 The Staff Pastor/Parish Relations Committee (SPPRC) is happy to share with you that Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez has appointed Rev. Sherry Mahar as the new pastor of our congregation.
Pastor Sherry will begin her new responsibilities on July 1st of this year. As a United Methodist congregation we are a part of an itinerant appointment system. The SPPRC committee has met with the District Superintendent to identify our congregation’s needs and the skills needed in a pastor for our context. We have also met with Pastor Sherry to get to know her and to ask questions. Sherry Mahar holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Binghamton University and a Master of Divinity Degree from United theological Seminary. She began to live out her call to pastoral ministry as Associate Pastor at the Pendleton Center UMC, one of the largest congregations in our Conference. She currently serves as Pastor at both the Delta and Rome UMC Churches in the Mohawk District. Sherry and her husband Don have two adult children, one of whom resides in nearby Stockton. Just last weekend, Sherry was informed by the Board of Ordained Ministry that she is to be ordained as an Elder in Full Connection at this year’s session of Annual Conference, to be held May 22nd—24th at the OnCenter in Syracuse, NY. Our new pastor will work with us and the conference so that we continue to nurture disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Bishop Burgos-Núñez, our District Superintendent Mary Kelly, and the Upper New York Conference leaders will work with us to continue growing as a congregation. I know you will join our Bishop, our new Pastor, and me in helping to make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Blessings, Connie Pilato, SPPRC Chair
0 Comments
 United Methodist Church bishops issue call for prayer and support for Ukraine Editor’s Note: The Council of Bishops released the following statement on Friday, 21 February 2025, marking three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The statement expresses solidarity, support, and prayers for the people of Ukraine and The United Methodist Church of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict.  On this solemn anniversary marking three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we, the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church extend our support and hope in the midst of the ongoing conflict and war.
We acknowledge the enduring pain, fear and uncertainty you face, yet we also witness the remarkable strength and hope you continue to demonstrate. Scripture reminds us, “The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). We trust that God is ever near, upholding you in your grief and surrounding you with grace. We urge all United Methodists around the world to continue to pray for and support The United Methodist Church of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine. We pray for God’s intervention to end the violence and lead the nations’ leaders toward justice, so that peace may prevail, communities be restored and families reunited. We pray for peace, a deep lasting peace that comes from God’s justice and mercy. Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). May you draw strength from God our creator, who walks with you in suffering and remains ever faithful. May the prayers and support of United Methodists around the world bring you comfort and hope. Grace and Peace, Bishop Tracy S. Malone President, Council of Bishops The United Methodist Church  Special Message—The ongoing California wildfires.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” - Romans 12:15 (ESV) Dear Siblings in Christ, As United Methodists, we are called to love and serve our neighbors in times of joy and sorrow. Today, I write with a heavy heart as we witness the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Entire communities have been displaced, homes destroyed, and lives upended, including many United Meth-odists who live in the impacted areas. In this tragedy, countless acts of courage and compassion shine. Brave firefighters risk their lives to battle the flames, neighbors open their doors to those in need, and churches become sanctuaries of hope and healing. Please join me in praying for all those affected—the families mourning losses, individuals facing uncertainty, and dedicated first responders. Also, please pray for Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank and the United Methodists in the California-Pacific Conference as they tirelessly work to be the hands and feet of Christ in their communities. May God’s grace provide comfort and strength. As a church of faith in action, The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is providing essential aid. If you feel called to help, please contribute to UMCOR’s disaster response efforts. Your generosity brings hope and relief to those in need. Also, I encourage SUS/UNY (Susquehanna/Upper New York) congregations to collect a special offering to support the relief efforts in Lost Angeles. You can give through the UMCOR website or by designating a gift to Advance #901670, U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery, and send it to the Conference Treasurer office. Every gift, no matter the size, makes a difference. Thank you for living the gospel and embodying the love of Christ as we extend compassion and care to our siblings in California. Together in mission, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez The United Methodist Church Serving the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area  Pray for New Orleans
“If one member suffers, a suffer together with it.” I Corinthians 12:26 Dear Siblings in Christ, Grace and peace from Jesus Christ be with you. As we begin the new year, our hearts ache over the tragic terrorist attack in New Orleans. I pray for the victims, their families, and the entire community, asking God to bring them healing and peace. I am grateful for the first responders and community leaders dedicated to providing aid. May God guide their efforts. As United Methodists, we believe in a God who redeems and restores, calling us to be instruments of peace. Our tradition urges us to “do all the good we can” in every way possible. In this spirit, let us respond with:
