and raised him up to cross over the river to forgiveness, compassion, hope, and a new vision for himself and the people.”
Schol concluded by reflecting on the lives of Bishops Grove and Devadhar, who led with kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and hope. “God did not do much wrestling with our brothers Suda and Bill because they were an easy resurrection for God,” he said, honoring their legacy.
After the sermon, Schol presided over communion. Seven communion stations were served by diverse bishops, delegates, and youth representatives, reflecting the diversity of the Northeastern Jurisdiction.
Moving Forward with Hope
As the first plenary session began at 10:00am, the delegates prepared for holy wrestling of their own – hard conversations and legislative work ahead while carrying with them the spirit of hope and renewal. “Let’s travel a resurrected future together to the other side of the river,” Schol urged, inviting the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church to embrace a future shaped by God’s vision.
Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy announces NEJ and SEJ will share a bishop
July 3, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy of The United Methodist Church released the following statement on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
During General Conference 2024, the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy (ICOE) recommended 32 total bishops in the jurisdictions and the allocations of bishops of six in the North Central Jurisdiction (NCJ) six in the Northeastern Jurisdiction (NEJ), six in the South Central Jurisdiction (SCJ), nine in the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ), and five in the Western Jurisdiction (WJ). This recommendation was approved by General Conference and would have required three bishops to transfer.
Since General Conference, the Executive Committee of the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy has met five times and consulted with each bishop regarding transfer. The ICOE has discovered either an unwillingness or inability to transfer any bishops through the process outlined in the Discipline. The Discipline clearly states, “No bishop shall be transferred unless the bishop shall have specifically consented” (Par. 49).
Two new developments have occurred that impact the number of bishops in the jurisdictions. Bishop Frank Beard, from the NCJ, has requested long term disability effective August 1. Bishop Robert Schnase, from the SCJ, announced his retirement effective September 1. This has created two unexpected vacancies in the number of bishops eligible for assignment.
Based on these developments, the Interjurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy met on July 2 and overwhelmingly approved the following:
- The NCJ will assign the six remaining bishops in their jurisdiction.
- The SCJ will assign the six remaining bishops in their jurisdiction.
- The NEJ and SEJ will share a bishop who will serve in both jurisdictions and be a member of both colleges of bishops.
- The NEJ will assign six bishops to serve in their jurisdiction.
- The SEJ will assign nine bishops to serve in their jurisdiction with one additional bishop being shared with the NEJ and assigned to both jurisdictions.
- The WJ will elect two bishops and assign five bishops to serve in their jurisdiction.
There has been unprecedented collaboration across jurisdictions to get to this point. This plan gives each jurisdiction the minimum of five bishops as required by our Discipline and maintains the number of 32 total bishops in the jurisdictions to be funded by the episcopal fund. The vast majority of the expenses related to Bishop Beard’s long-term disability are funded outside of the episcopal fund.
This report addresses the needs of the annual conferences, episcopal leaders, and the mission of The United Methodist Church. It is a report that focuses on the next four years, recognizing more work will be required in 2028 when there will be further reduction of bishops.
The ICOE continues to consider the good of the whole United Methodist Church in the United States now and into the future. Each jurisdiction is giving to the whole in specific and sacrificial ways. There are fewer bishops than annual conferences in each jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction will have bishops who will serve multiple annual conferences.
The work of the jurisdictional conferences next week will be to receive from their respective committees on episcopacy a recommendation regarding the episcopal areas and the assignment of bishops within their jurisdictions.
The ICOE recognizes that we are in significant time of transition and invites The United Methodist Church to be in prayer for the election of two bishops in the west, the assignment of each bishop, and the work of the whole church that is now before us.
Celebrating 10 Years of Branchport UMC’s Red, White, & Blue 5K
June 27, 2024 / By Kim Lyons, Pastor at Branchport UMC / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
This July 4th, the Branchport United Methodist Church will be hosting our 10th Annual Red, White, & Blue 5k. What began as a fundraiser to cover the winter fuel bills has turned into a family event as we welcome runners from across the country to walk or run our course along the beautiful Guyanoga Road in Branchport of Yates County. With Keuka Lake nearby, we see many vacationers as well as locals who want to support our country church, get in some running miles, or just have some fun with their family. Some come to run in honor of a loved one who has connections to our church. Though the pandemic stopped us for a couple of years, we are so glad to be able to celebrate our 10th year.
Planning for this event begins around March as we review last year's comment cards, send out sponsor letters, work to create the t-shirt and poster design, and round up the many hands that make it happen! Sponsors who support our race get their names printed on the backs of the shirts, and top finishers get a beautiful American flag to take home. Registration opens at 7 a.m. on the day of the race. With a prayer and some cheers, the participants take off at 8 a.m. and head northwest towards Belknap Road for just over 1.5 miles, then turn around and head back to the church. Kids begin their 1-mile fun run shortly after the 5k runners and have their chance to run through the finish line. Each year our numbers grow as kids move from the fun run to the full 5k race. We average approximately 160 runners for the full race and 20 for the mile fun run.
As the support of our church and this race have grown, we have been able to pour out the blessings to local missions like The Living Well in Penn Yan and Pet Partner Connections of Yates County, as well as supporting Branchport UMC’s other missions like the Blessing Cupboard on our front lawn and our FREE Community Dinners. It is truly an honor to witness the love that is poured out in this event through handing out cool water, cheering others on, supporting local causes, and most importantly, giving praise to God in the streets of Branchport.
Participants can register online at: Branchport UMC 5K Registration or in person the day of the race for $30. There are prizes for all age levels, and we encourage participants to put on their most patriotic gear and come out for the fun!
Many clergy and congregations embark on a new season of new appointments
June 25, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
It’s a season of change. While not every church and congregation experience it at the same time, many are preparing to say goodbye to their current pastor and welcome a new one. Most appointments typically begin on July 1, but this timetable can vary. None the less, change in pastoral leadership is something constant in The United Methodist Church.
“I have often said that I have never had a bad pastor. And I truly mean it. No, I am not naïve. I know that different pastors have different gifts and graces, and that some are more talented than others. But as I reflect on my faith journey, each pastor in all the churches I have attended has taught me something new, has encouraged my faith, and has brought me closer to God,” explains Dr. Brian Mitchell from Shenendehowa UMC in Clifton Park, NY.
Dr. Mitchell’s church is in the process of saying goodbye to their current pastor who is retiring, the Rev. Lee Carlson, and awaiting the arrival of their new pastor, the Rev. Justin Hood. He recalls all the ways, big and small, Rev. Carlson influenced his faith journey.
“Each pastor in all the churches I have belonged to has touched me in tangible ways. Rev. Carlson once taught that the Jewish day starts at sunset and thus God is starting the day while we are sleeping. That comforting thought is often on my mind when I wake up and say my morning prayers – a reminder that God is always alert and always in charge. I will be forever grateful for the support Pastor Lee gave my dying wife and me during her last year.”
According to the Book of Discipline ¶ 425, clergy are appointed by the bishop and are “made with consideration of the gifts and evidence of God’s grace of those appointed, to the needs, characteristics, and opportunities of congregations and institutions, and with faithfulness to the commitment to an open itineracy.”
Both Dr. Mitchell and Brenda Morrow from Schenectady: Eastern Parkway UMC serve on the Staff or Pastor-Parish Relations Committee (SPPRC) at their respective churches. They both play intricate roles in the introduction and farewell of pastors.
“Our last transfer of a minister was via retirement four years ago in the middle of COVID. That made it especially difficult to welcome a new pastor, but we had known about the retirement for some time and had an opportunity to prepare. Because of the pandemic, our goodbyes and hellos took place over Zoom,” Morrow explains.
“Being on SPPRC during a transition can be busy and anxious, but God is faithful, and God is guiding us through the process. We worship an awesome God. Our God is unchanging and ever present, but human pastors will always come and go. Perhaps in the itinerant Methodist system, they move more often than in other faith traditions, but all human pastors are transient. But each one of them can bring us closer to the one true God. So, I am sad to say goodbye to our current pastor and yet I am also looking forward to our next pastor,” remarks Dr. Mitchell.
In a personal account that echoes the sentiments of many in similar situations, the Rev. Christine Mitchell of the Richfield Springs Church of Christ Uniting shares her journey through the appointment process. Facing the move from Honeoye Falls UMC due to a shift to a part-time pastor role, Rev. Mitchell’s story highlights the mixed emotions and spiritual reliance that characterizes these transitions.
“For most pastors, there is a sense of anticipation come January,” Rev. Mitchell reflects. “Will this be the year? Will this be when I get a call from the District Superintendent? Over the last couple of years, I wondered, as I earned my Master of Divinity (MDiv) and worked closer to commissioning, whether my time would be coming or where I am for a little longer. Each year passed, and I did not get any calls, and I was thrilled to continue my ministry at Honeoye Falls UMC,” said Rev. Mitchell.
“However, this year was different. We began to look at the budget and the difficult decision for the church to drop from a full-time pastor to a part-time pastor was made. I knew I would be moved because of my commissioning. I spent three months discerning and working with Honeoye Falls UMC to move forward to a half-time pastor as of July 1. As emotional as it was, my SPRC chair walked beside me and reminded me that it is time to bless another congregation with my gifts and talents.”
As she settles into her new role, Rev. Mitchell describes the transition to her new appointment as challenging, yet underpinned by a deep faith that sustains her family through changes. The move from Rochester brought both logistical issues and emotional trials. Despite these hurdles, the community’s support played a crucial role in easing their settling in.
“The move is further from what we have always considered “home” in Rochester. We left behind all our friends and family. Our first night in the parsonage was tough. Despite homesickness, we believe we are where we’re meant to be, trusting in God and Jesus to guide us through,” Rev. Mitchell explains.
Rev. Mitchell’s journey exemplifies the profound resilience and faith that many clergy bring to their new appointments. As she begins her tenure at Richfield Springs Church of Christ Uniting, her journey continues to inspire and resonate within the community, exemplifying the continuous cycle of renewal and growth inherent in pastoral duties.
Click here for the full list of 2024 clergy appointments as of July 1, 2024.
Revitalizing Community: Cornerstone District’s Inspiring District Days
June 24, 2024 / By Kristian Snyder, Cornerstone Superintendency District Associate / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Cornerstone District has recently reignited a sense of community and support through two successful District Day events. The first event was held on April 20th at Mayville UMC, followed by a second on May 18th at Wellsville UMC. These gatherings were orchestrated by the dedicated District Superintendency Associates (SAs): Kristian Snyder, Susan Hardy, Georgia Whitney, the Rev. Nick Perry, and the Rev. Chad Sayers.
Recognizing the need to rejuvenate the spirit of togetherness and support among local churches and their leaders, the SAs took the initiative to reintroduce District Days. The absence of such events since 2019, compounded by the challenges of COVID-19, church closures, and disaffiliations left many local churches feeling isolated and unheard. The return of District Days aimed to bridge this gap.
Both events were rich in fellowship, worship, communion, prayer, and small-group learning. Attendees participated in sessions tailored to various church leadership roles, including Trustees, Lay Leaders, Finance Committee members, Treasurers, Ad Council members, Lay Servants, SPPRC, and more. The classes were led by esteemed teachers such as Pastor Craig Buelow, the Rev. Mary Kelly, the Rev. Dr. Stephan Crowell, Susan Hardy, Kris Snyder, and Georgia Whitney.
Although these District Days were condensed to three hours, differing from pre-COVID-19 formats, they were warmly received by all participants. The enthusiasm was palpable, with attendees expressing a desire for more in-depth learning and opportunities to connect with members from other churches within the Cornerstone District.
Encouraged by the positive feedback, the Cornerstone District Team is actively planning additional events for late summer or early fall. Their vision is to establish District Days as an annual tradition, fostering ongoing support and collaboration among local churches.
We invite all districts to consider organizing similar events to strengthen their communities and support local church leaders. Together, we can build a more connected and resilient future.
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Celebrating Upper New York’s history through the Conference Cane
June 20, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
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Most people associate the word “cane” with walking stick to provide support and aid in walking. For Upper New York, the Conference Cane holds deeper significance. Encased in a wooden box, the Conference Cane is given to the longest living, longest serving clergy member in the Upper New York or predecessor conferences.
The passing of this heirloom from one clergyperson to another is a tradition dating back to the 1800s. Eligible holders can be from former conferences, including Genesee Methodist, Erie Methodist, Erie Evangelical United Brethren, New York Evangelical United Brethren, Western New York, Northern New York, Central New York, North Central New York, Troy, or Wyoming Conferences. The Upper New York Conference of The United Methodist Church was created when the North Central New York, Troy, Western New York, and Wyoming Conference merged more than a decade ago.
In the long tradition of the Conference Cane, it is generally presented to the successor as soon as possible after the death of the previous holder. When possible, the cane is presented to the next recipient during the annual conference session. The family of the recipient is instructed, through labels on the display case, to return the Conference Cane to the Conference Center upon the death of the cane holder. The last person to hold the cane was the Rev. Norman Parsons. Rev. Parsons died at the age of 97 in 2023, meaning the cane must be passed down to another member.
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This year, the Rev. Rachel DuPont from Asbury First UMC accepted the Conference Cane at the 2024 Upper New York Annual Conference on Friday, May 31, 2024, on behalf of the Rev. David Lubba who could not be in attendance. She presented the cane to Rev. Lubba during a worship service at Asbury First UMC on Sunday, June 16.
“Time flies when you’re having fun and I’m grateful to God, who many years ago, saw a 13-year-old boy plowing in a field in South Attica and decided to call that young guy into ministry. It’s been a wonderful life. God is good all the time and I’m grateful for serving the church and our Lord, Jesus Christ, not only here in America but also for the 9 years we served in the Republic of the Philippines. I’m grateful for this. I treasure it,” Rev. Lubba expressed during the presentation at Asbury First UMC.
Other than being an Upper New York heirloom, the physical cane that Rev. Lubba holds is entirely a Michigan product, the timber being made of oak from that state. It is topped with a large, polished Michigan agate and fitted with iron, copper, and silver from Michigan mines. With so much Michigan history, how is the cane so important to clergy in New York?
The Rev. George Taylor made the cane. He was originally a member of the Genesee Conference. He used timber salvaged from the first Methodist Episcopal Church (and first Protestant church) in Michigan, which burned in 1841. Fun fact is that this church was part of the Genesee Conference when it was built in 1818. At its founding, the Genesee Conference extended from Quebec City to Detroit to northcentral Pennsylvania.
Rev. Taylor gave the cane to the Rev. Glezen Fillmore, one of the pioneering pastors and Presiding Elders of the Genesee Conference, with the request that he should keep it as long as he lived, and that it should "descend after Brother Fillmore's decease to the oldest member of the conference, (that is, the longest serving) and so on successively."
