August 2024 | A Message from the Bishop

“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