New England Conference & Granite District News
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Dec. 4, 2024

“People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God in heaven.” — Matthew 5:15-16

Growing up in the Bickerton house meant attending church several times each week. For me, the season of Advent heightened the anticipation of going to church. Each week I could hardly wait for the lighting of the Advent wreath, both at home and in church.

From the viewpoint of a child, lighting the next candle on the Advent wreath meant we were one week closer to Christmas Day when the presents under the tree would be unwrapped and revealed!

From a developmental standpoint, however, Advent was a time for the most basic elements of Christian education to be emphasized, a time when the simple lighting of a candle focused on the basic concepts of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Each week another candle was lit, and another word was highlighted in song, liturgy, and sermon. And each week, these fundamental beliefs —the foundational pillars of everything we stand for and believe — were given voice and priority.

With the simple repetition of lighting these candles each year, my heart was primed to not only expect Christmas presents under the tree, but to also expect Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love as a simple way for me as a young person being raised in the Christian faith to live out those concepts every day. When it culminated with the lighting of the Christ Candle at the midnight Christmas Eve Service, the mission was accomplished — the implanting of a belief that God, through Christ, could bring new hope to a broken world!

Although the years have passed, the child in me remains. Time seems to pass much more quickly than it did as a young boy. Still, I find great satisfaction in lighting a new candle each week and reminding myself that, with God’s greatest gift as my greatest inspiration, I believe there is a pathway to follow “the way, the truth, and the life” as a model for living.

And when the Christ Candle is lit once again on Christmas Day, my heart continues to be warmed by the glow of knowing that during this perilous journey I am never alone.

I have found myself in a very reflective and sober mood this Advent season. Oh, trust me, my hope has not waned. Neither has my child-like spirit of innocence and wonder. What has changed is the world around me.

There is a heightened sense of anxiety that invades these quiet, holy nights of Advent. Uncertainty over what lies ahead clouds these crisp starry nights. Issues that separate us make it more challenging to kneel at the manger with other siblings. The rhetoric of the world creates a wind that threatens to blow out even the simple tenets of our faith.

It seems to me that these are days where our light needs to be more than just a flickering candle, that, from a distance, is hard to identify. These are days when our faith calls us to create a blaze of Hope, a beacon of Peace, a spotlight of Joy, and a sunburst of Love.

Christian friends, this is our moment, our time, to let our light shine before others that they can see undeniably what good works can do and what giving God glory really looks like.

The ritual of lighting candles at Advent is not a shallow exercise. It begins the Christian year with a clear reminder that God so loved the world Jesus came to provide the best example of how to find beloved community amid our challenges.

It acknowledges, with the lighting of a simple candle once a week, that God is still in our midst, still calling us to be the body of Christ “until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.”

There is, in this simple weekly act of worship, an opportunity to bolster the foundations of our faith through the message of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. It implants in us and others that God, through Christ, can bring hope to broken world.

Let your light of witness shine bright this Advent season, dear friends! Keep your candles lit and your witness alive! And through it all, always remember that Christ walks with you each step of the way!

The Journey Continues, . . .

Thomas J. Bickerton
Resident Bishop
New Hope Episcopal Area
New England & New York Annual Conferences
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Sept. 3, 2024

This is a day of new beginnings,
time to remember and move on,
time to believe what love is bringing,
laying to rest the past that’s gone.
— Brian Wren, 1978

As I write this first word to you, my mind is full of wonderment and curiosity about this new creative arrangement that has brought us into relationship with one another, both as your bishop and with the New York Annual Conference. My heart is also full of hope and joy at being able to add to my satchel of life a new set of colleagues and friends who will further expand the full picture of Christ in my pursuit of the sanctified life. It is indeed a day of new beginnings.

In the journey of life there are, most certainly, a series of remembrances that take us back, as well as anticipations that move us forward. Today, I acknowledge the significant memories of mission and ministry that fill your hearts and minds in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Mass-achusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. I remember, with deep gratitude to God, the faithful service of bishops like Herb Skeete, Pete Weaver, Sudarshana Devadhar, and Peggy Johnson, each whom have played a significant role in my life journey. There is no doubt that it is good to look back, to remember, and to savor the experiences and people that have shaped our spiritual lives.

