2026 Annual Conference Summary

With a sense of readiness for the Holy Spirit, Annual Conference 2026 opened in a worshipful Celebration of Ministry service. Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi welcomed Yina Park as a sister in Christ through the waters of baptism. She introduced the little one to her new faith family saying, “They love you. They promise to nurture and take care of you.”

The Annual Conference celebrated clergy who are retiring from active ministry, those who have devoted years of faithful service to God, the church, and the world.   

Those gathered were blessed by Aixa Preston and Ana Santiago of New Creation UMC whose liturgical dance embodied the movement of the Holy Spirit, transitioning from the celebration of retirees to that of commissioning and ordination. 

Jessica Greene and Carmen O’Shea were commissioned toward the work of a Deacon. Six individuals were commissioned toward the work of an Elder: Connor Felty, Sophy Driscoll Gamber, Derrick Gutierrez, Marcus Simmons, Jack Tironi, and Stephen Whitehead. 

Heather Hammel, Jeong Gyun Hong and Jared Stoltzfus were ordained to the Order of Elders in full connection.

In her message, Bishop Moore-Koikoi called those gathered to seek, call and glorify God, who promises to always be near to us. She urged the church to find fulfillment in the truly satisfying food and drink that God offers instead of in the world’s empty promises.

God not only invites us to the table, but also to partner with God and each other to rebuild the new Jerusalem: “not as it used to be…but as God imagines it today, a new Jerusalem that is representative of God’s kingdom right here on earth.”

Bible Study
Bishop Moore-Koikoi grounded the Annual Conference in a study of this year’s focus scripture, Isaiah 55. While God’s people were in the darkness and uncertainty of exile, the words of the prophet promised that if they sought God and listened, God would show them what they needed to do. The bishop invited us, too, to wait, repent, and listen for God. 

From this listening, discernment flows. It comes to us in different ways – for instance, through direct revelation or a persistent prompting. “We ought never just say the matter is finished,” said Bishop Moore-Koikoi, “we ought to be open to the ongoing revelation, correction, and instruction of God. … We always need to be checking in with God.” 

After Bible study, those gathered learned about prayer practices from different traditions. On Wednesday, Rev. Kyewoon Choi taught about Korean prayer practices including dawn prayer meetings, all night prayer and tongsung kido – praying aloud, fasting, and desperate and persistent prayers. Rev. Dr. Sukja Bang taught about “han” – the Korean word for accumulated sorrow in a longsuffering people. She spoke especially of Korean women filling prayer rooms and doing the church’s hands-on work in an era when they had very little voice and choice. “When we talk about recapturing that passion for prayer, perhaps we need to ask ourselves honestly…from where do we pray, because prayer at its most powerful is not a discipline, a program, or even a tradition. It is a cry,” said Bang.  

On Thursday, Rev. Towanda Connelly and Rev. Robert Johnson taught about prayer in the African American tradition. They taught powerfully of African American prayer as justice, liberation, assurance, transformation and transcendence. This prayer occurs not only in words, said Connelly, but also invades music, movement, preaching and worship. “When you’re crying out for liberation, every part of your body participates,” she proclaimed. “Prayer, for the African American,” said Johnson, “is transformative. And it transforms us from being victims to being victors.”

We’ve come this far by faith.
In her State of the Church address, Bishop Moore-Koikoi highlighted Eastern Pennsylvania’s deep rootedness in tradition, reflecting that “We’ve come this far by faith.” These traditions serve as a foundation and springboard for where God wants us to go.

Bishop Moore-Koikoi called the Annual Conference to continue building leadership among young people by recognizing “our young people are not the future, they are the now.” She highlighted the way Camp & Retreat Ministry is already doing that with record numbers at this year’s confirmation retreats.

The bishop also named the Annual Conference’s need to shift from a culture of staff-driven mission and ministry to one of local church-driven mission and ministry. Key to this shift will be a requirement, over the next year, for every local church to develop a comprehensive plan for forming disciples. The Annual Conference will walk alongside churches in this work.   

Over the last year, the Connectional Table has been working to discern a vision for the Annual Conference. It has identified four top priorities: strengthening the local church, justice/prophetic witness, leadership/discipleship, and youth and young adult ministry. The Connectional Table will continue to seek feedback from the Annual Conference more broadly as it envisions our future. Please take a moment to fill out the a short survey about the goals you hope our Annual Conference will focus on in the priority areas.

Stewarding the conference office property

Bishop Moore-Koikoi also shared that the Annual Conference office will soon undergo needed renovations following 2023 legislation that approved $750 000 from apportioned funds to do that work. Upon review, it became clear those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs of the renovations needed, yet renovating is still the most economical way forward. The Conference Trustees will draw $3 million from trustee funds to make up the difference.