As we start this new year, let us recommit to loving God and our neighbors as Christ loves us. May the Lord bless and keep you, empowering us to be agents of Christ’s peace in these troubled times. Paz, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez The United Methodist Church Serving the Susquehanna and Upper New York Episcopal Area  Lessons from the Grinch
Its no secret that Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Perhaps that’s because of family traditions. It may be due to the music that’s familiar yet stirs my heart. But most importantly I think it’s because I love the joy of the season, the joy of experiencing the inbreaking of the holy into the mundane. I love a good story with a happy ending and Christmas embodies just that. One of our family traditions is watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas on the night of Thanksgiving as the kick-off for the holiday season. There’s a lot of theology in that children’s story! The Grinch, along with his trusty dog Max, rides his sleigh from Mt. Crumpet to steal all the Who’s Christmas trappings and with them all their joy. As I’ve thought about this story, I can’t help but wonder… if the Grinch were to look down on my household during Christmas, what might he plot to steal? What would he consider most important to each of us and take it, in the process stealing joy? Would it be the cookies and nut bread rolls, the Christmas tree, the gifts under that tree, our selection of Christmas music? Maybe he would take our outdoor lights and decorations welcoming family and friends. It’s an interesting question isn’t it. The Grinch’s transformation is central to this story. After all, we are told his heart grew three sizes that day after his rampage. However, we would do well to pay attention to other themes with lessons to be learned at Christmas time. To be fair, the Who’s have a lot to say in how this story will end, because forgiveness is one of the hallmarks of the tale. It’s also a hallmark of the season. At the end of the story, we see that the Grinch, the one who represents the outsider, the other, the one who is different and excluded was the one at the head of the table, carving the roast beast as they all sit together in fellowship. It sounds very similar to Holy Communion doesn’t it? A shared meal together? All equal and loved? Reconciliation and forgiveness? What a beautiful visual. We often mistakenly think that the point of Suess’ story is the condemnation of the commercialism that surrounds the holiday, and in part that’s true. But the true gift of this children’s tale is the joy of reconciliation. It’s what Christmas is truly all about, humanities reconciliation to a holy and loving God. Our Lord is about reconciliation, a return to relationship which came through Christ’s birth, life and death. Our Christmas trappings all have the potential to point us to the story of Christ’s birth; but these “things” aren’t the miracle itself. This is where the Grinch gets it all wrong… and Dr. Suess gets it right. The Savior’s birth is God’s in-breaking into creation to “bring good news to the poor… release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, (and) to let the oppressed go free”- Luke 4:18b (NRSV) This is great news for all people… Jews and Gentiles, Men and Women, Rich and Poor, – all people. Transformation, reconciliation, acceptance, forgiveness. Friends, ask God that the Holy One is present and at work in your lives in all these areas during this season of love. Merry Christmas my dear friends. In Gentleness and Joy, Pastor Sue Hadley  Finding beauty in all things
In our family its well known that I love the Autumn season. In my opinion, the cooler temperatures, Indian corn, pumpkins, mums, and painted leaves all make for a season that is a feast for the senses. Our creative God has a way of making things of beauty everywhere we look, although sometimes its hidden or rolled together with things that may not be our favorites. Spiders, for example, are not my favorite critters, mainly because I’m allergic to their bites, and yet this past week when I went into the garden, I saw a web with dewdrops glistening like small jewels along each strand with a delicate glory that would have befitted a queen’s necklace. Beauty rolled together with something that many of us would not consider as “beautiful”, a spiders home. As we traveled this past week, I couldn't help but notice those large stands of Goldenrod we see alongside the road. The plant may make many of us sneeze and cause sinuses to be stuffed up, and yet when you look at the flowers themselves, they are quite lovely with their golden earth tone color and small individual blooms. The beauty is there, we just sometimes have a hard time seeing beyond the negative. Hidden beauty is something we know about, but seldom take the time to explore. The biologist in me has always been amazed by the fact that those beautiful fall leaves only show their true colors when the chlorophyll that causes the green appearance fades. When the leaves produce less chlorophyll at the end of summer, the green color is replaced leaving the bright orange, red, yellow and soft browns that appear. They were there all the time just waiting to be seen… simply hidden. Sometimes we look at others and do not see the beauty within even though we are all made in God’s image. As a result, we miss their hidden beauty. An anonymous writer once said, “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out. But in the darkness, beauty is seen only if there is a light within.” Each of us have light within, a beauty within, sometimes it’s simply harder to see than at other times. We need to look for the light within that gives sparkle and shine. Romans 8:19, “All creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.” Happy Fall Everyone! In Gentleness and Peace, Pastor Sue Hadley  Changes galore!
