By Rev. Krista Betz
The Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI) energizes and empowers younger UCC local church pastors to co-create vibrant congregations that change lives, engage their communities, and further God’s mission in the world. For twelve years the Pension Boards/United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance has been leading this initiative that has impacted 150 clergy and the congregations they serve. Our most recent learning experience took us to Detroit, Michigan to study Human Centered Design (HCD) with Rev. Phil Hart, Michigan Interim Conference Minister
By Bruce Epperly*
On New Year’s Day, for the past several years, I have read Dag Hammarskjold’s spiritual diary, Markings. Most of my generation remember Hammarskjold as the Secretary General of the United Nations (1953-1961), who died in a plane crash, while trying to mediate a military conflict in central Africa.
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Our hearts and minds are with the Ukrainian people and their families and loved ones, as they face unprovoked Russian aggression with resolve and courage. We express our fervent prayers for peace and resolution alongside yours and millions of others.
We thought you would appreciate a brief update on financial markets and your retirement savings, considering the significant volatility, and wanted to address any impact from Russian domiciled assets.
On February 24th, we woke up to the news that following months of military buildup along the borders, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his armed forces to invade Ukraine. Missile strikes targeted key Ukrainian cities, including the capital city of Kyiv, as well as military installations and airports. Ukrainian civilians have taken up President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to arms to defend the country’s independence. This latest development in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War threatens to become the largest European conflict since World War II.
Walter A. Reyes, the Pension Boards’ Chief Human Resources Officer, is serving on the advisory committee of the United Church of Christ’s Join the Movement toward Racial Justice—a campaign to partner with others who are working for the transformation of racism in our world. “The role I will play in Join the Movement,” says Reyes, “is to curate stories of life experiences of diverse people groups here at the Pension Boards and share those across the United Church of Christ as part of our cultural transformation journey.”
“Whatever you possess that somebody else needs already belongs to them,” writes UCC General Minister and President, the Rev. John C. Dorhauer, in his recent article about stewardship for the Pension Boards online publication, Generations: A Journal of Faith and Finance. Read the full article here.
The Biden Administration announced new federal guidance on January 10, 2022, that every residence in the U.S. is eligible to order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. You can place an order now at www.covidtests.gov.
UCC Non-Medicare Health Plan participants can purchase COVID-19 tests at no cost from a participating pharmacy by bringing the COVID-19 test to the pharmacy counter and presenting their Express Scripts ID card. To locate a participating pharmacy, login to your Express Scripts account and click Find a Pharmacy. Participants may also purchase tests online by logging in at www.express-scripts.com and clicking Order At-Home COVID-19 Tests from the home page.
UCC Medicare Advantage Plan participants can obtain COVID-19 at home tests by placing an order at www.covidtests.gov. Tests are not available through Humana.
Read this interview with Joaquin Labour-Acosta, Director of Grants and Scholarships and the Ministers’ Financial Vitality Initiative—all components of the United Church Board for Ministerial Assistance (UCBMA), the philanthropic arm of the Pension Boards, which was founded in 1885 to assist retired clergy and their spouses. (To learn more about UCBMA and its history, click here.)