In the morning session of the Genesee Conference on September 6, 1854, Rev. Fillmore presented the cane to the conference and made a motion that it be received according to Rev. Taylor's wishes. It was received, and the cane has passed in unbroken line to this day, through the Genesee to the Western New York Conference to the Upper New York Conference. In all, more than 30 clergy members have been holders of the Conference Cane. Rev. Lubba is the 34th clergyperson to obtain possession of it
The Clergy Status Division of the Board of Ordained Ministry has assumed responsibility for the awarding of the Conference Cane and will continue to update the conference as needed on the continuation of this tradition. When the holder dies, the cane should be returned to the Upper NY Conference Center at 7481 Henry Clay Blvd., Liverpool, NY 13088.
Click here to view the long history of Conference Cane holders dating back to 1854.
Casowasco on the road
June 18, 2024 / By Rev. Dr. Pam Harris, Interim Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following note was sent electronically to United Methodists of Upper New York on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 on behalf of Rev. Dr. Pam Harris, Interim Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries regarding changes to the 2024 summer camping season.
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
The summer camping season is upon us. We cherish this time of connecting with campers, forging new and rekindling old friendships, creating memories, and experiencing firsthand the power of Christ! Camp is all about participating in exciting programs, trying new things, engaging in powerful music and spiritual conversations, and much more.
Our Upper New York Camp & Retreat Ministry sites are doing all the needed work to journey with children and youth from across the state in the weeks ahead to grow in their discipleship together. Four of our sites are on track with their enrollment goals and are ready to offer the experience we expect of our Camp & Retreat Centers for campers, families, staff, and volunteers. As Casowasco prepared for the summer, it became clear we were not able to provide the same quality of experience.
Rather than cancel camp, we decided to make a significant change to provide the same level of excellence expected. We are relocating Casowasco programs to other UNY sites. It will be the same Casowasco fun and the same Casowasco quality with Casowasco staff, but at different locations. We are calling this summer, “Casowasco on the Road,” and believe it is the best way to continue to provide the kind of experience we expect for our children and youth. Camper families have been updated about this change and given the opportunity to join “Casowasco on the Road,” or to receive a full refund if they choose not to attend.
This reminds us of a scenario school districts experience from time to time. When a school building requires a major renovation, students are housed at another school while their building is upgraded. This plan is like that; we need to make some changes to the Casowasco operation, and to do that well, we need to house summer camp at a different location this year.
We ask that you pray for the staff, campers, and volunteers as they embark on a life changing summer, deepening their faith and relationship with God. Pray especially for Casowasco campers and staff so that they feel at home, even in unfamiliar places.
The UNY Camps & Retreats Ministry will provide updates throughout the year and we look forward to the time we can gather for community once again on the shores of Owasco Lake. If you have questions, please email me at pamharris@unyumc.org.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Pam Harris
Interim Executive Director of Camp & Retreat Ministries
NYS paid breastfeeding breaks
June 18, 2024 / By Susan Latessa, Director of Human Resources and Benefits / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On Monday, June 17, 2024, the New York State (NYS) Department of Labor (DOL) released its guidance on paid breaks for breastfeeding. Beginning on June 19, 2024 and as part of the state budget passed earlier this year, paid breastfeeding breaks become law and take effect. Click here to read the full guidance.
The guidance provides some much-needed clarification, particularly on the following points:
- An employee is entitled to as many paid 30-minute breaks as they individually require.
- An employee has this right for up to three years after the birth of the child.
- An employee must provide written notice of their need for breast milk expression, which may be email, text, or chat-type app, used by the organization for the retention of messages. An employer must respond to the request for breast milk expression, in writing, within five days.
- An employee remains entitled to all meal break and other break time to which all other employees are entitled. An employee may not be required to make up any unpaid time used for breast milk expression.
- An employer is required to accommodate the employee whenever their individual need for expression arises, which will be unique to each individual.
The new law requires that “all employees” be notified of their rights to express breast milk:
- at the time of hire;
- annually thereafter; and
- when the employee returns from maternity leave. NY has a notice for this purpose, and the guidance suggests that it must be used. Click here to read the policy on the rights of employees to express breast milk in the workplace.
The remedy for employees who believe their employer has been non-compliant with the law is to file a complaint with the NYS DOL.
All of this is in addition to the pre-existing requirements concerning the physical specifications for the location that employers must provide for breast milk expression, which went into effect in June 2023.
From the Desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: New Dean of Cabinet, Renewal Leaves, Disaffiliations
June 18, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's Note: The following note was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on Tuesday, June 18 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez.
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
I thank God for the spirit of hope and joy that permeated the 2024 session of the UNY Annual Conference, held from May 30 to June 1 in Syracuse, NY. United Methodists of Upper New York boldly affirmed that we are moving forward, embracing God’s future with hope and joy. You can find a comprehensive recap of the Annual Conference, including videos of plenary sessions, worship services, and reports here.
I want to share some important updates as we enter the summer season.
New Dean of the UNY Cabinet
I joyfully announce that the Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood will begin serving as the new dean of the UNY appointive cabinet, effective July 1, 2024. Rev. Rood is a gifted leader with deep faith and vision and a strategic thinker. I am deeply grateful for the Rev. Mike Weeden's leadership as dean. His grace-filled pastoral leadership and strategic mind have been instrumental in the cabinet's work. Rev. Weeden will continue serving as superintendent for the Northern Flow and Mohawk districts for the 2024-25 appointment year.
Please join me in praying for Rev. Dr. Rood and Rev. Weeden during this transition.
Renewal Leave
In other cabinet news, the Rev. Carlos M. Rosa-Laguer, superintendent for the Niagara Frontier and Cornerstone Districts, will be on Renewal Leave beginning July 1, 2024, until August 30, 2024. This is a set time for reflection, study, rest, and renewal. Our Book of Discipline encourages District Superintendents to benefit from one renewal leave during their term (par.420). Coverage for the districts during Rev. Rosa's renewal leave will be provided by Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell in July and Rev. Weeden in August. Clergy and congregational leaders from the Niagara Frontier and Cornerstone districts needing support from a superintended in July and August should request it through their district office.
Disaffiliations, Same-Gender Weddings, and Appointments of LGBTQ Pastors
In a statement released on June 11, 2024, the College of Bishops of the Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church announced that it will uphold the decisions made by the delegates at the postponed 2020 General Conference to discontinue any disaffiliation process and not support any more disaffiliations. The United Methodist Church is moving forward as a church that embraces theological diversity.
I want to reiterate that, contrary to what you may have read or heard from the GMC and other non-UMC groups and individuals, as we move forward, no United Methodist clergy will be asked to perform same-gender weddings. No congregations will be required to permit same-gender weddings in their facilities. The General Conference passed legislation that prevents district superintendents and bishops from penalizing pastors and churches that refuse to perform or allow a same-gender wedding on their property. Clergy and congregations are now entrusted to make these decisions gracefully, considering their ministry context based on their beliefs and attitudes regarding ministry with and by LGBTQ persons.
The College of Bishops will commission a small theologically diverse team to create a resource to assist congregations understand the scope of the changes made by the General Conference regarding human sexuality and discern how they will covenant around appointments and weddings. This resource is intended to provide a healthy process to (re)build relationships, listen to learn, and reflect theologically on this matter from our distinctive Wesleyan perspective so congregations can discern how to move forward gracefully as a theologically diverse community. The goal is to make the resource available by September 1, 2024.
You can read the entire statement from the College of Bishops here.
We Are Moving Forward
The United Methodist Church is moving forward as a grace-filled and diverse worldwide Christian community that welcomes people from all walks of life. Our faith and hope are solidly grounded in Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Our shared mission and faith journey (discipleship) is anchored in Scripture and guided by our distinctive Wesleyan heritage, doctrine, and polity. We desire to see all persons grow to their God-given potential, honoring our cultural, ethnic, and theological diversity.
We strive to be good stewards of God’s creation. Although we may not always agree on certain specific issues, we are united in our love of Christ and our desire to live the gospel, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible and embodying God's love with our neighbors in all places through concrete acts of love, mercy, and justice – all for the glory of God.
I pray God’s blessings over your lives and ministries and hope you all have a fun-filled summer.
Together in the journey,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodist of Upper New York
2024 Annual Conference survey results
June 17, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The results are in. More than 700 people attended the 2024 Upper New York Annual Conference session from May 30-June 1 in Syracuse and more than half of those in attendance provided valuable feedback on their experience. All results and remarks provided are anonymous to allow for full transparency of the person completing the survey.
“It was a blessing to get together and see sisters and brothers that we haven’t seen for a year,” remarked one attendee.
“I was greatly encouraged by conference this year,” wrote another participant.
The first question of the survey asked participants to rate each of the worship services and the learning session led by Dr. Ashley Boggan, General Secretary of the General Commission of Archives and History. The majority indicated they were inspired and found these times to be meaningful.
“Worship was absolutely wonderful! Thank you,” wrote another attendee.
The 2024 Upper New York Pre-Conference Workbook was released the first part of May and was available for purchase and as a downloadable resource. Anything not provided in 
time for publication was published to the Conference website as an addendum. Most indicated the workbook and addendums were easy to access.
“I love having using journal online. I feel like I'm doing my part to save paper waste. I am even able to get to a page faster that those with a hard copy,” shared one member.
“All easy and communicated with more than enough time to prepare for AC,” wrote another attendee.
Registration for annual conference was held April 3-24. Members could register onsite as a late registrant for an additional fee. Most of the people who submitted feedback indicated 
the process was easy.
“Bless Bishop for all his grace guiding us,” wrote one attendee.
“It was amazing to get through recommendations so easily,” wrote another United Methodist of Upper New York.
Survey results indicated the volume throughout was good and the voting process was easy to understand and the visuals aided in the process.
“I especially appreciated the captions and sign language interpreters on screen at all times,” wrote one survey taker.
Many indicated the length of the day was just right. Only nine people who completed the suvey indicated it was too short and 89 others said it was too long.
“After the General Conference I think people didn’t really know what to expect at AC so many were “slow to warm up.” It became clear that even though we differ in our approach to ministry and theological interpretations we can come together and accept our differences and worship in one accord. Thank you Bishop Héctor for encouraging the church to accept each other in our uniqueness of gifts with grace. Thank you to all who worked hard to bring us together.”
The favorite experience varied from the learning time, worshipping together, and the bishop cracking jokes.
“The music was wonderful- CJ is incredibly talented, Bishop Malone was a gift, and Ashley Boggan was great.”
“This was my first UMC Upper New York Conference as a Lay Servant and equalization member. It was a truly wonderful uplifting experience. Being in the presence of everyone, fellowshipping with many and having God and the Holy Spirit engulfing my heart was truly well worth the trip. I was interested with all the speakers and the many spiritual message from clergy. It was very interesting learning about all the different committees and knowing about the organizational aspects and makeup of the UM church. I look forward to next year and learning and growing in Christ Jesus.”
“The closing worship really brought us together. It was inspiring and I walked away believing we can move forward together in whatever it looks like for our churches and congregations that we love.”
“The composting was a great idea! Meals were delicious. (Weather was perfect. Thank you, God.) Connecting with yearly friends was heartwarming, as well as meeting new folks. I liked getting together in small groups during Laity Session. Loved the message from Destiny!”
Click here to read articles, transcripts, watch video recordings, and more from annual conference.
Commentary: Learning the true meaning of “life-changing” from Mission of Peace
June 13, 2024 / By Grace Steirheim / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Disclaimer: Upper New York Communications may include commentaries in the Weekly Digest that reflects a variety of voices and viewpoints. They are the opinions of the writers or ministry team, not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member.
Editors note: The Mission of Peace (MOP) is a yearly journey of discovery and shalom to nations in our global community sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of The United Methodist Church. The most recent MOP trip was to Puerto Rico in Feb 2024.
The Mission of Peace is an experience I’ve waited for since I was in third grade. I heard that the trips were “life-changing” and I knew that I wanted the trip to Puerto Rico to mark another chapter on my faith journey. As I mentally and physically made my way to the beautiful, majestic island, I knew little about how the phrase “life-changing” would impact my views on God, devastation, and humanity. 
The island of Puerto Rico is one of the few places I have traveled where the atmosphere is welcoming. Every single time MOP walked into an unfamiliar place we were greeted with smiles, laughter, and a friendly “Bienvenidos!” Despite devastations from hurricanes, the people of Puerto Rico never failed to flash a smile. They take their days slowly, enjoying every second of every day. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to leave behind my worries and to just live. Kindness and a smile is all people need. Additionally, one of many service projects included painting a Methodist church in Fajardo. We painted the bathrooms because the church offered to host an island-wide church conference in September. While we painted the bathrooms, we learned that the church still waits on funds and materials to repair the roof from Hurricane Maria. Their love and hospitality continued when they served us an unexpected lunch. The people of Puerto Rico are hospitable, humble, and most of all an extension of my church family.
While in Puerto Rico, I learned that the trip is not only a connection to the church people but a connection with other MOPPERS. We lived together for ten days: we ate three meals together, laughed together, roomed together, and spent every minute of every day bonding over Puerto Rico. We all came from different conferences and learned many new things about the other eight youth. The connections and memories I have made strengthened my bond with other youth as I believe that communication with youth from other conferences is a key concept in growing the church. They have become my family– we have shared memories I have experienced with no one else, we have inside jokes, and our biggest commonality is that we went on this trip with an open mind.
Without Mission of Peace 2024, I would not have met these wonderful Christ-followers who have shown me what impact youth can make towards one another and towards the communities around us. One of our good friends in Puerto Rico loved to engage in conversation in which he and I discussed the group’s impact on him. He told me that MOP was a unique group of missionaries because we were vibrant, smiley, and were open to try absolutely everything. While many only see Puerto Rico as a devastation or a vacation spot, Puerto Rico shows humanity at its finest. God brought me to Puerto Rico to show me how love can come in many forms, the importance of youth in the church, and how the conjugation of nine different individuals creates an impact within a short time. The phrase “life-changing” feels underwhelming to describe this experience because the Mission of Peace trip 2024 to the island of Puerto Rico is truly the best experience of my life.
Statement from The Northeastern College of Bishops: Embracing Theological Diversity and Moving Forward
June 11, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A SPECIAL NOTE FROM BISHOP BURGOS NÚÑEZ: I am grateful that the Northeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops is of one voice on these matters. United Methodists of Upper New York are moving forward as a theologically diverse Conference united in our love for Christ and our shared desire to live the gospel and embody God's love with as many people as possible while doing no harm and respecting one another. In the weeks and months to come, resources will be made available to congregations to assist them in living this vision in healthy ways.
