From Lamentation to Praise: The 2025 Annual Conference Summary

Joy filled the room as the 2025 Annual Conference opened with a powerful Celebration of Ministry. Five new siblings were welcomed into the family of God through baptism: Layla Kim, Robert James Marshall Jr., Joseph David Marshall, Lance Riley Marshall, and Lielle Kim.

The Annual Conference also celebrated those who had faithfully served in ministry and were now retiring. Together, they offered more than 500 years of service to the Kingdom of God.

Six people were commissioned for the work of an elder: Hyungkoo Kang, Eunji Lee, Janis Lea Mercadante Phillips, Emily Patricia Pombo-Wilton, Roeline J. Ramirez, and Sue Jung Shin.

Brian Robinson was ordained to the Order of Deacons, and eight people were ordained to the Order of Elders in full connection: Jisu Ahn, McWilliams Colón Sr., Han Kil Kim, YoungHak Joseph Lee, Lark McCalman, ChangYong Shin, and YoonCheol Shin.

Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi invited each newly commissioned or ordained person to consider where they will live—not the location of their parsonage or the community they serve, but rather where they will choose to live in their emotional landscape. She urged each one to boldly proclaim, “I’m going to live in joy, because I am on my way to praise.”

Choosing to live in joy is not a one-time decision, but a daily walk. Bishop Moore-Koikoi was clear-eyed: “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy, and we have to choose it every day. Don’t live and dwell in our pain. Don’t live and dwell in our brokenness, but live in joy on our way to praise.”

Monday morning opened brightly with Communion on the Beach, led by the Order of St. Luke’s Rev. Lin Smallwood, who invited everyone gathered to continue in God’s grace: “With each new tide, the ocean renews itself—washing away what is old and bringing in what is new. So too does God’s grace wash over us.”

“It’s Bible Study time!”

With those words, Bishop Moore-Koikoi invited Annual Conference members into a time of contemplation on the text for the

conference: Jeremiah 17:14–18. The first tool on the journey from lament to healing is to live in expectation that God is still in the business of working miracles. She urged people to seriously consider the places of pain—physical, spiritual, and emotional—in their lives, and to call out to God for healing.

“Sometimes we get so accustomed to our brokenness that we actually don’t want to do the work to be healed. You need to know your why, so that when it gets hard, you will keep at your healing.”

Healing comes not just for our own sake, but “so that the love of God can be shared, so that justice can be spread, so that power and principalities can be brought down.”

Love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously

Bishop Moore-Koikoi gave the State of the Church Address where she described the state of the larger United Methodist Church. Following a season of pruning, God is doing something new. One of the signs of newness is the new vision statement of The United Methodist Church:

“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.”

Bishop Moore-Koikoi then outlined the staff restructuring that would help GNJ more fully live into the call to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously; describing the process of collaborative listening that she had undertaken since her arrival. She met with the associate superintendents and district superintendents, and listened for the needs from the local church. From those conversations she discerned a new staff structure that would provide more simplicity and transparency.

Bishop Moore-Koikoi also reminded the conference of the Journey of Healing we had undertaken together. Hundreds named their wounds and participated in healing services and the Lenten Journey of Healing. She concluded her address, “I know that God will be faithful. I know we shall be healed, for God is our praise!”

GNJ’s Cabinet offers an apology

Bishop Moore-Koikoi then invited the cabinet to come forward and share what they had discerned in their own healing conversations. Through a moving sermon by the Rev. Sang Won Doh, Dean of the Cabinet, along with a public apology and a Litany of Acknowledgement and Repentance, the Cabinet expressed remorse for the ways in which they may have caused harm in the past and asked for the body’s forgiveness.

We are all going on to perfection—even the Cabinet—and they asked to share the Litany of Acknowledgement and Repentance here. The Litany of Acknowledgement and Repentance was written as a call and response between members of the Cabinet as an act of confession and an intention to move forward in a new way. It was displayed as a call and response with the members of GNJ which led to confusion. A revised version of the litany is included below.

Litany of Acknowledgment and Repentance (Revised)

All DS’s: Lord, we acknowledge before you and your people that we have fallen short of your glory.

For the times when we were silent in the face of injustice,


All DS’s: Lord, have mercy. We repent and seek Your grace.

For the moments when we prioritized institutional stability over the well-being of Your people,


All DS’s: Christ, have mercy. Heal what has been broken.

For the talents and gifts of others that were neglected, misused, or unrecognized.