Later, the trustees shared that the renovation process will include “structural improvement and safety enhancement, renovation of office space to better serve the clergy and congregations, upgraded meeting and administrative facilities, improving accessibility and functionality and planning for long-term sustainability and efficient operations.”

The work will begin this summer and is anticipated to take 12-18 months. Bishop Moore-Koikoi, along with VK Macwana (Trustees Chair) and Henry Moore (Property Manager) will provide a time for Annual Conference members to ask questions upon Bishop’s return from Tanzania in June.  

Wesleyan Vile-tality
At the end of Bishop Moore-Koikoi’s State of the Church address, she called us back to our Methodist roots of “vile” ministry – following John Wesley’s example of ministry that would be considered undignified by others, like preaching in fields and prisons. She presented the John Wesley Vile Ministry Award to Rev. Bill Ritzenthaler whose own life was transformed by boundary-breaking grace and who now extends that grace to others through ministries of evangelism, discipleship, and community outreach.

Service of Remembrance

In the Service of Remembrance, the Annual Conference gave thanks for the lives of those faithful who have passed since we met last. Retiring elder, Rev. Robin Hynicka, painted a picture of those beloved now seated at a table set by Jesus. Through their lives, they also set tables “in sanctuaries, at soup kitchens, in living rooms and hospital rooms…where people could come hungry and leave knowing they belong.” Hynicka called us to honor them by continuing the feast they helped to prepare. We anticipated our reunion with them at the Lord’s table through the celebration of Holy Communion.     

Legislation
In the legislative session, the Annual Conference affirmed several resolutions surrounding economic justice including, Ensuring Just Wages and Benefits in United Methodist Congregations, Transparency and Access to Benefits for Lay Employees and Deacons, and Exploring Pension and Health Benefits Coverage for Deacons, Deaconesses, and Home Missioners.

Members also engaged in meaningful discussion about the impact and basis of sexual education in congregational life, ultimately affirming the Resolution on the Use of Comprehensive Sex Education Resources in Congregational Life.

Rev. Steve Cherry, CFA Chairperson introduced Danielle Andrews, the EPA’s new CFO and treasurer, who presented the 2027 budget. While this year’s budget is largely the same as last year’s, Andrews said that 2026 and 2027 would be pivotal years to “reset our financial structure and foundation.”

Nevertheless, “the one thing I want you to take away from the budget that’s before you is that this Annual Conference is okay. The budget is balanced. All needs will be met,” said Andrews. That said, significant work is required to ensure the conference’s long-term financial stability. 

Andrews shared that it would not be possible to provide full audits due to the nature of the records that were kept but that an outside agency would do a full cash reconciliation and a five-year compilation of financial statements. Information will be shared once that work is complete. The budget was passed.

Looking to the future
On Thursday morning, Bishop Moore-Koikoi reminded the Annual Conference of the upcoming Leadership Gathering spearheaded by the Council of Bishops to dream about the future of the United Methodist Church. Linda Mier, a layperson, and Rev. YoungHak Lee, serving as clergy in the Eastern Pennsylvania Annual Conference, will be among the leaders who gather in Calgary, Canada in October, 2026.

Mier shared that while a denomination-wide survey revealed youth and young adult engagement to be the church’s highest priority, the number of young respondents was extremely low.

“We cannot simply ask young people to return to a church that we desire. We can’t rebuke them or become defensive when they tell us their spiritual needs aren’t being met,” said Mier. “We need to shift away from viewing young people simply as a demographic metric that we need to save our institution and instead ask what kind of church are we actually inviting them into?”

Mier invited the Annual Conference to send ideas about what the denomination should become and what it should leave behind to her via email at miermumc@gmail.com.

Closing Worship

Annual Conference 2026 drew to a close with a time of song, scripture and, of course, prayer. After filling up on the good, rich food that God offered in our time together, Bishop Moore-Koikoi sent the United Methodists of Eastern Pennsylvania home with a blessing: “Go, seeking the God who will always be found. Go out in joy and be led in peace.”

• We invite you to check out the 2026 EPA Annual Conference Wrap-Up Video! Relive the highlights, the powerful moments, and the inspiring messages. Click above to watch, download and share the video.
• Click here to access the full gallery of photos from Annual Conference that you can also share in your church presentation.
• Click here to access the showcase of videos featured during Annual Conference. Feel free to download and share.

Additional legislation passed:

• #2026-01: Updates and Changes to the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Rules of Order
• #2026-02: Denouncing Dehumanizing Immigration Enforcement and Calling the Church to Faithful Witness
• #2026-03: Supporting the Shelter First Act
• #2026-05: Church Closures
• #2026-10: Nominations and Leadership Report
• #2026-11: Equitable Compensation
• #2026-12: Rental Housing Allowances
• #2026-13: Ministerial Pension Rate for Pre-82
• #2026-14: Advance Special Applications