As you get to know me, you will quickly find out that I am the product of a rich past. I was born into and raised by a family that had a deep history of Christian formation. I learned more about faith on the back porch of my grandmother and grandfather Bickerton’s home than I ever did in a classroom. I was inspired by a mother and a father who taught me about love, resilience, and faith in ways that no one else could.

In the last chapters of his life, my dad experienced a significant amount of hardship. Laid off from his job in a rapidly declining glass industry, my father became a journeyman, finding work wherever he could to care for his family.

As a result, retirement came very late in his life with just barely enough to scrape by. The death of my mom, a fall that broke three vertebrae in his neck, and severe kidney failure that tied his life to a dialysis machine, gave him every reason to become bitter and angry about a past that did not offer him a life that he had anticipated.

Yet, every single day, my father would end every conversation with the same line: Remember, son, every day is a gift. There are no guarantees for tomorrow. So, make every effort to make the most of every day you have. This daily statement of faith became his credo, a reminder to put the past in the rearview mirror, and look forward to the blessings and opportunities that lay ahead.

I believe that this is the same credo that can and should guide our journey together these next few years. While I knew that assuming additional responsibilities as a bishop in a rapidly changing church was a certain reality, I, like you, had no idea that our lives would be brought together in this new arrangement. Curiosity abounds for all of us. How will sharing a bishop work? What historical expectations will need to shift and change? In what way will this alter the way we do mission and ministry? I share those very same questions and more.

And yet, by faith, I know that God has got this. My life story bears witness to it. There is hope and joy and possibility on the horizon. We just have to set our sights on what lies ahead, looking with eager anticipation for what God has in store for us together.

Brian Wren says it best in verse 2 of this wonderful hymn:

For by the life and death of Jesus,
God’s mighty spirit, now as then,
can make for us a world of difference,
as faith and hope are born again.

That’s it! The ability to face an uncertain future with faith, hope, and joy is completely dependent on our belief that God’s mighty spirit can make for us a world of difference. That’s how I choose to embark on this new journey as the bishop of New England and New York. There is no doubt that there will be challenges ahead as we format a new, shared relationship together.

This is most certainly not a merger into one Annual Conference. But it is a creative exploration of how mission and ministry can be accomplished in the midst of a new reality. We will be tempted, at times, to look back and long for a day that never will be again. But my prayer is that we will resist that temptation and look forward with eager anticipation and hope. Just remember: Every day is a gift. There are no guarantees for tomorrow. So, make every effort to make the most of every day you have.

I thank God for the opportunity to serve you. I have been praying for you each day since this assignment was announced in mid-July and I will continue to lift you up in daily prayer as we enter into relationship together. I ask the same from you.

I wonder what God is up to these days? Won’t you join me as we walk this road of discovery together?

Then let us with the Spirit’s daring,
step from the past and leave behind
our disappointment, guilt, and grieving,
 seeking new paths and sure to find.
(verse 3)

May it be so!

The Journey Continues, . . .

Thomas J. Bickerton
Resident Bishop
New Hope Episcopal Area
The New England and New York Annual Conferences

“This is a Day of New Beginnings,” verses 1-3, written by Brian Wren in 1978 can be found on page 383 of The United Methodist Hymnal.

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May 4, 2024

Confluence of Rivers

While I was at our recent General Conference, I had the privilege of preaching at a vibrant new church start, FaithBridge UMC in Blowing Rock, NC. Before the service began, the pastor showed me around the property including the lovely streams and woods that surround the church. He pointed out the two rivers that come together there. The place where the two become one is the deepest part of the stream. It’s the very place where they perform baptisms by immersion.

I reflect on this spot as I think about the proceedings of the General Conference. For many years the two rivers of theology conferenced together with much rushing and roiling conflict around human sexuality, with ordination of homosexual persons and same-gender weddings at the forefront.