The old saying that, “The only thing in life that doesn’t change is change itself” is oh so true! At Christ First we have been through a lot of change during the past few months. And, although “What doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger” may also be true, it can lead to frustration that we’re strong enough already and don’t want more piled on our plates! Our Bishop now is in charge of two conferences which doubles his workload, our District Superintendent has resigned effective immediately so there are now two Cabinet positions open, and the previous minister of Christ First has left for another denomination. In spite of all of these administrative maneuverings, I can honestly say I’m proud of the church and the way we have all responded to this season of change. What I am most pleased about is how the laity in the church has stepped up and kept the ministry going since late May. When the acting District Superintendent spoke with me about the needs of Christ First, he also asked me about our strengths. My answer was that throughout this time of trial, the laity has become stronger and taken ownership of the work of running the church. Many are to be commended… Connie, Mel, Steve, Andy, Kenzie, Danica, Kathy, Pam, Christina … way too many people for me to name here. All have pulled together to keep us in smooth operation. I recently was told that if someone new came through our doors, they would be hard pressed to see us as not having a minister, and I agree with that assessment. And so as far as change is concerned, I believe we have become stronger through this experience. It has been a blessing to me to be once again back with you over the summer months and I will continue our journey together until the end of December as your part-time interim pastor. My role will be to help with any healing that is needed, provide a positive and calm voice, and guide and direct church teams rather than to be “large and in charge” of each group. It has always been my leadership style to walk along side, and lead by example. I will continue to do so as I believe it is an effective leadership method. Brothers and Sisters, when I think of change, I can’t help but think of sunflowers. A dear friend planted a whole field of those bright yellow , happy faced flowers for her son’s outdoor wedding. Each time I passed that field, I always knew where the sun was in the sky because the flowers changed position to follow the light. I believe there is a lesson for the church. We are to follow the light of Christ, a light more bright and powerful than anything we could imagine to direct us. As Christ’s call on our lives causes us to pause and perhaps change direction, we must be ready to alter positions, to turn, to direct or re-direct our attention as the winds of change come. It is my belief that as a church we are on our way to doing so… perhaps not without some hesitation, some trepidation and even some mistakes. But just as the sunflower faces the challenges of moving and following, so should we. Once again, I look forward to walking beside all of you as we journey together. May God bless the work we will be undertaking as one family pulling in the same direction. In Gentleness and Peace, Pastor Sue Hadley  “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. The Northeast Jurisdictional Conference met July 8-12,2024 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. On Friday, 12 July 2024, 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. 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 to share the good news of Jesus Christ and embody God’s love in your communities. Paz, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez  As We Travel On This Journey Luke 10:1 tells us, "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go." This Is an important verse for every Christian to ponder. What makes it a key verse is the fact that Jesus sent them…. "to where he is about to go." Where is he going? Where is Jesus sending us? If this is what we want to do, it demands a closer look. This is the first verse in chapter 10 and it begins with "After this." That begs the question: After what? In chapter 9, Jesus sent out the first twelve disciples, feeds the five thousand, heals a demon-possessed boy, is transfigured on the mountain, and predicts his death. The disciples had seen a lot and Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah. At the end of the chapter, Jesus lets them know that all of this is amazing stuff, but it is not easy. Following Jesus is not comfortable and following must be first priority. He ends with, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Then, "after this", the seventy-two were sent out. What does this mean for us? It is an important reminder that answering the call of God is amazing and exciting, but it is not easy. It also reminds us that once we determine to go where Jesus is about to go, we cannot look back. Our mission is to "Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world." We are committed to doing this by reaching all people and showing God's love to them, nurturing them in their growth in relationship to God, and helping them to do their part in ministering God's love to the world. As we travel on this journey, let us remember to walk together and keep each other in our prayers. Pastor Jenni  There’s a Bend in the Road
Lord, there's a bend in the road. We need to talk! Do I turn back or continue to walk? It certainly looks harmless up here, But I fear there are unknowns lurking near. Lord, there's a bend in the road and I am afraid. Lord, there’s a bend in the road. We need to talk! I do not want to stay the same. I do not wish to go back the way I came I want to continue along this journey with you, but Lord, there's a bend in the road and I can't see it through. Lord, there’s a bend in the road. We need to talk! I cannot see what is ahead for me But on I'll go, though I might be slow. I know your hand will ever guide my back and ahead of me you go. Lord, there’s a bend in the road and the pathway you know. Lord, there’s a bend in the road. Thank you for this talk! Where it leads, Lord, I cannot know. But the choice is clear: do I stay or do I go? I trust you, Lord, and in your care I walk ahead to the foreign land. Lord, there is a bend in the road and on I travel holding your hand. (Poem by: Jennifer Piatt 2/12/15) |
AuthorRev. Susan Hadley Archives
April 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed