From Bishop Burgos: Confronting Our Missional Challenges with Courage

By UNY Communications | Email

Editor's Note: The following message was sent to United Methodists in the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area on behalf of Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.

Dear pastoral and local church leaders; 

Grace and peace of Christ be with you. 

During my episcopal address at the 2026 Annual Conference session, I celebrated the many ways United Methodists across the Upper New York Conference are rising up and loving boldly—making Christ’s love visible and tangible near and far. Your witness continues to inspire hope.

Rising Up with Courage

I also spoke candidly about several persistent cultural challenges that contribute to decline—realities that will not shift until we face them directly: loss of spiritual vitality, paralyzing nostalgia, insularism, and a lack of missional humility. Naming these truths was important, but the work cannot stop there. These matters require thoughtful, prayerful engagement at the local church level.

God has already placed within us the gifts, courage, and missional imagination needed for this season. Paul’s exhortation in 2 Timothy 1:6, is not to seek something new, but to rise up and awaken what the Spirit has already entrusted to us—gifts that can fade when nostalgia, fear, or fatigue set in. To “fan into flame” is intentional leadership: lifting our faith, clearing what stifles spiritual vitality, and stepping forward with renewed purpose. This moment calls us to rise up together for Christ’s mission.

An Invitation to Local Church Leadership Teams 

I ask that every Upper New York local church leadership team sets aside time this summer to watch the episcopal address together and engage in honest, Spirit‑led conversation. It will take all of us leaning into this work to live into Christ’s real hope for our future. 

To help these conversations, I offer two resources: 

• Video Clip of the 2026 Episcopal Address — view and download 

• Manuscript with Discussion Questions — view and download 

Moving Together Toward God’s Envisioned Future 

I trust your leadership teams will discern how best to engage these conversations so that, together, we continue moving toward the future God envisions for us: healthy, impactful congregations forming disciples of Jesus Christ who—empowered by the Holy Spirit—love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously, so that lives, communities, and the world are transformed by Christ’s healing and liberating love.

Together in the journey,  

Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez

The United Methodist Church   

Serving the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area