Annual Conference 2025: Rise Up, Beloved
By Rick Wolcott*
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung called to order the 56th session of the East Ohio Annual Conference with 289 clergy and 312 laity gathered June 12-14, 2025, on the College of Wooster campus.
In beginning his State of the Church Address on the first day of conference, Bishop Jung said, “The theme of this year’s Annual Conference launches our quadrennial priority for ‘Rise Up, Beloved: Trust in God’s Promises. It builds upon Jesus’ vision of the church as the resurrected community and vibrant call for unity out of our rich and varied diversity. This is a proclamation of faith, both in Jesus’ day when the early Christian movement was threatened by division and disagreement, as well as in our own time where we are challenged by separation over our own disagreements.”
Bible Study
During each of the three days of Annual Conference 2025, Rev. Dr. AHyun Lee, associate professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Psychotherapy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, led a Bible study titled “Rise Up and Go: Soul Care Amid Trauma and Despair”.
The Bible study focused on the words of Mark 5:35-43 (NIV), which grounded the services and sessions of Annual Conference 2025. The passage tells of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter from death.
Rev. Dr. Lee stated at the beginning of the Bible study, “This passage isn't really about Jairus's daughter. She remains hidden in the shadows. Instead, Mark draws us into the painful world of her parents – Jairus and his unnamed wife – who face every parent’s worst fear. This isn't simply a Bible story; it's an invitation to face our own losses and uncertainties, head-on.”
She shared that the study was not about easy answers but courageous honesty.
“I challenge you to lean into this tension. Don’t hide your losses or uncertainties – face them. In naming our deepest pains, we begin the sacred work of healing and discover renewed strength to keep going.”
View and download Bible Study Session 1.
View and download Bible Study Session 2.
View and download Bible Study Session 3.
Opening Worship
Annual Conference 2025 began with a drum ceremony by the indigenous group Gray Cloud Singers from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania followed by the traditional reading of our East Ohio Conference Land Acknowledgment, which reads in part: “We, the people of the East Ohio Area of The United Methodist Church, wish to acknowledge that our communities have been built on lands that many indigenous people once called home. We pay our respect to the Lenni-Lenape, Wyandotte, Shawnee, Seneca, Cayuga, Ojibwa and Odawa peoples who lived in this area when settlers first arrived, and who were forced to relinquish their lands to the United States through a series of treaties, culminating in the Treaty of Greenville.”
Bishop Seong-Bok Kim, resident bishop of the Seoul Annual Conference of the Korean Methodist Church, was the guest preacher for the Opening Worship Service. His sermon, “The Voice of Scranton” highlighted the connection between the East Ohio Conference and Seoul, Korea – the life and ministry of William Scranton and his mother Mary. The two were living in Cleveland, Ohio when they answered the call 140 years ago to become among the first missionaries to Korea. The churches, schools and hospitals they began continues to positively impact lives in the country today.
"Calling is not something we decide or initiate ourselves. It comes from outside of us. It’s from God, that’s why it demands unconditional obedience," Bishop Kim said during his sermon.
View and download the sermon of Bishop Seong-Bok Kim.
View and download the Opening Worship Service of AC 2025.
Ohio – Korea Ministry Partnership
A delegation of clergy and laity leaders traveled with Bishop Seong-Bok Kim from Korea to be present for the 56th session of Annual Conference in East Ohio. Bishop Kim introduced the delegation during the opening business session of Annual Conference and members participated in the opening evening Missions Dinner.
Bishop Jung and Bishop Kim celebrated the connectedness of The United Methodist Church and the Korean Methodist Church by jointly signing the Ohio-Korea Covenant of Ministry Partnership. The covenant aims to: foster mutual understanding and respect between the Partners; facilitate opportunities for shared ministry, including but not limited to, mission projects, theological dialogue, and leadership development; promote reciprocal prayer and support for each other's ministries; encourage the exchange of personnel and resources, where appropriate and feasible, and strengthen our witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our respective contexts and globally.
The covenant states, in part: “We acknowledge and celebrate the rich history and diverse cultural contexts within which we serve. We affirm our mutual respect and desire to learn from one another, enriching our understanding of God’s grace and the global church.”
