From the Desk of the Executive Director of the AMEC Department of Retirement Services:
Greetings, Saints of the Most High! I am deeply grateful for your faith in me, which led to my election at the last General Conference in 2021. This period between General Conferences, known as a unique “triennial,” holds immense importance in our department’s journey.
Urged by the Holy Spirit, this article clarifies the department’s recent journey and presents the newly transformed department and its responsibilities. This monthly article, leading up to this year’s General Conference, will hopefully answer many questions and fill in some information.
The Department has many service areas for its approximately 3000 active participants–primarily pastors. Our first mission, as a department is to serve the participants and assist them in building a secure retirement. To this end, the department is responsible for 1) Processing qualifying distribution requests from the Legacy Fund, which is the 30% of the remaining Symetra annuity, 2) Providing operational support for the New Life Plan, which are the Wespath accounts where all the current contributions are going, 3) Processing Group Life insurance premiums and claims for participants, 4) Leading The Stewardship Project, our funded program which provides matching funds for active pastor’s seminary debt, our Ministerial Excellence Fund (MEF), and offers an Executive Education Program (EEP) for pastor’s with a stipend, and 5) managing the day-to-day operations of the department, and maintenances, as “Trustee,” the buildings and grounds of the Memphis headquarters building.
In the following months, I will seek to detail each component of the department’s responsibilities, as outlined, beginning with the Legacy Fund, which is the Symetra Fund next month. I would be remiss if I did not thank Bishop John F. White and Bishop Marvin C. Zanders, the Department’s Chair and Co-Chair, for their sterling leadership in a challenging time. I thank the General Board Commission for the Department, without whose help and support, most of what we are doing would not have occurred. I would like to thank the Department staff who work tirelessly to serve each of you. I would like to thank you, the Church, for your faith and prayers for the Department and myself. And I thank God for trusting me with this great responsibility during a pivotal time in the history of our church.
Please watch for our continuing e-mail communications and visit our new website, www.amecdrs.org, for all updated information and the applications for Stewardship pastoral benefits. You may call the Department office, and we are ready to serve you. May God continue to bless the ministry of the clergy and laity of our Zion.
Take care, everybody, and “Keep Working for Jesus!”
Sincerely,
Dr. James F. Miller