I say to those in the LGBTQIA+ community that I am sorry for the years of discrimination, rejection, fear, and hurt that you experienced. Our denomination, officially at least, was not loving, kind, or just to you, and, yet, you stayed and continued your faithful ministry among us. At this conference we removed the hurtful language of exclusivity, and we are now an open and affirming United Methodist Church.

There were other justice-oriented movements of the Spirit at the General Conference as well. Sacramental privileges for the Order of Deacons and regionalization as a way of decentralizing our structure were also approved.

The life-giving revision of the Social Principles was accepted. We also passed a petition that mandates every conference to make a formal apology to people who have been sexually abused in the church.

There is much to celebrate, but I am also aware of petitions that did not get approved and that need our attention if we are to seek justice including more voting rights for licensed local pastors and a guaranteed seat at our annual conferences for retired deaconesses and home missioners. The issue of divestment from fossil fuels did not come to the floor.

I also am aware there are those in the New England Conference who stand outside of the progressive view on human sexuality. I know your hearts are hurt and there’s disappointment. Some may wonder if there is still a place for you in The United Methodist Church. The short answer is yes.

It is my vision that we, as a denomination, are a “big tent” that encompasses diversity of many kinds. This place where our diverse rivers of theology converge is the deep water of our faith: making disciples of Jesus Christ, baptizing people in the name of the Holy Trinity.

Together we are stronger; together we can reach more people, younger people and more diverse people. Let us go forward now with renewed focus on a world beyond the walls of our church and reach people for Jesus Christ with his inclusive, deep love.

I offer my appreciation and thanks for the numerous laity and clergy who attended this General Conference as delegates, communication support, prayer room helpers, pages, and visitors. Also, I thank those back home who faithfully prayed, watched the proceedings virtually, and kept things going as many of us were away.

Learn more

Find a summary of adopted legislation and follow-up resources from the postponed 2020 General Conference.
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April 17, 2024

Important steps for the NEAC's future

We are living in a challenging and critical season as we try to discern where God is leading the people called United Methodist after the painful process of disaffiliation, the impacts of the pandemic, and potential changes coming from the approaching General Conference.

I am grateful that the New England Conference has proactively, prayerfully, and collaboratively engaged in discerning and envisioning a new future for the United Methodist Movement here in New England during the last three annual conferences. The Vision Forward Team, the Connectional Table, and connectional ministries, in collaboration with Conference boards, committees, and task forces with specific mandates, have faithfully engaged in this work.

I am pleased to be writing you today about some of the important steps that have already been taken in this regard and to say a word about plans that will be moving forward very soon.

These steps, some enacted, some planned, will position the Conference for greater efficiency and effectiveness now and into the future:

  • The Administrative Assistants for the District Superintendents have been reconfigured. Six of the 7 districts receive support services from 3 full-time (with benefits) Regional Administrators. These are Katahdin and Many Waters, Commonwealth East and Commonwealth West, and Green Mountain and Granite districts. The Seacoast District has a part-time Administrative Assistant.
  • Many of the Church Conference forms have been transitioned to the “Formvite” electronic platform. The forms can be completed via email, which saves time and resources and eliminates duplication.
  • The paper files and records in all of our offices are being digitized to make them more accessible and save space.
  • Significant staff transitions have occurred in Finance and Administration, including retirements, staff leaving for other employment, which have led to newly reconfigured positions: Director of Administrative Ministries and Assistant Treasurer/Director of Financial Ministries.
  • Recently, we contracted with an outside accounting firm, BDO in Boston, to conduct a thorough review and assessment based on current best practices in financial records, accounting and related processes that we expect to lead to improved financial procedures and reporting capabilities. Similar to work was done in 2005 and again 2014.
  • Upgrades to our financial software are underway, and plans for a comprehensive review of all our technology are being finalized and that assessment will begin very soon.

In addition, I have established the Strategic Management Advisory Group to provide advice and counsel on current and future budgeting and capital asset management decisions. This group will work with staff and the chairs of the key councils, boards, and committees with financial and fiduciary responsibility including Council on Finance & Administration, Board of Pensions, Trustees, Equitable Salaries, Preachers’ Aid Society, and the UM Foundation of New England.