State of The Church Address
In his State of the Church Address, Bishop Jung shared, “We are God’s people, children of God, heirs with Christ, bound together by our baptism, one body in Christ. The institution of the church will certainly change in the days and months to come, but the mission of the church will stay the same. God is unchanged; it is we who are moving apart. There is still great need in the world. Need for hope and healing. Need for purpose and meaning. Need for comfort and security. Need for daily bread, shelter, clothing, and health care. The needs continue to call us to serve, to love, and to give.”
The bishop highlighted the new vision statement of The United Methodist Church to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously before charging the laity and clergy of East Ohio to continue to lean on God as they serve their communities in good times and bad.
“Let us trust that the Spirit is doing something new, not only within our walls but across our regions. Because we are stronger together. Because the world needs a united Church. Because Jesus still sends us out – not alone, but in community – to make disciples and change lives.”
View and download Bishop Jung’s State of the Church Address.
Service of Commemoration and Holy Communion
Day 2 of Annual Conference 2025 opened with the Service of Commemoration and Holy Communion during which the Conference celebrated and remembered the lives and ministries of 32 clergy, clergy spouses, and laity who entered the Church Triumphant since last year’s session.
“As we remember these faithful lives … we honor them best by our own witness, our own dedication to peace and unity and healing, our own persistence to do what is right even when it isn’t easy or popular,” Bishop Jung said in his sermon.
View and download Bishop Jung’s Commemoration sermon.
View and download the Service of Commemoration and Holy Communion.
Service of Licensing, Commissioning, Ordination, and Retirement
The final day of Annual Conference opened with the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, Ordination, and Retirement. The service celebrated pastors and clergy who are just entering ministry and pastors and clergy who have served faithfully for years. Bishop Jung welcomed eight newly licensed local pastors and recognized and gave thanks to 20 retiring clergy. Bishop commissioned a provisional Deacon and ordained into full-membership one Deacon and three Elders.
Guest preacher Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton received a warm welcome during the service. He served as resident bishop of the East Ohio Conference from 1996-2004.
Bishop Keaton encouraged the clergy on stage and the laity and clergy in the pews of McGaw Chapel that they can do anything with God’s help and reminded them that they have come this far in their lives and their ministries on faith.
The bishop then challenged all to let God guide their lives.
"We're too busy listening to what they say, instead of what Jesus says, what God says," Bishop Keaton stated.
View and download the sermon of Bishop Jonathan Keaton.
View and download the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, Ordination, and Retirement.
Cabinet Report
Rev. Bruce Hitchcock, dean of the East Ohio Conference Cabinet, opened his Cabinet Report by telling those gathered that he wanted to fill them in on a little secret – what Cabinet does.
“Every time we go into the Walton Room for Cabinet we pray, and then we sing hymns, and then we read scripture, and we reflect upon it deeply and then we go to praying, again, and fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit. And then, and only then, do we begin to take up the work of appointments and other aspects of superintendency,” he shared.
Following the report, Bishop Jung recognized Conference leaders on Cabinet and Connectional Ministries staff who will transition to retirement or new roles this summer and fixed the clergy appointments for the 2025-2026 church year.
Laity Report
“To my laity colleagues, I am so deeply grateful for your strong faith and unwavering commitment to our United Methodist Church,” said Kimberly Green, Conference lay leader, during her Laity Report. “I want you to know, I see you – and we see you.”
“We see you balancing professional careers while being active in your churches. We see you sharing your faith journey in non-traditional places. We see you extending hospitality – leading, nurturing, and drawing others back into relationship with God. We see you teaching classes and strengthening lay leadership development. We see you being present in our communities and serving your mission fields,” she said.
2026 East Ohio Conference Budget
Members of Annual Conference adopted the 2026 budget proposed by the Council on Finance & Administration. The $8,337,276 budget for 2026 represents a 1.21% increase over the 2025 budget approved at last year’s Annual Conference.
Minimum Salaries for Clergy
Annual Conference 2025 approved the motion of the Commission on Equitable Compensation to increase the minimum salary for clergy across all categories by 5%. The minimum salaries in 2026 will be: $51,485 for full members, associate members, and ordained clergy; $46,268 for full-time local pastors who have completed the Course of Study; and $43,663 for full-time pastors who have not completed the Course of Study.
