The 2025 Annual Conference will feature several guest preachers and speakers, including Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Bishop Bruce Ough, and Roland Fernandes, General Secretary of Global Ministries, UMCOR, and General Secretary of Higher Education and Ministry. Rev. Dr. AHyun Lee, associate professor of pastoral theology, care, and psychotherapy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, will lead Bible Study this year.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung is resident bishop of the Ohio Episcopal Area, comprised of the East and West Ohio Conferences of The United Methodist Church. As resident bishop, he provides spiritual oversight; shares in equipping, teaching, and encouraging mission, outreach, witness, and service; and serves as a shepherd of the church in providing a prophetic witness of justice, mercy, and unity.
Prior to being assigned to the Ohio Episcopal Area in 2024, Jung served eight years as bishop of the Northern Illinois Conference and then 12 years as bishop of the Wisconsin Conference. In Wisconsin he visited every congregation, provided leadership in planting over 30 new congregations, and guided the Cabinet in achieving 49% cross-racial appointments.
Jung is a member of the Ecumenical Forum for Korea in Geneva, Switzerland, where he advocates for peace and reconciliation efforts on the Korean Peninsula. He has held several prominent roles within The United Methodist Church including president of the General Board of Global Ministries and chair of the UM Korean National Plan.
Jung holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MA from the Institute of Buddhist Studies (affiliated with the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA), an MA from Dongguk University Graduate School in Seoul, South Korea, and a BTh from Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea.
The bishop and his wife Rev. Im-Hyon are the parents of two adult sons and grandparents of two.
Bishop Bruce R. Ough
Bishop Bruce R. Ough is well known in West Ohio, having served as the resident bishop for 12 years. Now a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church, he served from 2000 to 2020. He was President of the Council of Bishops (2016-2018) and later Executive Secretary of the Council (2020-2024).
Bishop Ough previously served as the resident bishop of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area (2012-2020) and the West Ohio Area (2000-2012). Ordained in the former North Dakota Conference, served as Council Director and Camp Program Director in the Dakotas, as Director of Oakwood Spiritual Life Center in Indiana, and as senior pastor, district superintendent and Director of the Council of Ministries in the Iowa conference. He also held leadership roles in the Dakotas, Indiana, and at Oakwood Spiritual Life Center.
A graduate of North Dakota State University, Bishop Ough earned a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and completed the Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation.
He has been a delegate to multiple General and North Central Jurisdictional Conferences and has served in various leadership roles, including bishop of the Southeast Asia Mission (2010-2015), chair of the Connectional Table (2012-2016), and president of the North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops.
He has received honorary doctorates from Dakota Wesleyan University and United Theological Seminary and was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Garrett-Evangelical in 2020.
Bishop Ough and his wife, Charlene, have three sons and seven grandchildren.
Roland Fernandes became General Secretary of Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) on September 1, 2020, after serving in key leadership roles since 1995. He expanded his responsibilities as General Secretary of Higher Education and Ministry on July 1, 2024. With over 30 years at Global Ministries, he has been Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer since 2003, overseeing programs in 120 countries, including 350 missionaries in 70 nations.
A layman from Kolkata, India, Fernandes sees mission as “the heart of the church’s work” and believes Global Ministries is “uniquely prepared to further God’s mission.” His leadership emphasizes collaboration, guiding strategic partnerships with the General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA), WesPath, United Methodist Communications, and the Texas Methodist Foundation.
In 2016, he led Global Ministries’ move from New York City to Atlanta, reducing costs, improving service delivery, and establishing regional offices worldwide. He also helped create the UMCOR Armenia Foundation, supporting vulnerable populations through AREGAK, a microcredit initiative. Additionally, he co-founded “Prayatna,” a Mumbai-based organization aiding disadvantaged women and children.
Fernandes serves as Treasurer and board member of Church World Service and is active in Illuman, a men’s spiritual transformation group founded by Father Richard Rohr. He studied at St. Xavier’s College and Calcutta University, becoming a Chartered Accountant. He and his wife, Liesl, are members of North Decatur UMC, where he serves as finance chair.
Rev. Dr. AHyun Lee is associate professor of Pastoral Theology, Care, and Psychotherapy at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She is an ordained elder in full connection with the Wisconsin Conference of The United Methodist Church and a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC).
Lee is the author of Selves In-Between: Offering Care and Forging Bonds with Difference (GBHEM, 2021) and the forthcoming Protestant Clergy Sexual Misconduct and Intercultural Pastoral Care: Invisible Mask (Palgrave Macmillan). She serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Pastoral Psychology and chairs PANAAWTM (Pacific, Asian, North American Asian Women in Theology and Ministry). She enjoys laughing, walking, hiking, camping, and traveling with her husband, Rev. Young Tae Lee, who is also an elder in the Wisconsin Conference.
Lee offers this description of the “Rise Up and Go: Soul Care Amid Trauma and Despair” Bible study she will lead during Annual Conference plenary sessions:
“Are you feeling stuck, exhausted by life’s storms, or weighed down by lingering fears? Join us as we explore how two unlikely companions – Jesus’ command to Jairus’ daughter, ‘Talitha koum!’ (“Little girl, get up!”) from Mark 5, and God’s call to Jonah to ‘go to Nineveh!’ – can bring fresh hope to our deepest struggles. We begin by acknowledging the weight of trauma and fear, move through those dark moments of feeling ‘asleep’ or ‘swallowed up,’ and discover the power of God’s voice inviting us to rise. Come and dive into these transformative stories, and let them guide you toward renewed faith, resilience, and healing.”