About the United Methodist Church
New Vision Statement
Stepping in faith into a new season of ministry
On May 1, 2025 The Council of Bishops announced a new vision statement for The United Methodist Church. This vision reflects the Church's deep commitment to embodying God's dream for the world.
The vision states:
The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.
Love Boldly: We passionately love God and, like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender, and walk of life. (Matthew 22:37-39 | John 13:34-35)
Serve Joyfully: With the heart of Christ, we journey alongside the most vulnerable among us, offering care and compassion with joy. (Psalm 100:1 | Nehemiah 8:10 | John 13:14-15 | 1 Peter 4:10)
Lead Courageously: Following Jesus’ example, we resist and dismantle all systems of evil, injustice, and oppression, striving for peace, justice, and reconciliation. (Joshua 1:9 | Ephesians 6:10)
Northeastern Jurisdiction
The Northeastern Jurisdiction is currently made up of 10 episcopal areas. An episcopal area consists of an annual conference (or conferences) to which a bishop is assigned by the Jurisdictional conference. The bishop lives within the bounds of the episcopal area and presides over the work of the annual conference(s). Cortland UMC is in the Northeastern Jurisdiction.
Susquehanna & Upper NY Episcopal Area
Cortland UMC is a member of the Upper New York Conference within the Northeast Jurisdiction. The Susquehanna and Upper New York Annual Conferences are led by Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez.
Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez
The Rev. Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez was elected Bishop on November 4, 2022, at the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference of The United Methodist Church held in College Park, Maryland. He is the first Hispanic-Latino bishop in the Northeastern Jurisdiction and the first Puerto Rican bishop in The United Methodist Church. Bishop Burgos was assigned to serve as the Episcopal leader of the Upper New York Area effective January 1, 2023.