It will:

  • engage in a conference-wide asset/liability review,
  • assess the current mission share formula with a long-term sustainability and equity grounding,
  • review and assess the conference investment policies and performance,
  • study and develop alternative funding models for strategic and future ministries,
  • and propose a conference capital asset management strategy and other non-mission share funding.

There is much work left to do in this time of transition for The United Methodist Church and here in the New England Conference. My deepest thanks to all those serving and leading in ministry on these efforts. Our goal, always, is to support the robust ministry of our local churches and connectional entities to better make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
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Feb. 1, 2024

Saint Valentine: letters from prison

In the New England Conference, Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, is when the annual Statistical Reports are due. This year it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, the solemn doorway to the season of Lent.

Also, undoubtedly, on Feb. 14, love is in the air with red hearts, chocolates, and roses. This celebration of romantic love has become an enormous commercial enterprise. But, like many of our cherished holidays, Valentine’s Day harkens back to religious beginnings.

Saint Valentine, whose feast day is Feb. 14, was either a priest or a bishop in the early church and was martyred during the reign of Emperor Claudius II around the year 270. There are many legends associated with this holy man, the main one being his incarceration prior to his execution during which he befriended the jailor’s blind daughter and sent her a letter with his signature that read, “from your Valentine.”

Other legends give him credit for miraculously healing the jailor’s daughter and secretly performing wedding ceremonies for soldiers to spare them from military duty. He was killed for the faith (either beaten with clubs or beheaded), and it is possible that there may have been more than one martyr by the name of Valentine. Likely the early church celebrated St. Valentine’s Day as a substitute for the Roman pagan holiday Lupercalia, promoting health and fertility. Valentine’s Day took hold in the 14th century as a festival of love and romance and has continued as such.

Knowing Saint Valentine’s story, perhaps Valentine’s Day can also be a day for us to consider ministry with those in prison.

Prison ministry is one of the mission priorities mentioned in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus said to the virtuous sheep, “I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison, and you came to me.” (Matthew 25:35-36) Our churches tend to focus on the first five.

St. Valentine’s letter writing from prison can be one inspiration for us. We can write letters of encouragement to the incarcerated. We can go further, and volunteer to teach Bible studies and minister to families of those in prison. Every church could be doing some kind of outreach, but it is largely missing from our programs.

There are some efforts happening in our Conference through Kairos Prison Ministry  This program provides Christian-based retreats that are conducted in a prison for 72-hours. There are also “Kairos Outside” weekends that have the same format, and they minister to families of the incarcerated.

There is Angel Tree, which provides Christmas gifts for the children of inmates, and there are numerous letter-writing projects sponsored by many faith communities. What’s in your area?  The need is great; the lives of those in prison and their families are marked by significant stigma and poverty. Loving outreach can make a difference in the lives of these folks, many of whom are your neighbors.

Prison advocacy is also a vitally important ministry. This is the harder work of speaking up for humane prison conditions, improved services for inmates with disabilities and mental health challenges, and access to programs and resources to help returning citizens. Your voice can make a difference as lawmakers consider budgets and policies. Learn about the issues in your state and write letters of advocacy.

Let’s not forget the larger issue of who is in prison in the first place. Our voice is needed to call out the inequities created by racism, poverty, and classism.

According to the Criminal Justice System statistics, there are 5 million people in this country under some kind of supervision and nearly 2 million are in state or federal prisons or local jails. In 2021 the percentage of incarcerated White people was 31%, Hispanic 24% and Black 32%. Most inmates are persons of color.

God has work for us to do as we call out mandatory sentences for all crimes, pass “racial impact statement laws” to help undo the racial disparities and decriminalize low-level drug offenses.

Prison ministry stories

This Valentine’s Day think of what you can do to become involved in prison ministry in some way. To encourage us, I want to share some stories by members of our Conference who are currently engaged in prison ministry.