"The Northeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church embraces theological differences and, without creating more harm to any group, will lead so that within the jurisdiction, there will be room for different theological understandings. Further, we will work with everyone to honor Jesus Christ and advance the mission and ministry within the Northeastern Jurisdiction." – The Northeastern College of Bishops
Dear United Methodists in the Northeastern Jurisdiction,
The postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church met from April 23 until May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina, and approved important changes for our church. Today, we are writing to you because we are receiving questions about continuing with disaffiliations.
Disaffiliations
The delegates at the General Conference deleted paragraph 2553 in our Book of Discipline, which was inserted in 2019, to provide a temporary path for congregations to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church through December 31, 2023. As many as 25% of United Methodist congregations chose this path.
The NEJ College of Bishops will uphold the decision made by the delegates at the postponed 2020 General Conference to discontinue any disaffiliation process and NOT support any more disaffiliations. The United Methodist Church is moving forward as a church that embraces theological diversity.
People have inquired about the use of other disciplinary paragraphs to allow disaffiliations. To be clear, the General Conference indicated through the legislation it approved that disaffiliation is no longer a path for leaving the denomination. There was no extension of disaffiliation, and the disaffiliation paragraph was removed from The Book of Discipline. Two paragraphs were considered in the past: paragraph 2548 was ruled by the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church not to be used for disaffiliations, and paragraph 2549 is for a church closure and how to handle the property. Now that disaffiliations have concluded, the College of Bishops will ensure that annual conferences receive the best value for any sold property.
Same-Gender Weddings and Appointments of LGBTQ Pastors
You may have read or heard that the Global Methodist Church and other non-UMC groups and individuals have said that United Methodist clergy will now be forced to perform same-gender weddings and that our congregations will be required to permit same-gender weddings. This is NOT true. The General Conference passed legislation that prevents district superintendents and bishops from penalizing pastors and churches that refuse to perform or allow a same-gender wedding on their property. No clergy will be forced to perform same-gender weddings, and no congregation will be required to permit same-gender weddings on their premises. Clergy and congregations are now entrusted to make these decisions gracefully, considering their ministry context based on their beliefs and attitudes regarding ministry with and by LGBTQ persons.
We will make appointments based on gifts, graces, experience, commitments, and theological alignment between congregations and clergy.
In the summer, the College of Bishops will commission a small team of theologically diverse clergy and laity to create a resource to assist congregations in understanding the changes made by the General Conference regarding human sexuality and working through weddings and appointments. This resource is intended to provide a healthy process to (re)build relationships, listen to learn and reflect theologically on this matter from our distinctive Wesleyan perspective so congregations can discern how to move forward. No clergy or laity will be asked to change their beliefs. The goal is to make the resource available by September 1, 2024.
A Future with Hope
We celebrate other important decisions made by the General Conference, including the proposal for a new regional structure for our denomination that, if ratified, will allow for more contextual and equitable ministry, fully revised social principles, a renewed commitment to creation care, sacramental rights for deacons, the consecration of new missionaries, and the historic vote to reunite and establish full communion with Episcopalians, the group Methodism separated from in 1784.
The United Methodist Church is moving forward as a diverse worldwide Christian community that welcomes people from all walks of life. Our faith and hope are anchored in Jesus Christ. Led by the Holy Spirit, our journey of faith and mission is grounded in Scripture and guided by our doctrine, polity, and social principles. We celebrate our rich diversity as a gift from God. Although we may not always agree on certain specific issues, we remain joyfully united in our love for Christ and our shared mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
In this new season, we are moving forward, claiming God’s future with joy and hope—all for God's glory.
Together in mission,
The College of Bishops
Northeastern Jurisdiction
The United Methodist Church www.nejumc.org
www.nejumc.org
Commentary: The woman at Rafah
June 11, 2024 / By Noelle Stevens / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following commentary is by Noelle Stevens, a wife, mother, and palliative care physician in northern New York. The views expressed in this reflection are her own, not of Bishop Burgos Núñez or any Upper New York staff member or team.
On February 6, 1993, during a visit to Gaza with the Near East Council of Churches, Noelle Stevens captured a photograph of a woman in Rafah waiting to see her sister across the border established by Israel following the Camp David Accords.
I am Noelle Stevens, a wife, mother, and palliative care physician in northern New York. I took this photo the year after graduating college. My notes from this moment state:
I do not know this woman’s name, but I will never forget her story. She and her sister met regularly at this Rafah-Egypt border to reconnect as family and share news, yelling across the wide barricade. They were separated in 1982, when Israel withdrew from the Sinai. Rafah was split into an Egyptian and Palestinian side, dividing families, separating them by barbed-wire barriers.
This photo captures a moment in Rafah over 30 years ago. The framed photo remains in a prominent space in my home. It serves as a daily reminder. I honestly do not know that I can adequately convey exactly what the reminder is, as this changes over time.
Sometimes this is a reminder of how complicated the history is. Despite my efforts to understand, there are thousands of moments and decisions that led to this woman sitting here, waiting for her sister. This overlaps with a sense of responsibility as an American for this situation, given our integral involvement, not only with the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty, but so many other political, social, and economic steps throughout the 20th century until now.
The photo reminds me to remain connected to the ongoing history created there: repeated violations of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and international law – collective punishment, denial of access to water and medical aid, torture of prisoners, targeting civilians, intentional interference with humanitarian assistance, disproportionate destruction of hospitals and schools, strategic establishment of settlements, and so on. In the past 30 years, there have been so many moments of heightened awareness of the terror in Gaza. During 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2021, the photo was a stark reminder of the attacks by the Israeli offensive force, killing thousands of people in Gaza in a concentrated period of time.
Since 2023, the photo prompts me to pray for the people of Palestine. This woman’s image reminds me that action in the face of oppression is critical. This is a disheartening reminder of my role as a taxpayer and constituent in the death and destruction of a people. I am also reminded that our elected officials are accountable to us, as voting citizens. Our young people have proven over time that we can alter the course of economic influence. The photo makes me cry and feel genuine hope all at the same time.
This photo is a strong reminder of my privilege. I could move freely amongst people living under a military occupation. It is true that Israeli soldiers often threatened me and made my life inconvenient. This treatment pales in comparison to what it was like for a Palestinian to live in that same space that is their home.
My privilege allowed me to travel to the Holy Land during college. My first trip was with a United Methodist Church (UMC) group that included Bishop Forrest Stith. Subsequently, I was selected by the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) as a Person in Mission at the Amira Basma Centre in Jerusalem. My charge was to live, work, and study in Jerusalem, so I could share with fellow UMC members the plight of the Palestinian people and the role of the United States in perpetuating an oppressive military occupation. I returned to the United States to attend medical school, while also fulfilling my Person in Mission work, continuing to share with UMC groups my experience living in occupied Palestine.
How was I so blessed with this privilege? Bishop Stith was key in facilitating the creation of this position with the GBGM. I also received immense support from my local congregation, including Ronald Bretsch and Hubert Clark who gifted me the Nikon camera to capture many photos of my experience. I would not have traveled without my parents’ (Shirley & Garrie Stevens) unwavering encouragement to work in Palestine and learn as much as possible.
I cannot emphasize enough how great the impact of The United Methodist Church has been on my personal and professional growth. This photo is a representation of immeasurable influence over my development as a human, wife, and mother, a physician, a voting citizen, and a community member locally and globally. I am blessed to have witnessed Pastor Gary Bergh’s work on the United Methodist Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine-Israel. He believed that a way for many people to learn about the actual situation in Palestine is for them to go there in person. His legacy through the Gary Bergh Scholarship Fund is to facilitate human connections by removing financial barriers and encouraging travel to Palestine. The objective is to engage with Israelis and Palestinians who long for a fulfilling human existence while they live through this brutal military occupation and destruction.
I believe strongly in Pastor Gary Bergh’s message. I believe in establishing strong values and critical thinking that can be shared with generations to come. For Mother’s Day, I received this message from my child - “...thank you for teaching me to be strong but vulnerable, be positive and caring towards others, and inspiring me to be the best version of myself.” In the midst of tears and heartache for the people of Palestine, I have hope for a better future.
I encourage you to pray for peace with justice, vote with your heart, support your local peacemakers, connect with your neighbors near and far, and encourage critical connections in Palestine.
Commentary: Lessons from Puerto Rico
June 10, 2024 / By Noah Stierheim / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The following commentary was written by Noah Stierheim about his recent Mission of Peace trip. Mission of Peace (MOP) is a yearly journey of discovery and shalom to nations in our global community sponsored by the Northeastern Jurisdictional Council on Youth Ministries of The United Methodist Church. The most recent MOP trip was to Puerto Rico in February 2024.
The Mission of Peace (MOP) trip to Puerto Rico was a wonderful experience. I recommend that any youth in high school apply for this opportunity. There are numerous ways to get involved, but the way I did was pretty simple. Initially, I was highly interested in attending the trip to China back in 2020; however, I think we all know how that turned out. I decided to wait a little while and then I finally heard that MOP was taking a trip to Puerto Rico. 
There was a lot of anticipation for the trip. When I was in second grade, I went on a trip to Nicaragua, and I thought I had a general idea of what Puerto Rico was going to be like. We had the wonderful opportunity to stay in a church parsonage in what was probably considered a typical neighborhood in San Juan. Surprisingly, it was almost silent, despite being just off a major road, and it seemed very natural. Many people had beautiful gardens and flowers and lots of dogs. However, behind the beauty of the neighborhood, you could tell that hurricanes had come through and decimated the area. There were several homes without roofs or even the occasional pile of rubble. In one area we visited, Ponce, we were walking on a sidewalk looking at all the beautiful murals the community painted. I looked to my right and my left and realized that I was walking in between two ruined houses, the only thing remaining was a quarter of a wall.
There was a huge expectation that I was going to witness the ruins of hurricane Maria. Unfortunately, I was right, in fact, it was worse than I imagined. The other expectation I had on this trip was perception. As people from the mainland, I thought we wouldn’t be perceived well. Especially when you see resorts on beaches and tourists really having no regard for the local people. I was wrong. We had the wonderful opportunity to meet joyful, hospitable people that were enthusiastic and excited to see us.
I met people my age who aspire to be music artists, chefs, and chemists. Yet they aren’t sitting around waiting for the opportunity. They took action. They all are in/have been accepted into a college and they all are actively doing what they want to do; however, without that type of energy and enthusiasm, they wouldn’t be where they are today.
Puerto Rico is a special place full of very, very special people. It is amazing to me, that even through the hardships of earthquakes, hurricanes, and a deadly pandemic, these people never seem to run out of energy. I hope that maybe I could harness some of that energy and bring it back with me to my friends and family at home. Because, at least it appears to me, as people that live on the mainland, I feel like we give up too quickly. Maybe, we just need to be a little more like the people of Puerto Rico so that we can have a community that is strong and unified.
UNYAC Creation Justice Team’s composting efforts at 2024 Annual Conference
June 10, 2024 / By Andrew Hartley / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Three 95-gallon containers of food-associated waste were diverted from landfills to composting at the 2024 Annual Conference at the SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College from May 30 to June 1. The composting was a labor of love arranged by the conference organizing committee and supported by the UNYAC Creation Justice Team (CJT). Items for composting included food scraps, paper plates, and napkins. This AC meeting was the first such meeting at which composting was facilitated. Members of the CJT staffed the composting station at each of the six meals, assisting diners in separating compostable material from plastics, candy wrappers, waxed cups, and so on. The material was removed for processing by Natural Upcycling, an organic recycling company.
Taking care of and protecting the environment is important to me. For the 2024 Upper New York Annual Conference session and as a layperson from Elma UMC, I tried to promote environmentally responsible transportation by riding my bicycle to Onondaga Community College for the multi-day event.
So why does composting matter? First, consider the scope of America’s food waste problem. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that, in the United States, between 30–40% (about 133-billion pounds annually) of the food supply is wasted. Food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 58% of the fugitive methane emissions (i.e., those released to the atmosphere) from municipal solid waste landfills comes from landfills. Methane (a potent greenhouse gas, and the principal constituent of natural gas), in turn, contributes to the global heating that is worsening weather-related events, such as collapsing infrastructure, diseases, encroaching oceans, food supply risks, heat waves and killer storms. Thus, via food waste, Americans are degrading the beautiful, supportive planet that God put in place to sustain us and for us to steward responsibly (Gensis 2:15).
In several ways, composting helps us tame food waste. Obviously, it slows the growth of landfills. Moreover, when compared to electric vehicles, heat pumps, and solar and wind energy, composting is an under-appreciated tool for reducing heat-trapping pollution. Then, too, it recycles organic materials into a valuable soil enhancer, creates jobs, and—because food scraps are heavy—reduces solid waste management costs.
Is God calling you, your congregation, and your community, to reduce global heating, through composting? Composting is feasible for congregations, other organizations and individuals, even those living in apartments or townhomes. Many communities have composting programs, but if yours doesn’t, then such programs are an excellent way to strengthen ties between congregations and their communities. At least one United Methodist Earthkeeper project has included composting.
For AC2025, we on the CJT want to further enhance the care of God’s creation, including strengthening composting (by, e.g., including other UNYAC committees in staffing composting stations), reducing waste, steering meeting participants towards environmentally responsible hotels, and promoting cleaner transportation options.
Are you curious about the UNYAC Creation Justice Team? Formed in Summer 2023, it promotes the care of God’s creation throughout the conference. Its efforts include educating clergy and laity about the biblical basis for creation care and the environmental challenges of the Upper New York region, forming and promoting “green teams” at all local congregations, and facilitating partnerships between congregations and their communities that will foster better care for God’s creation. We emphasize creation justice, as those who suffer the most from environmental degradation, especially climate change, are largely those who contribute least to it. We amplify the UMC Book of Resolutions in urging each congregation to start a creation care team, or enhance their existing team, and we are eager to come alongside you in such efforts.
FDA on Food Loss and Waste
EPA on Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste
Youth voices matter: Bridging generational divides in church leadership
June 6, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Let our youth have a say. In his passionate plea to United Methodists of Upper New York, Victor Giso from First United Methodist Church of East Greenbush asked the annual conference body to include youth in the life and decisions of the church.
“Churches must create platforms for meaningful participation and leadership opportunities. By valuing our insights and fostering an environment of inclusivity, religious institutions can harness the energy and creativity of youth to address contemporary challenges and adapt to evolving social dynamics.”
Giso said bridges can be built across generational divides by recognizing youth as equal stakeholders in the faith community. Doing so will allow the sharing of knowledge while creating mutual respect. In turn, this would help create unity amongst Christians.
“Recognizing their unique developmental needs, churches can provide guidance, mentorship, and discipleship tailored to the realities of contemporary youth. Through intentional investment in their spiritual growth, the church ensures its relevance and cultivates a generation of committed and empowered followers of Christ.”
