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From the Desk of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez: Permanent Closing of Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center

March 5, 2026 / 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 Thursday, March 5 on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez about the permanent closing of Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center.

“For everything there is a season…” Ecclesiastes 3:1 

Dear United Methodists in Upper New York, 

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ, who accompanies us in every season of ministry. 

In June 2024, the Conference Leadership Team (CLT), together with our Camp & Retreat Ministries, entered a time of deep listening and honest assessment regarding Casowasco Camp & Retreat Center. After years of declining participation and significant deferred maintenance, we discerned in January 2025 that Casowasco needed a season of Sabbath to listen, evaluate, and seek God’s direction with clarity. 

In November 2025, Interim Site Director Rev. Colin Kerr Carpenter presented a thoughtful reopening plan with clear benchmarks for readiness, guest engagement, and financial sustainability. The Leadership Team affirmed this plan as a faithful test of long-term viability. Rev. Kerr Carpenter worked tirelessly over the next four months, investing in relationships, reaching out to guest groups, and pursuing every viable path forward. We are deeply grateful for his dedicated leadership. 

On March 3, 2026, the Conference Leadership Team met to review the reopening plan. Unfortunately, the progress made was not sufficient. After a candid conversation and prayerful discernment, the CLT decided that ministry at Casowasco has come to its faithful completion.  

The Conference Board of Trustees will steward the property as the next steps are discerned. Any further action will require approval by the Annual Conference. Staff will contact all groups with reservations to offer support. 

We give thanks – deep, heartfelt thanks - for more than 75 years of transformative ministry at Casowasco—years in which countless people encountered Christ, discovered their callings, formed lifelong friendships, and experienced healing and hope. We will gather at a later date to honor this legacy with gratitude and celebration. 

Even as this chapter closes, Camp & Retreat Ministries in Upper New York remain very important to our shared mission. Skye Farm, Sky Lake, Asbury, and Aldersgate continue to offer Christian hospitality, nurture disciples, form leaders, and empower people to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Since June 2025, we have been working with The Sherry Group, a renowned camping and non-profit consultants’ firm, to study the governance structure of our Camping & Retreat Ministries. We are now ready to continue this partnership to adapt our strategic, administrative, and operational systems to enhance the health and impact of our camp & retreat ministries.  

In this tender moment, we hold in prayer all who feel the weight of this decision, those shaped in small and large ways by Casowasco, those who grieve with aching hearts, and those who carry memories that will forever remain holy. We move forward trusting that the God who met us at Casowasco is still leading us—faithfully and lovingly—into a future filled with promise. 

May the peace of Christ guard our hearts, and may the Spirit guide our steps into God’s unfolding future. 

Paz,  

Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez 
The United Methodist Church
Serving the Susquehanna & Upper New York Area