Annual Conference Offering
You can still contribute to the Annual Conference offering (Fund 9214). The $8,709.14 received during AC 2025 offering will support:
- The Mary Scranton Memorial Mission Center is a proposed initiative by the Seoul Annual Conference of the Korean Methodist Church. This new mission center will serve as a hub for outreach, training, and mission work while preserving the history of Korean Methodism and its connection to The United Methodist Church. The East Ohio Conference is honored to contribute to this effort, recognizing that Mary Scranton, one of the first Methodist missionaries to Korea, once called Ohio home.
- United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Global Migration (Advance #3022144) addresses the global refugee and migration crisis. The fund provides relief and recovery in the form of food aid and legal and transportation services for vulnerable migrants and refugees with support to organizations working directly with these populations. It also supports migration-focused organizations that assist migrants in attaining legal status, litigating asylum claims, and resettling in U.S. communities.
- The Bishop’s Discretionary Fund enables Bishop Hee-Soo Jung to support critical ministry needs throughout the East Ohio Conference and beyond. Through this fund, countless individuals and communities receive assistance in times of need.
Donate to the Annual Conference offering.
Missions and Ministry Opportunities
During the first two days of Annual Conference 2025 generous donors filled the Midwest Mission collection truck to capacity with home care kits, personal dignity kits, flood buckets and more – all to benefit those in need because of disasters and hardship. The truck’s presence on campus called attention to the Midwest Mission ministry and prompted the College to pledge a donation of 140 beds.
The ministry fair in the Scot Center featured 40 local church, district, conference and denomination ministries. Representatives of those ministries fostered relationships with clergy, laity, and one another during Annual Conference to reach new people, young people, and more diverse people.
Clergy Executive Session
Annual Conference 2025 was preceded on June 11 by the Clergy Executive Session. In addressing the Elders, Deacons, and local pastors of East Ohio, Bishop Jung said, “In this challenging time, the Lord calls us to rise again and be the hope for the world and bring salvation.”
Resident bishop of both the East Ohio and West Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church, Jung told clergy, “We need to continually claim new life. We are related. We are friends. We are family. We are coworkers. We are colleagues. We are the sojourner. We are one together in Christ Jesus.”
View and download Bishop Jung’s sermon to Clergy Executive Session.
Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team
Bishop Jung is in his first year as resident bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church, comprised of the East and West Ohio Conferences. Leaders from both conferences are members of the Ohio Episcopal Area Task Team exploring the formation of a new, unified Annual Conference for all of Ohio.
“This team has been working for the past year, and our role is to gather, discuss, and discern relevant information each year and then report to the Annual Conferences. And all of this is done so that the Annual Conferences can make a faithful, prayerful, thoughtful, and fully informed decision in 2027 about becoming a new annual conference. So let me be very clear. The Task Team does not have the authority nor responsibility to make any decisions about this new annual conference. The decision to create a new annual conference is not made by the task team, the Cabinets, or the bishop. That decision will be made by the Annual Conferences themselves in 2027,” said Task Team Facilitator Rev. Doug Anderson in his Friday afternoon business session presentation.
Closed Churches
The Board of Trustees recommended in part during its report to Annual Conference that the following churches be closed: Bellevue Seybert Memorial UMC (West Plains District), Canaan UMC (West Plains District), Clearview UMC (Central Valley District), Mt. Hope UMC (Central Valley District), Nellie Chapel UMC (South Forest District), Rogers UMC (Central Valley District), and Sebring UMC (Central Valley District).
“Bless, O God, new life in the legacy of these congregations. For we know that ‘death has been swallowed up in victory!’ And we say, ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,’” said Rev. Cara Stultz Costello, Central Valley District superintendent during the report in celebrating the ministries of the churches.
Resolutions
Resolution 2025-01:
“United Methodist Immigration Ministries of Ohio: Forming an Ohio Site of the Immigration Law & Justice Network”
Adopted as amended
Resolution 2025-02:
“Identifying and Opposing Apartheid in the Holy Land”
Adopted
Resolution 2025-03:
“What Are We Called To Do?”
Adopted
Resolution 2025-04:
“Opposition to Proposed SNAP Cuts and Their Detrimental Impact on Food Security and State Budgets:
Adopted
Resolution 2025-05:
Opposition to Proposed Medicaid Cuts and Their Detrimental Impact on Healthcare Access and Economic Well-Being”
Adopted
Annual Conference 2026
The 57th session of the East Ohio Annual Conference is June 11-13, 2026, at the College of Wooster.
View the showcase of Annual Conference 2025 videos.
View and download photos from Annual Conference 2025.
*Rick Wolcott is executive director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist