More than Annual Conference: The UNY UMC app keeps us connected
By UNY Communications | Email
What if staying connected to The United Methodist Church in Upper New York could be as simple as opening an app?
Since its launch, the UNY UMC app has become an increasingly important way for people across the conference to find news, view resources, watch videos, and stay connected.
Since the app launched in July 2024, content was viewed more than 14,000 times. In 2025, that number jumped to more than 50,000. So far in 2026, the app has recorded more than 34,000 content views.
But perhaps the most encouraging part of the story is people aren't just downloading the app, they're using it.
The app was used more than 2,200 times to access content and news items in 2024, more than 10,000 times in 2025, and more than 8,700 times so far in 2026.
Together, those numbers point to something bigger than statistics. The UNY UMC app is becoming a way for people to stay informed, discover resources, and connect with what's happening across the conference.
More than an Annual Conference app
For many, the UNY UMC app may have first become familiar as a tool for Annual Conference. Through the app, we are able to share schedules, information, and deliver quick updates right at users' fingertips during those busy days.
But the app is designed to be much more than an Annual Conference companion.
Throughout the year, the UNY UMC app offers a convenient place to discover the latest news, view pastoral messages from Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez, watch inspiring videos of ministry around Upper New York, and receive important updates.
This fall, a new "Resources" tab was added to the app putting helpful tools, information, and materials right at your fingertips. The "Media" section has been transformed and now houses all UNY videos, organized into collections that make it easy to find content from Bishop Burgos' pastoral videos, Annual Conference 2025 and 2026, examples of Ministry in Action around Upper New York, and more.
The goal is simple: to make it easier to stay connected to what's happening across UNY, wherever you are and whenever you need it. Instead of waiting for information to arrive in an email or searching through the conference website, users can open the app and find many of those resources in one place. As the app continues to grow, so does its potential to strengthen communication and connection across our conference. In 2025, the United Methodist Association of Communicators named the UNY UMC app as the best mobile app throughout the connection.
A growing community of users
The number of people downloading the app is growing, too.
In 2024, there were 423 downloads. That number increased to 651 downloads in 2025. In 2026 alone, the app has already been downloaded 380 times. Those downloads represent people taking a simple step toward staying connected with what's happening across UNY.
Whether you're a pastor looking for the latest conference information, a church leader searching for resources, a layperson interested in staying connected, or simply someone who wants to know what's happening across our connection, the app puts that information within easy reach.
If you haven't downloaded it yet, now is a great time. If you downloaded the UNY UMC app for Annual Conference and haven't opened it since, consider this your invitation to come back. Download the UNY UMC app today and make it part of the way you stay connected throughout the year. Because the connection doesn't end when Annual Conference does. It's happening all year long.
To get the most out of the app, make sure you subscribe to notifications. Click here to watch a short one-minute video that was created for Annual Conference on how to enable notifications. If you have any questions or need help, email news@unyumc.org.