Challenges will remain, but Giso believes these challenges will offer opportunities for reflection, adaptation, and growth. Embracing diversity amongst all members can harness “transformative potential” in today’s youth to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Instead of just imagining youth and young adults as part of the church’s future, he urges churches to make them integral members by valuing their voices and empowering their leadership skills while nurturing their spiritual formation.
“Young people are part of the church's present–and with God's help, if you allow us, we are ready to help shape the future as we move forward together.”
Click here to watch a recording of Victor’s presentation at annual conference.
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez named the importance of investing in young people during his Episcopal address on Friday, May 31. He invited Destiny Hoerbelt from North Tonawanda First United Methodist Church to share her story of following God.
“We can walk through the darkness, through the fog, and through the confusion if we let God lead us. We need to let God be our headlights, our steering wheel, and our GPS. God connects us in ways we cannot see; but God can see it and to him the connections are clear.”
She explained that we don’t always walk in a direction knowing the outcome. Sometimes it is just being in the right place at the right time thanks to God.
“When Israel prayed for a savior from their Roman oppressors, they expected a military genius to overthrow their captures. Instead, Mary and Joseph were given a path to a manger where a child was born. Wisemen and shepherds were given a star to follow to where that same child lay; a child whose death and resurrection would overthrow tyranny, would overthrow empires, would overthrow death!"
Destiny explained that like Jonah, it’s normal to not always want to move. In Jonah 1:10, Jonah chose to flee from the presence of the Lord. He left his home in Gath-Hepher, traveled to the coastal city of Joppa, and boarded a ship to Tarshish in the opposite direction of Nineveh.
“We may not want the change we are given, but I have yet to hear about a suggestion box for God.”
The journey from Cairo, Egypt to Jerusalem is about a week-long journey on foot, yet it took Israelites 40-years to complete. “The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord” (Joshua 5:6 NIV).
Destiny said, “Where we are meant to be won’t change; how long it takes us to get there depends on our willingness to let God lead and for us to follow.”
Click here to watch a recording of Destiny’s presentation.
Dr. Ashley Boggan offers lessons in history at Annual Conference 2024
June 4, 2024 / By Tara Barnes / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
For the Friday afternoon learning session United Methodists of Upper New York heard from “full-blown Wesleyan Metho-nerd” Dr. Ashley Boggan, General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, during the conference’s 2024 annual meeting.
But first she took issue with the gathering’s scriptural focus, Philippians 3:13-14.
“Here, we are encouraged to forget the past and strive forward to what is before us,” she said. “Yes, forgetting would be nice. But I’m a historian by trade, and I often dwell in the past. But I want to point out the difference between being historically informed and being nostalgic. For me, and hopefully for The United Methodist Church, we can all agree to move forward, knowing that we will hold ourselves accountable to our past, and seek to never repeat it.” 
She named disaffiliation, the racist jurisdictional structure that segregated Black Methodists for over 30 years, denying women’s calls to ministry until 1956, and harm done to our LGBTQ+ United Methodists as some history we may like to forget.
“But if we are going to move on as a new United Methodist Church then, good Lord, we need to reclaim some bits of our past and hold ourselves accountable to other bits,” she said. “If we fail to do this, then we’ll repeat history and continue to not claim our Wesleyan identity and continue to repeat past harms in new ways.”
Dr. Boggan is the author of the books Entangled: A History of American Methodism, Politics and Sexuality and Nevertheless: American Methodists and Women’s Rights.
Becoming Methodist
Dr. Boggan took attendees back to the 1730s, when a newly graduated John Wesley, founder of Methodism, still hung around his alma mater, unsure of what do with his life. His younger brother Charles was still enrolled at Oxford University in England and had started a Bible group on campus.
“They rose early, they studied Scripture intently, they prayed incessantly, they fasted, they talked openly about their spirituality, they visited the sick, they held each other accountable to it,” she said. “In other words, they centered their lives on faith as love acted out. And this was weird.”
English Christians at the time practiced their faith by sitting quietly in church, listening to a sermon, and going home. The idea of Christianity outside of a church challenged the status quo.
John and his friends went outside the city to minister with and learn from the poor, the outcast, the imprisoned. This too challenged the status quo. The group was derisively called “Bible Moths,” “Sacramentarians,” and “Holy Club.” The term “Methodist,” she said, was coined in 1732, in an Oxford newspaper article that also called them “superstitious prophets, shameless diviners, or madmen, or those whom poverty compels.”
The Methodists were ridiculed for their weekly prayers and monthly religious services held with those imprisoned, taking food, drink, medicine, and reading material, Dr. Boggan explained.
“When they saw inhumane treatment directed at those who had no other options before them, the Holy Club took it upon themselves to hold the authorities accountable.”
She told the story of Thomas Blair, an inmate sentenced to death for the alleged crime of having a relationship with a man. John Wesley worked to “convince any reasonable man of his innocence” and then paid the 20 marks—an equivalent of more than 6,000 dollars today—to free Blair after he was found guilty.
“I’m not saying that Wesley was defending the actions of Mr. Blair, but he also was not condemning him for them,” Dr. Boggan said. “But in order to ensure that Mr. Blair felt worthy of God’s love, of the love of a neighbor, and love of himself, Wesley was willing to risk all.
“Y’all, this is how we got our name. This is what it means to be Methodist. And this is the message of hope that we need to reclaim.”
Wesleyan “viletality”
John Wesley went to Bristol, England at the request of his “longtime frenemy” George Whitefield in 1739. Wesley was appalled to see Whitefield preaching in a field. Wesley believed a church building was the proper location for soul-saving. However, two days after arriving in Bristol, Wesley wrote in his journal:
“At four in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city, to about three thousand people.”
Wesley not only chose to be more vile by preaching in a field, Dr. Boggan explained, but by also preaching without permission of the bishop of the parish. When castigated by the bishop, Wesley replied, “Sir, I look upon the world as my parish.”
“‘While John Wesley’s heart may have been strangely warmed in London, it was set afire in Bristol,’” she said, quoting historian David Worthington. “Within three days of being in Bristol, Wesley’s entire framework of how to preach, where to preach, and what is missionally prophetic was wholly overthrown.”
Wesley’s decision to be more vile wasn’t for the sake of being vile but to follow God’s call outside of his comfort zone, outside the standards and rules of church and society, to dare to be “reprehensible” if it meant making disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world.
Happy in God
The early Methodists “preached God’s unconditional love of all persons and the worthiness of those on the outskirts. For this, they were harassed, beaten, jailed, and disowned from their families,” Dr. Boggan said, yet John Wesley also described them as “Happy in God,” for their understanding of “perfect love [has] now cast our Fear [and so they] rejoice evermore.”
“How do we as United Methodists carry forward these characteristics into a new version of ourselves?” Dr. Boggan asked, naming the opportunity of this new time in the church in which we no longer no longer identify a category of persons “as separate from the love of God within our writings.”
“There are many ways that 2024 is looking more and more like 1740s England. Our national laws are getting more and more strict about what can be said, what can be taught, whose lives matter, and who can have full authority over their own lives and bodies. When Wesley preached against ALL of this in the 1740s, he was ridiculed,” she said. “This is not an easy task.”
Learning history is necessary for moving forward, said Dr. Boggan. “We have before us now, a moment to be hope-filled. To rethink who we want to be in the future. We have a chance to be proactive. To be prophetic. To be vile. The question is: Are we brave enough to do it?”
Click here to view and/or download Dr. Boggan’s learning session from annual conference.
Tara Barnes is director of denominational relations for United Women in Faith.
Clergy and Deaconesses commissioned at Annual Conference 2024
June 1, 2024 / By Tara Barnes / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A Service for the Celebration of Ministry and Commissioning was held Friday May 31 at the SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College, part of the 15th annual meeting of the United Methodists of Upper New York. Four people were commissioned for the work of an elder, one for the work of deaconess, and one deaconess transferred her relationship from the Philippines to the Upper New York Conference. 
Presiding Bishop Héctor Burgos Nuñéz was joined by Bishop Tracy Smith Malone of the Ohio East episcopal area and president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.
Bishop Burgos Nuñéz began the service by calling those gathered to remember their baptisms, pouring water into a basin created from the broken glass brought to the altar in prayer by conference members during the 2023 conference.
“This baptismal font serves as a reminder of our oneness formed from the broken pieces of the past,” Bishop Burgos Nuñéz. “It continues to be a symbol of the hope and promise offered to us as God’s faithful people. It symbolizes for this community of faith the possibility and promise of newness and blessing as we seek to discern God’s invitation for us as we move forward.” 
The “conference cane” was passed from the Rev. Norman Parsons, who passed away in September 2023, to the Rev. David Lubba, the longest living serving clergy member in Upper New York.
The conference cane was made from the wood of the first Methodist church in the Genessee Conference, which was built in 1818. The cane was made by the Rev. George Taylor and given to the Rev. Glezen Fillmore with the request that he keep it as long as he lived and that it “descend after Brother Fillmore’s decease to the oldest member of the conference, (that is, the longest serving) and so on successively.”
The Rev. Rachel Dupont received the cane on behalf of the Rev. Parsons.
The Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood, dean of the cabinet, with Conference Secretary the Rev. Carolyn Stow then led a celebration of retiring clergy.
Called to love, justice, and service
Deaconesses Constance Glover and Josefina Nicholas-Tacadena were commissioned into their vocational ministries as part of the Upper New York Conference. Glover serves as the lead coordinator of the Community Café at Penn Yan United Methodist Church, a free community meal served twice a month. Nicholas-Tacadena serves as a nursing home resident support attendant. 
Deaconesses and home missioners are laypeople who are called by God to be in a lifetime relationship in The United Methodist Church for engagement with a full-time vocation in ministries of love, justice, and service. Together they form a covenant community that is rooted in Scripture, informed by history, driven by mission, ecumenical in scope, and global in outreach.
Deaconesses and home missioners function through diverse forms of service directed toward the world to make Jesus Christ known in the fullness of his ministry and mission, which mandate that his followers: alleviate suffering, eradicate causes of injustice and all that robs life of dignity and worth, facilitate the development of full human potential, and share in the building global community through the church universal.
“Friends in Christ, we rejoice that you responded to God’s call to servant in ministry as a deaconesses of The United Methodist Church. In your ministry you continue a tradition of service that is as vital today as it was in 1888 when the Office of Deaconess was first authorized in the Methodist tradition,” Bishop Burgos Nuñéz said. “The call of God is always profound, and our response can be no less extraordinary. In the varied ministries of love, justice and service to which the Holy Spirit is leading you, you will testify to the infinite love of God in Christ Jesus.”
Set apart
Conference Lay Leader Jessica White presented those to be commissioned on behalf the laity, joined by the Revs. Ann Kemper and Carmen Perry, who presented on behalf of the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Candidates for ministry complete a long process of discernment, education, mentoring, and examination before clergy of the conference vote to elect them provisional or full elders.
The Rev. Perry read the names of those to be commissioned for set-apart ministry in Christ’s holy Church in Upper New York, and Bishops Burgos Nuñéz and Smith Malone administered the general examination.
Shift the atmosphere
As part of the service, Bishop Malone delivered a sermon on “The Joy of Hope,” inspired by Ephesians 1:15-23. 
She thanked Bishop Burgos Nuñéz for not only inviting her to preach during the commissioning service but to be a part of the holy conferencing.
“The Spirit of God has been on the move in this place,” she said.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul prays that the God “give the saints a spirit of wisdom, revelation, and discernment to know God better and deeper,” said Bishop Malone, that “eyes of their hearts will have enough light and spiritual focus that they can see the hope of God's call to see exactly what God is calling them to do.”
“What if we make Paul’s prayer our prayer for the Upper New York Conference, for the worldwide people called United Methodists, for every local church?” Bishop Malone asked.
God is always at work, she said, if we have eyes to see. She challenged the congregation to recognize the presence and power of Jesus Christ, to fully trust God, and rely on the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. Faith is not an intellectual exercise or spectator sport, she said. It requires training, practice, and discipline.
Bishop Malone dared the Upper New York Conference and especially those being commissioned to own that God’s Spirit is already upon all of us, and to be convinced that nothing is impossible for God. 
“It is not popular to be bold and prophetic in our witness. And yet, that’s what we are called to do,” said Bishop Malone. “Fear, division, and hatred tear at the very fabric of our culture and world. Our society is increasingly becoming more racially divided, violent, and unjust. Political and cultural wars have us anxious, fearful, and suspicious of one another. We can’t afford NOT to be bold. We can’t afford NOT to share the love of Jesus. We can’t afford NOT to walk in power. Don’t be afraid to use God’s gifts in you relying on the Spirit of God that is in you.”
We must be bold in our witness, she said. Be committed to building the beloved community.
“Don’t be apologetic for how your prophetic witness and presence will shift the atmosphere,” she said. “You ought to shift the atmosphere because the light of Christ that is reflected in your life as shown up and brightened up a room. It holds everyone accountable. If we all show up in a room and let the light shine—imagine what can happen in those places.”
Bubbling of the Spirit
After the message, Bishop Burgos Nuñéz joined Bishop Malone to offer the prayer for commissioning.
“God of the apostles and prophets, martyrs and teachers, you raise men and women to
be apostolic leaders in your Church. By your Holy Spirit, help these servants understand and live the mystery of your love with boldness and joy. Deepen their sense of purpose as they exercise commissioned ministry,” said Bishop Burgos Nuñéz. “Empower them and those who will walk with them to guide their ministry, together with your people, to heal the sick, love the outcast, resist evil, preach the Word, and give themselves freely for your name’s sake.”
He closed the service by inviting forward anyone present feeling a call to ministry to be blessed and prayed for.
“I wonder if among us there might be some who are sensing a bubbling of the Spirit that they have never felt before, that is inviting them to take the next faithful step in their journey as disciples,” said Bishop Burgos Nuñéz. “If this is sounding to you like a call … it is because it is a call. God is calling all of us to respond to the question, ‘What are you going to do with this gift that I have given you?’” 
“I want you to hear that one who calls is not the church, it is Jesus Christ,” he continued, “We give God thanks for those tonight who hear your voice calling, ‘Come follow me.’ This is an encounter with the spirit of the risen Christ. It doesn’t end here tonight. Hallelujah.”
You can watch the service on the Conference’s Vimeo page here. Click here to view the worship booklet.
Deaconesses commissioned to lifetime of love, justice, and service
Constance Glover
Josefina Nicholas-Tacadena
Provisional members commissioned for the work of an elder
Justin Michael Hood
Christine Ann Mitchell
Danyal Mohammadzadeh
Alicia Margaret Wood
Tara Barnes is director of denominational relations for United Women in Faith and a lay equalization member from the Binghamton District.
Being willing partners with God
May 31, 2024 / By Tara Barnes / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez called United Methodists of Upper New York to prioritize relationships in his address to the conference Friday, May 31.
“Over the past year and moving forward, we will continue prioritizing relationships over everything else, recognizing the crucial role each one of you plays in this,” said Bishop Héctor. “For the past twelve months, through ‘Together in Prayer,’ we prioritized our relationship with Christ, going deeper through prayer and corporate reflections and seeking to renew our connection with God and one another.”
Together in Prayer is a conference-wide prayer pilgrimage encouraging United Methodists of Upper New York to join together in shared prayers using themes and resources provided by the conference.
Stronger together
The conference also launched Together in Worship, which Bishop Héctor described as “a monthly worship experience in which the cabinet and clergy staff rotate in leading a devotional time from our mission center in Liverpool that is livestreamed through different platforms available to everyone in the conference.” You can find past services in the conference’s sermon bank.
The bishop spoke of connecting in the past year with hundreds of clergy and laity at district events that included worship, conversation, and fellowship. He looks forward, he said, to more in-person and online connections and to expanding ecumenical and interfaith partners, including the New York Council of Churches, Interfaith Works, and Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University.
“We don’t have to do ministry alone, or in silos.” Bishop Héctor said. “We are stronger together!”
He encouraged attendees to celebrate the good work we do in our churches and together as a connection. Since the last annual conference, more than 300 positive stories were published, he said, sharing the countless ways God is at work through Upper New York churches.
“We have a beautiful and powerful story to share with the world. We will continue celebrating our leaders and congregations, rejoicing in what we accomplish, and giving God all the glory.
The bishop acknowledged the challenges of reduced membership rates, COVID-19, lowered budgets, and disaffiliation and praised members and leaders for adapting to new ways of being in mission and ministry. He reminded the conference of the importance of shared giving for shared mission.
He also thanked laity for stepping up in churches without pastoral leadership as the conference faces a clergy deficit. He pledged to build relationships with seminaries and nurture a culture of calling. He spoke of educating and promoting the route of licensed local pastor and strengthening the resourcing for lay speakers and certified lay ministries.
“God is providing sufficient resources to achieve all that God is inviting us to do as United Methodists in Upper New York and worldwide through the connection,” Bishop Héctor said. “To make it happen, though, we need to be willing partners with God and align our resources to move forward with the mission and vision of our congregations and The United Methodist Church.”
Important work ahead
Acknowledging that United Methodists of Upper New York are “not of one voice” regarding the United Methodist General Conference’s removal of the bans against gay clergy and same-sex wedding ceremonies, Bishop Héctor said, “I want the fighting and harm to end, so we need to collaborate and covenant to love each other and our neighbors in healthier ways.”
“Over the summer, I intend to convene a small theologically diverse team of clergy and laity to create a resource and process to guide congregations that want to engage in deep and courageous conversations,” he continued, “not to debate or seek alignment, but to build relationships, listen to learn, and discern how they move forward as a theologically diverse connectional faith community.”
The conference will also produce a resource to help congregations “create a contextual covenant about ministry with and by LGBTQ persons so they can formalize it at their church conferences this fall,” he said.
The bishop spoke about the hope and opportunity of this time in the church and world. “We need to witness a countercultural vision of hope in a time when a spirit of individualism and intolerance is destroying the testimony of the church and the fiber of our society. We have been called for such times as this.”
He also named the importance of investing in young people. He offered the stage to Destiny Hoerbelt, a member of North Tonawanda First United Methodist Church.
“In my life I have worked in culinary, education, retail, business; there is no clear connection between where I’ve been and what I’ve done,” Hoerbelt said. “But these connections do not need to be clear to us, only to God. In the Book of Psalms chapter 119 verse 105 it is written, ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ We can walk through the darkness, through the fog, and through the confusion if we let God lead us.
“Looking to the future of the United Methodist Church in Upper New York, it is my hope that we will come together and work in unison as we share the joyful news that there is an empty tomb, and its former occupant is leading us to salvation.”
Click here to view/download the video and click here to read the transcript.
Tara Barnes is director of denominational relations for United Women in Faith and a lay equalization member from the Binghamton District.
Episcopal nominations
May 22, 2024 / By Carmen FS Vianese, Head of the UNY General & Jurisdictional Conference Delegation
The Upper New York (UNY) delegation to General and Jurisdictional Conference has completed the episcopal nomination process for 2024.
Upon the public notice back in March, inviting nominations for episcopal candidates, three esteemed elders and members in full connection were submitted to the delegation. Each nominee was notified of their nomination and prayerfully invited to discern their offering to continue the process, submitting a “summary of their call” followed by an interview with the delegation. Two of the nominees gracefully declined the nomination, while one chose to continue into the interview process with the UNY delegation.
On Thursday, May 16, 2024, the UNY delegation interviewed the candidate. After prayerful deliberation, the delegation decided not to affirm the candidate, thus, completing our process.
Furthermore, after robust conversations and mindful of the slim chance that elections are carried by the Northeastern Jurisdiction due to the significant budget reductions made to the Episcopal Fund by the General Conference and the work being done by the Inter-Jurisdictional Committee on Episcopacy to allocate bishops across jurisdictions, the UNY delegation strongly recommends that the Annual Conference session of United Methodists of the Upper New York does not endorse candidates to the Episcopacy in 2024.
The delegation thanks the Conference for your engagement in this process.
With Bishop’s help, Liverpool First burns its mortgage
May 22, 2024 / By Charles McChesney, Liverpool First United Methodist Church
It was a double celebration at Liverpool First United Methodist Church on Pentecost Sunday. Along with celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, the more than 200-year-old church celebrated paying off a mortgage it took out decades ago to enlarge and improve the church building and later refinanced to update the kitchen to commercial grade.
The celebration included a rededication of the building and the congregation to the church’s mission of making disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world. It was capped by a burning of mortgage documents.
The service was led by Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez who preached on “Come Holy Spirit, Come.” In his message he recalled that it was at Liverpool First where he was installed as Bishop in 2022. “I get chills coming into this church,” he said, adding that he hoped others did too as they came into the House of the Lord.
The service drew clergy who had served the church in the recent years, including the Rev. Dr. Russell Hall, the Rev. Penny Hart, the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Quick, and the Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens. Each offered a reflection of their time with the church and were warmly applauded in turn.
Two members of Liverpool First’s three-person clergy team, the Rev. Bill Mudge and the Rev. Susan Ranous, assisted at the service and joined the Bishop and others for the ceremonial burning of the mortgage. Judith Lieber-Butler, pastor of Apple Valley United Methodist Church, was the original signer of the mortgage and had the honor of putting the mortgage to the flame.
Addressing those standing around a firepit in the church’s backyard as Liverpool First Finance Chairman Richard Ertinger held the mortgage with a pair of tongs, the Bishop urged the church to redirect the money that had been going to the monthly mortgage payment to further expand the church’s efforts to fulfill its mission locally and globally.
Celebrating Creation with Wild Worship at Webb Mills UMC
May 21, 2024 / By Ann Wood / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
On a pleasant April 22 evening, Earth Day, the Webb Mills United Methodist Church hosted a memorable outdoor worship service beneath the shelter of a large pine tree on their church grounds. The event, dubbed “Wild Worship,” attracted members from surrounding area churches and the local community, and even captured the interest of a passerby who decided to join in.
The service was led by Pastor Corey Turnpenny and Lay Leader Marcia Focht from Church in the Wild. Together, they shared the intriguing backstory into the origins of wild worship and the establishment of Church in the Wild. Their guidance turned the worship into an interactive experience that connected attendees with God through nature. The congregation engaged in reading scriptures and poems, singing, and fellowship, all set in the tranquil outdoors. Jean Coons of Webb Mills UMC provided the musical backdrop, playing a keyboard, enhancing the ambiance.
This innovative worship service was organized by the Elmira Area Operational Team, a laity group dedicated to exploring ways to enhance ministry collaboration across the community. Throughout the year, this team of spiritual disciples from various churches developed under the guidance of Lindsay Martin, a coach with Spiritual Leadership Inc. (SLI), who introduced them to the L3 model of loving, learning, and leading. The Wild Worship was one of their first collaborative efforts aimed at creating meaningful spiritual connections and building relationships within the Elmira area.
The Wild Worship at Webb Mills UMC exemplifies how creative and inclusive worship practices can bring communities together and deepen their connection with God’s creation, making it a memorable and spiritually enriching for all who participated.
Brown Memorial UMC engages community while sharing God’s love
May 20, 2024 / By Judy Graigmile / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In 2021, Brown Memorial UMC received a Peace with Justice grant. This grant, along with church congregant donations, allowed the church to continue Loads of Love Laundry Mission, which offers free laundry washing and drying the last Monday of every month at the Canal View Laundromat in Phoenix, NY. The church provides laundry detergent, dryer sheets, coins to operate the machines, and new 30-gallon garbage bags (for cleaned laundry) to families and individuals who, for financial reasons, wish to participate in this mission. Families can do up to five loads of laundry free and individuals up to three free loads of laundry per gathering. We offer assistance with moving and folding laundry, if desired. We engage with the mission patrons and their children through conversation, prayer, a kids’ craft, and a beverage and snack at each gathering. We offer free local transportation to/from the laundromat to anyone who needs it. 
During the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020-Fall 2022), we did not meet in-person at the laundromat. Instead, we delivered Loads of Love Laundry Packets to each patron allowing them to select the safest time to do their laundry with social distancing in mind. These packets included all the laundry supplies and coins for the machines, a child’s snack, and a brief devotional with a prayer.
The relationships built through the Loads of Love Laundry Mission with patrons and their children led to some families and individuals attending our church, having their children baptized, and attending youth Sunday School. We also developed friendships of trust and caring which expanded into a two-way sharing of ideas and resources as well as our church assisting patrons with free clothing, outer wear, footwear, furniture, transportation to medical and other appointments, helping complete and/or fax important paperwork, meals, groceries, and a few times help with paying rent. We continue in this regard.
The Peace with Justice grant also allowed us to serve local residents a healthy, low-cost meal and beverage at Music in the Park, a weekly free public music event at Henley Park in nearby Phoenix. Local residents of limited income, as well as others, were able to enjoy a hot and delicious meatball sub meal at a very low cost. Those who bought the meal were delighted, expressing that it was a nice change from hot dogs and hamburgers, and that it was plentiful for the price.
Our goal was to engage with local residents in a relevant way that allowed us to share Christ’s love and upcoming church events while helping all to have access to a low-cost meal. There were lots of conversations and smiles shared as we served the attendees. Organizations in our community are asked to provide at least one meal during this summer music series. We were able to do this with the grant funds helping to offset the meal costs.
And it didn’t stop there. With the help of the grant funds, we were also able to provide a hot healthy “to-go” meal & beverage at Brown Memorial UMC to their congregants and area neighbors, some homeless or dealing with food scarcity. The meals went quickly, and the church congregants were very appreciative and supportive of our assistance in providing a meal to those in need and sharing in offering Christ’s love with them. Some of our Sunday School youth participated in the meal serving and found it very enjoyable and plan to do this mission again in early 2024.
To apply for a Peace with Justice Grant, click here and to give to this Special Sunday to benefit a local Upper New York church, donate here.
New York State Legislative Updates: Paid Prenatal Leave, Paid Breast Milk Expression Time, and Continuation of Paid COVID-19 Sick Leave until mid-2025
May 20, 2024 / By Tracy Rickett, UNY Human Resources Generalist / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
As part of the NYS Budget Bill process, there are three legislative updates which were approved. The details for each one are listed below. If you have any questions on these legislative updates, please contact Tracy Rickett, HR Generalist, at tracyrickett@unyumc.org or 315-898-2017.
Paid Prenatal Leave
New York becomes the first state to mandate paid prenatal leave requiring employers to provide pregnant employees with 20 hours of paid prenatal leave during any 52-week calendar period. This mandate is an amendment to Labor Law § 196-b and is in addition to the state’s existing mandatory paid sick leave. The leave can be used for “physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with a health care provider related to the pregnancy,” and can be taken in hourly increments. The paid prenatal leave requirement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025, and only applies to private sector employers.
Paid Breaks for Breast Milk Expression
The final law amends Labor Law § 206-c and requires all private and public sector employers to provide 30 minutes of paid break time and allow employees to use other paid break or mealtime for time in excess of 30 minutes “each time such employee has reasonable need to express breast milk.” Given the “each time” language, it is conceivable an employee would be entitled to multiple paid breaks during a workday for this purpose. The paid breast milk expression mandate begins on June 19, 2024.
Paid COVID-19 Sick Leave
The budget bill repeals the Paid COVID-19 Sick Leave requirement—but not until next year. Paid COVID-19 Sick Leave continues to be the law of New York State until July 31, 2025.
Statement from the Council of Bishops clarifying the status of The United Methodist Church’s relationship with The Global Methodist Church
May 15, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: This letter was published by The United Methodist Council of Bishops on May 14, 2024 and shared with United Methodists of Upper New York.
“Make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together.” (Ephesians 4:3 CEB)
Holding Scripture’s call for Christian unity before us, we lament that some have chosen to leave The United Methodist Church. At the same time, we must clarify that the Global Methodist Church has no official relationship with The United Methodist Church and has not been endorsed by any of its official bodies. There has been no request for such a relationship and, as such, there is no communication taking place to negotiate a common understanding of our two bodies.
In a strong commitment to ecumenism and in order to fulfill our mandate to be the body of Christ, The United Methodist Church offers processes for establishing full communion relationships with other Christian denominations. In our United Methodist Book of Discipline, ¶431.1 states that a formal “full communion” relationship is one that exists between two or more Christian churches that:
- recognize each other as constituent members of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, the body of Christ, as described in the Holy Scriptures and confessed in the church’s historic creeds;
- recognize the authenticity of each other’s sacraments and welcome one another to partake in the Eucharist,
- affirm the authenticity of each church’s Christian ministry, and
- recognize the validity of each other’s offices of ministry.
This commitment is a beacon of hope, signaling our optimism for future relationships. However, at the heart of such relationships is a mutual recognition that each denomination is a faithful expression of ministry in the name of Jesus Christ, bearing the marks of one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
The mission of the church to make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ is enhanced when various bodies of Christ collaborate in a mutual ministry of grace and respect. Likewise, the mission of the church is harmed by the denigration of one body at the expense of another. To that end, we call upon the members of the Global Methodist Church to formally recognize The United Methodist Church as an authentic and valid denomination and to cease all efforts to coerce members of The United Methodist Church to join their fellowship. Likewise, we commit ourselves to the same standard of respect and grace.
We believe that the ministry of Christian discipleship requires us to be co-laborers who work together in the name of Christ Jesus our Lord “until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.” In order to maintain the integrity of this mandate, we cannot in good conscience enter the mission field with the members of the Global Methodist Church until there is a clear understanding of this mutual recognition. We pray that we may do so with a spirit of charity even as we expect it from others.
