Written by: Matthew Shineman, Director of Communications
What a Spirit-filled week it was across the Susquehanna Conference! From October 20-24, pastoral leaders gathered in five locations – one in each district – for the 2025 C3 Tour with Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez. Each stop was an experience of worship, conversation, and connection, inviting us to pause together and discern how God is moving among us in this season of uncertainty and renewal.
Worship in the Midst of Chaos
Rooted in Genesis 1, Acts 2, and Romans 8, worship during the C3 Tour began where creation itself began – in the swirl of chaos. Each gathering opened with the reminder that before there was order, there was presence. Before there was structure, there was Spirit. Through Scripture, song, and silence, participants were invited to rest in that truth: that God’s Spirit still hovers over the waters – over our ministries, our chaos, and our hopes.
In his message, “Leading Through Chaos,” Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez drew from a personal moment of disorientation while driving through rural Pennsylvania. “Then, in the middle of what felt like nowhere, the GPS lost signal,” he recalled. “No more directions. No more guidance. I kept driving for a couple of miles, unsure of where I was or where I was headed. Eventually, I pulled over.”
That story became a metaphor for the life of faith and leadership today – navigating a changing church and culture without a clear map. “Chaos,” Bishop Héctor reminded, “is not the absence of God.” Just as the Spirit hovered over the deep in creation and swept through the confusion of Pentecost, so too, the Spirit is present in the uncertainty of this moment. “We’re not lost,” he said, “We’re being led.”
Drawing from Romans 8, he compared the Church’s current groaning to the labor pains of creation itself. “Our groaning is not a sign of death,” he said,” but a sign that something new is trying to emerge.” Leaders today, he emphasized, are not called to manage decline but to “be midwives of new life.”
He also spoke pastorally to those feeling stretched thin in the swirl of ministry. “Christ is not calling us to kill ourselves working,” he said, “Your well-being matters. Your rest matters. You are seen. You are valued. You are not alone in this swirl.”
The service moved toward Holy Communion, where the familiar words of the Great Thanksgiving met the language of creation and re-creation. “Breathe Your Spirit into our chaos,” the liturgy prayed. “Hover over our leadership. Shape us into vessels of Your new creation.”
As the worship concluded, Bishop Héctor’s message lingered in the air: that chaos is not the end, but the beginning. Even when the map disappears and the GPS signal fades, the invitation remains to “look up, reorient yourself, and walk forward – not with fear, but with faith.”
A New Vision for a New Day
After worship concluded, Bishop Héctor shared the new vision statement of The United Methodist Church, introduced earlier this year: “We form disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.”
He reminded those gathered that this is not simply a slogan or a short-term initiative – it’s a shared commitment meant to guide our common ministry for the next decade and beyond. “This vision is a compass,” Bishop Héctor said, “calling us to live our our enduring mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
Drawing from his leadership as President of Discipleship Ministries, Bishop Héctor also lifted up new resources available to congregations through the general agencies – tools designed to help churches grow, lead, and serve more effectively in their local communities. He encouraged clergy to use these resources not as programs to implement, but as companions on the journey of forming faithful disciples and nurturing vital ministry.
Here in the Susquehanna Conference, we are embracing this vision as our own. Over the coming year, clergy and laity will enter into a prayerful process of discernment to name a few “God-sized” goals – hopes and priorities that will guide how we love, serve, and lead together in the years ahead.
As Bishop Héctor reminded us, “The purpose of the Annual Conference is to equip churches for ministry and to provide a connection beyond the local church. The Conference isn’t ‘out there’ – we are the Conference, together.”
Conversations that Matter
Across every district, pastoral leaders shared honestly about the challenges and hopes shaping their ministries today – what chaos looks like in their ministry setting, what opportunities God is opening, and what obstacles must be cleared for renewal to take root.
Common threads began to emerge as the week went on: a longing for deeper collaboration and connection across churches; a renewed focus on equipping both clergy and laity for vibrant ministry; and a call for spiritual renewal through rest, retreat, and mentorship. Leaders also named barriers – trust gaps, outdated structures, and fear of change – and voice a shared desire for relationship, adaptability, and courageous faith as we move forward together.
Throughout the tour, Bishop Héctor invited us to listen, learn, and lead with open hearts. He spoke of the Church of today as a “bridge generation” at a crossroads of change, urging us to be stewards – not owners – of God’s mission. He lifted up clergy wellness as foundational to the health of our congregations, acknowledged the need for greater technological support, and committed to supporting the curation of resources for ministry in complex and shifting contexts.
From sanctuaries in city centers to those surrounded by fields and forests, the Spirit’s message was consistent: community is our strength. Pastoral leaders expressed a deep yearning to build bridges rather than walls, to reach new people rather than wait for them to come, and to pour our energy into nurturing disciples rather than maintaining structures.
As Bishop Héctor reminded us, “Belonging isn’t just a program to be run – it’s a way of being.”
Together, we closed itching gathering in prayer – for our communities, that God’s love would overflow beyond church walls to bring hope, healing, and justice; for our congregations, that renewal, unity, and Spirit-filled vitality would take root; and for our Conference, that we would have the wisdom, courage, and trust to follow where God leads next.