Conferences encouraged to match Cokesbury check
A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*
June 1, 2009
The news that the United Methodist conferences in the U.S. would not
receive their yearly allocation of “Cokesbury” checks has been a wakeup
call this summer.
A financial shortfall at the United Methodist Publishing House meant
that 62 annual conferences in the United States would not be able to
redistribute their allocation from a total of $1 million for retired
clergy and surviving spouses in the church’s central conferences,
especially in Africa. The amount of the Cokesbury checks is based on
the number of clergy in each conference.
The office of central conference pensions at the United Methodist
Board of Pension and Health Benefits encouraged each annual conference
to consider a gift or matching grant from their coffers that is the
equivalent of last year’s Cokesbury gift for the initiative.
Dan O'Neill
|
“A number of annual conferences will be taking special offerings,” said
Dan O’Neill, managing director of central conference pensions, the
denomination’s long-term effort to help pastors and church lay workers
in annual conferences outside the United States retire with dignity,
hope and an adequate income. Many pastors have given from 20 to 50
years of service to the church.
Two U.S. annual conferences—Red Bird Missionary and North Central New York—have answered the challenge.
“We already have Red Bird’s check,” O’Neill said.
Yearly, the 1,472-member conference has received a little more than
$100 as a Cokesbury check and forwarded it to the Central Conference
Pension Initiative. Judith Fowler, treasurer of the Red Bird
conference, said the regional group sent $123 to the initiative
“because we felt the need to make sure that all of the pastors in the
central conferences were taken care of.”
Annual conferences along with the entire United Methodist Church
face financial shortfalls due to health care costs and the economic
distress.
The Rev. Judy Fowler
|
Red Bird is also facing a $200,000 deficit for next year but “felt that
our pastors should be taken care of in their retirement,” Fowler said.
The North Central New York conference, which ended May 30, voted to
receive an impromptu offering for the Central Conference Pensions Fund.
Bishop Marcus Matthews encouraged all to "dig deep," and $5,302.07 was
collected, almost three-fourths of what would have been given in the
Cokesbury check. Since the inception of the Central Conference
Pension Fund, North Central New York has supported an action originally
proposed in 2000 by the Rev. Robyn Hays to donate the Cokesbury check
to the Central Conference Pension Fund each
year.
When Hays made the original proposal, she said, “It seemed like the
right thing to do.” A member of the conference board of pension
since 1995, she said giving the money to support retired pastors
outside the United States “was a matter of justice.” She
expressed excitement that the annual conference, in light of not
receiving a check this year, took a love offering that benefited
missions needs throughout the world.”
“It feels good to see this effort continue,” she said. “It
would be a wonderful thing if we could say that all pastors, regardless
of where they live and serve, are guaranteed a pension that would allow
them to live after they retire from active ministry.”
According to O’Neill, the actions of both Red Bird and North Central
New York are a response to the needs of the retirees outside the United
States and “indicate our denominational connectional commitment.”
Neil Alexander
|
The participation of annual conferences in returning their United
Methodist Publishing House pension contributions has grown
significantly in both numbers participating and in enthusiasm over the
years, said Neil Alexander, president and publisher. “The actions by
some conferences this year to give sacrificially in order to continue
that practice in a time of unprecedented world-wide economic hardship
demonstrates that the commitment to central conference pastors and
church workers runs deep and is abiding. This outpouring of love and
support is a tremendous witness of fellowship and hope for our church's
future around the world,” he said.
The 2000 General Conference, the top legislative body of the
denomination, asked the pension board to find ways to fund pensions for
pastors serving in 67 annual conferences in Africa, Eastern Europe and
the Philippines. These pastors often retire after more than 40 years of
service without resources to meet their daily needs. The 2004 General
Conference reaffirmed a pension support plan for the central
conferences and authorized an effort to raise money to support a
pension fund initiative for those pastors and surviving spouses.
The pension board hired a professional firm in 2007 to help raise
$20 million to invest for the overseas pension initiative. The United
Methodist Council of Bishops, during their May 3-8 meeting, committed
to help the Central Conference Pension Initiative raise the remaining
$5 million of the pension initiative’s goal.
During a May 8 meeting of the Central Conference Pension Initiative,
Liberian Bishop John Innis said that initiative has brought hope to
retired pastors in his annual conference. “As I travel through, people
say thank you bishop. Please give our thanks to the people who are
helping us.”
*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Economy threatens 'Cokesbury checks' for clergy pensions outside United States
Publishing House feels impact of economic downturn
Redeploy church resources, financial officers say
Church leaders speak out on economic suffering
Pension Initiative needs millions for retired pastors
Mozambique pastors to get pensions in pilot project
Resources
Central Conference Pension Initiative
Central Conference Pension Special
United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits
United Methodist Publishing House |