As our Book of Discipline states, “All United Methodists are summoned and sent by Christ to live and work together in mutual interdependence and to be guided by the Spirit into the truth that frees and the love that reconciles.” In that spirit, we remain open and hopeful for future conversations with the Global Methodist Church that might lead to reconciliation and healing. This openness is a testament to our commitment to unity and peace. This will not happen with words and actions that undermine and disparage one another.
Even as we call for this spirit of mutual recognition from the leadership of the Global Methodist Church, we earnestly pray that God will help us to lead The United Methodist Church in working to fulfill Christ’s own prayer that someday, all who believe in Him will live in unity and peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, may it be so. Amen.
Rome First UMC builds relationships while providing services to those in need
May 7, 2024 / By Pastor Sherry Mahar, Rome First UMC / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
In November 2022, Rome First UMC received a grant from Peace with Justice which was used to support our Five Loaves Ministry and launch Saturday’s Bounty. The Five Loaves Ministry provides boxes of food for people in need; those in poverty, disabled veterans, and the elderly. We seek to impact everyone physically by feeding their hunger and spiritually by offering prayer, Scripture, and a greeting from a friendly person of faith.
Saturday’s Bounty is a food ministry that provides a weekly hot meal at the church for those in need throughout the community. In addition to the meal, we build relationships with those that come through with time spent in fellowship, engaging in conversation, and offering prayer for those who want it. 
Positive outcomes from these ministries have allowed us the ability to build relationships as we share God's love with the people who come to Five Loaves and Saturday’s Bounty. Another has been presenting the opportunity to plant seeds by sharing our faith, offering prayer, and inviting people to attend church and church sponsored events and activities. Several have responded and one young woman, Jennifer, recently joined the church. She was homeless, jobless, and struggling with addiction when we met her.
Jennifer recently shared her testimony. “Over the past few years, I had been living in despair. The lowest I thought I could get. However, things did get worse. One Thursday around noon, I saw a table with fruit and water being given out as part of a program called Worship Without Walls. That was the first time I met Pastor Sherry and a few others of the congregation. When I came over, I started talking with Pastor Sherry and she offered to pray for me. She prayed a sincere prayer for me and invited me to attend service on Sunday. I did not go. My lifestyle didn’t blend well with church. However, I did need Jesus and God in my life desperately. A few months later, I saw the Worship Without Walls and Pastor Sherry again. They were handing out socks and some other toiletries which I did need. Pastor Sherry prayed for me again about the negative situation I was in.”
“Shortly after her prayer, the place I was staying in was sold and the new owner gave me less than 24 hours to move out. The owner promised to put my stuff into a storage unit, but that did not happen when she realized it would cost her more. I then had less than an hour to come up with the money to pay for the storage unit. As you might guess, I couldn’t do that. Some of the stuff went to the dump, including things my deceased mother had given me, which reduced me to tears. She also said she would hold on to some of my things, especially a suitcase filled with special pictures and mementos of my mom, and other important paperwork. About a month later I found out it had all been thrown out by someone else. Yet again, I broke down. That was the end of October when I officially became homeless. I couch surfed at different people’s houses for a few nights each. I soon ran out of places to stay.
“In December I went into rehab to get clean and build a better life. It actually did work for me. Shortly after I came back from rehab, I saw that Worship Without Walls was in their usual spot. I went hoping Pastor Sherry would be there. She wasn’t this time. The people that were there gave out toiletries and fruit and they invited me to Saturday’s Bounty at the church for lunch. Being that I was homeless, I was pretty hungry, so when Saturday came, I went for lunch. As lunch was going on, one of the church members made a huge box of food for me. It was awesome, especially since I needed to stay with a friend again, surfing couches. I was so appreciative of the food box, not only for me, but I also had something to share with the people letting me stay with them.
“As I talked to the people at Saturday’s Bounty, I was again invited to attend church on Sunday. Because of all the help they’d offered and how much they’d helped me over those months, I really couldn’t say no. I showed up on Sunday. It was Easter Sunday. I sat with the one person I met at Saturday’s Bounty along with his wife. Pastor Sherry looked at me throughout the service. At the end of it, she came over and gave me a big hug and told me she was happy to see me. She even remembered my name. These outreach programs and the church have not only helped me, but they brought Jesus and God back into my life. I’m not only grateful, but Pastor Sherry’s prayers were answered and I am now clean and stable and much happier. I’m no longer in despair. I’m now glad, not mad, to wake up every morning. I now have hope.”
Other positive outcomes from the ministries have been that several people who received food, words of encouragement, and love have come full circle to help both Five Loaves and Saturday’s Bounty grow- reaching and touching more lives. Serving together, they have even become a form of church. We have been learning as we grow and continue to learn as we move forward. One of the learning curves was getting the word out about Saturday’s Bounty.
Our advertising was not getting to the vast homeless population, most of whom do not have cell phones, internet, are not on Facebook nor do they read the paper. Posters were posted around as well, yet it was a challenge reaching people. We have found that for most of the people needing the information, they have been reached most by word of mouth along with a reminder flyer with the details. Getting the word out this way showed the size of the homeless situation in our area. In response, we have been collecting camping equipment and other items and bringing it all to the homeless community, along with food and an invitation to the meal. Another challenge has been learning how to talk to people who are either under the influence of drugs or alcohol or are struggling with mental illness. We continue to learn and grow.
To apply for a Peace with Justice Grant, click here and to give to this Special Sunday to benefit a local Upper New York church, donate here.
Community working together to care for one another
May 7, 2024 / By LeAnn Childs, Westfield First UMC
I knew nothing about the commitment of the Westfield community to helping those less fortunate when I started working as the Administrative Assistant at the First United Methodist Church of Westfield (FUMC Westfield) in 2011.
Part of my job was checking in food pantry clients. Since my husband is a pastor, I have been in many churches and lived in different communities and have heard about different needs and have made donations. I have never actually gotten to know those that that needed the help.
Through my work, I have gotten to know these individuals and families on a personal level. I have worked with them to get as much help as possible, been there to support and cheer them on as their families changed, grew and shifted.
The FUMC Westfield has hosted the Westfield Community Food Pantry for over 25 years. This has been an area wide endeavor and relies on help from the community and FeedMore of WNY, an independent, nonprofit organization that’s part of Feeding America and Meals on Wheels America. The community has stepped up to help this be a thriving and much needed and appreciated program in the Westfield-area in the Cornerstone District of the Upper New York Conference.
In 2023, the food pantry logged in well over 700 hours in volunteer time from food ordering, food deliveries, packing food, check-ins, food distribution, and paperwork. Volunteers come from all over the village and surrounding areas. Together, we served over 650 families, averaging about 56 families a month. We served 1525 individuals, averaging 127 per month. We provided 13,725 meals, averaging 1144 meals per month.
We have received donations from every church in Westfield at least twice a year. We received food donations from individuals and organizations, including some special treats from local Girl Scout troops. We received monetary donations as memorials, in honor of someone's birthday and “just because” donations. Our Reverse Advent, which is sponsored by FUMC Westfield, brought in over 750 items!
The nice part about Reverse Advent is that people will gift the food pantry an item every day of the Advent season that are needed to help fill the food pantry shelves. We have added a bonus day for December 25 and encourage people to bring items for Mary and/or baby Jesus.
Over time, we discovered there were needs that were not being met with the food pantry, including cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products. These are items most of us take granted. With the help of the Westfield Ministerium (made up of clergy from the village of Westfield), we were able to gift families with a cleaning bucket filled with items like dish soap, laundry detergent, a dish cloth, household cleaner, bar soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and much more. This started as a one-time thing but it was needed and very well received, we began to explore options that would allow us to give these items out more frequently. We have been fortunate that many individuals, churches, and organizations have helped us be able to offer these items multiple times a year. This project has turned into our “Blue Bag Fund.”
About six years ago, we discovered that many households did not have the funds for menstrual products and baby care items. We started what is known as our “Pink Envelope Fund.” This fund is used to provide diapers, wipes, formula, menstrual pads, tampons, menstrual cups, and incontinence products. With the generosity of the Westfield Community, we can offer these products for free to those in need in the Westfield area year-round.
If you ask me about Westfield, I would tell you that there are many individuals, organizations, and churches that truly care about all individuals in the community. There are many opportunities to help others and many organizations that do help out - just ask anyone in town about Union Relief and the Women of Westfield to name a few. I know that each community has opportunities out there to help others.
I know that when you take the opportunity to reach out to give, you get back so much more than you ever give. Opportunities can be something small that others won’t notice, but if it comes from your heart, you will be blessed. I know I have been blessed when receiving something as small as a heartfelt smile.
If you feel led to contribute or would like more information, please feel free to contact the church at (716) 326-3243 or email us at westmeth@fairpoint.net. To access our website, click here or click one of the links below to see our Amazon wish lists:
You can also consider donating in your local area. Take time today to be a blessing to others.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: Recapping General Conference
May 3, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor's note: The following video and transcipt was sent to United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on May 3, 2024 following the adjournment of the postponed 2020 General Conference, held April 23-May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Click here to download and print the transcript and click here to download the video.
NOTE TO APPOINTED CLERGY: Bishop Burgos strongly encourages clergy to share this video in their congregations during worship and in any other media platform available to the congregation(s) they serve.
The postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church met from April 23 until May 3, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clergy and lay delegates from our worldwide United Methodist connection gathered for ten days to worship, receive reports, celebrate life-changing ministries, commission new missionaries, consider legislation and resolutions on various mission-critical subjects, and to organize the life of our denomination for the next four years.
This General Conference is a pivotal moment in the history of our beloved denomination, marked by significant decisions that will shape our future together as United Methodists for generations. The movement of the Holy Spirit was evident throughout the past two weeks. A genuine spirit of collaboration, consensus, and hope permeated the legislative committees and plenaries, fostering a new sense of unity amid our rich diversity.
I am grateful for the delegation from the Upper New York Conference. They served us faithfully, modeled grace and collaboration amongst themselves and the other delegates, and embodied the love of God with joy, even during long working days that included many complex and difficult conversations.
In this recap video, I will briefly highlight five significant decisions made during the postponed 2020 General Conference.
The General Conference approved legislation, including changes to our constitution, that enables a regional structure in The United Methodist Church. Regionalization will allow us to continue being a worldwide movement AND permit ministry to happen more contextually, indigenously, and with equity throughout the different regions where we do ministry. The approved legislation on regionalization will now go before all Annual Conferences around our worldwide connection for a vote to ratify this decision before it can be implemented. Upper New York will have the ratifying vote in 2025.
Revised Social Principles
The General Conference also approved a revised version of our social principles. While these principles aren't considered church law, they represent the United Methodist response to our time's most pressing social issues based on our shared Wesleyan heritage and emphasis on social holiness. The review process took eight years and involved over four thousand people worldwide. The revised social principles are less US-centric, less prescriptive, and more guiding. They aim to address issues that impact the global community, with regional bodies focusing on concerns specific to their respective missional contexts from now on.
Removal of the Exclusionary Language against the LGBTQ community.
In a historic vote, the General Conference decided to remove the exclusionary language that was inserted in our Book of Discipline 52 years ago, against LGBTQ persons. This decision was supported by 93% of the delegates.
The body also approved legislation that prevents district superintendents and bishops from penalizing pastors and churches that perform or allow a same-gender wedding on church property. The same petition also includes protections that prevent punishment if a pastor or church chooses not to perform or allow a same-gender wedding on church property.
Unfortunately, already, irresponsible voices from outside the UMC are trying to confuse our people and churches in Upper New York, telling them that because of these decisions, they will be forced to act in ways that are not aligned with their beliefs on this matter. Let me be very clear—that is not true. Currently, clergy determine who they marry or not, and congregations choose how to use their buildings for ministry. That will continue to be the case. The General Conference removed all restrictions in the Book of Discipline and trusted clergy and congregations to follow their beliefs about ministry with and by LGBTQ persons.
Some might wonder what removing the restrictive language means for our shared ministry as United Methodists in Upper New York. As we move forward, the cabinet and I will continue:
- seeing and welcoming all people and inviting them to experience the love of Christ in their lives.
- celebrating our rich diversity as a precious gift from God.
- consulting with clergy and pastor-parish relations committees to discern the best missional appointment that honors the congregation and the pastor, and,
- promoting a vision of missional unity that transcends our differences and reflects the all-inclusive grace of Christ.
Reduced Missional Budget
After a robust discussion, the General Conference established a new base rate for the apportionment formula, which will come into effect in 2025. The rate will be reduced from 3.29% to 2.6%. However, if the apportionment collection rate reaches 90% or higher in those years, the base rate will increase to 2.9% for 2027 and 2028.
The reduced budget prioritizes the ministries of local churches and annual conferences and considers our new ministry context after years of reduced membership, COVID-19, and disaffiliations. The bottom line of this decision is that the annual conferences in the US will pay lower apportionments to the general church. This also means that denomination-wide ministries that rely on those apportionments, including our general agencies and episcopal leadership, will be budgeted with this reduction in mind, triggering significant reductions in agency ministry budgets and changes in episcopal assignments.
In June, the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference will make decisions on episcopal assignments considering the missional budget approved by the General Conference.
New Clergy Retirement Plan
The General Conference approved a new retirement plan for United Methodist clergy in the U.S. The plan, called Compass, was conceived and supported by Wespath, the denomination’s pension and benefits agency, to secure a sustainable approach to supporting retired clergy.
Compass is expected to be less costly than the CRSP; and it will not generate additional long-term liabilities for annual conferences, many of which have been hard hit by the disaffiliations of local churches. With Compass, clergy will have retirement accounts that they control. They will be encouraged to contribute 4% of their salary to receive the full matching contribution from the church. Compass also will provide matching contributions to help clergy pay off student loans. The shift towards the Compass Plan, will not change benefits for clergy who are already retired. In addition, all benefits accrued in the current plan by active clergy, will be available to them at the time of retirement.
In the coming months, we will provide detailed information to all clergy on the new retirement plan. We will also continue working towards compensation equity for our clergy in ways that are sustainable in the long term.
Moving Forward
In the coming days, weeks, and months, I will collaborate with The Council of Bishops and our conference leadership to provide you with more information about all that happened in Charlotte including the good news on new sacramental privileges for deacons, a revised book of resolutions and many other things; to help us better understand the general conference's outcomes and how we will move forward together.
As we celebrate the monumental progress made by the General Conference, let's do so humbly, mindful that some among us may be frustrated with some of the decisions made by the delegates on behalf of the church and uncertain about the future.
To my LGBTQ siblings, on behalf of the church, again, I ask for your forgiveness for the ways the church have sinned against you with words and exclusionary actions. I look forward to continuing to journey alongside you in this new season. Please know that I remain committed to continue working for a United Methodist Church, where not only our polity, but also all hearts are changed so that all persons are truly welcomed and allow to live to their full God-given potential.