All DS’s: Spirit of the living God, forgive our failure to honor and nurture the diverse gifts within our community.

For the ways we have failed to listen to the pain of those who have been harmed,

All DS’s: Lord, have mercy. Open our ears and our hearts.

For decisions made in fear rather than in faith,


All DS’s: Christ, have mercy. Teach us to trust in Your ways.

For the neglect of remembering our rules to do no harm, do all the good we can, and stay in love with God,

All DS’s: Spirit of the living God, forgive our forgetfulness and guide us back to the path of faithful discipleship.

For the times we contributed to systems that excluded, dismissed, or silenced voices that needed to be heard,


All DS’s: Lord, have mercy. Lead us in the way of justice.

For the times when our actions or inactions have caused harm, whether known or unknown,


All DS’s: Christ, have mercy. Make us instruments of reconciliation.

For when we have failed to embody the radical love of Christ in our leadership,

All DS’s: Lord, have mercy. Shape us anew in Your image.

For the exhaustion, helplessness, and trauma that, at times, took the place of courage, joy, and trust in Your divine power,

All DS’s: Christ, have mercy. Heal what has been broken.

For when we have not encouraged creativity and innovation,

All DS’s: Spirit of the living God, fall afresh upon us.

Holy and merciful God, we acknowledge our shortcomings and seek Your forgiveness.
Renew our spirits, restore our commitment to justice, and guide us in the work of healing. May our repentance be not only in words, but in actions that bear witness to Your grace.
By Your Spirit, may we walk humbly, love mercy, and do justice in Your name. Amen.

Living in joy even in grief

The Service of Remembrance, where members of GNJ honor clergy, clergy spouses, and lay members who have joined the Church Triumphant over the past year, was a beautiful mixture of lamentation, remembrance, and joy. Rev. Jana Purkis-Brash preached on John 14, inviting those who were grieving to imagine the rooms that Jesus has prepared for them—what those rooms might look like, and what hobbies or mementos they might contain. The AFRI-SCAD (African Student Community at Drew University) choral group from Drew Theological School beckoned those gathered into joyful praise of God, even amid sorrow.

An act of public witness

Immediately following lunch on Monday, the Committee on Hispanic/Latino Ministries organized a public witness. They led a musical procession through the display hall, singing “We Are Marching in the Light of God.” The chair recognized them for a moment of personal privilege, during which they read the Social Principles statement from the floor of the Annual Conference, then led the body in a reading of the Creed for Immigrants.

Constitutional Amendments ratification and legislation

GNJ debated the four constitutional amendments passed at General Conference 2020/2024, and then cast their ballots. The results of the ballots were not announced, so as not to affect the voting of other Annual Conferences. The results will be announced by the bishops in November.

In addition to considering constitutional amendments, the Annual Conference also reviewed and approved the 2026 Budget of $6,314,829. The budget includes a lower shared ministries rate of 14.8%, support for six district superintendents through June 2026, at which point the plan is to reduce to five. Property sales will be invested according to the investment plan, with a 5% draw to support the operating budget.

Financial healing and transparency

The Financial Healing Task Force led the Annual Conference through a family table conversation about the Financial Healing Report, and the Episcopacy Committee offered an update on how the committee followed up on the NEJ COE recommendations following the referral of the “Reclaiming the Narrative” legislation.

Closing Communion with Eastern Pennsylvania

As the conference drew to a close, it was clear that a new spirit was falling afresh on the people of Greater New Jersey. It felt as if we had taken another step in the Journey of Healing. The conference ended with another new step: a combined Communion service with our sister conference, Eastern Pennsylvania. As together we shared one bread, we became more fully one body empowered to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously. Praise be to God.

In addition to the legislation named above,  GNJ also passed the following resolutions:

• Resolution for DCOMs To Receive Full Demographic Info

• GNJ Arrearage Policy

• Transparency for a Safer GNJ

• Safe Sanctuaries 2025

• Church Closures

• Pension and Health Benefits Recommendations 2025

• Additional Moving Expenses for GNJ Clergy Appointed out of State

• Resolution for Timely Dispersal of Conference Journal

• Resolution for Clergy Meetings at Annual Conference

• Resolution for a Comprehensive Nominations Report

• Bereavement Leave for All Clergy and Lay Staff

• Trustees Enabling Resolution

• Nominations & Leadership Report

• Advanced Specials

• Minimum Equitable Salary

• Parsonage Standards