“Rise Up, Love Boldly” – 2026 Annual Conference Opens with a Call to Love God, Love Neighbor, and Transform the World
by SUSUMC Communications
photo: Fernando Jimenez
Annual Conference 2026 opened yesterday with a vibrant worship service centered on the call to “Rise Up and Love Boldly.” Grounded in Matthew 22:36-40 and the new denominational vision for The United Methodist Church, the service invited members and guests to deepen their love for Christ and widen their love for neighbor through faithful, courageous discipleship.
In his opening sermon, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez reminded the gathered body that Jesus distilled the entirety of faith into two commandments: love God and love neighbor. “Everything depends on love,” the Bishop proclaimed. Not rules, perfect theology, or institutional success, but the bold, transformative love of God revealed through Jesus Christ.
Throughout the message, Bishop Burgos-Núñez challenged the Conference to embrace what he called a “Revolution of Love” — a movement fueled not by anger or fear, but by hope, healing, reconciliation, and liberation. He described bold love as the kind of love that crosses boundaries, heals wounds, builds community, challenges injustice, and refuses to allow fear or evil to have the final word.
Drawing connections to communities across Central Pennsylvania and beyond, the Bishop named the challenges facing neighborhoods, congregations, and society: loneliness, economic uncertainty, addiction, racial injustice, ideological division, and the growing erosion of trust. These, he said, are not abstract issues to debate but neighbors to love and communities where God is calling the Church to act.
The Bishop repeatedly invited the congregation into a call-and-response that became the heartbeat of the service: “Church, rise up!” and the gathered body responded, “Love boldly!”
He also offered three questions for reflection that emerged from a conversation with church leaders seeking clarity about their mission: How are you loving God? How are you loving the people God places in front of you? How are you inviting others to embrace the hope of Christ in their lives? The Bishop suggested that these simple questions have the power to reshape congregations and renew the Church’s witness.
The service was filled with energetic and heartfelt worship. Songs including “Praise,” “Goodness of God,” “Love the Lord,” and “Act Justly, Love Mercy, Walk Humbly” led the congregation in celebrating God’s faithfulness and recommitting themselves to lives of discipleship and service. The liturgy consistently echoed the theme of bold love, from the opening call to worship to Holy Communion and the closing benediction.
The offering was received for the Beloved Community, a ministry that supports efforts to build inclusive communities, confront racism, strengthen relationships across differences, and help congregations embody Christ’s love in tangible ways.
As the Susquehanna Conference begins Annual Conference 2026, the invitation is clear: rise up in love for Christ, love boldly in the world, and join God’s ongoing Revolution of Love for the healing of God’s world.