Read their stories 

I have personally engaged in this work for over 20 years, and I stand in awe of how much even a small effort done with God’s love can make a big difference. Sources:WikipediaCatholic onlineSentencingproject.orgHistory.com
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Oct. 10, 2023

It is difficult to find the words

Since the violence began on Saturday morning in Gaza, I have been following the increasingly alarming news reports about the war between Israel and Palestine with great concern. It’s difficult to find the words.

Our world is ravaged by war, and this has been the case for as long as humans have walked the earth. What is also true is that war has never solved anything. Land, wealth, and revenge may be the motives, but only justice can bring peace. Where there is no justice there is needless suffering and many innocent lives are lost. Peace can only be accomplished by diplomacy, forgiveness, and reconciliation.

It is difficult to find the words.

The Hope School in Bethlehem, which we have been visiting and supporting during the many pilgrimages to the Holy Land with Bishop Devadhar, is reporting missile attacks.

According to their director, Khader Saba:

On October 7th while the children were at school three missiles from Gaza hit the nearby area. Our children were very afraid, three of them collapsed an started screaming. We asked the parents to come and pick up their children. There was an odd mess in the area. All the roads to the school are blocked now and it is hard to move from one place to another. I tried my best to reach the school, trying to fix the damage in the main gate. It seems that somebody tried to damage the main gate and get into the school.

We appeal to all our friends, to pray for peace and calmness in the Holy Land. We hope this ugly war will end soon.

It is difficult to find the words.

But there are words we can say and someone who will listen!

Prayers to God for peace and calm during this time of destruction and fear. I call on all of us to pray for peace and sanity. Call for a prayer meeting at church. Pray at home! Pray on ZOOM! Pray in your car!

Prayer unleashes the power of God in this world. Words of prayer make a difference, and it is something we can all be doing even when it is difficult to find the words.

Bishop's Office

Bishop Peggy A. Johnson

Brenda Cayer
Administrative Assistant
Phone: (978) 682-7555 ext. 250
Fax: (978) 682-9555
[email protected]
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July 1, 2023

Praying for Korea’s Peace

In 2001, I traveled to South Korea as part of a faculty immersion experience when I was a part-time adjunct professor at Wesley Theological Seminary. We visited many enormous churches teeming with hundreds of worshipers, a full orchestra, and more children than one could count. We also were treated to indigenous cultural experiences of theatre, art, and music.

Very touching to me was the graveyard of missionaries who had come to the peninsula years ago to evangelize. On some of the gravestones there were bullet holes from the Korean War during the 1950s.

The most sobering of all was our visit to the DMZ (demilitarized zone) that separates North and South Korea. The long separation between these two countries left a hole in my heart not unlike the bullets on those gravestones.

So much sadness, isolation, pain, and suffering.

On July 27, 1953, an armistice treaty was signed and the two countries, North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and South Korea (Republic of Korea) were divided. People with one language, a common history and cultural heritage were split apart by politics.

Technically, the Korean War has not ended as there has never been a peace treaty.  My visit to the DMZ with its heavy military presence was proof of that.

The agony of separation and the threat of combat remains a reality on the Korean Peninsula.

Our many Korean pastors serving in the New England Annual Conference brought to our 2023 session a resolution calling for prayer (RS-23-216).

They ask that we: “… pray for a peace treaty to replace the armistice treaty, pray for peace and reconciliation for the many separated families and their descendants, pray for those injured and affected by the Korean War, pray for transforming the demilitarized zone into a peace park, pray for the reunification of the two Koreas, and pray for the world community to work for greater peace in the world.”

This resolution passed unanimously, and so, my friends, let’s take seriously the ministry of prayer that has been set before us. Prayer is the most powerful resource on earth. Peace can happen as we listen to God’s leading and focus on the Holy Spirit’s movement in our world.

Also, I ask you to make it a point to get to know the pastors and laity who are of Korean descent serving among us. Rich and gifted is this Conference with the unique and needed charism of this part of the Body of Christ. As missionaries came to serve in Korea, so now they are serving in the United States — at great personal sacrifice and grace.

If you don’t have a Korean friend in this Conference already, I encourage you to engage in conversation and mutual spiritual encouragement. Learn more about the work of reunification that is happening. Take a pilgrimage to Korea if the opportunity presents itself.

Find ways to build bridges across our cultures, so that we might find that unifying and creative oneness that we share in Jesus Christ.

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May 1, 2023

As Christians, Let’s Commit to Climate Care

Since arriving in New England in January, I have been impressed with the passion of our churches for environmental care.

At last year’s session of Annual Conference you voted to hire a part-time “Climate Coordinator” to engage our churches in practical steps that will slow climate change. You have several “EarthKeepers”  in your midst (people who have been trained by the General Board of Global Ministries to engage in local climate preservation projects.) You have a helpful link on our website (www.neumc.org/creationcare) that directs folks to many resources from our denomination as well as a variety of community-based and state-sponsored efforts. I commend you for this important ministry.

I would like to highlight food waste as part of our stewardship of the earth. If we were honest, we would all admit that we have wasted food, a lot of food, and we often don’t think about its impact. According to Recycle Trac Systems, Americans throw away about 40 million tons of food every year, more than any other country on the planet. The rotting food in landfills creates methane gas, which is warming our planet.

Jesus modeled food conservation on the day he fed 5,000 people. After everyone had eaten, he sent the disciples back out to collect what remained. “Gather up the leftover fragments, so that nothing may be lost.” They came back with 12 baskets full (John 6:12-13).

Rev. Travis Bonnette-Kim, who serves First UMC in Melrose, MA, told me about a program that’s reducing food waste and feeding people in their community.

The Food Drive, which began in 2020, utilizes its extensive volunteer network to recover good food that would otherwise be thrown away and delivers it to people dealing with food insecurity.

The Food Drive partners with over 25 grocery stores, restaurants, farms, and other businesses to recover their excess food, and distributes that food through 24 community pantries, soup kitchens, low-income housing facilities, and senior housing facilities in Everett, Lynn, and Malden, Medford, Melrose, Saugus, Wakefield, and Woburn, MA.

The Food Drive reached more than 145,000 people in 2022, and aims to provide food for some 200,000 this year. Read more about The Food Drive.

How can you personally take responsibility for the food waste in your home and at food-related events at the church? Can you take part in salvaging food from grocery stores that can be donated to feeding programs and food banks? Can you eat all the leftovers in your refrigerator? Find tips for reducing food waste from the EPA

Are there farms in your area that allow people to “glean” vegetables too small for market or left behind by harvesting machines from the fields? The United Methodist Men have long partnered with The Society of St. Andrew (endhunger.org) to engage gleaning work teams. The society has fed millions of people since its founding in 1979. This year alone, they gathered and distributed 2,398,463 pounds of fresh produce, which became 9,593,852 servings of food.

Being a disciple of Christ means taking care of those in need, and food insecurity is a serious problem in this world. Responsible stewardship of the earth’s bountiful resources means many things – including not wasting the food that God has provided for us. This is yet another way we can demonstrate our faith. Each one of us can play a part, and together we can make a difference.

Jan. 19, 2023

Cabinet Appointments
Rev. Jill Colley Robinson and Rev. Taesung Kang

Bishop Peggy A. Johnson is pleased to announce the following New England Conference Cabinet appointments that will be effective July 1, 2023.

After six years on the Cabinet, Rev. Taesung Kang, who serves as Granite District Superintendent, and Rev. Jill Colley Robinson, who serves as Green Mountain District Superintendent and Cabinet Dean, will have their appointments extended for another year.

“I am very grateful to Jill and Taesung for their willingness to continue as superintendents,” said Bishop Johnson. “These are turbulent days for our conference and The United Methodist Church; having experienced leaders in place is critical as we navigate this time of change.”

The Cabinet and the respective District Committees on Superintendency were delighted and grateful to receive the news of these continuing appointments.

“In our short time together, I have come to appreciate the deep faithfulness and exceptional dedication of these two servant leaders,” Bishop Johnson said. “I know their districts are blessed by their leadership.”

Kindly keep Rev. Kang and Rev. Colley Robinson, their families, the staff, leadership, and congregations of these districts in your prayers.