I pray that the spirit of unity and collaboration experienced in Charlotte and the outcomes of this General Conference begin to bring healing to our denomination after years of disagreements and divisions. I urge all United Methodists in Upper New York to stay committed to doing no harm, doing good, and growing together in our understanding, experiences, and outward expressions of God's love.
I have never been more excited to be a United Methodist. We are moving forward with a vision of being a Spirit-led worldwide movement that is:
- Thriving and united in transforming the world by nurturing disciples of Jesus Christ who share God’s love, compassion, and justice every day and everywhere.
- Spiritually vibrant and counter-culturally relevant.
- Committed to personal and social holiness, celebrating its rich diversity as a gift from God.
- A multi-generational network of faith communities that embrace all people as beloved children of God and allow them to live to their full God-given potential.
- A mission-driven organization that is agile, creative, and resilient, and while global in nature and impact, it is local and contextual in its ministry to reach as many people as possible with the good news of Jesus Christ.
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed from God:
“Forget what happened long ago! Don't think too much about the past. I am creating something new. There it is! Do you see it? I have put roads in deserts, streams in thirsty lands.”
Guided by the Holy Spirit, together, we are moving forward to God’s future with joy and hope. I thank you for who you are and for the countless ways you are making the grace of Christ visible and tangible in your communities. Continue living the gospel and being God’s love with your neighbors in all places – that’s how the world is transformed.
Now, may the love of God protect our hearts. The grace of Christ strengthen our faith and hope, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit continue to lead us forward.
Amen.
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
UNY shares observations from General Conference
April 30, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
United Methodists for all over the world are gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina from April 23-May 3 for the General Conference of The United Methodist Church. Elected clergy and laity delegates from 133 annual conferences, including delegates from Africa, Europe, and the Philippines, normally meet once every four years, but that wasn’t possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which postponed the top policy-making body of The UMC three times.
There are several representatives from Upper New York at General Conference, including ten delegates, reserve delegates, and volunteers. Ian Urriola is serving as a lay delegate 
and describes the atmosphere as Spirit-filled.
“My sense of the overall spirit throughout legislative committee rooms last week is that this is a General Conference unlike any other. This is a General Conference that harkens back to the early, Spirit-fueled days of traditional Methodism. Hard, difficult questions were wrestled with in legislative committees, of course, but we were able to have them with a heart of peace rather than a heart of war. I'm seeing strong relationships being formed by delegates that transcend borders that, with God's help, will continue to blossom long after we leave Charlotte. The new, faith-filled dawn of United Methodism is palpable as it just begins to break on the horizon."
The Rev. Carlos M. Rosa-Laguer, Cornerstone and Niagara Frontier District Superintendent, is also in Charlotte serving as a clergy reserve delegate. This is his first time attending General Conference.
"The cultural diversity I anticipated truly comes alive in the atmosphere. The clothing, hairstyles, and expressions of both face and body all seem to offer a glimpse of heaven—it feels like experiencing a daily, continuous Pentecost. The preaching and worship resemble an orchestra that has prepared for four years, fine-tuning every rehearsal to deliver each piece of music with finesse. On socio-political matters, it's clear that decisions have been made which demonstrate to the global community that The United Methodist Church is ready to be a conduit of God's grace—a necessity we, as humanity, urgently and desperately need in this complex, globalized era.”
The Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell, Binghamton and Oneonta District Superintendent, and the Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood, Crossroads and Finger Lakes District Superintendent, are both volunteering as marshals at General Conference. Read all about their roles at General Conference here. This is the fourth time Rev. Kolvik-Campbell has served as a marshal.
“The mood so far is good and the spirit is that we are working together. We are grappling with finances and seeking the new that God is calling us. And being a Methonerd is now a thing,” explained Rev. Kolvik-Campbell.
Rev. Dr. Rood attended General Conference in 2019 as a volunteer to support the Upper New York delegation. She describes this as an exciting time.
“I am always amazed by the diversity that exists in the UMC. In the plenary and legislative committee rooms there are interpreters so everyone can understand what is being said in real time. The interpreters speak French, German, Spanish Kiswahili, Portuguese, Korean, Tagalog, Russian and English. Walking down the hallway as people move to a meeting or meal is like a taste of Pentecost. Each person, many in clothing from their culture, speaking in their own language is an awesome experience. I have been blessed to talk with someone I met in the Holy Land and to renew friendships from around the connection. We are a big church doing big things!”
You can watch the daily live stream of General Conference by clicking here. The General Conference is highest legislative body of The United Methodist Church and holds the power to revise The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions, while also initiating amendments to the denomination’s constitution.
Celebrating 200 years of Ministry at Penn Yan United Methodist Church
April 23, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Penn Yan United Methodist Church celebrated its 200th anniversary recently. The birthday bash began on Saturday, April 20 with a concert featuring the musical ensembles of the church: praise band, sanctuary choir, bell choir, organ solos, and trumpet duets. The anniversary festivities continued with a dessert reception, fellowship, and history displays after the concert.
A unified celebration worship service was held on the following day. Sunday’s worship theme was “Love Grows Here” as the congregation looked back at the last 200 years of ministry. “Two hundred years. Think about what was happening two hundred years ago. Penn Yan was only one year old when this church was formed,” mentioned Penn Yan’s pastor, the Rev. Kristen Allen in an opening statement. Rev. Allen then went on to share a video message from Upper New York Area Resident Bishop, Héctor A. Burgos Núñez. In the video, Bishop Héctor thanked the congregation for their many years of witness, mission, and ministry. “As you remember your past, as you celebrate your present, and as you look into the future, I pray that you continue making this fellowship your spiritual home and that you extravagantly continue inviting and welcoming your neighbors so that all can experience the healing love of Christ in their lives.”
The anniversary worship service featured special guests including former pastors, including the Rev. Wayne Butler and his wife Molly Butler, the Rev. Bradford Hunt, the Rev. Jeff Childs and his wife the Rev. Dr. Robin Blair, and former Associate Pastor Adrienne Russell. Also in attendance were Dorothy Williams, wife of the former pastor the late Rev. Gordon Williams, Pastor Tom Wunder and his wife Anne Wunder who were former members of this church before Tom became a pastor, and District Superintendent the Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood and her husband Dr. Bob Rood.
Penn Yan UMC’s church historian, Jan Hafner, shared 200 years of history in two minutes. “We have had our home in three different church buildings, the one we’re in is the third one, survived a major split before the Civil War over the issue of slavery...we’ve had 56 different pastors.” Hafner goes on to thank and praise God for “keeping us strong for 200 years.”
The congregation then celebrated a first in Penn Yan UMC’s 200 years: the very first Deaconess from the congregation. Connie Glover will be consecrated as a Deaconess at the 2024 General Conference Session. Not only is she the first woman, but she is also the first woman of color to be a Deaconess from Penn Yan UMC. Rev. Allen explained the ministry of Deaconesses and Home Missioners and offered a special prayer of blessing over Connie. “They answer the call to make Jesus Christ known by obeying his command to alleviate suffering, irradicate causes of injustice and all that robs life of dignity and worth, facilitate the development of full human potential. Anyone who knows Connie knows that her life exemplifies this call.”
The anniversary celebration continued with Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood as she preached the sermon “Rooted and Grounded” on theme of Penn Yan UMC’s celebration weekend, Ephesians 3:17 - “Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”
The celebration concluded with the closing song “And All the People Said Amen” which the Sunday School children learned the sign language for and signed to it as the congregation sang.
After worship, there was a reception with appetizers and history displays followed by a celebration dinner in the church’s fellowship hall, with speeches from the former pastors and spouses.
Commentary: A Future of Hope for Palestine-Israel?
April 22, 2024 / By Rev. Gary E. Doupe / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Rev. Gary E. Doupe is a retired Upper New York elder and wrote the following reflection on behalf of the Upper New York Task Force for Peace with Justice in Palestine-Israel.
Since retiring from full-time pastoral work, I’ve been part of our UNY Conference Task Force on Peace with Justice in Palestine-Israel. In 2012 I traveled to the West Bank, Israel, Jerusalem, and Gaza with a group known then as “Interfaith Peace-Builders” (now called “Eyewitness Palestine” (EP)). I cannot commend its leadership and work highly enough. If you’re interested in seeing for yourself, I encourage you to consider a trip with EP or another responsible group who will introduce you to both Israelis and Palestinians. You would want to hear from people actively engaged in building relationships and foundations for a just and lasting peace. The New York State Council of Churches is preparing such a trip for this coming fall. Contact the Council directly or email me at gary@doupe.com if you’re interested.
Over the last couple of decades, I have read widely, engaged with deeply-rooted and knowledgeable people, experienced the Holy Land, visited its homes, and searched my heart. I can imagine only one way for there to be justice among all who feel deeply connected to the Holy Land: that they welcome one another as partners in a democratic, unitary state. You and I have no mandate to create such an outcome. We of the United States have no special wisdom or position to do so. The money we’ve invested in the governments of Israel and Palestine does not give us that power, even if we should think it does.
Though the Arabic and Hebrew languages emerged from a common root (making these two Semitic peoples in a real sense “cousins”), we know that a family tree does not guarantee family-feeling. Holy Land conflict is not about religion, as some may assume, but rather a dispute over land and power. Palestinian Christians and Muslims manifest no conflict or ill feeling toward each other, and get along well. All Palestinians were concerned when farms, homes, and land were taken by Jewish immigrants.
Jewish people driven from their Palestinian homes by Romans, almost 2000 years ago, had created a Jewish culture in Europe. They settled in many places, but their greatest challenge was the anti-Jewish attitudes of so-called “Christian” peoples and nations. In Spain, Jews were expected to adopt Christianity, and when they refused, the inquisition condemned many to torture and death. Escaping Spain, Jews were welcomed in Muslim countries, but not so much among Christians. In the wake of the 16th century Protestant Reformation, Luther and other Protestant leaders interpreted the Gospel of John as indicting Jews for the crucifixion of Jesus. While in some places Jews blended into European culture, oftentimes they kept Jewish traditions alive in small communities or ghettos. Barely tolerated in some places, in others Jews won respect as professionals, businessmen, and intellectuals. Yet anti-Jewish attitudes surfaced and resurfaced, and when “Master Race” (Aryan culture) theories were developed by the German Nazi Party in the 1930s, Jews were subjected to expulsion, imprisonment, and mass murder in death camps—a policy later described as the “Holocaust.” Some six million Jews died, victims in no small measure of a malignant, distorted theology, where self-identified “Christians” substituted for the love of Christ a hatred for Jews.
The Holocaust was, in other words, a hideous blasphemy by an offspring of “Western Christian” culture which knew too little of Christ.
At the end of WW II, guilt-ridden governments: English, French, American and others, responded to the Holocaust with the help of the newly formed United Nations, by partitioning Palestine into Jewish and Arab sectors. They would solve the “Jewish problem” by shuffling Jews into a country “all their own” (thereby reducing Jewish presence in Europe and America). Some justified that unilateral decision of November 1947 by reference to a shallow slogan: “A land without people for people without a land.” The slogan was bogus. Palestine had been occupied and farmed, by mostly-Arab people, for centuries. Far from being empty, it was populated, prodigiously productive, and peaceful. An increasing minority of Jews lived and worked alongside their Arab-majority neighbors.
Some Jews in the U.S. asked leaders of the Jewish state (self-proclaimed in May 1948) to be attentive to the just needs of Palestinian Arab families driven out when Jewish para-military groups—Haganah and Irgun—took possession of their farms and homes. More than a hundred Palestinian villages were eliminated by such groups. After a slaughter of villagers in Deir Yassin, many Palestinians fled for their lives, and afterward were barred by Israel from returning home—in direct violation of international law. When U.S. Jewish critics voiced concern, Israeli officials worked to silence their voices.
Don Peretz, who taught Middle East Studies for many years at Binghamton University, was one of those voices(1). I was fortunate to become a friend of Don (born of two Jewish parents, his father born in Jerusalem) and eventually to learn that Don had volunteered to work with Quakers in the resettlement of Holy Land families after WW II. His Ph.D. dissertation (Columbia University) was the first ever to explore the plight of Palestinian refugees after Israel’s declaration of statehood. Don knew at first hand the “Nakba”—the catastrophe—suffered by Palestinians and did not want their suffering to continue.
Once I commented to Don that there seemed to be no “solution” to the conflict. He replied, “Well, there are lots of solutions. But people must be willing to take them.”
It is anyone’s guess how a process may unfold that will build sufficient trust for peace and hope to prevail. I do not believe that for our country to continue spending several billions of dollars each year to arm the Israeli Defense Force, to continue a policy of separation and mutual resentment, will accomplish that goal.
I know this. When I visited apartheid South Africa in 1978, I never imagined I’d live to see the end of that apartheid system. Yet apartheid was replaced with universal suffrage in 1994. South Africa is still segregated in fact, but it no longer lives under separation laws, and is working toward justice. On hopeful days, I say the same for my land: we are working toward justice! To say we live in “United States” is an act of faith—just by stating our name!
[1]The story of Don Peretz and other Jewish voices of conscience is detailed in a recent book by Geoffrey Levin: Our Palestine Question, published 2023 by Yale University Press.
Three UNY churches awarded grant money
April 19, 2024 / By Dr. Blenda Smith, CONAM Treasurer / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) wants to thank the Upper New York churches that support Native American Ministries Sunday (NAMS) each year. This year, the Special Sunday was held on April 14.
Upper New York has three Native American Methodist Churches within our Conference boundaries, including
- Four Corners UMC (south of Buffalo)
- Onondaga Nation UMC (south of Syracuse)
- Hogansburg UMC (northeast of Watertown & near the Canada/U.S. border)
Due to the generosity of others from past NAMS Special Sunday collections, CONAM paid part of that giving forward and awarded all three of these churches $3,000 in grant money. Each grant is intended to supplement heat, utility, and other bills incurred by the churches.
Other grant opportunities are available because of this Special Sunday, but are earmarked only for Native American missions, ministries, and communities to support native churches, community outreach, leadership training, education, and cultural survival projects. Click here to read the full grant proposal, including the background, purpose, application procedure, review, and approval. Click here for a grant application along with instructions for submission. There is no deadline for submission.
Each year, there are six scheduled Special Sunday churchwide offerings:
- Human Relations Day (Sunday before the observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday)
- UMCOR Sunday (fourth Sunday in Lent)
- Native American Ministries Sunday (third Sunday of Easter)
- Peace with Justice Sunday (first Sunday after Pentecost)
- World Communion Sunday (first Sunday in October)
- United Methodist Student Day (last Sunday in November)
Click here to donate to NAMS or any other Special Sunday.
