TimSisk.com

"The ones who were afraid didn't make it"

I found out last week three people in my congregation have been diagnosed with cancer.  I'm reposting an entry from my soon to be taken down (as in when I get around to it) wordpress site. 

Tony Snow writes about the fear he felt when he was diagnosed with cancer. After his diagnosis, a friend shared her experience battling cancer:

"When I was sick, my husband and I would sit in a group with other women who had the same thing. We sat in a circle, the same people each week.

"Some looked strong and vigorous; others were pale and weak. But none of that mattered. We discovered that we could figure out who was going to live and who would die just by looking into their eyes. The ones who were afraid didn't make it. The ones who were pessimistic didn't make it. The women who made it were the ones who wanted to live, and were ready to fight. Some of the big, strong women weren't ready to fight."

 

Good words.  Read the rest.

Live Blogging the Clergy Benefits Academy Part 2

Live Blogging Clergy Benefits Academy continues....

First day, 2 pm.  I'm in the "first track" which tells when I take the scheduled courses.  The first class is "United Methodist Benefits Review" led by Ron Coleman. 

Here's what I learn:

1. We are the largest denominational pension plan. 
2. We are in the top 100 of all  pension plans. 
3. There are three different pension plans. 

Basically there are pastors in the room who may be receiving their retirement pensions from these three sources. 

1. The "pre-1982" pension plan.  Which was obviously phased out in 1982.  This is more like a straight pension plan. 
2. The Ministerial Pension Plan (MPP).  1982-2006.  This is the plan I started under in 1997. 
3. The new plan which starts in 2007 (I believe).  It is called the Clergy Retirement Security Plan. 

When the new plan was being voted on I was concerned about the changes.  The GBOPHB did a terribly job explaining the changes prior to General Conference.  I had no idea whether is was a good plan or not.  Probably the General Conference delegates had a better grasp of it, but I didn't know what to make of it. 

As I understand it now, it will be kind of a combination of the pre-1982 pension plan which will be a defined (welfare benefit) that provides security and a UMPIP which is more of a personal savings and investment plan (3.3% of your salary yearly will roll into it) that can be invested and grow per our decisions.  100% of it will be available at retirement.   Both parts will be based on your salary.  Basically the more you make the higher your contributions will be.  There are some disgruntled looks, but Ron basically says, "Hey, that's life and its really the only fair way to do it."  (His tone wasn't nearly as flippant as I make it sound). 

It seems to be a really, really good plan and I am glad for the changes. 

During the session I ask, "What about Roth IRA's?"  Will GBOPHB ever offer one?  Has there been any conversation about offering it?  Roth IRA's can have great potential for young minister's like me who could have the ability to grow our IRA's a lot over time and the tax benefits could be tremendous. 

Answer:  No, it isn't going to be offered and there hasn't been any conversation about offering it.

We close with a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"  game to see if we have absorbed the information.  Ron owes us a million dollars. 

Live Blogging the Clergy Benefits Academy Part 1

By request, I'm live-blogging** the Clergy Benefits Academy education event sponsored by the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits.  This is my first time to "live-blog" and most of what I did was by hand, since I left my power cord to my lap top at home. 

These entries will be more response and what was going through my mind and less rehashing the training event itself.  I highly encourage anyone who may have the opportunity to attend one of these events to do so.  We have the best pension plan of any other denomination and it is as good as any retirement program regardless of industry. 

So let's begin:

1:05    Walked in late because I was looking for a motel room.  No motel room yet.  I left without a reservation.  Many rooms are booked because of the hurricane, holding both relief workers, people evacuated, relocated events such as the one I'm attending that might have been held on the coast.  I tried to allow some time before arriving at the event to find a room.  Struck out.  If I have to, I'll drive the 2 hours back home and come back in the morning. 

Our Academy begins with a worship service and an introduction to the services of the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (GBOPHB).  Bishop Hope Morgan Ward is preaching.  Told a very good illustration about her mother and some Christmas money that she had been given.  Talked about a story that came out from Pass Christian post Katrina.  A person went back to their home that had been completely destroyed by the hurricane and found the rememants of her Christmas village collection.  But of the collection only the "bank" survived.  She wondered why God would have spared her Christmas village bank and not the "church" or something.  And then she realized that more than anything else she was worried about her money.  She couldn't get to her bank and this was God's way of pointing that out to her. 

Bishop Ward is a good, solid preacher.  Shouldn't a bishop be a good preacher?  I'm not sure if it is in the "qualifications" to be bishop but it should be--not to the expense of all the other important things, mind you. 

Digression: Doesn't the Bible say something about how beautiful are the feet of those that bring good news?  A few weeks ago at our called session of Annual Conference, our bishop was wearing sandals and I took a picture of her feet.  I'll upload it when I can find my usb cord and let you be the judge. 

Our prayer litany used a response from the hymn "For the Beauty of the Earth": 

Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Bishop Ward is very creative in interweaving hymns and prayer.  So far the academy is off to a good start.

**I'm not truly "live-blogging".  These are my notes with pencil and paper as I went through the sessions.