Serving at General Conference
April 17, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Their bags are packed and they’re ready to go. The Rev. Dr. Sherri Rood, District Superintendent of the Crossroads and Finger Lakes Districts, along with the Rev. Bob Kolvik-Campbell, District Superintendent of the Binghamton and Oneonta Districts, are off to General Conference (GC) in Charlotte, NC. They aren’t serving as clergy delegates, but in the role of marshals, representing Upper New York.
This is the fourth time Rev. Kolvik-Campbell has served as a marshal; first in 2008 in Fort Worth, Texas, again in 2016 in Portland, Oregon, and then at the Special Session to General Conference in 2019, held in St. Louis, Missouri. This will be Rev. Dr. Rood’s first time serving in this role.
“No, we don’t wear silver badges. We are not the law. Our goal is to assist the General Conference in abiding by its rules so that the work of The United Methodist Church can be accomplished for the good of the mission and ministry to the people called United Methodists worldwide,” said Rev. Kolvik-Campbell.
“I attended GC 2019 as a guest to support our Upper New York delegation. We made sure they had good coffee, snacks, and little things like chapstick and tissues. We wanted to make sure they felt God’s love in tangible ways as well as our appreciation. The delegates’ days are long and physically and emotionally demanding. This year I look forward to serving all the delegates, bishops, and other staff as they do important work on our behalf,” said Rev. Dr. Rood.
General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church and security during the two-week gathering is of utmost importance. The Commission on the General Conference of The United Methodist Church relies on volunteers to help enforce strict security measures. All volunteers must apply in advance and are not compensated for their work. Most volunteers work a seven-hour shift daily.
“We’re all in this together. We need to work together in a variety of roles, so that we may hear God’s call and faithfully move forward as United Methodists,” said Rev. Dr. Rood.
Marshals serve several important roles at General Conference, including helping manage the visitor and reserved seating areas and ensuring that only authorized individuals access certain conference sections.
“Some days we will be checking name tags making sure people are in the right place, and on other days we will help the press get to where they need to in the arena. We will be there for legislative committee sessions the first week and the general plenary sessions the second week. On these days, we will have duties assisting with getting people to meals while assisting staff, bishops, and others while filling in gaps where something needs to happen,” explained Rev. Kolvik-Campbell.
United Methodists of Upper New York are encouraged to pray for everyone serving at General Conference. Pray for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the delegates not only serving Upper New York, but for the delegates from each Conference around the world.
“The Body of Christ is coming together for worship, prayer, conversation, debate, and discernment. I still pray for people from around the world that I met at GC 2012. We have so many diverse gifts and experiences. When we do this work well, we build relationships across the connection and demonstrate what it means to be a follower of Jesus,” said Rev. Dr. Rood.
“What we do, we do for the good of the whole church. We choose this role so that the church can work at its best,” said Rev. Kolvik-Campbell.
General Conference meets on a quadrennial basis and was originally scheduled for 2020, but has been postponed three times due to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here or press play below to watch a video message from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez about the significance of this year’s gathering, and how, regardless of the outcome, United Methodists of Upper New York should remain focused on loving God, one another, and our neighbors.
Travel with UNY to Africa University in 2025
April 16, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Registration is open for an opportunity to travel to Africa University (AU) in Mutare, Zimbabwe, from Feb. 12-21, 2025. Join Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez, Dr. Roger and Mrs. Claudia Ellis, and others from Upper New York (UNY) on a trip to visit and stay on the AU campus, meet with students, observe classes, and learn about the country and their culture.
Many have described Africa University as the most exciting ministry of The United Methodist Church in this century. The Upper New York Conference pilgrimage to AU is your opportunity to see and experience a ministry born of the radical generosity and faithfulness of United Methodists and others.
“I have had the privilege of visiting AU twice, once on my own after co-leading a Heifer International study tour to Mozambique and again for the 20-year celebration of its founding. My experiences formally and personally with faculty and especially with students were amazing and heart-warming,” said Dr. Ellis.
He said his travel experiences to AU strengthened his faith and commitment to The United Methodist Church and inspired him to share the trip with others.
“Travel logistics made it impossible for us to include a visit to AU with the Heifer Study tour. After my visits, I set a goal of bringing additional people, including my wife Claudia, to AU to experience what I had been blessed to experience. The commitment and persistence of United Methodists of Upper New York to raise $1,000,000 to fund eight endowed scholarships for students from 22 African countries has continued to inspire me,” he noted.
The opportunity for other United Methodists of Upper New York to embark on this ten-day journey with fellow Christians is in the works. Bishop Héctor is hopeful of bringing several youths from UNY on the international trip to the African continent to deepen their faith and sense of calling through the Engage Fund.
“United Methodists of Upper New York is a proud ministry partner with Africa University. Our generosity is making it possible for future leaders to be equipped for transformational ministry in the Church and the world. Witnessing the ministry of AU will help participants grow in their journey as followers of Christ and envision new possibilities for their own lives and ministries. I look forward to sharing this experience with young people from our Conference, hoping it will broaden their imagination about what is possible when we join God in mission in local ministry context and beyond.”
The Upper New York Conference has had a long relationship with AU, including the mission and funding of multiple endowed scholarships, which allow students from nearly two dozen countries in Africa to study.
The all-inclusive pilgrimage, including airfare, costs $5,000 and includes a two-day safari to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and Chobe, Botswana. Travelers wishing to extend their journey can “add on” to their tour and visit Johannesburg, South Africa, and more. Scholarships for continued education might be available to clergy through the UNY Board of Ordained Ministry.
Consider joining Bishop Héctor, Dr., and Mrs. Ellis on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity next year. Click here for more details. If you have additional questions, contact Dr. Ellis at (518) 744-4288 or rgellis6@gmail.com.
As stated by Dr. Ellis, “The experience of seeing what we are a part of is priceless.”
A glimpse inside UNY Archives: Hidden treasures revealed and restored
April 15, 2024 / By Shelby Winchell, UNY Director of Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
The Upper New York (UNY) Archives is full of archived information from documents to artifacts. Located in the United Methodist Center in Liverpool, the UNY Archives is run by a group of volunteers and part-time Archives Assistant, Reilly Callahan, who aim to record and preserve United Methodist history in Upper New York, dating back to before the formation of UNY.
Many items and documents are reviewed and cataloged in a database, but not everything is archived. Regardless, each item is a piece of history and has a story.
One item that can’t be archived is the Birchenough Cross from the now closed Slingerlands United Methodist Church, once located in Albany County. The cross is six feet tall and four-and-a-half feet wide across and is in search of a new home.
The cross is centered on the Birchenough family in Slingerlands, a hamlet in Bethlehem, NY. Records indicate Robert H. Birchenough, Sr. and his first wife, Ethel, were active members of Slingerlands UMC. The cross was commissioned to be built sometime after 1998 by their two sons, Dr. Robert H. Birchenough and David Birchenough, in memory of their parents.
Robert H. Birchenough, Sr. married Ethel Kattrein on Oct. 16, 1937 in Albany and moved to Slingerlands in 1939. Ethel was a 23-year member of the Bethlehem Public Library in Delmar, including serving as a board member and president of the library. (She even donated a grand piano to the library.) She also served as a volunteer to the American Red Cross during World War II and was a Red Cross board member, honorary trustee, and a national field volunteer. She died on Jan. 2, 1986 and is buried in her family’s lot in the Albany Rural Cemetery.
After Ethel’s death, Robert married a widow named Virginia Peters. She taught in the Bethlehem Central School District for many years until her retirement in 1986. She was on the Women’s Council of The Albany Institute of History and Art. She died on Dec. 26, 2012 and is also buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery.
Robert was a graduate of Albany Academy and Cornell University and was a certified public accountant. He established Jennings and Birchenough CPAs. He was an honorary life member of the University Club of Albany and a longtime member of the Albany Rotary Club. He died May 4, 1998 and is buried in the Albany Rural Cemetery next to both his wives, Ethel and Virginia.
Records indicate the cross was designed and constructed of brass tubing by Robert Jensen of Schenectady. The cross was hung on the wall above the main altar of the church until the church closed. It was then sent to the UNY Archives to be given to a New Faith Community.
Any UNY New Faith Community interested in having the cross should email Reilly at archives@unyumc.org.
Disintegrating and recently restored was this hat box, once belonging to William T. H. Bayford. According to his obituary, William Bayford was born on March 14, 1869 in Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England and began preaching at the age of 14. When he turned 19 and until 1913, he was regularly appointed to preach in circuit chapels. After marrying Maud Mary Greenwood in 1894 and following the birth of their two children, the Bayford family relocated to the United States in 1913. Bayford served several Upper New York churches, including Naples UMC, Dansville UMC, Medina UMC, and more. He died on Nov. 26, 1944.
The hat box was restored by Reilly using leather honey and wax. Today it rests in the UNY Archives.
The Conference Commission on Archives and History has boxes of items that aren’t and can’t be archived, so members of the Commission are going to give them away for free during the 2024 Upper New York Annual Conference, to be held May 30-June 1 at the SRC Arena on the campus of Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. If you’re looking for offering plates, altar vases, candlesticks, wood and metal crosses or would like to have a bust of John Wesley, lamp oil dispenser, and more, head outside to the outer parking lot during lunchtime. The archive giveaway will be next to the car trunk book exchange. For more information, contact Sue Slenker at jslenker@twcny.rr.com or Reilly Callahan at archives@unyumc.org.
Now accepting Denman award nominations
April 10, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Do you know a lay, youth, or clergy member whose ministry helps them form relationships with others, introducing them to the Good News of Jesus Christ? Think of someone who serves God in a way that impresses you. And nominate that person for the Denman award.
The Harry Denman Evangelism Award honors United Methodists who bring people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. Each year, the Upper New York Conference works with the Foundation for Evangelism to recognize and honor one lay and clergy member as well as youth for their commitment to consistently introducing others to the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Click here to see past recipients of the Denman Award.
Nominations are now being accepted through April 22, 2024 for clergy, laity, and youth in Upper New York to be announced in connection with Annual Conference Session. Click here for a nomination form. Send all completed nomination forms to colleenboyea@unyumc.org.
2024 CVA Fund Allocation resolution
April 9, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
A resolution will be presented at the 2024 Annual Conference detailing the Child Victims Act (CVA) fund allocation for case settlements and legal fees. These settlements represent only the financial recompense for the survivors of abuse.
The Conference Leadership Team created a task force made up of clergy and laity to examine every feasible funding source. Click here to read more about the work of the task force.
A CVA Fund Allocation resolution is included in this year’s Pre-Conference Workbook, which will be available no later than May 1. Click here to view the resolution in advance of the 2024 Annual Conference.
If you have questions or concerns for the task force, a webinar is planned for Monday, May 20 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Click here to join the webinar on May 20.
From the desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez: Pre-General Conference
April 9, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Editor’s Note: The following transcript and video were shared with United Methodists of Upper New York on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez on Monday, April 9, 2024. In this message, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez discusses the significance of the upcoming 2024 General Conference, scheduled for April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dear United Methodists of Upper New York,
Grace and peace from the Risen Christ be with you.
The General Conference of The United Methodist Church, our church’s top legislative body, will meet from April 23 to May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clergy and lay delegates from our worldwide United Methodist connection will gather for worship and Christian Conferencing, consider legislation on various missional subjects, and organize the life of our denomination for the next four years.
A lot has happened since the last General Conference in 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, over seven million lives were lost, and the organizers of the General Conference had to postpone the gathering from 2020 until now. The pandemic has also changed how the church carries out its ministry and has made longstanding missional challenges for our local churches and the denomination more severe and urgent. We also went through a difficult period where some congregations disaffiliated based on their views and attitudes towards ministry with and by LGBTQ individuals.
The General Conference ahead is of utmost importance as it will shape the future of The United Methodist Church. Therefore, I call all United Methodists in Upper New York to unite our hearts in prayer in preparation for and during the General Conference.
Let’s pray together for
- The organizing team as they make final preparations to receive delegates in Charlotte.
- Traveling mercies and holistic health for all General Conference participants.
- Christ’s love to rule throughout the General Conference so all persons are seen, valued, and honored as beloved children of God.
- Bishops as they preside and provide a pastoral presence to delegates and the church.
- Holy Spirit-led vision, creativity, wisdom, and humility that allows delegates to prioritize the mission and common good over individual agendas.
- Clarity about the next faithful steps we will take together as United Methodists.
- The courage to move forward, trusting God’s continued guidance and abundant provision.
Today, I encourage us to remain strong in our faith and hope in Christ.
No matter what happens at the General Conference, we will remain deeply committed to our shared mission, values, articles of faith, doctrine, polity, and connection as United Methodists.
Our purpose will remain the same as United Methodists in Upper New York the day after the General Conference. We will continue nurturing passionate disciples of Jesus Christ who share faith, love, hope, mercy, and justice daily and everywhere.
Our vision will remain the same the day after the General Conference. We will continue seeking to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and embody God’s love with our neighbors everywhere.
No matter what is decided at the General Conference, United Methodists of Upper New York will continue honoring our rich theological diversity, embracing conservatives, centrists, and progressives. We will remain focused on loving God, loving one another, loving our neighbors, and encouraging others to thrive in life and ministry.
We will continue promoting a Christ-centered vision of missional unity that transcends our disagreements. We will continue resourcing our leaders and congregations to thrive in the mission field.
The prophet Jeremiah (29:11), speaking from God to the Israelites during tough times, wrote: “I know (meaning God), the plans I have for you…plans to give you hope and a future.”
I embrace God’s promise for our lives, for our congregations, our communities, our conference, our nation, and the world. No matter what happens at the General Conference- we are moving forward together, embracing God’s future with hope and joy.
On behalf of the cabinet, I thank you for who you are and for the countless ways you are making the love of Christ visible in your communities as you share the good news through words and concrete acts of mercy, compassion, and justice.
May the love of God protect our hearts. The grace of Christ strengthen our faith, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit continue to lead us forward. Peace of God be with you.
In Christ,
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
The United Methodist Church
Serving United Methodists of Upper New York
The future vision for New Faith Communities
April 3, 2024 / By UNY Communications / .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Join Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez, the Rev. Dr. Aaron Bouwens, and the Rev. Abigail Browka as they share the exciting developments in New Faith Communities (NFCs) across Upper New York. For 14 years, United Methodists of Upper New York have been committed to planting NFCs, reaching new people in new places. The New Faith Communities of Upper New York are diverse ethnically, economically, and in the style of providing a way for our church to become more diverse in important ways.
The current grant cycle for New Faith Community application is May 1, 2024. Click here for more information about New Beginnings grants.
As NFCs evolve, so does our understanding of their lifecycle. NFCs are now defined as ministries in their first five years, explicitly built to reach new people, and can choose from four pathways for their future development.
If you feel called to start a New Faith Community, click here to learn more.